Dominica Labour Party (DLP) candidate for Wesley Constituency, Athenia Benjamin, is asking that the 400 acres of land purchased by the United Workers Party (UWP) to construct an International Airport should be returned to the farmers.
She made that comment while addressing DLP supporters at a rally in Wesley on Tuesday night.
“Mr. Prime Minister I am asking you tonight, that the 400 acres of land that the UWP took from the farmers of Wesley and Woodford Hill and Palm Tree that you do something about returning it to the farmers of this community,” she said. “That you invest in our farmers, our young men and our young women, that you give us the tools that we need, that we could revive agriculture here.”
Benjamin proposed that Skerrit give the land back to resisents at a concessionary rate.
“But talk to the farmers of Wesley, Woodford Hill and Palm Tree. We will appreciate that,” she said.
During its four and a half years in office the UWP purchased, by private treaty, approximately 448 acres of land from 161 land owners between Wesley and Woodford Hill for the construction of an international airport.
However the plan was scrapped when the Dominica Labour Party came into office because the area was reportedly deemed dangerous by local and foreign consultants.
I don’t see many young people going into agriculture. They are mostly gadget oriented. so please tell me where all these future farmers are because the old ones are petering out.
This article is misleading and the writers need to do a better job at laying the foundation of their articles as a practice of good journalism. The writer should have informed his audience that the land purchased by UWP was determined unsuitable and a new location was proposed and chosen. Therefore the land purchased by UWP which is now government land will go unused and therefore to utilize the land, it should be offered back to farmers at concessionary rates so they can make the best use of the land which is now going to be unused by gov’t
You do not know what you are talking about.
Total rubbish…this was land purchased by the government of the time…hence it still belongs to government…why should it be sold back to the farmers at a lesser value than what it was bought? This statement made by Ms. Benjamin lacks any sort of business mindedness. At this point if the lands are to be sold back to the farmers, seeing that the price of land has increased globally, it should be sold at the appropriate market value. She is yet to win seat yet she is pleading that government starts running like a business which is in it to make a loss..government is not a charity…if the farmers want the lands back it should be paid for.
On that note…the possibility of leasing that land at proper market value could also be looked into as a means of generating revenue.
I guess she’s using the strategy ‘ask for more than you need, negotiate them down to what you wanted in first place.’
Nobody gives land away in DA, If they give land back to Wesley people the they must give people squatting on government land free land as well and give all the Haitians and Africans that coming to DA land too. ehbeh I want my share. She want the land for her family and friends cheap so they can sell it back to foreigners.
To shock her Skeritt should give them the land on one condition that they farm APPLES for export and if they cannot grow apples in 2 years then they must to give it back!
The blue print for dealing with this issue has already been established in Barroui (Salisbury).
Here goes, back in the 1940s the Barroui (Salisbury) Grand Savanne was earmarked as the best location for building an international airport. in Dominica.
The Salisbury Grand Savanne, was the prized location from the 1940s – 1980 or so.
Now, a great portion of that land was owned by five siblings (The land was left to them by their parents). They were four little old ladies who were already in their late 70s and 80s, who wore wob dwiyets, were bent backed and walked with walking sticks.
They were the last group of women to wear wob dwiyets in the village of Barroui (Salisbury).
They had one brother who lived in St. Joseph; he too, was already an old man.
Are you still with me? O.K let’s go!
One day, in the late 1940s, the five siblings, namely, Artillitte (Ma Tillette), Adalia (Ma Ada), Axalie (Ma Axa), Datin and their brother Miele, lost their inheritance overnight.
How? Around 1948, The corrupt Colonial Government of the day fais bobol and allowed Mr. Horwell Shillingford (the parliamentary representative for Salisbury) to steal the land from the little old ladies and their brother.
The siblings had no one to help them. Remember, they were already very old people.
Many years later, the youngest son of Artillitte (she had two sons – Harris and Ellis Jno.-Charles), Ellis Jno.Charles (the father of Nicholls “Shanks” Esprit) decided to obtain justice for his Mum, aunties and uncle.
His first cousin Fitzy Codrington, the son of Datin, joined forces with him. The villagers did not support them, because they relied on Mr Horwell Shillingford to give them work to feed their children. Some villagers worked at Macoucherie and some worked on Savanne Batali.
