Farmers in Richmond say no one has said anything to them as a St. Lucian company begins setting up a quarry for the next 30 years.
VIDEO: Farmers ‘disrespected’ as quarry operation begins
A Feb. 2, 2022, road cut through the Richmond headland as part of the quarry, on
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Before any project commences, it’s imperative that all the Stakeholders, all the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are notified. Consultation or communication with the SMEs should occur before the project begins, not after.
You all have to understand that the Gonsalves family dynasty may think they own every square inch of SVG, they consider themselves the Royal family of SVG.
Did they play any part in the disposal of this land? Was this land government owned or privately owned?
Was this land deal offered to any other group, did anybody else have the right to bid on this deal? Has anyone farming on the land been adequately compensated?
This is an actual case of communism at work. There can be no clearer example of a regime holding control the nation’s assets and refusing to empower the local people by selling out their patrimony to a foreign company. To rub salt into the wounds, this appears to have been done without any consultations with the affected farmers.
I hasten to say that the St.Lucian company is not to be blamed.
This is total foolishness. Soon the government will sell us out too? If this is so important to SVG, why wasn’t the land leased to a Vincentian to do this quarry? Why was it given to a company outside of of SVG. Our economy is already in terrible standing and if this could have helped a local company, they should have been give an opportunity to do so. 1% for SVG and 99 % for export our island resources benefiting another island.
Are they still looking for compensation? What about “tri-tri,” something known to all Vincentian? OH GOSH MAN!
If you as a Vincentian is not moved by this, you need to check yourself.period!
Madness in SVG again
This company did no feasibility study if he don’t know how deep he has to dig before he meets rocks.
What will be left for future generations.
What a shame that the goverment approved this project that will certainly have negative effects on the environment. Why a proper environment impact was done from a credible body?
Would Vincentian be seen as unpatriotic if they attack the equipment and set them ablaze? Would the government respond in kind by bring in the Black squad to protect their capitalist interest.
Has the Ulp lost it sense of purpose by approving this project? What about the fisherfolks who will loose their livielihood due to environmental degradation? How would they respond? Would they involve in tit for tat? Where are the reasonable voices? Why are they silent to the rape of our payrimony/heritage. Why is the opposition member in the constituency silent? Is he self serving?
Yes, it is disrespectful. Somehow I am getting the impression that the government is getting more and more disrespectful to the aspirations of the people. Instead they have goals of votes and revenue. Why not instead “do what is right”? It seems related to the “communist land takeover” that occured before the last election. That move was supposed to get the votes of those that were “occupying” lands that the government was giving to them at the expense of the actual owners. In this case, it seems revenue is the choice because there is still some time until the next election.
Great News of SVG winning this award since SVG is amoung the top caribbean Islands with a rich diverse tourism product. Yes, we are a beautiful Island but we have done a poor job of managing our tourist product year after year. I couldn’t just watch this clip and not comment on the lack care and consideration for another human being sourece of income. When a government will disregards its citizens and make a decision like this one it tells the rest of the country that this Labor Love is nothing but the love of inflicting hard times on the people of SVG.
Carlos, I hope you are in the dark of this project because you have not really represented the interest of the people of North Leeward. The memories of you shouting you must be vaccinated to enter government shelters from the volcano is still fresh in our memories and then this action? Carlos, you cannot be seriously thinking that we will vote for you in the next election with this kind of treatment. If the North Leeward Representative knew about this project and did such a poor job informing us, then please resign because you are not serving us in no way. Let us give you the benefit of the doubt that you are one of Ralph’s yes men, so I strongly recommend you really push for the metaverse because that the only place all of you belong. We are sick of being misrepresented Carlos don’t’ let JF run you over on this project. He and his family has secured their generational wealth. Voters of SVG please take note and don’t be fooled by all this talk about giving houses etc. These people are using the taxpayer’s money to do all this projects to stuffing their pockets while the rest of the citizens suffer. I am sure that the St Lucian company is a cover for one of those politician’s company. I saw one of them at the project site and he didn’t interact with any of the small fries, but time will tell. We must brace for the social and the economic impact this action will have on 2021 best Caribbean Island that is poorly managed in every sense of the word!
About Climate Change, Global Warming, and Rising Sea Levels: The islands of SVG are mountaintops rising out of the ocean by volcanic eruptions. Imagine this: Could the seas around SVG rise one day to inundate our coastal lands and low-lying islands? Would it be wise for the government of SVG to preserve our quarry resources to build man-made reefs to protect our islands from future rising seas? Where will the materials come from if we continue to engage in this pattern of selling out our rock resources to foreigners?
