Minister Responsible for PetroCaribe, Reginald Austrie, is defending government’s decision for signing the PetroCaribe Energy Cooperation Agreement with Venezuela 10 years ago.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and late President Chavez signed that agreement on June 29th, 2005, which provide Dominica with liquid petroleum gas, gasoline and diesel at a discounted rate.
Austrie, who was addressing the 10th Anniversary of the PetroCaribe media launch on Monday, said although there were serious criticisms surrounding that agreement, Dominica has benefited tremendously.
“As you may recall when the agreement was signed by our Prime Minister in 2005, those of you who recall there were very serious negative comments that were hurl at the programme, not only locally but regionally and internationally also,” he stated. “You heard things like it was an alliance against the United States of America, you heard also that the Americans would be so upset with us that our people no longer would be able to go to Barbados to get their visas to travel, you also heard issues of the debt that would be incurred by Dominica will be unsustainable under PetroCaribe.”
He said that even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had a lot to say about PetroCaribe at the time.
“But only to say today the PetroCaribe agreement right through the Caribbean is being hailed by one of the most serious economic programmes that have been done in the last 25 years to the Caribbean,” Austrie said.
He stated that it was through the efforts of PetroCaribe and Venezuela that the government was able to construct a sea defense wall in Soufriere.
“If you look at the landscape, the infrastructural landscape, the social landscape of Dominica you cannot miss PetroCaribe,” he said. “And we want to start in Soufriere where the sea defense wall, where the people from Soufriere for the last 100 years were threatened seriously by high seas, especially during the hurricane season…”
He also pointed to the Tan Tan sea defense wall and government’s Housing Revolution, which he said has touched the lives of “every single Dominican.”
“The first $30-million for that project came from Venezuela as grant funding,” he noted.
Meantime General Manager of PDV Caribe Dominica, Henry Blanco, said the company is an important vehicle for fulfilling the mission of the agreement under the premises fair trade, complementariness, social justice and common will to develop.
According to him PetroCaribe is still the, “only true initiative that developing countries have to get secure and reliable access to energy sources.”
Blanco congratulated Prime Minister Skerrit and the late President Chavez for their vision and the fruit of which the country have enjoyed in significant ways.
“We look forward with eagerness to a harvest of bounty for the citizens of our countries,” he said.
of course its only safe to assume that people will support what is theirs so yah austrie thats expected u getting ready to retire but is still yours because your son will be taking over smh so yah support away
Are you kidding me? This clueless regime really thinks that naming the facility after Hugo is more important than creating the environment to attract investors? When potential foreign investors see that we are more focused on changing facility names in Dominica than making it more investor friendly they are bound to turn and run in the other direction.
Further, Hugo was a Dictator that believed he could BUY friends with Venezuela’s money while his people languished in poverty. Soon you all will name the dam Solid Waste Facility after President Maduro. What next? The Stadium named after Xie Zhing Ping? I really thought our so called leaders were smarter than that. I will not be surprised if Vielle Case name is soon changed to Skerritville after the dear leader. Well look breadexx!!
Assertive, NOT Aggressive!
you said Dominica has benefited from petro caib but have any individuals who seem to hold petro carib like their personal business benefited more?
PetroCaribe is one of many disastrous economic programs from Hugo Chavez – he bankrupted his own country by giving away their valuable natural asset. Giving away his fuel reserves to the people of Venezuela for votes and internationally for influence. His name will be remembered but history already shows him as megalomaniac populist dictator. This is not a man to be praised. But no wonder our own politicians continue to praise him – where do you think all their grand new homes came from?
Austrie, if you are in favor of naming an institution, or an entity in your country after a foreign dictator, rather than the indigenous name of your country, simply because the dead dictator gave some handouts to you, and the cabal.
I submit to you that you are nothing less than an confounded fool,
Your comments also made you a confounded fool.
Who do you think you are? It is high time that you offer compliments and not negative ones and curses on projects in Dominica. Whatever you say and do, will, one day return to hunt you twofold.
Telemaque, you were born and brought up in D/ca at Wesley. It is your country. Be happy for the good that befalls and benefit Dominica.
D/cans do not want to read your discouraging and depressing words which benefit none of them. You are in dire need of a change of heart to a godly one.
It isn’t as if D/cans did not benefit from PetroCaribe. You pretend to be smart but your comments give you away. You lack common sense.
Keep in mind, the evil that men say and do follow them.
Girl, you are crazy oui!
If I complemented that fool for choosing the name of a nasty dictator to name an entity in our country over the indigenous name of our country; I would crown myself an confounded fool, and an idiot!
Furthermore, that badge of honor; the badge of Dominican stupidity which the late Pirie Charles spoke about which people like you and Austrie, Skerrit and his whole cabal wear on your foreheads, I would begin wearing by badge of stupidity stamped with a branding iron on both side of my face, and on the middle of my forehead.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Fact’s anything goes for you and another somebody who now my enemy, both of you have one track mind, anything foolish, anything that the idiots in government do you two accepts, like a programmed Robot! Learn to think cognitively!
