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Dear Sir:

There are fewer than 100,000 people living on the island of St Vincent. The City of Kingstown is a city of mixed fortunes, the people who live there are of varying social groups. Market stalls and street traders, Syrian owned stores and lots of little food outlets from shops to trailers. A mixture of offices and big stores owned by local and foreign investors and operators. Not one of the types described, are at the moment financially stable.

Business has never been worse, some traders owed millions by the SVG ULP government for years without interest, still government makes demands on them to pay taxes, duties and VAT, they are not allowed to offset what the government owes them from those taxes, duties and VAT.

Quite a large portion of the city is covered by government buildings and institutions. The government has neglected every building that it owns. Every building they own is in disrepair and remains in tatters, repair and paint work needed everywhere.

Open drains and catering sewage and waste, flowing though some of the drains. Great hordes of rats waiting for the pied piper. There are only two public toilets locations in the whole city of, one set is clean and is off Heritage Square, operated by a charity, the other operated by the government is by the meat market and is so disgusting that there is yellow slime all over the urinals. Because there are no public toilets, people urinate in shop doorways and gutters, joining the catering sewage and waste, which flows to a pipe, and then into the bay, but only when it rains, the rest of the time it just stagnates. Mosquitoes breed in the stagnant drains, passing heartworm to the dirty scabby dogs that litter the city, also spreading disease to humans including dengue fever, which is commonplace.

The government can't even run Kingstown, yet they are talking of building a new city at Arnos Vale. The best we can look forward to at this time is a cholera outbreak centred on Kingstown, or some other epidemic or even a pandemic.

There are homeless people lying on the pavements during the day as well as at night. The Catholic Cathedral and Salvation Army providing feeding stations for the hordes of starving street people, visit them at feeding time, see for yourselves. Children in school uniforms sent to school without food or money for lunch, even without money for the van or bus home. They beg in the car parks and around the church areas, or they go without and stay in town until the next day’s class, foraging through the Kentucky bins.

Now seeing as the government is unable to maintain or run the existing city, and the traders are all going broke, too many stores not enough buyers or customers. Why do they want to build a new city? There is such poverty in SVG that there is only a small group of people who can be classed as serious shoppers. The rest spend a handful of change each time they visit. If the buyers were watered down by opening more stores and shops in a new city, old Kingstown will die completely; all the small traders will go broke.

Why then would the prime minister suggest such an option? He is an intelligent man, he knows that it will destroy the small traders, some who are individual street traders, tiny farmers, one-parent ladies trying to eke-out a mean living, old people trying to feed themselves now the family has left.

I am convinced he knows the end result, but needs the money for the airport, more than he needs all those small no-consequence nuisance people. People can be sacrificed for a good cause, and the airport is a good cause.

Property in Old Kingstown will become cheap, all those old property owning families that support the NDP, destroyed forever. What a master stroke.

If you want to see how Kingstown will look, go see Georgetown.

By the way just as a reminder, there are still around 60 ex-landowners of the Argyle airport site who still remain unpaid for their land, for six years now.

Peter Binose

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jason :

When it come to the development of our country, people will have all sort of things to say. Why is it so hard for some to accept that SVG is moving forward regardless of what negative comments made, from some in the ehco chambers.

Since the ULP took office on March 11th, 2001. Some supporters of the opposition fail to realized their party had suffered defeat at the polls, by the electorates. Peter had mention Master Stroke.

Just to touch on some of the projects the government had implemented since they took office.

(1)Opening of the Nationl Library master stroke?

(2)Polyclinic at Stubbs- master stroke?

(3)Argyle airport construction master stroke?

(4)The expansion work that is currently taking place at the A level college at Glen, master stroke?

(5)The opening of the Crisis Center at Kingstown Park- master stroke?

(6)The huge Foreign Direct Investment in the tourism sector, on main land and in the Grenadines- master stroke?

(7)Look at the new custom building , master stroke?

I could go on and on. Over the pass few weeks, we welcome three new businesses in SVG. In spite of the global financial crisis, this country continue to hold its own. If it lift up to these people alone, this country would remain the same. Cause they do not want to see progress in SVG. Mr.prime minister, you continue to do the best you can in managing our economy. Vincentians not blind, they can see the ongoing development that is taking place under the ULP. Hadn't the NDP during the last general election in 2010, in their manifesto proposed a new city in Arnos Vale?

Peter:

Jason please don't go on and on as you say you could, because you just don't understand the subject.

Jason the Greek was an ancient Greek mythological hero, famous for his role as the leader of the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Media.

