Kalinago Territory not on back burner – Ambrose George

The Kalinago Council and Chief were formally installed at the ceremony
The Kalinago Council and Chief were formally installed at the ceremony. Photo: Press attache to the PM

Telecommunication minister, Ambrose George, is refuting a claim which he said was made by the Kalingo Chief that the Kalinago Territory has been placed on the back burner by the government.

Addressing the installation of the Kalinago Chief and Council on the weekend, George said he was actually shocked when he heard such claim, pointing out development is a slow process.

“Rome was not built in a day and everything for the Carib Territory cannot be done in a day,” he noted. “It is work in progress.”

George said he was not sure what the Kalinago Chief meant by his words.

“I wasn’t sure what he was trying to say because being on the back burner means that it is on a slower fire, it is not receiving probably the level of attention that it deserves, probably the people of the Carib Territory are not realizing the level of development that they should be realizing,” he stated. “But is that really the case? Is the Carib Territory really on the back burner?”

George said, in his opinion, this is not the case.

“I do not think so, whilst development is a process there is a lot more to be done and we agree to that as a government and as a people and as a nation,” he stated.

He pointed to a number of national and local projects that have, he said, touched the lives of the island’s indigenous people, including the government’s $8.6-million Capacity Building Project, the house retrofitting project, the construction of a road to Touna Village in Concord and a construction of a Resource Center in St. Cyr, among others.

“All of these, in my mind, have resulted in some very positive impact on the achievement as far as the people of the Carib Territory are concerned,” he said.

Meanwhile, MP for the area, Ashton Graneau, said the government’s Housing Revolution has greatly impacted the Kalinago people.

“Never before in the history of the Kalinagos have we ever seen such an emphasis being placed on improving the housing stock of the Kalinago people,” he noted. “We have been able over the past five years to construct 74 two-bedroom houses with washroom facilities…”

He said the Chief had pointed out some issues with the houses but the problem will be addressed since the some of the houses are almost ten years old.

“The wooden section of the houses of course will call for some repairs now,” Graneau said. “So of course we will look at that Chief, we will look at that.”

He also said the government has worked closely with the Kalinago Council to renovate a number of houses in the Territory.

“The Chief will tell you himself that in 2009, 2010 the government made available to the council $200,000 which was used for the renovation of 120 homes in the Kalinago Territory,” he stated.

At the ceremony Charles Williams and his council of six were formally installed.

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20 Comments

  1. Chupes
    August 26, 2014

    So when is the Kalinago People, allu saying ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’…but when it concern you guys Rome was in fact built in a day or even less. I see…so is allu alone to get fix up eh and the Kalinago People have to stay how much years begging you guys. Don’t worry Change is a Must!

  2. martinee
    August 25, 2014

    Chief Williams is so right and Castle Bruce is also in the back burner too. Ask the local guys on the block how Mr Drigo disappointed them.

  3. Looking in
    August 25, 2014

    Ambrose is correct, Kalinago Territory is not on the back burner,it is just not on the stove. And Graneau…..eh las. I feel sorry for our Kalinago friends.

  4. August 25, 2014

    Good for allyou carib people cause allyou love allyou PM.Youall are one of the poorest and still not willing to change.So take what you people get and shut up.Change will come when you allow it.

  5. Cops @Robbers
    August 25, 2014

    Charlo is no joker. Rest assure this carib reserve seat will no longer be under LABAR. Change is a must.

  6. out of south city
    August 25, 2014

    We ought to have more respect for the Kalinago people. They were the first to inhabit the island and the way that they have been treated over the years is really absurd. They have been treated as second class citizens, have been considered to be lazy and savage and that is really ridiculous. It is high time that we treat them like the rest of the population, with respect and dignity.

  7. August 25, 2014

    Why dont you all deep our hands in the money tree pot and build our territory. Come on is beg we have to beg.

  8. JoJo
    August 25, 2014

    Dear mr. Ambrose, the Kalinago territory does no come under your remit. Worry about your own S. Roseau constituency instead. There is plenty of work to do on your own patch.

