Venezuela promised to help with airport, doesn’t owe St Vincent, says PM

Gonsalves

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent — Venezuela promised to help build the international airport being built in Argyle but does not owe St Vincent and the Grenadines anything, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said on Monday.

Caracas is yet to repay Kingstown EC$8.78 million paid so far to Cuban workers on the airport, as part of Venezuela’s promised contribution to the project.

Gonsalves, responding to an opposition question last week, told Parliament that Kingstown pays EC$368,572 per month in wages to the Cuban workers.

He said that Venezuela’s promised contribution is not a debt to St Vincent and the Grenadines and thanked Caracas for its contribution to the development of the nation.

The prime minister further said he was disappointed with media commentary on the situation.

“The way some persons have carried the story and have commented is as though Venezuela owes us this money and they haven’t paid it and they should be traduced,” Gonsalves said.

He said that when the opposition asks questions from “a mischievous standpoint”, Vincentians must “look at the factual matrix and see the extent of the generosity of the government of Venezuela to us”.

Gonsalves said Caracas has donated to the airport project US$10 million in equipment, three wind stations, and had also partnered with Havana to set up a soil-testing laboratory.

He further said that the South American nation also agreed for Kingstown to borrow EC$27 million from the PetroCaribe Fund at 2 percent interest for 25 years — “a gift in practical terms”.

He said thankfulness is part of Vincentian culture and that he will “rebut” ingratitude.

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23 Comments

  1. Anon
    August 24, 2011

    SVG seems to be investing in the future. It will be costly though….well….so is the State house expense.

    To some earlier comments: Electricity is too damm expensive in D/a that’s why very few even with the money are willing to pay such high cost in energy to do business here.

  2. TJ
    August 23, 2011

    Mr Telemaque I am with you

  3. carib child
    August 23, 2011

    Gonzales is crying about EC$8 Million Dollars towards International Airport so far, and Skerrit get EC$110 Million just for night landng.

  4. Rolle
    August 23, 2011

    Roosevelt Skerrit, Denzil Douglas and Ralph Gonsalves are the worst leaders in the caribbean region.

    • me
      August 24, 2011

      just to correct what you said and this is no joke, no make up story. The OECS board is saying Dominica has the worst leader in the Caribbean and cannot understand Dominicans are letting people traet them that way. and that was a direct quote. I am not into politics, just saying what I heard.

    • DPM
      August 24, 2011

      I agree.

  5. August 23, 2011

    Who is the man in the picture above?

    Is he a friend of Dominica and our people?

    I think not: if anything this man is a betrayer of our people, here this serpent, this instrument of Satan who advised, that Dominica should not build an International Airport, proudly smiles, and comments about the help St. Vincent is getting from Venezuela in the construction of St. Vincent International Airport!

    If that guy above is a friend, of Dominica, and any politician in Dominica, then I contend that our country and people does not have any enemy!

    I submit to you that someone in Dominica has allowed Gonzalez to sucker them into wasting our money on the refurbishing of Melville Hall Airport, while at the same time this culprit was negotiating for the financing of the International Airport now under construction in St. Vincent.

    We took his advise, which was only intended as an obstacle in the way of progress in our country, in a few months, international flights will be landing and taking off in St. Vincent, while we are preparing to fly on air Venezuela to South America, while the same Venezuela airline will flood Dominica with Venezuelan tourrist, according to the words of Ian Douglas!

    When will our people learn?

    Bertrand a Trinidadian played the same trick on our government, that is why the Coalition government in the past shut the project down when the UWP was in the fist phase of development of an International Airport, and he fooled Athie into the idea of refurbishing Melville Hall, what Athie did not realize then; Bertrand opposed the building of the Airport, simply to save his job!

    When will we in Dominica ever learn.

    It is not good for us, it is too expensive, and will cost our nation too much money, but how come St. Vincent which economy is in worst shape than ours can afford an International Airport, nonetheless, that is out of the reach of Dominica.

    Something is wrong here!

    Note: I am not playing politics with this, nonetheless, I would like to know why is it we allow outsiders to dictate to us what they believe is in our best interest, and fall for their crap every time, thus causing our nation to miss-out on all probably opportunities.

    Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque

    • Eh bien
      August 23, 2011

      Where does Athie come into this ‘equation’ of yours, Mr. Telemaque??? He obviously has the lowest fence for you to climb over.

      • August 23, 2011

        Shut your mouth, you little weasel, if you must know Athie’s fence , and his gate are higher than yours, and if you must know my comments about Athie is true and correct, and there is no way Athie will deny that we both had a conversation regarding this matter.

        So shut up, I am sure I am better acquainted to Athie, than you are!

        You are a simple foot solider, both Athie, and I are lieutenants, and captains respectfully!

        Shut up: I do not believe Athie knows you.

        Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!

        Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque

      • August 24, 2011

        OK I THINK FRANCISCO BLOW A FUSE THERE

        SOMEBODY CALL DOMLEC

    • littleboy
      August 23, 2011

      I agree with you Telemaque but we should not blame our failure on the man in the picture. He is a politician who wants to remain in power and build his country. We should blame Roosevelt Skerrit and his team for paying a man to come right in the strong-hold of the Labour party and successfully told us that we don’t need an International Airport. We are so stupid that we voted him in a landslide victory and those so-called Dominican’s living abroad, who are always quick to insult people on their lack of intellegence, left their country of residence to vote against the development of their own country. So let us not blame the man in the picture but rather blame ourselves.

    • Anon
      August 24, 2011

      @ Hello: Well yeah, Francisco blew a fuse…But “Hello” hey…did you say CALL DOMLEC? He would ‘paying’ thru the nose if you did!
      But he is right. I heard Ralph say such thing at a DLP convention in Possie for the 2000 election.

      However, the only credible reason I think D/a wouldn’t have an Int’l airport is because of power consumption, lots of light bulbs etc. I don’t think it’s feasible due to Domlec’s exorbitant rates, how will it afford Domlec’s current rates?

    • Eh bien
      August 25, 2011

      Will you stop your blatant lies. I have asked Athie about your so-called conversation with him, is that too a figment of your vivid imagination Sir? Were you dreaming or fantasizing? Which one????

  6. FORKIT
    August 23, 2011

    that’s what you get for lying to the people of dominica with regards to we needing an international airport…
    crook crooked crook

  7. county
    August 23, 2011

    My Dominica’’ Dominicans pleased stop thinking small like the size of the island and the population, lets us start thinking bigger for the development of this country, look at the smaller island around us, that have a smaller population than Dominica, look how far they are in front of us, we are no way close to our other Caribbean country, but Haiti.SVG is far in front of us, let me tell you guys this, everything negative you are hearing about Argyle international airport, these thing is coming from the opposition party? They last by one seat in the general election, so they are on a roll to spread Propaganda, about every project the government are doing. I speak this passionate because I visit SVG and I has lots of friends their! Dominican is not even close when it comes to big project for development like SVG, so pleased let us look in our backyard before we start throwing dirt in a next man yard, do you know sandy lane Hotels in Barbados are going to build a 100 room hotel in SVG, who is coming to Dominica to develop this country…

    • only
      August 23, 2011

      So is massive development really going to be good for DA? It also comes with a lot of problems. Development is not always good depending on the place. This is a nature island and should have limited development and I am not talking about shopping malls because they usually pay mimimum wage.

  8. Ron
    August 23, 2011

    The question as to weather we need an international airport or want one because everyone else has one will continue. I’m listening…

    • Ron
      August 23, 2011

      The question as to whether we need an international airport or want one because everyone else has one will continue. I’m listening…

    • March 19, 2014

      I’m coming to Dominica from Washington, D.C. at the end of next week, and it was literally not possible to make the trip in a single day. Whether the solution is a new airport, more night flights, or what have you, I do hope that something is done. It makes it much more difficult to attract tourism and business when travelling to Dominica is so inconvenient and expensive.

  9. Reason
    August 23, 2011

    That Argyle international airport project is becoming a serious strain on the economy of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

    After many years the site is still a mud field.It will be a long time before the first piece of tarmac will be laid, much less when a plane lands. The economy of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is being held to ransom by this project. It is now a weight around the necks of the people.

    I hope that Dominicans are watching that project and learning some lessons.It is one thing to run your mouth about an international airport, but it is another to really know where the money is going to come from when you look around the global economy.

    Gonsalves won the last election on international airport talk. He may well loose the next election because of the same airport.

    • Homeboy
      August 23, 2011

      You will retract such a callous statement when the airport is up and running. You know what people like you are? SMALL-MINDED MYOPIC INDIVIDUALS, who only look in terms of the short term!!

      Bray about the value of not having an International Airport! Dominica will always be last in terms of development because we talk all that crap about costs yet no one looks for ways defray costs.

      Into the next millennium night landing will carry Dominica to the next level. Worms will bring the message to me!!!!

    • Ted lewis
      August 23, 2011

      please justify your statement that the International airport has been a strangle hold on the vincentian economy.

      you could start by telling us how how much central government funds have been used so far and how that exoenditure has impacted on the fiscal stance of the economy.

      If you u can’t reply then it may seems that you are trying to justify the DLP administration for not persuing the international airport .

    • knowB4 u talk
      August 23, 2011

      SVG is more develop than us, and the airport they are building is not a train on the economy. Wadadli beer, Kubuli beer Dominica & Antigua have is SVG product, don’t take my words for it do your research. St. Vincent, East Caribbean Metals Industries Limited supplies top quality metal products, made to international specifications, to the construction industry, building suppliers and consumers, within the Caribbean Region. From Zincalume and Colorbond® roofing sheets, to steel rebars, galvanized and wire nails and other metal fabrication, our product range is extensive. ECMIL products everything made in SVG and they ship throughout the region. Steel product range, Plastics Industries Limited, manufactures P.V.C. and C.P.V.C. pipes and electrical conduit to equally high international standards. P.V.C. pipes and conduits can be supplied separately, or consigned together with metal products, for export. So we shouldn’t be speaking bad thing about a next man country when we don’t have anything to read & say Made in Dominica.

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