The Ministry of Transport and Works will today host an official project launching and ground breaking ceremony for the construction of four bridges that were damaged or destroyed during the passage of the trough system last December.
The ceremony takes place at Hope Bridge in Penniston at 3 p.m. and will hear addresses from officials in the Ministry of Works, and a representative from the Ecuadorian Army Corp of Engineers.
Prime Minister and Minister of Works Ralph Gonsalves will deliver the keynote address.
The project includes the reconstruction of the Hope Bridge and the construction of three Bailey Bridges in the villages of Sharpes, Kakarta, and Plan in Chateaubelair.
The bridges are being constructed through a humanitarian gift from Ecuador. The works will be carried out by the Ecuadorian Army Corp of Engineers and civilians with the support of Vincentian. Supervision of the project will be done by the Office of the Chief Engineer.
The project is classified under the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Disaster Rehabilitation Works Programme and The overall implementation timeline for the four bridges is estimated at eight months.
The Ministry of Works, has advised that Hope Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic to facilitate this afternoon’s event.
However, the Hope Bridge bypass will remain open to vehicular traffic.
Forty-five Ecuadorian military personnel have arrived in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to assist with the reconstruction of four bridges.
Ecuador’s decision to assist this country with its bridge reconstruction project was part of the outcome of the first round of talks between both countries on May 30 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kingstown, that was geared towards the enhancement of the relationship between both countries.
Following the visit of an official delegation to Quito, Ecuador in July led by Gonsalves, the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa dispatched a team of engineers to assess the work to be done on the bridges.
That march by the Equadorian Military, is nicknamed the “Nazi Goose Step”. Its now widely used by communist countries and ex communist countries like Russia. The “Stechschritt” originated in the 18th century as a method to keep troops lined up properly as they advanced towards enemy lines. It was introduced into German military tradition by Leopold 1, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, a Field Marshal whose close attention to training transformed the Prussian infantry into one of the most formidable armed forces in Europe.
The Latin American Countries known to use the Goose Step are:
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.
Europe:
Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Polan, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey,
Africa:
Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Mauritania, Namibia – was a German colony before World War I. Its current use of the goose step dates back to the Namibian War of Independence, when SWAPO forces were backed by the Soviet Union and Cuba. Tanzania – was ruled by Germany and by Britain prior to independence. It was aligned with the socialist side during the Cold War, and its military forces were influenced by China and the Soviet Union. Uganda.
Middle East and Central Asia:
Afgahanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon – Hezbollah paramilitary forces only use the goose step, as they are trained and supplied by Iran. Tajikstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Yemen.
East Asia and South East Asia:
Cambodia, China [Taiwan] – the Republic of China adopted the goose step from its German military advisors in the 1920s. The practice continued despite American military aid and the government’s move to Taiwan after its defeat in the Chinese Civil War. However, the goose step has become less visible recently, as the formal military parade on Double Ten Day has given way to a less ceremonial Parade. The Chinese term for goose step [zeng bu] literally translates as “straight march or upright march” China – the Peoples Republic of China, inherited the goose step from its predecessor, as Nationalist troops trained in the goose step were absorbed into the Communist armies. However, the practice did not become universal in the People’s Liberation Army until the mid-1950s, under Soviet military influence. Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, Myanma – the official government do not goose step whilst the ethnic Kachin, Kokang, Shan, and Wa insurgents in northern Myanmar use the goose step, as their military leadership descends from communist guerrillas that had been trained by China in the 1960s. North Korea – practices a form of jumping Goose step, where at the apex of the lifted foot the standing foot is also propelled upwards, presumably as a combined effect of the forceful kick and using the calf to project the body upwards. Technically this is running, and visually it leaves an impression of a clear bounce in each step. Also, when performed without weaponry, the arms of the marchers are kept straight down. Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam – received Chinese and Soviet military aid during the Vietnam War. North Vietnam had already begun adopting the goose step by 1954, when the victory at Dien Bien Phu was celebrated with a military parade in Hanoi. This practice continues on in Vietnam today.
The goose step is often associated with dictatorship such as Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini. During WWII, it was condemned in George Orwells essay The Lion and the Unicorn.
Its quite a strange phenomenon really in as much as its mainly dictatorships, communist, ex-communist, Nazi, ex Nazi regimes that use this intimidating marching procedure.
I believe for a foreign government to have its troops marching like so on Vincentian soil is an insult to Vincentian people, and also the Vincentian State.
Man you need to get a life. You opposed everything this government has done.You’ve said the nastiest things about SVG, can anyone take you serious you’ll soon be rewarded by the NDP once they’ve succeeded at the polls in 2015. The Honourable minister of Economics, Finance, Foreign Affairs. Senior advisors to the new government Vin, Palmer, Lenford, and Scott. Please do not disappoint Mr EUSTACE.
Randy and all you brainwashed idiots, here is a video of a Bailey bridge being erected in two days.
We could erect all the Baily bridges in SVG in a week, so what is all this eight month crap. Get these people out of our country ASAP.
http://youtu.be/ygOkOy6aI6Y