For many years, Ellis Jno.-Charles fought for justice for his family. In the 1960s, he lost his home and every tangible object that he had in this world; but never, did he lose his core being.
In the 1970s Ellis Jno.-Charles died suddenly. He died before his elderly Mum. She herself died a few years later in her late 90s.
When Ellis Jno.-Charles died, he left behind an infant son (Mr. Nicholls “Shanks” Esprit.). A son whom he named after his own father.
By the end of the 1970s decade to the beginning of the 80s, the government of Dominica decided that the Barroui (Salisbury) Grand Savanne was not suitable for the building of Dominica’s International Airport..
The Shillingfords then started their land sale on the Grand Savanne.
Dominica still does not have an international airport, but they (the Shillingfords) have made a mint.
The grand children, great grand children, and great great grand children of Artillette Jno.-Charles and her siblings, had to purchase land from the Shillingfords to build their homes, the very land which was stolen from their ancestors.
The fallout, the pain and the human cost from this tragic situation is still with us 40years later.
My fellow Dominicans, when you go to the polling stations next month, December 8th, please vote wisely.
How did Mr Horwell Shillingford steal the land from the five siblings (the family of Mr Ellis Jno. Charles in Barroui (Salisbury))?
After he was elected the government representative for Barroui (Salisbury); he sent a message to the villagers.
The message from Mr. Horwell Shillingford was, “toute jen Barroui qui ni terre en len savanne la, cette jours, en ten leure, venir duboutte en bourn zor” i.e. “All residents of Barroui (Salisbury) who own land on The Barroui (Salisbury) Grand savanne , on such day, at such time, come and stand in your boundary.”
The siblings did not go. Why should they? They had their land deeds.
Mr Horwell Shillingford told no one the reason why they had to turn up on that day, at that particular time. They had no business with him.
Well, to Mr Horwell Shillingford, no show, meant steal show. Mr Horwell Shillingford went on a land grab. Every villager who did not turn up to stand in their boundary lost their land. What a heartless thing to do!
I suppose, in the event, that a decisive decision was taken to build Dominica’s international airport on the Barroui (Salisbury) Grand savanne, he Mr Horwell Shillingford would sell the stolen land to the government for a tidy sum, or maybe he had some business venture in mind to capitalise on the international airport.
In the late 1970s to early 1980s, the government of the day did their research. The land was not suitable, something to do with the wind I was told.
Armed with the knowledge that there would be no international airport on the Grand savanne, the family of Mr. Horwell Shillingford (circa. late 1970s to early 1980s), started to sell the land as agricultural land.
They quickly changed the land use from agricultural land, to residential land. Purchasers of the land were promised roads and utilities (water, sewage, electricity and telephone).
Nothing transpired.
The people of Barroui (Salisbury) were duped again by Mr Horwell Shillingford and his family. They had to fend for themselves. Those who could afford it got together to install piped water to their land and build roads to their homes.
The family of Mr Ellis Jno. Charles did not receive a dime from Mr Horwell Shillingford for the stolen land. He battled them in court to keep it. He won the case, not on facts, but through lapsed time.
The Jno-Charles’ had no one to help them fight the “gros” “bourg”, so, in time they lost the right to reclaim their land.
There is a historical site on the Grand savanne, akin to the Cabritts in Portsmouth.
This site should have been saved for the nation; instead, I believe, it has been sold.
Dominica’s NATIONAL HERITAGE on the Grand savanne is gone forever!
A site which could have been developed to bring much needed revenue into the coffers of the state.
In about 1948, Mr Horwell Shillingford did not only steal from the family of Mr Ellis Jno. Charles he also stole from the STATE of Dominica.
The proceeds from this crime is in the millions. The “gros bourg” (Shillingford) got richer, the family of poor “malawy” (Jno. Charles, etc.) well, they soldiered on.
The mind bogles, how did Mr Horwell Shillingford acquire Savanne Batali? Did he use the same tactics? I know how he got Macoucherie. Does anyone out there know the story of Savanne Batali?
Joshua 6 King James Version (KJV)
1. Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
2 And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
It really saddens me to read Ms. Benjamin’s comments. I am filled with outrage and pure anger to learn of a plan or suggestion to return land that was purchased for the construction of an international airport, back to farmers. My belief in Democracy forces me to rely on the “First Past the Post System.” I can only hope that Dominicans and in particular, the good people of Wesley and Woofordhill do not give Ms. Benjamin a chance to unleash her stupidity upon them for the next five years. Hopefully, they are less gullible than she thinks.