Perhaps we should just ignore Jason because he is only a myth [or perhaps a mythiss]. Jason, the city at Arnos Vale will bankrupt private enterprise in Kingstown whichever party was to do it.

You cannot compare all those social things that you list as projects that earn capital, they cost capital. You cannot create a new city that runs on Social Projects.

You said “Over the past few weeks, we welcome three new businesses in SVG” name them Jason.

What we can be sure of is that none of the Social Projects that you mention will earn us money. They will hopefully create work, but the government can’t afford to increase the wage bill, they are struggling to pay the present wages. And they cannot afford to pay for electricity, water and telephone, they are months and years behind with their present bills.

Social projects don’t count Jason, we are talking about opening a new extension to the city that will run on the capitalist system. All the business’s must earn profits to be in business.

Social projects have nothing at all to do with bankrupting old Kingstown and its commercial occupants by creating a new town.

What would be sensible and would bring in much needed revenue, would be to turn the airport back into a horse race track. That would bring in tourists foreign and regional.

Or perhaps dig the whole area out and turn it into a large cruise ship and super yacht port. Again a much needed revenue flow will be created.

I will comment on some of the projects that you mention, altho they have no relevence at all to what I wrote

(1)Opening of the National Library:
[Social Project The building is facing in the wrong direction, the front elevation is at the side of the building, large clock also facing sideways only viewable from scaffolding on next doors building, the National Records Office.
The library was kindly paid for by the Taiwanese, built under the supervision of the ULP government 4 years behind schedule, over budget and very poor workmanship. Whichever party was in power this project would of been built.
The roof currently leaks and cleaning of the interior is disgusting with dirty floors and walls, there are also sewage problems]

(2)Polyclinic at Stubbs:
[ Social Project Paid for by the EU, rarely has any medication or dressings etc]

(3)Argyle airport construction
[ A CAPITAL PROJECT THAT CAN NEVER PAY FOR ITSELF. Built with money begged, borrowed and scrounged. Blood money from rogue states such as Iran in return for our UN votes. The citizens were promised that the project would cost us nothing and when it was finished no debt would be left for us. We were told it was being paid for by a coalition of the willing, which turned out to be a coalition of the unwilling. The Venezuelans reneged on paying the Cubans wages, and the Cubans are not doing anything for nothing. The borrowings will eventually reach over a billion and half dollars and our children's, children's children will still be paying the debt in 8o years time]

(4)The expansion work that is currently taking place at the A level college at Glen
[ Social Project]

(5)The opening of the Crisis Centre at Kingstown Park
[Social Project ]

(6)The huge Foreign Direct Investment in the tourism sector, on main land and in the Grenadines
[Those investments amount generally as two major projects
Buccament Bay Resort, currently under the scrutiny of the British police and government, the British Broadcasting Corporation {BBC} are in SVG at this very moment and have been here for more than a week with a whole crew. They requested a meeting on the matter of Buccament with Gonsalves but were told he is not available because he has already made travel arrangements. The BBC are making a program featuring Harlequin and Buccament. According to a British newspaper £300 million in deposits have been paid to Harlequin for 6000 properties in 7 different countries, the only thing built so far is 300 units at Buccament. People are asking for their money back and some are actually in the courts. A number of Vincentian suppliers have been trying to get paid for many, many months. Despite being warned the government here have been supporting Harlequin. We are in this position because the Gonsalves government failed to do the proper due diligence on the project owner. All the money invested belongs to investors on several continents, not the project owner.
The best of our current projects is at Canouan, Gonsalves whilst in opposition tried his best to frustrate and stop the original Canouan project. The owner of the grandfather lease on the island is an Italian firm, Mr Salidino is the principle. Gonsalves is pretending that in some way or other he is responsible for the current projects, he is not.
Gonsalves is just trying to ride on the back of Saladino, the man that he originally tried his damnatory best to stop.

jason :

Could any one win you in a political battle on this forum? You said that I do not understand the subject. I guess you were being specific. Am speaking generally on the development of SVG. I want to believe you guys are stuck in the pass, not optimistic about the future. As a visionary leader, one has to be bold in their thinking and have a plan as to where the country heading. That is Dr. Gonsalves and his hard working government. Every plan this government put forward to the citizens of this country, it seems as a hard task for others. Yes it would be a challenge, but we can achieve this once all hands on deck. Peter, leave Arnos Vale alone? Don't bother to pursue this ambitious project. Watch (sixty eight thousand acres of prime lands lay waste). You are not serious. Just an example, lets say you are building a house, does't have all the funds at present, what ever little you manage to save wouldn't you make a start? Well, any ambitious person would. Here are the names of those recently establish business: Facial Spa locates at Frenches; Eyes In Focus Hinds building Kingstown. Health Solutions Inc in Beachmont. Peter, had the NDP in office you wouldn't be pulling down SVG.