  9. Red
    August 25, 2014

    I vex with that Chief, what a mischievous statement. If is me that is PM I would put the facts on GIS News, DBS news, Marpin every media house to let the public know that man is not telling the truth.

  10. Red
    August 25, 2014

    You just come Mr Chief and you start already, so much housing money that spend on that project boy people ungrateful. This is the area that the most housing funds were spent on. 42 news houses plus another 40 under the China funded. New school in recent years, look last week the Minister of Education mentioned repairing a school in the territory. Ungrateful man, that is why workers had to cunnay allu with rum corn curls. PM I hope you select anther community to spend your housing money. Caribs are so ungrateful.

    • looking
      August 26, 2014

      from what? from you own money? your own venezuelan fund? There is no way you can get out of poverty by investing in those so called projects. They people needs to be empowered to make their money and earn their living to pay their bills put food on their tables and send their children to school. Its so pathetic and sad the situation.

    • kalinago youth
      August 26, 2014

      Hey dont be blind yes it is tru dat government is doing for us we deserve thses tings along time and more. Tell me how many kalinagoes that employ in the st.cyr resource centre project?

  11. Kalinago
    August 25, 2014

    The chief made his position clear, he said the people who came controls 98.5% of the total land mass of one of those countries that originally belonged to us, and he pointed out Dominica, they control all the land & resources surface and sub surface, plus the political, military, economic and even the judiciary, while we the indigenous people who are here over 5000 years are placed on a small portion of land as refugees in our own land with only 1.5% of the lands of a country that once belonged to us totally, he went further to call on his people that they should not allow political hand outs to full us e.g people receiving a house or a couple thousand dollars here and there that is not what our entitlements are he said.
    He went further to clarify saying that life has changed and our people has to meet the cost of utility bills now in these modern times and if there is no employment to in the family how can these bills be paid? based on the above the chief concluded that we the kalinago people are sitting on the back burner, and therefore i as kalinago support fully my chiefs position.

    • Arawak
      August 25, 2014

      Who put the kalinago people where they are???
      Are you blaming us for that?

      • JoJo
        August 25, 2014

        Silly question. They are Dominican like all of us.

  12. Mamizoo
    August 25, 2014

    Rome wasn’t built in a day but it was built. The same group of guys who claim that performance shouldn’t matter where there is corruption havery displayed a failed performance and highest level of corruption.
    It is time for them to go. We the people are tired of these good for nothing trying to mess upon us that handouts is development. It is not.When will they get it :

  13. Roseau South Voter
    August 25, 2014

    Roseau South IS on the back burner…without fire i might add! :twisted:

    And Mr George and PM…take note…am a supporter…. BUT am not voting! :twisted:

    Might consider running as an Independent Candidate when elections are called too!

    • Anonymous
      August 27, 2014

      me too

  14. The New Bank
    August 25, 2014

    Mr. Ambrose George, you really did not understand what the Kalinago Chief meant? I find he was quite clear and simple and if you did not understand him you will not understand anyone and therefore should step down. If anything I have a problem understanding you as information minister, who repeatedly referred to the Kalinago people as Caribs, no less than 5 times. You left us to wonder if the correct name is “kalinago Territory” or ” Carib Territory” since you as info Minister used them interchangeably several times. Another thing I did not understand is what you meant by “Rome was not built in a day”? Mr. George it’s not one day but fifteen long years. In the last 15 years we have seen a lot of statuses changed. example; 15 yrs ago, many of your government ministers were ordinary citizens with either a near empty savings account or without a saving account. Not so today as many of you have become millionaires, in some cases the richest government ministers in the region, while some still have us looking for a bank that does not exist. When it was time for your financial gain to change, it was just a matter of years but to do things for us and the people of the Kalinago, you are quick to remind us of how long it took Rome to build. How unfortunate!

  15. CIA on the Watch
    August 25, 2014

    Work in progress after fourteen years? Could we all say the same ‘work in progress” for party operatives and advisers to the Hon. PM? If after fourteen years this minister can still talk about work in progress to serve a population of 60,000 for its basic needs that record of stewardship is a failure.

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