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Dear Sir:

Children are being taught Marxist manufactured history regarding Chatoyer; there is plenty of doubt that he should be labeled a hero. In fact, he was a slave trader, a slave keeper and was a general in the French army. He was first labeled hero by the Unity Labour Party. Children are being taught that the Saint Vincent national dish is salt fish and breadfruit, food introduced specifically to feed slaves, the cheapest possible thing at that time. Today salt fish is so expensive only the rich can afford it, therefore few eat it. Our national dish is pig foot souse, or chicken and rice, which people eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Why lie about something as simple as that. Its what’s called control.

The world is being told on government websites, and children taught in school that the Soufriere tree is common only to SVG and that its only remaining specimens are in the Kingstown Botanical Gardens. Grossly untrue and everyone at the Gardens and intelligent people here and worldwide will recognize it as just another lie.

The Soufriere tree, actual botanical name of the tree is Spachea elegans, although it is often referred to as Spachea perforata (the latter name is actually a synonym).

The tree belongs to the plant family Malpighiaceae, which is represented by a number of tropical and subtropical trees, shrubs and vines. The Barbados cherry (Malpighia punicifolia) is one of the better-known plants in this family. The plant prefers wet forests and coastal areas. Not the sides of volcanoes.

The Spachea elegans or Vincentian renamed Soufriere tree grows to 25 metres (80 feet) tall, and the small flowers are borne in pendent racemes (elongate flower clusters) about 5 to 8 centimetres (2 to 3 inches) long.

It is written the Soufriere tree at the Kingstown Botanical Garden was reported to have been collected on the slopes of the La Soufriere volcano in 1804, i.e. before the 1812 eruption, by Dr Alexander Anderson the then medical officer and curator of the Gardens. An old specimen of the tree is still to be found in the Gardens, along with a much younger tree about ten years old.

Richard Howard, in his six-volume work, Flora of the Lesser Antilles, states that the tree was introduced into St Vincent from British Guiana in 1791.

Probably introduced to the Botanical Gardens at that time.

What is unusual is that the tree is said to come from an area of Saint Vincent where it would not be considered its usual habitat, where it would find difficulty in growing. The tree is very common in Guyana even today. For us to believe that the tree came from the side of the volcano and it is the only tree left in existence in SVG or elsewhere is beyond belief.

The government website also states that “The outstanding feature of the Soufriere tree is that it is a purely endemic species known from Saint Vincent only and it has not been found in the wild since.” Now that is a direct lie, it is not a purely endemic species known from Saint Vincent only. It’s widely scattered throughout South America.

Botanists worldwide commonly recognize the species Spachea elegans as a tree that is in fact native to Guyana, where fish eat the green, nutlike fruits. People fish under the tree or use the ripe fruits as bait.

Both trees at the Kingstown Botanical Gardens have never fruited or set seed, even though they flower profusely and the flowers are bisexual. It’s quite possible that clones from these trees will remain barren. The tree can be reproduced or cloned quite easily by the air-layering method, or will quite readily root from cuttings also.

Why, therefore, if this tree is unknown elsewhere and these are the last surviving trees, are the botanical staff not producing hundreds of new trees and distributing them to botanical gardens worldwide? At the same time reintroducing the tree into the wilds of Saint Vincent. The answer is simple because they know the truth; it’s a common tree that is found all through South America.

What a shame that the Vincentian people cannot believe anything written or spoken that comes from the Gonsalves-led very Marxist, Unity Labour Party. Everything is about control, control of the mind, control of the people, control of your wages.

Stop filling our children’s minds with rubbish and untrue facts.

Peter Binose

References:
Fred Prescod, Horticultural Educator
Essequibo Isl-W. Demerara Region, Guyana Plant Species: Malpighiaceae, Spachea elegans (G. Mey.) A. Juss.
Harvard University, Index of Botanical Specimens GH Barcode: 00026983 Spachea elegans A. Jussieu Colombia: Magdalena Santa Marta... Herbert H. ... 1502

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John:

Peter Binose,

Just like Kevin Little you too dont know what the "National Dish" of SVG is. Its actually Roasted Breadfruit and Fried Jack Fish not saltfish like you claim. I dont know where you come up with Pig foot souse as the national dish as well. Just like my good friend edwardo did say the national dish is "chicken Back and turbo".

I dont know much about plants so i wont speak about it. But if i am correct this whole "soufriere tree" thing started even when i and probably before i was in primary school.

What i really want to say however, we have a lot of self proclaimed economist and business guru's on this forum how come i havent heard or see anything about the FSA and their recent actions?

John

Lenford O'Garro:

Seriously, John!

The government and the FSA have not given Vincentians and the rest of the world the real reason for the taking over of the building and loan. Please, fill us in with your infinite wisdom and insight into what’s going on in the building and loan.

I have not seen or heard of anyone on this forum proclaiming that they are economist or business gurus. However, the people of SVG were told that, we are on the cusp of an economic takeoff, and what happen in the US with the banks can’t happen here. Do you want to take a guess, who told the nation these type of nonsense?

How about the forced selling of the National Commercial Bank (NCB) of SVG? Followed by the nonsense that the selling of the NCB was a master stroke!

Really! A master stroke?

Come on John! Focus your eyes on the four-plus years and counting of negative or no growth, the ballooning national debt (over a billion dollars), plus the 2013 budget for not creating jobs. Do you really expect Vincentians and the rest of the world to be comfortable with these cats at the financial helm of the building and loan?

