Parliamentary Representative for the Cottage Constituency and Minister Responsible for PetroCaribe, Reginald Austrie has sought to explain the source of monies recently presented to a Young Farmers Group in Penville.
On a live interview on privately-owned Q95’s the Hot Seat, Austrie said the funds came from the PetroCaribe Social Fund and no parliamentary approval was needed.
At a ceremony in Penville last week, Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, presented $100,000 to the group. It formed part of an overall $250,000 commitment made to it.
However, the source of the money was questioned with Athie Martin saying on the same program that it was donated without parliamentary approval.
But Austrie said Martin’s statement was a ‘very vicious attack’ against the young farmers’ group.
“The money came from the PetroCaribe Social Fund, it did not come from the consolidated fund and so there is no need for parliamentary approval to spend that money,” he said.
He went on toe say that under the Finance Administration Act, the Minister of Finance “can spend monies not approved by the Parliament and take it up under supplementary estimates in his subsequent sitting of the Parliament.”
“The Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance was well within his rights to expend those monies to the young farmers of Penville without that money being pre-approved by the Parliament,” Austrie argued.
Concerns were also raised that farmers from Penville were receiving assistance while others, who are more established, in other parts of the island have received none.
Austrie had an answer for that concern.
“If there are farmers all around the island requiring assistance, you cannot condemn the young farmers from Penville because they got first, somebody has to get it first, somebody has to be upfront,” he noted. “I believe that the representation that should have been made was for other young farmers in other parts of the country to make representation on behalf of the farmers in those particular areas, and to seek to get some assistance for the young farmers.”
Austrie took a swipe at Martin who he said was given the opportunity to be Minister of Agriculture under the Rosie Douglas administration after the 2000 elections, but abandoned that position over the hunting of whales.
“Whales at that time for Athie Martin became more important than the farmers and the economy of this country,” he remarked.
In response Martin said Austrie’s remark was ‘childish and puerile’ coming from someone doesn’t deserve a response.
wow UWP commentators are amazing,just today a meeting is taking place in Roseau,the revitalization of the agricultural industry,you all here lamblasting and bashing a couple youths with the ambition to make a difference,their intiative is part of larger industry,skerrit just have u guys commenting and making statements,before u all get the general picture,whats up with,look right look left before u cross the street,o my people,these people are working behind the scenes while u all are writing crap from the top of u all heads
Look! you see? it’s me doctor skeritt doing it all by myself. I was taught so by my big brother Chavez. So when I give to you in this personal way; how could you ever forget me on election day! eh?
Biggest piece of garbage for a defence. This is another word for corruption. …….
Money for young Pennville farmers?
Where is the minister of Agricultureach?
Oh Dominica land where the unwise look bright
Land where corruption passes for assistance
Land where undeveloped looks like development
Land where folks where ignorance as a badge of honor
Land where so called ministers loOK like African movie starstar
Land where failure looks like success
Oh land of the free. …………land of liberty
I would think that the most productive farming communities already existing would make a bigger impact. agricultural recovery would be almost instant.
If you could target farming communities that are progressive and productive in vegetables, or root crops or coconut or breadfruit , dasheen and yam for commercial export.
Barbados and Trinidad want fruits.
Barbados , Antigua and st. Kitts want dasheen, bananas and breadfruit. Yams and sweet potatoes.
Why didn’t de finance minister himself report on the source of funds? Or the minister for agriculture?
Personally I think the PM would have been proud to mention that Venezuela was assisting.
Don’t come here spinning top in mud for me austrie.
Money for start up drug business.
The ROI(return on investment) will be held in ‘phantom’ accounts to finance next election.
Wicked set of people that’s in this Government. The farmers of Salisbury don’t deserve help too?????????? Every rope has an end…
I agree Arthie Reginald Austrie foes not deserve an answer. It is just the same 1970 approach from Reginald. That’s how he hides his lack of intelligence and his infantile social skills.
Shouldn’t there be a government program that assign the country’s resources in a more transparent , equitable and responsible way. Shouldn’t the youth in Pennville first demonstrate a commitment by actually showing something tangible. Do they have existing holdings with actual plants/crops in the ground. What about actual young farmers who are working the land and looking to broaden and strengthen their operations?
But Dominicans actually think that government operation is a wish wash system controlled by one man
Is this an emergency for these funds to be taken up under supplementary estimates?
Here is another example of where the government continues its lack of transparency in the disbursement of funds..
Why not establish a procurement process for funding to NGOs. Prepare a Notification Of Funding Availability (NOFA), and have groups develop proposals as part of a competitive grants process. Create an impartial panel to review and rank the various proposals with stated criteria. The proposals that rank the highest scores will be funded. Make a public announcement, including the terms of the agreement, and the expected outcomes. Request regular reports, and make these available to the public.
This process would be open, and free of any semblance of party politics drama.
How difficult is something like this to implement?
Knowing that funds are available through a competitive process would encourage groups to develop their creativity, their vision, implementation tied to outcomes, and of course, their writing skills.