What do you think should be done with this land?
do these fools even think before they speak
Ms. Athenia Benjamin appears to be out of touch with the real issues affecting Wesley and the rest of Dominica by extension. Feeder roads and farm land is of no consequence when one cannot benefit from agriculture.
You see, Ms. Benjamin, it is the party you are now trying to gain votes for who systematically and deliberately abandoned farming to pursue Tourism as their major economical growth engine. It is in fact the Labor Party, whom you now want to be a part of, that destroyed the economy of rural communities that depended greatly upon farming.
Thus, your promises here is much like a slap in the face to those of us who have seen a decline in our standard of living for the last fifteen years. This Government should in no way be coming to us now telling us about farm land and feeder roads, these are the things that they should have been maintaining for the last 15 years if they really cared about our votes. Now that they are in trouble politically and faced with a formidable challenger for governance of this country, they all of a sudden care about the farmers that they have ignored and abandoned for so long?
Please, Ms. Benjamin, find out the real issues troubling us in Wesley and the rest of the rural communities before you try to entice us with sugar and honey promises! Wesley is laughing at you and so is the rest of the North!
Well Said, all year long these people have been promoting the tourism sector even accepting Aid for building hotels and even pleading to cruise ship companies to consider Dominica as one of the ports of call,,,
Now something about to change allyou want to do something???
Woman too-little too-late yeh move out of the way and let some change come!!!
Very inteligent woman, She read her entire speech from her head unlike Skerrit.
sa la sa say ou fam daba
Woman, you are completely nuts. Give it back at a favourable rate. You are crazy! If they want their land back they shall buy it back from the government at the same rate they got paid for it. Government needs to stop running as a charity for some and the other citizens have to bleed. You should have stayed in Canada and broadcast your rubbish there. We don’t need any more of you over here to be Skerrit’s mouthpiece.
Athenia, I would be the last person in the world who would want to speak against you, or say something that would damage you to a point that could cause the people not to vote for you. Nevertheless; I refuse to remain silent on your comments. Now every politician who’s dream are to represent the people should be prepared to lead; and take the country forward, and not backward!
Suggesting that the government should return the purchased land from the farmers to them, is like saying you are going to take Dominica backwards a hundred years! Why would you suggest something like that when it does not make any sense whatsoever? Just incase you do not know, I will tell you the location of the bought land is actually the best location in the country to construct an International Airport. If the government gives the land back to the people, where do you suggest we build an International Airport?
Are you suggesting that the country remain without an International Airport, and that thing now named after two waste of time dead men remains our nations primary pride and joy? Are suggesting that we never build an International Airport, if that is your thoughts, then the people of Wesley have every reason not to vote for you!
If that’s your suggestion, to me that represents backwardness, and you are prepared to assist Skerrit in taking Dominica backwards. I cannot believe you would make a statement like that; did you think prior to speaking those words? I don’t think so! Why would you suggest such a thing, when you know it will never happen, and cannot happen. And let me ask you something; if Skerrit; who is ” the government” god, king, emperor, and dictator has not return the land to the people in fifteen years, why do you believe you can influence the return of the land to the farmers: and if that happens what would become of the money paid to the people who have already spend it all? Are you going to sue them for what they do not have and cannot pay? Can’t see that gesture makes no sense whatsoever.
Dominicans at the moment are tired with the crap they have suffered at the hands of Skerrit, and the Labor Party; now it appears to me that you are prepared to help Skerrit take Dominica backwards, that is not right Athenia! The comments you made in that meeting will do nothing than damage you more than the damage you suffered with video that is in circulation with you trying assassinate Lennox reputation. You think if you say give the land back to the farmers, some gullible will come out and vote for you with the hope they will get “the land their land back”, now when they get their land back the money which they received and spent it all, are you going to remit the money back to the treasury from your pocket? On the other hand, can’t you see the youths of Wesley are ambitious and are looking for bigger, and better things than farming. Are you aware of how many medical doctors, lawyers, computer engineers, chemical engineers, and people like myself electrical/electronic engineers: and accountants Wesley has produced over the years; our peoples ambition are beyond farming. You need to suggest something technological which can produce plenty of Jobs to help Dominica and Wesley to move forward and not backwards; Wesley people could careless about getting land back, that is a very foolish comment you made!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
What about Agriculture.. Don’t you want us as a farming nation to produce local eat local and export local.. Unless you want us to eat Quick meals such as KFC, Macdonalds and pizza…
If you want to farm the land buy or lease it from the government. The days of handouts and Red Clinic are finished soon, i.e. if you want something you have to pay for.
