St Vincent PM defends Libyan grant money

Gonsalve

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent — Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has defended the St Vincent and the Grenadines government’s receipt of aid monies from Libya last week even as citizens of that African nation protested against Muammar al-Gaddafi and his 42-year-old government.

Leader of the opposition Arnhim Eustace on Thursday described as “blood money” the EC$667,500 (US$250,000) the Housing and Land Development Corporation (HLDC) in Kingstown received from Libya’s ambassador to the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, Ammat Ali last Monday, February 21.

The funds are to aid with rebuilding the country after the damage wrought by Hurricane Tomas last year.

Eustace told supporters of his New Democratic Party that Gonsalves should say what was the position of his Unity Labour Party administration as the Gaddafi government staged a bloody crackdown against citizens protesting against his regime, which came to power during a 1969 coup.

Gonsalves told reporters on Monday that the funds were in the works even before the protest began on February 15.

He said that his government had solicited aid from several nations after Hurricane Tomas, which ravaged the agricultural sector and damaged 1,200 houses.

Libya was among the nations that agreed to assist, Gonsalves said, adding that the protest began before the funds could be transferred from Tripoli to Kingstown.

He further said that the cheque was made out to the HLDC and was received by public servants.

“How in heavens name that became blood money, I don’t understand. Did anybody kill for it?” he said.

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15 Comments

  1. come
    March 1, 2011

    UN put sanction on Libya, but yet china is still doing business with that country, yesterday a tanker leaved Libya for china with 700,000 barrel of oil. The point china is making, we only have diplomatic business with the country and not with the government…

    • Went
      March 1, 2011

      I trust that was an error if not ,could I ask which school did you attended?
      You’ll have to apologise to your English teacher.
      The Vincy opposition leader and that of DA are talk about blood money.
      I am inclined to think youare a bloody functioning illiterate.

      • listen to reason
        March 1, 2011

        And I bet your english teacher is quite proud of how you just murdered grammar and spelling in that post. I would seriously hope that you’re trolling but I don’t think DNO has reached to that point yet. Other than MOTS that is LMAO

  2. de caribbean change, BBA, MBA, CPA
    March 1, 2011

    This is just cheap politics by the St. Vincent Opposition members. If the boot was on the other shoe, they would have done just the same thing and try to defend themselves. Cheap Politics, Arnhim Eustace. Try something better than that. Opposition parties will say or do anything stupid just to get the people to vote them into power. But, it does not always work.

  3. Deoborah
    March 1, 2011

    He looks as if he might be Gaddafi’s brother, they do have similar traits and features.

  4. for real
    March 1, 2011

    Are we to believe that nothing is wrong if the good outweighs the bad? Like Judas betraying Christ for 30 pieces of silver which infact turned out for the good of humanity (christianity)

  5. Lord help us all
    March 1, 2011

    Time my people, time will tell.

  6. Anon
    March 1, 2011

    My God! I don’t believe this is the Dominica where I was born, grew up and was schooled. I don’t believe that our people have become so insensitive as to ignore the willful slaughter of a people by their leader just to get a few dollars. It is indeed a sad day when we say it’s Ok to forget the slaughter, just give me the money. The people who are being slaughtered worked hard for this money. Our attitude towards them is shocking. God help us!

    • YES I
      March 1, 2011

      IDIOT….I HOPE U REALIZE THAT THIS STORY RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO ST. VINCENT AND NOT DOMINICA…..ARE U SO BENT ON WISHING BAD FOR THIS COUNTRY THAT U WILL SEIZE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK NEGATIVE ABOUT IT………..

      I HAVE BEEN, I AM AND WILL ALWAYS BE AGAINST LEADERS LIKE GADDAFI AND I AM SURE MANY DOMINICANS SUPPORT THAT VIEW….BUT WHEN U COMMENT ON A STORY MAKE SURE U HAVE UR D*MN FACTS STRIAGHT.

      • Anon
        March 1, 2011

        YES I,
        I accept that i’m an Idiot. Well educated, good job, making a significant and important contribution to the development of my country and my region. So my idiocy prevents me from noticing the comment by “North coast teacher.” This idiocy was what then prompted me to weep for my country. But, idiocy or not, i stand by my comment. God help us when we begin to choose a few “pieces of silver” over people’s lives,

        I wanted to take the high road on your name calling, so I’ll simply suggest that maybe, just maybe, you would wish to take a long hard look at the mirror

        • listen to reason
          March 1, 2011

          Maybe you should have been smart enough to click the reply button BELOW his post then not the one at the bottom of the comments section. I seriously don’t get what’s so hard about that or maybe ‘@North Coast Teacher’ at the beginning of your post would have helped save some confusion. Lrn2Comment

  7. lightbulb
    March 1, 2011

    all money is tainted by blood, house your people comrade

  8. North coast teacher
    March 1, 2011

    And Libya is giving us money for a new school in the village of Thibaud. This is badly needed. I hope the money is in the Embassy in St. Lucia already.

    If, like in St. Vincent, this was negotiated long before any outbreak of violence from Gaddafi’s forces in Libya, I see no reason why we cannot accept the money. If we had to question the internal affairs of every state that gave us aid on a very critical basis we would be high and dry. Remember that the US, Canada, Britain and France etc does not give us any aid for things like schools again.

    So when all you high minded bloggers on this board get into government, I wonder who you all will negotiate for to get aid for things we need but cannot afford from our own tax money?

    • The traveler
      March 1, 2011

      You people are cold and self centered. Do you people know how the citizens of these autocrats suffer/ Most of them live on $2.00 a day while their tyrants give their money to other countries for them to feel legitimate while their people are in bondage!! Make all you own money, grow things, manufacture things. Sell water, be innovative so all you can build all you own schools. Stop the begging!!

      • listen to reason
        March 1, 2011

        Listen anybody who lives in the western world economic system of consumption and technology benefits from the suffering of people in impoverished countries. You like nice clothes and nice shoes? You most likely got them because some child under 15 had to spend a whole day slaving away for nothing so that they don’t cost you a fortune. You like blackberry/iphone/nokia whichever one you use? The very computer you typed this on was probably put together by a highly underpaid slave in china. Seriously you pseudo-bleeding hearts are just ignorant hypocrites. Its an oxymoron yes, and a paradox if you try to resolve it yes, and does it make sense no? But neither do people like you.

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