I would be more than happy to assist with this…
Young farmers my foot. All you believing farming is just putting a seed in d around and it growing like is passport you handing out? Farming is a skill not a hobby. I find in very dude and insulting for skeritt to encourage people to embrace a dead industry. Who feels it knows. If his status in life was relegated from passport salesman to being a farmer he would have preferred to go into exile. Them boys in that picture along with d head of cabal look lost and confused. I doubt what they produce on their farm would be able to full a plate of food much less to sell. Lord have mercy. Looking forward to seeing a whole nation of framers. I hope skeritt take out his child in school early and send him and do farming because is that the country have
hmm…a pot of money that requires no approval on how it should be spent? Sounds like a politician’s dream!
I wonder though…what’s wrong in implementing some sort of process to determine where the need is the greatest and issuing support in some sort of “fair” process. I guess having a procedure of any sort is asking for too much in good ole Dominica!
Mr Austry is defending the ad-hoc way that his administration does most things.Just giving money to a group of young farmers who make representation is not what a national program for youth involvement in scientific, commercial agriculture needs.No one is questioning the fact that this group from Penville got first,but the fact that there is not an open transparent and structured programme with equal access open to all youth across the country before this money was given.
How about established senior adult farmers who are currently producing crops and livestock, and who have lobbied this government for needed assistance, and are yet to receive it.This process if just vi-ti-vi,giving funds to youth even for agriculture will not yield high level of lasting results because of the haphazardly way things are being done. We need better
When we look at the young faces; the recipients of that money: anybody who believe these young men intends to become involved in farming, planting fig (bananas) or any other agricultural products would have to be ignorant!
Austrie, and Skerrit need to also inform the nation in what avenues of agriculture the free money will be spent! Will it be used for the purchasing of fertilizers; will it be used to pay for laborers help, or for the purpose of purchasing motor vehicles for the transportation of reaped agricultural products to be brought to a market place?
The question they need to answer is: if this money is to be used in Agriculture, from they gain; shouldn’t the money be a loan to the farmer, to be repaid, with some interest? That is only another way to buy the soul of the young, a simple way to bribe the unsuspecting!
According to King Dice, ” mothers don’t allow your children to do what I have done.” I will add, what I have said. If a man in high office, can refer to himself to a Rottweiler, what do you expect, if not personal attacks. Mr. Martin did an excellent job by allow the man to bark like an animal and don’t take him on. Remember, the eating breast competition in the House of Parliament . Remember, the doglike attack on Miss. Monell Williams UWP care taker of the St. Joseph Constituency. We all know what he did for a living, before he was given a job, which he is supposed to act in an honorable manner. It would be interesting to know whether other members of the Board of Petro Caribe gave him the permission to remove all that money for the Prime Minister’s Constituency. It is going to be interesting to see if the next Constituency will be the Cottage Constituency. I don’t expect the Salisbury Constituency to get a penny, sorry Mr. Spraggs.
Aye DNO, what’s up? Trust you guys are having a fine and dandy day.
DNO, according to a source, a farmer can be defined as “a person who owns or manages a farm.”
Hence DNO, below are a few things for your investigative journalists to investigate, the findings of which should be presented to the public readership:
1. Which of the young men in that young ‘farmers’ group in Penville are or were actively engaged in farming up to the point when the $100,000EC was received?
2. DNO, could your investigative journalists seek out these young ‘farmers’ & ask them to show you all their farming exploits up to this date.
Ask them about their background/experience in farming, the acreage of land they farm on, where these farm lands are located, the crops they’re cultivating & the markets they have sold to ie before they received the $100,000EC.
Tenks DNO. The public awaits the report from your investigative journalists. Make haste and do what thou doest quickly.
P.S. Oh and DNO, could your investigative journalists also find out what type of farmers these chaps in the young farmers group in Penville are ie whether they are full-time farmers or part-time farmers or weekend-only farmers or backyard garden farmers? Tenks.
I see he is up and we’ll again. As his master he is trying to sell us some political spin. It’s disgraceful. The fact remains, under this administration some get, providing they are supporters, others don’t. Even if this money originates from the PC social fund that does not mean it can be distributed at will. Surely at that moment in time that money should have gone to long suffering victims of Erika who are still without the basics. But hey ho, this is socialism alla DLP.
that good for them I know lots of them DLP people that CRYING every day when they cant take it any more God know what they will do to there self
FYI Mr. Martin childish and puerile mean the same thing…thanks.
Let the good times roll in the DLP constituencies. Such biases and cronyism has no place in a society like ours.
We have money to give those who masquerade as “young farmers” so they can get some political scraps but have none to give established farmers asking for farm access road improvements. Now tell me that is not a sackway paytam big slap in Salisbury people face!
Now when the people block the damn road and ask for the free giving PM to come down and address their problem you all will say they like trouble but time will tell because I suspect next time is the Venezuelan army that Skerro will call to STOP the riots that will accompany the protests. SSU will be no match for the pending fury. Mark my words folks, Salisbury people may be peaceful and loving but by NO means stupid as the DLP wants you to think. Tanto tanto …..someone will pay one day and it will not be long
Always Assertive!
Recipe for fraud and misappropriation of funds. If the minister of finance dies not need approval to use these funds, why then is it brought up in parliament as supplementary estimates. My mind is very simple but this makes no sense. There has to be a ceiling amount that minister of finance can dish out for such programs without approval if it is already budgeted for. This is no way to manage finances and opens for abuse.
I may be wrong. Please correct me.