Think about it: Doesn’t St.Lucia have the same rock formations as SVG ? Do they bull-doze their Grand Pitons to obtain aggregates for housing construction? This government has harassed and crippled Bigger Biggs who is a Vincentian entrepreneur working in the quarry business. Yet, it secretly made a deal with a St. Lucian company to exploit a quarry at Richmond. How Sad!
I do hope that Vincentian know what to do to stop it
The people in SVG and north leeward deserve all the disredpect they get by the ULP administration aided by the ineptitude of the NDP representative. The leader of the ULP communicates by votes during the elections after which they do whatever they please. How can he have any respect for a people who he has fooled and conned successfully for over twenty years like a jilted and abused woman. For him democracy is about winning elections by any means possible. Vincentians especially in the rural areas have fallen for this, with all the lies, deception and handouts five times; in a cultist way. They have failed to learn. Ole people say who can’t hear go feel. After nine days they will lick their wounds forget and vote ULP back in the next elections. Maybe they lack the capacity to learn even with all the knowledge and bad experiences they have with the ULP. Also remember what they did with Bigger Bigs with his quarry project which employed dozens of Vincentians.Also Remember the constituency in which the project was located providing many jobs still voted overwhelmingly for the ULP.
I hope the people do everything possible to stop this project. What ah shame they want to destroy the coast
line.
The company is from Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia would never allow such a project in Saint Lucia, it just cannot happen They would not let rape of the soil to take place. There is no greater degradation of an area than to quarry it. It will look dreadful during workings and dreadful afterwards. This is a lose lose matter and the culprits are the Gonsalves dynasty allowing a quarter inch of their inch to be raped.
I doubt the people of any other island would allow such a thing to take place. There is a quarry in Bequia and it is a scar on that island and created a nasty area visually unappealing and moonlike. Selling land at silly low prices for export is a trait that we have seen before. But if you the Vincentian people allow it to happen so be it.
Since the ULP increased the mix of peasants on the island there are fewer with un-addled minds able to protest.
The truth is this project is of no benefit whatsoever to SVG. So who benefits? I do not know, think about it and then tell us through this media what you think. After all the island belongs to the people and not the world boss, he is just a servant of the people, a carrier of water, time to get rid of him and all the rest of what Peter Binose used to describe as scum, I would not like to be that rude.
Is it in preparation for the mining of our gold at the la Soufreire?
God help us all
When a people forgets God ,strangers will devour their lands.
Return to God my people. Now is the time
Well the thought Tourism would replace farming and they were wrong. Now they believe quarry will replace farming – nonsense!
Vincentians farmers are independent people who don’t have to rely on government handout. They earn funds to educate their children and feed their families. One reason why no Vincentian goes hungry.
The ULP behaviour shows how disrespectful and humiliating they treat Vincentians. The farmers and people in the area were not informed about the project and only found our when the crops were destroyed. Shame on you Carlos! Shame on you Caesar and shame on you Ralph!
But then again these same people may have voted for the tri-tri man, who once bragged about shipping the products to foreign countries. Now he is destroying the same tri-tri industry.
They quarry will just reintroduce slavery to the farmers who would be unable to feed and educate their families. Let them show what benefits the people of Layou derive form the quarries in the mountain side. How many people from Layou are employed at these quarries? The road to the quarries are also a mess. Once some repairs were done to encourage farmers to drive to Bellwood and other areas to take care of the farmlands.
There are many people suffering from asthma because of the dust that plagued the town for years, until I cried foul and wrote about it. Very little was done to correct the problem. All the debris from the quarry flows down to Jackson Bay (our love beach where many of us spent hours in our youthful days). Today any rough waves turns the water brown because of the filth from the quarry. As a child we only saw this then there was a big rain storm.
Why is Ralph and Julian picking on the Leeward side and the Leeward people to destroy their lives and environment? The people of Layou fought like hell to retain control of the water, which ironically is the life blood of Vincentians during disasters.
Vincentians you have to eat what you sow! Here is another problem on the horizon – carnival. Ralph believes the majority of his voters are mas’ players, so he allows big jump and wine events on the island. The virus increased in SVG after Nine Mornings. The same thing will happen if there in carnival.
So watch out Vincentians!