Zamba, there is a time and place for everything. I am not suggesting we abandon Agriculture completely, for obvious reasons: We all will agree that most of our staples derive from the agricultural products we produce. Nevertheless; we cannot base our economy on agriculture.
Never mind the efforts, the market for agricultural products such as bananas no longer exist. Jamaica, at one time produced more bananas than all of the islands in the Windward islands; just before the turn of the century, Jamaicans abandoned their banana plantations, to be precise in the early 1980’s they stop producing Bananas and end shipment to Europe.
We are in the age of technology, agriculture cannot help Dominica, it has served its purpose. I believe Nassif made that quite clear a while back Dominicans got angry with him for that, but the truth is the man is correct, we have to move on to something else, and it is time that reality set in. My cousin can talk all she want about giving land back to farmers, even if they get it back, all they do is walk on it, there is nothing from the land right except the food we eat.
Now if we are prepared to go into food processing perhaps a market may come along for that. I saw banana, and plantain chips sold here if we can process eddo’s (Tanya), yams, dashing and put them in cans and find a market for such maybe we can tune to such agricultural products, other than that Agriculture is dead in Dominica.
What we need to do is industrialize the country okay, because we cannot attract any investor to the country, and the major obstacle is Dominica does not have an International Airport. That is why the people of Dominica, need to get rid of Skerrit and his Labor Party. Skerrit, and the Labor Party has no intentions of building an International Airport anyplace in Dominica, they are backward, intend let Dominica let the status quo remain in Dominica, if that was not the plan Athenia would not have talked the mess she told the people of Wesley about investment in Farmers, and therefore government must give back the land. That is nothing more than a cheep political ploy she hope will gain her some votes when and if she is elected all of our relatives in Wesley will catch their royal hell.
If bay any chance Dominica is going to make some progress it will not be during Skerrit’s tenure! The man must be rejected along with all of his puppets who has helped him keep Dominica backwards for fifteen long years!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
Ms Benjamin has been blowing her trumpet about how qualified she is to deal with victims of abuse, all forms of abuse and that she has certificates coming out of every angle…. my question is why didn’t she use that medium to seal her plan to tackle the issue of abuse on children and women here – it is rampant or doesn’t her qualifications allow her to know?
Second of all, as a former victim of abuse – I take serious offense to the comments she made insinuating that the person who is competing against her is someone who ‘takes advantage’of young girls and boys – if she was qualified to deal with victims of any kind her first thought should be compassion for the victims and her second should be justice, she should have taken the matter to the welfare and fight to get justice for the victims instead of opening her mouth on a political platform. I know it would mean that she has a task ahead because she will also have to process the allegations against her own team mates – which would truly show where her interests lie.
I am annoyed that this woman, who claims to be someone who is qualified to deal with a matter which affects us in Dominica is nothing more than smoke screen and mirrors!!
Qualified to deal with victims of abuse? She was no more than a glorified domestic assistant in that legal dept. in Toronto. Go and check.
Ms Benjamin, if the land was “purchased” by the UWP then it is owned by the UWP. Ms Benjamin do you know what the word “purchased” means? How can the DLP give it to the farmers when they do not own it? Your statement has communism written all over it. Its either you have no intelligence or you are a communist. Your party has no market strategy for agriculture to be exported and the banana industry is dead so what do you want the farmers to do with it? We are not in the 1970’s or 1980’s anymore. Why is it that all you want the young people to do is farm? Why can’t they do anything else? Why weren’t you a farmer Ms Benjamin?
Correction Anonymous. It was not purchased by the UWP but by the government. It is owned by the government, regardless who is in power. I is not owned by one political party. So it is the people’s property and is earmarked for the construction of an international airport. That is why the govt. bought it in the first place.
Idiot, the government of Dominica owns the land, not one party or the other. Really? Seriously?