John:

Oh Lord Peter you nearly kill me with your suggestion. Imagine serious right minded people here on this forum talking about future development and the most you in your "Limitless Knowledge" can come up with is Build a Horse racing track.

There is a game show on TV i need to send you to compete in called "Are you smarter than a 5th Grader" to test your intellectual heft. You have my co-workers looking at me strangely based on the way i laughed at your suggestion. Next thing you might say we could build a race track for racing turtles.

I am tired of giving you homework to do and you dont seem to do it. All you do is come back and assume who you think i am. For the "Umteen" time i am not Simon Anderson. But when you get a chance research this name and tell me why is regarded as one of the best leaders the world have ever seen "Lee Kuan Yew aka LKY".

I travel to St. Lucia often and always end-up in conversations with lucians about why they cant move to SVG to live and more than often they only significant thing they can boast about is Rodney Bay which is like their second town. So why we cant have a second town and properly plan and develop it? But the small minded people like peter want us to do what "Build a Horse racing track" I never see wuss.

Ill await your negative comments about how intellectually dense i may or may not be.

John

Peter:

The island of Saint Vincent has a very small tourist trade, and always will because of the demographics. It could be a little improved, but whatever our Ministry of Tourism has done so far is fifth rate, and certainly not up to the standards expected by educated and well travelled tourists.

JASON, I know you are trying hard, but give it up. Those are just tiny little one man band things. They may last a year if they are lucky. Tell us how many business's have closed, how many have downsized and how many jobs were lost. Thinking about it, don't bother, your just making yourself look stupid and embarrassing us all.

Jason what you wrote has no relevance at all, to the letter I wrote.

JOHN, your more stupid than Jason, we can forgive him. I know your thick, the reason that we should not have a second city is because we don’t have the population to support such a project. Don’t have now and never will have. Now is that so hard to understand, or do you insist on being a pig idiot fool, and writing such crap. If you read what I wrote you would not require clarification. NOW REPORT MY REPLY TO YOUR BOSS.
I shall not reply to any more posting by you on this matter because what you write is total crap.

Peter:

JOHN, why not comment on these items

http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/svg.php?news_id=14489&start=0&category_id=15

http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/svg.php?news_id=14410&start=0&category_id=15

http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/svg.php?news_id=14593&start=0&category_id=15

I will tell the folks why, because you only write when Gonsalves needs your help to hide his stupidity.

John:

Peter,

Ah trow in me towel. Ah give up you win. I will meet you at the race track. There will be horse there by the name of "Useless" that has a 110,000 to 1 chance of wining the "Vincentian Stakes" you can put your money on that Horse. For me, ill put my $ on a proven champion "D Comrade" who have one the last 3 champion races in row.

Enjoy your day Peter.

jason :

John, am in total agreement with you. I'll bet my last dollar on Ralph leadership over Eustance any time.

The man just aren't ready yet to lead SVG. Needs to take some lessons and come again. On every marjor issues Mr. Eustance seems to be off track. The truth is people with in the NDP disappointed in his leadership, but still holding on for party sake. What I want Peter to do for me, a survey on both leaders throughout the caribbean.

Must done by some one of your choice, and you'll see who'll emerged on top. Don't be afraid to publish the results.

I am a sailor, worked for a company called RCCL, base in Miami Florida USA. Over the years, I manage to engaged in conversations with people from time to time, and what they have to say about Dr. Gonsalves are positive. Am not saying he is perfect, makes mistake like any one. But you guys are trying your very best to demonized our prime minister.

I would never disrespect Mr. Eustance. I do not engage in gutter politics like some people. Pulling down my country. Never before on this forum any other nationality behaves like you guys. Some hoping when every the NDP get back in office, would be easy sailing. They'll have a hard task as well. Look at the state of the European economies. Massive debts, high unemployment, corruption ect.

Peter:

JASON, did you tell us all lies. You gave these firms [Facial Spa locates at Frenches; Eyes In Focus Hinds building Kingstown. Health Solutions Inc in Beachmont]as new start ups, having checked them out they do not exist?

Peter:

MESSAGE TO THE MASTER STROKER, AT 99 CHANGE HANDS.