Get Real!

John:

Lenny,

Take a deep breath and relax. You sound like you are ready to pop a vain.

You all are famous for arriving at your own conclusions so why do you need to wait on the government or the FSA to give an explanation. Hence the reason why i called you, peter, markie, allan self proclaimed economist and or business gurus.

Again, i have heard so many stories about the national bank from both sides of the aisle that i am confused. But the reality is, no one lost their money they had in the bank and its still oeprational albeit under a different and under different management. Yall need to wake up to modern times Indigenous banks are a thing of the past. They are merely piggy banks for which ever party in power.

So i am on to your last paragraph. Is the purpose of a government to create jobs or to create an environment that would allow private people to create jobs? Because you are complaining about the national debt being to high but on the same hand you want to government to eomploy more people that will also increase the debt. You need to make up your mind grumpy old man.

I dont know much about the B&L Fiasco but in the earlier parts of the saga the FSA indicated that they were satisfied with the managment response and how they are setting out to resolve the issues however i beleive (in my opinion) that after taking a look at the corporate governance structure of the organisation they saw it best to assume control of the organisation in an effort to restructure and stabalise the organsiation from deterioration.

Ah mean lets take of our political glasses for a minute, and ponder a situation:

The institution is in the business of giving loans. A member of the board has a law firm who is the under-writer for most of or maybe all mortgages. The institution is currently facing a crisis of under-performing loans. It is reported that persons were getting loans for which they are not qualified for. So whether or nor the borrower pays back the loan the law firm (director) makes money. Is this setting a perfect example for good corporate governance? In case you are wondering the lawyer is an active NDP activist and supporter.

You cannot have such a large organisation with such a large assest and shareholder base without an aduit committee or even an internal auditor this is not a "mauby shop".

So i as a shareholder with over $10K in a special deposit stand by the decision taken by the FSA. Please dont tell me they did it to get money to finish the airport.

John

Peter:

The SVG FSA is there as a safety net, so that when these financial companies and associations go wrong and start to collapse, the Vincentian people are protected. They can step in and take control to preserve assets etc. Lets just hope that the proper financial guarantees are in place, that they are there and paid up, to pay investors something if the Building and Loan Association is liquidated.

The proper guarantees were not in place for British American, the proper supervision failed. That was a government failing and they should be responsible for the BA loss's.

What we need to know is if BA directors paid the ULP party donations, and how much. Because that could be construed as a bribe to turn an eye elsewhere while they ripped our citizens off.

I believe, lets hope I am wrong, that the whole Building and Loan Association affair was handled by Luke Browne on the instruction of Gonsalves, to take our eye off what is happening to Harlequin in the UK, that was big UK and international news breaking at the same time as all this Building and Loan matter was published in a letter from Luke Brown to the Vincentian news paper.

I find it hard to believe that LUKE BROWNE would do anything without the clear instruction of Ralph Gonsalves. Gonsalves would likely kick his bum up and down Bay Street, remember this boy is his protégé.

According to UK newspaper reports, THOUSANDS of people who invested in a British -based company Harlequin Resorts, Caribbean luxury resort would have no access to official UK compensation if the scheme collapsed.

The Financial Services Authority, the UK finance watchdog, has issued an official “alert” concerning Harlequin Property, based in Honywood Road, Basildon, Essex UK, which has taken an estimated £300million in deposits on the properties.

Many invested their retirement pensions and others re-mortgaged their UK homes to pay deposits.

According to the Essex newspaper the Echo says "Since last April, the Echo has revealed the firm has sold at least 6,000 holiday rooms across seven resorts but only built about 300 at one of them ". [Buccament]

The UK Financial Services Authority has take the unusual step of issuing the warning by letter regarding Harlequin to every financial service provider in the UK, even those that do not deal with Harlequin.

Its all very well Gonsalves saying the SVG FSA is independent of the government, we need to be reminded that of the 6 or 7 board members, Gonsalves appoints 5. He is the minister of finance. Can you imagine for one minute Gonsalves allowing the FSA a free hand in anything, to act without his approval. Are not the board members all ULPites?

Regardless of all the bad mouthing of Eustace by Browne and Gonsalves in the past, isn't it amazing that almost everything he says turns out to be true, and always is just the way he predicts.

My real worry is if all this further erodes the SVG middle class, perhaps an aid to a Marxist regime. BA wiped out half of our middle class, not handled properly BLA could wipe out the rest.

Marxism only works when the people are all poor.

Peter:

Do you see how easily JOHN was able to take us off in another direction.

I am beginning to believe that JOHN is in fact another HORACE WILLIAMS creation. The similarity and style of writing to SIMON ANDERSON, THE POLICE CHIEF, KNOBROT HARRY and all those other pretend names and fraud.

John the nine dollar note, that's his own quote not mine.

Lenford O'Garro:

John aka Simon Anderson, all yo bright boy! If it wasn’t so serious, it would have been laughable! Or it is serious and laughable! Who do you think cause the downfall of the NCB bank?

A master stroke in how to mismanage a bank! Let your established statutory corporations and other government agencies run enormous unpaid debt to the bank. Tell the people the bank weren’t for sale. Borrow $100 million to make the bank liquid, then turnaround and sell 51% (controlling interest aka “New Owners”) for $42 million. Yes, a master stroke in incompetency!

News flash! The people of SVG lost $100 million plus and the ownership of the bank!

Get Real!