Looks like Athenia is “out of control”. I wonder if Skerrit knew that she was going to make that statement. She is now making a fool of herself because on the eve of an election this is just not possible. This is a vote catching strategy but Alas! this one cannot work. CHANGE IS A MUST……..NOT AN OPTION.
You should tell skerrit to stop talking about shedding Dominicans blood when he looses the election.
zor tout fou
But where did skerrit get that fam daba that does not seem to know anything about Dominica nou? Skerrit by now I am quite sure you regretting importing her to stand in your face. Four disturbing things about her statement:
1. She needs to know that uwp did not take land from farmers but rather bought land for an international airport that the team she going up for, and is part of, dumped in the window.
2. Another troublesome thing is the fact that Athenia Benjamin does not seem to know UWP left office since early 2000.
3. Above all, Atheinia is throwing stones in the face of teacher glo whom she kicked out, and is indirectly telling Gloria Shillingford that after 14 years of representation, she was not able to demand that Skerrit returned the land to the farmers. In your face teacher glo! Did you miss that teacher glow because I saw you applauding? With my knowledge of you I take your applaud to mean you were just covering your face from shame.
4. Not only did Athenia openly embarrassed teacher glo, but also openly embarrassed Skerrit right in his face for not being able to do anything about the land after 10 yrs as PM.
u hear lies that is lies papa god say if u bend the truth u goin to hell as u die.
This is not the Dominica of old. Wesley and Woodfordhill people need to run you out of town with this “Rubbish and filth” that you speak. How do educated and experienced people treat their own kind with such disregard.
Here’s someone who by all accounts has spent years in Canada in a developed and enlightened nation. Now she’s back home and she speaks this “Garbage.” During Slavery, there were traitors who themselves were Black. They often sold out their own kind for favors with the “Master” who was abusing, murdering and mistreating their fellow brothers and sisters in the fields. We named them “House Slaves.”
Ms. Benjamin is nothing more than a “Sell-Out” to the highest bidder. Do you not have integrity or a brain of your own? Are you this dumb? Or are you mesmerized ?
Somebody in Wesley needs to give you a “Bath in the middle of the night with some bush and burn some candles really late at night, so that you wake up from your slumber.”
The lady has a good point. Your reply doesn’t give any information on the article – say the reason why what she is saying is so bad if you know something. That stupid political bash bash bash on someone for no reason with no explanation makes you sound dumb, stupid, unable to analyse, unable to debate. Or is it too much blue covering your eyes? Thankfully i can talk without bias.
After they kill agriculture u want people to buy agricultural land. What they gonna do with it
I gave a clear and coherent reason for my utter disgust with Ms. Benjamin’s statement, if your took the time to read carefully and follow statements that were made by the Hon. Prime Minister. He stated that the Woodfordhill site will be utilized to build an international airport, using the (Build, Own, Operate and Transfer) or BOOT method through a Chinese consortium.
If she is now advocating that the land already purchased for said airport should be returned to the farmers of that area, then logic contends that there is either no plan to construct a new airport at the said location or another location has been identified. If another location has been identified, then Ms. Benjamin needs to state the new location, as a new airport is vital to Dominica’s growth and development.
Furthermore, simply stating that experts, both local and foreign, agreed that the site is unsuitable, is wholly inadequate.
I simply asked for environmental impact assessment studies, and engineering reports to confirm her statements.
As you are well aware, concrete facts and evidence along with detailed reports must be presented to the public so that they too can arrive at a reasonable conclusion, as opposed to taking the word of a “Political Hack” who, the last time I checked was neither an engineer, geologist or architect.
As far as the “Blue Comment” is concerned, I am not blinded by either party. I ask relevant questions to both when necessary, such as the urgent need for a modern hospital that was promised by the Labor Party, as part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the People’s Republic of China. Citizens are dying at this hospital at an alarming rate. Our people are afraid to venture to the Princess Margaret Hospital. We need to reassure their faith in our health care system with a state of the art facility that will serve their needs.
There are other commentators on this site who made similar statements about Ms. Benjamin’s political talking points, but you took offense to mine. I am aware of the power of the spoken and written word and its effects upon others.
If anything, I think you are blinded by political party allegiance, sleek rhetoric and charisma. You can search DNO’s articles and read the speech given by the Hon. Prime Minister about the proposed airport, a few months ago. Those were not my words. They were words spoken by the Hon. Prime Minister. Take up your gripes with him and not me.