Facts, it a pity DNO fixed it so that commentaries are limited, and one cannot wright all their thoughts in one post. But let me tell you Although I am a citizen of the United States, and still have the privilege to live in Germany, or England if I chose to, Dominica shall, and always be the place of my birth.
However, the love for my country prevents me from accepting the anything goes mentality of Skerrit, and an idiot such as Austrie, and people like you who accepts anything they throw in your faces. These people are destroying the country, and you cannot even recognize that. All of us Dominicans living overseas left Dominica for a better life, perhaps not even by choice, how ever forced to leave because of the sad state, of our country.
The backwardness, and the lack of ability by government to develop the country, the never ending filthy politics, the victimization cause us to flee seek a better life. I got to cut: limitation: Maybe to be continued.
when it came to Domlec your hands were tied but now you can erase the name of waitikubuli from the facility. enjoy yourselves while it last.
In Dominica what they need is smart people to tell us how to buy three boats and how to run it like a business. No more Red and Blue. Take a look at any village after the British left , million dollar homes expensive cars and very few b usineses we are putting the money in the wrong places . Business first then million dollars homes next. Where is the progress in the caribean we are still servants working for a pension. If we change the way we think in a short space of time we would be free like singapore. Singapore was in the same position all they do was change their thinking. Open your eyes and mind think of what I am trying to say I am not red or blue I am trying to get you out of slavery I am on your side. You need 70 thousand people to starting and stop singing for their supper, I know its not easy the British mess us up I am not the enemy the cubans taking all your money is.
Who gave them the money? The British must have given the government at that time a lump sum of money when D/ca seceded from GB.
That fight for Statehood and Independence was not without reason. Someone stood to financially benefit from it.
I often wonder where did all that money go to and how was it used for the benefit of Dominica and nationals. Even though many years have passed, this is what D/cans should also ask.
Dominica became independent without being independent. To this day it is not independent. It is still struggling. So do not blame the present government. Dominicans have it in them to do something for themselves, especially the younger ones. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Austrie can defend Petro Caribe until the cow comes from the moon. Dominicans have reasons to believe something shady is happening at Petro Caribe. For starters, the man must tell Dominicans why is it he is a Minister of Government and at the same time a member of the board. Their are reports that since the inception of Petro Caribe no other Minister of Government has had the opportunity to have Petro Caribe under his port polio. The man must also tell Dominicans, what is the Petro Caribe debt and why is it the opposition has been bared from getting information about Petro Caribe in parliament.
Minister of Petro Caribe for life? Isn’t fuel about energy? How comes Petro Caribe is not under the Ministry of Energy?
Dominicans have been fooled. It was those politicians who told us that electricity rates would be lower and gas and diesel at the pumps would decrease as a result of the setting up of Petro Caribe. Lies and more lies. Nothing like that happened. The costs of electricity and fuel never decrease because of Petro Caribe.
Instead, plenty $$$$$$$$$$$ are being amassed by a few. Company here and there in link with that same project. Although Chavez tried to help, the Cabal and those involved in Petro Caribe, in particular, turned around and reneged on the contract.
Remember the debt of $60 plus million that Petro Caribe Dominica owed to Venezuela, until that Gov’t expressed serious concerns about their money owed to them for so long?
Not the Minister, nor PM, not Govt could explain up to now where all that money gone? For a few more…
All the smart people who we send and study how to work for the man and get a pension come back home and teach us how to keep the $1.000.000. Million we send to the people who don’t need it you will make more money than working for the city of new york , all we are saying we are small and poor that’s not true that’s a lie. In st Barts the poor white French builders build big villagers and rent it to rich white people. Builders in dominica can do the same own the villas and rent them for 10. Thousand a week. Stop the red and blue n onesense. Stop acting like slaves you find the monry to buy chickens and phone stop waiting on the government to tell you what to do . Every body who go and study how to farm come back and raise chickens you will make more money than working in Roseau
@ John:
Sir, I must respectfully tell you that you’re just a bag of hot wind.
Last week your idea was to sell water, then it was plant watermelon, this week is to raise chickens and build villas and rent them.
Only one question I want to ask: Where on God’s green earth are poor farmers going to get the start-up money to bring about all your ideas?? Do you have a money tree around here that farmers can shake??
Good day to you Sir.
Amen, don’t have a clue who this guy is , he just came out of the blue but definitely, a windbag he is.
Red against Blue , lets talk about why do we send $50. Million to the cubans to buy chicken to eat. We will wast our entire life by solving nothing. When you visit any caribean islands what do you see who own all the banks in the Bahamas who owns all the shipping companys, who owns all the big hotels. What are we going to college to learn and do. When are we going to learn how to get out of slavery, never we have to start speaking that language we are talking about a name that’s all they teach us in school to wast our entire life talking onesense we cannot even run a small hotel in portsmouth. Tell Skerritt dominican must run the hotel send us to get training.