My Benjamin had no “Point” and she made an empty promise in lieu of gaining votes and securing power. Reselling land back to farmers at a reduced rate, without a plan to plant specific crops with a potential market in place is sad and hurtful.
Yet again, the farmers are being fooled. If there is a potential market for said crops, Ms. Benjamin needs to identify it. She still needs to identify the new airport location that only she apparently knows off. We still want to see in writing the name of the experts who said that the site is unsuitable along with dates and scientific reasons for their conclusion. You see, Ms. Benjamin and her “Come home from Canada for the people of Wesley” will fool you, but not me. We the Dominican citizenry who are not blinded by “Rhetorical Foolishness and Slight of Hand” require detailed reports and concrete evidence instead of the “Party Political Foolishness” from either side of the aisle.
Thank You.
athenia just reach and making demands of skerrit…. she is plotting her own demise…
When political parties lie, they must be consistent with their lies and hope against all hopes, that the citizenry is fast asleep with a poor memory.
According to recent statements by the DLP Boss of all bosses, he had planned to construct a new airport in that same area, utilizing: The Build, Own, Operate and Transfer or (BOOT Method) through a Chinese consortium.
Now Ms. Benjamin is claiming that the area has been deemed dangerous and unsuitable by both local and foreign consultants.
Ms. Benjamin needs to explain to us, who these consultants are and furthermore, she needs to present completed and dated environmental impact assessment studies and engineering reports.
Ms. Benjamin also needs to identify possible new locations for a new airport, since according to her, this site has been deemed unsuitable for the construction of the said airport.
Although you are new to the game, here you are trotting out the same old lies, misinformation and foolishness that “The Godfather himself” wrote in your campaign notes and talking points.
It’s sad that no matter how experienced, how educated and how forward thinking Dominican talent is, it falls pray to the DLP lies and propaganda upon return to one’s homeland. I feel sorry for your soul that you’re now part of the DLP foolishness designed in earnest to fool the Dominican people and maintain power at all cost.
You all speak nothing but absolute “Rubbish and filth” on that campaign trail. When will you guys get it in your thick power-hungry skull. Dominica cannot move forward with Melville Hall Airport as it’s constructed.
Pure and utter dummies!!!
The woman is being used as a scapegoat ! She didn’t really come up with that by herself, if she did that’s just really really sad.
H ha ha ha , everybody knows that was you and skeritt plan to come up on stage and say that, no one is surprise, with your rehearsal speech, athenia go sit down and stop wasting your time, i think you should go back to Canada, if you are still welcome there.
Shut ur fave
Face. Stupid. You are probably one of the original land owners. What have you done with all the money? Exchanged it for rum I should not wonder.
OK….Give the land back will not work and will not happen no matter who is in power. I would love for that to happen but can we afford to do that as a country. Some other arrangement would have to be made.
Thought that was already done. Wonder how long it will take.
I will have to agree with you on that Athenia.
Athenia is asking Skerrit to return the land to the Wesley people but I ask Athenia who and if the people who got the money from the Government will they be able to return the money back or is she going to give them it to give back, Wesley people Athenia don’t have clue to what the hell she is speaking about she is not in any way ready to represent the people she has never ever had education or train in politic take the time to listen to her carefully she must have power point from which she can speak, is that what you guys need always put DOMINICA first, and I ask that you don’t allow Skerrit / Athenia to come into Wesley and threaten you, you have to teach him a lesson to long you all put up with his rude attitude and behavior , you are voting to save your Island for your children remember he send his wife to USA to have her child his child is an American, so think of your own children Athenia children are Canadian, this is a serious Election it’s important because the Power is in your hands so use it Dec 8,2014.
Change is must now is not the time to run and hide come out in large numbers and cast your votes, God bless the Wesley people.
Athenia, the land was purchased. I think, asking the PM to GIVE back the land is outrageous. Do you have the money to GIVE or PURCHASE.that land from the UWP? Ahh, that is what the DLP stands for, TAKE, TAKE, TAKE. What make you think these people care about farming when Pizza Hut, KFC, and Burger King is at every corner. There are people with land AVAILABLE for farming and they are not farming. That land in question no longer belong to these people it has been SOLD. That land can be used as investment property other than an airport. Athenia, shut up.
Where is the money for the land?
Where is the money for the land?
The owners, whose land was acquired by the Govt. were paid. As to what happened to that money, you would have to ask the recipients. Now some of them say they want it back, although they no longer own it and pay the govt. less than they received for it if Ms. Benjamin wants their vote. I would say to them that as much as we like your vote we will not be blackmailed over it. Ms. Benjamin, you are a real novice at this game aren’t you? You are not red but green! These voters are really playing with you. Suppose you were to meet their request and they will still vote for the opposition? How can you be sure they would not do so?
Oh boy looks like you brought a troublemaker into your own House mr. Skerrit. You can not pull your hair again brother because I see you have not got any so what are you going to do with that lady?
Athenia UWP did not TAKE the land from the farmers, they purchased the land.
Lord help Dominica if people of that calibre end up making high level decisions for the country.
Yes, but what they holding on to it for if the area is unsafe for an airport?
Let me just tell you this; The Canadian government of the day purchased land way back in 1972 to build another airport because their long tem forecast told them they may need to build another airport in the Toronto area. That is called long term planning. That was 42 years ago.
You don’t just get up one day and decide you are going to build an airport. If there are residential properties built on the land, it becomes even more difficult and expensive to redevelop the land for that purpose.
This is just a long ay of saying, although they may not be ready to build the airport, they should hold on to the land until they are ready and capable to build one.
People like Athenia cannot see past the December 8. We need people with vision to govern this country, not neophytes who don’t know the difference between their a$$ and their elbo.
Who fed you that information? Extensive studies were carried out before this area was chosen as the location for an international airport and both the current labour govt and the previous UWP govt. are in agreement with that.
Here we go again where people like you are talking rubbish when you have no idea of what you are saying. Perhaps before you spewed that bit of garbage you should try to learn about the matter so that when you comment if you are not completely correct, at least you could be nearly correct!
So, I am going to clean, that trash out of your brain by telling you the location where the UWP was building the International Airport, the same one which the Labor Party shut down more than twenty-years ago is the safest place in the country to accommodate an International Airport.
Say I told you! You know why?
See if you can read this and understand: Assuming the landing strip is five miles long, there must be a safety gap. So if the asphalt from end to end is five miles extending East and West, you may need five miles on approach to land, and also another five miles at the other end on takeoff.
Where the UWP was building the airport; not only there was a safety gap of five miles at each end, but there was an additional five miles at each end. That would mean you have a safety gap of approximately ten miles at each end; landing or takeoff. If memory serves me correctly, The propose site had a seven miles view on approach, that means the airport could be seen seven miles before decision.
Not even in Antigua they have that sort of sight, not even Barbados, since many flights have over flown, Barbados, and had to turn around and find the airport, the flatness of Barbados accounts for that.
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
As far as I recall it was the government of the time that purchased the land, and paid for it, not a political party. Sorry lady but I think you are a bit dense in your upstairs compartment.
Roosevelt Skerrit must be ruing the day he promised Ms. Benjamin the candidacy of the Wesley constituency. He is now finding that he can’t control her. The land in question was purchased and paid for by UWP government for the construction of an international airport. Roosevelt Skerrit is committed to the same project in the same location. Obviously. Ms. Benjamin did not consult her leader before challenging him in this way. Either that or she ignored his instructions. Ms. Benjamin is as desperate for votes as is Skerrit but by giving in to her demand he scuppers his own, well publicised plans for the international airport. It is not that we have an alternative location, do we? Mr. Skerrit I don’t know what hold Ms. Benjamin has over you but she is a loose cannon, which had better been spiked before it was shipped out from Canada.
miss Benjamin it look like u not d right one for that
Shredding machines they on
Waiting as the black documents arrive
Worldwide must come to light
World, world out dead which must come to light
People who done choose evil for life
some work out nice and polite
Liberal satan seen as the angel of light
Liberal satan seen as the angel of light
Wicked utmost clarity of fragmentation
When they speak of higher rhetorical practice they lie
Sweet politicians signing documentions of their own decree , money made tonight, phone calls, for voting seats and rights
For voting seats and people rights
Manufacturing love ina debate,
Pole positions according to the poles of they exaltations
It’s in their interest to maintain the massive ignorant
Answer to no one
Ask no one for permission.
That’s them political definition.
Midnite
Yes Ghetto people, hear this,