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| Plant Propagation Building in Portsmouth |
When the Prime Minister decided to replace
Johnson Drigo with Reginald Austria for the role of Minister of Agriculture
many believed that the government was yielding to the opposition advice that
agriculture must become a priority mission. It was stated that through his
seniority Reginald Austrie should bring more effective management to the
ministry of agriculture but alas it is just another case of Lipstick on the same pig or in colloquial expression “ Tiwais Boudere metais pailles”
The
only thing that Reginald Austrie is known for is his unexplained accumulation
of wealth, a foul mouth and a bully mentality. After 18 years Reginald Austrie
has no claim to fame other than hijacking the Petro Caribe portfolio from
beginning to end. Being an elected politician for 18 years does not make
someone an effective manager particularly a man who has consciously decided to
dwell on gutter politics and mepuis as oppose to intellectual and management
capacity development. Under the leadership of Reginald Austrie the Ministry Of
Agriculture is under more turmoil than it was under Johnson Johno Drigo. Today
the farmers cannot get planting material because the plant propagation
operation is in abeyance and has been severely neglected by the government of
Dominica. Just imagine MOA wants happy go lucky Johnno to be back as
Minister of Agriculture
At
some point today Thursday December 13 the government will be hosting an
agricultural consultation program where they will be trying to impress the
invited guest and visitors. It is our hope that during the consultation program
someone will ask the government officials about the perilous status of the
plant propagation program in Dominica. We would also like to find out the
reasons for the low morale among the staff and the reason for the resignation
of the highly trained and resourceful horticulture professional by the name of
Talifa. It is alleged that DLP henchman Rickie Brumant made it his point of
duty to frustrate Talifa to the point that he promised her that she will never
be promoted nor be appointed under his watch.
Is that the waygovernment intends to build resilience and
capacity- by destroying hard working professionals just to promote venality and
ineptitude? We understand that Mr. Blandford a
known corrupt DLP operative and senior staff in the Ministry Of Agriculture
(MOA), was given the added title of Crop
Rehabilitation Specialist however it is well known that Mr Blandford has
been a major player in the failing plant propagation program. We understand
that the move to designate a Crop
Rehabilitation Specialist is
part of a ploy to facilitate and enable the draw down of funds from the
international donor agencies.
With
a plethora of complaints and inbox messages from farmers, MiTC decided to look
deeper into the matter involving the failing plant propagation program and so
we visited several agricultural stations throughout the island. What we found
out was deeply disturbing. Since Hurricane Maria not one propagation station
around the island has been repaired or rehabilitated and the staffs at the
various stations are under duress and frustration with nowhere to perform their
duties.
We
also found out that the morale among the staff is at an all-time low; so much
so, that within the last 9 months 9 staff members have resigned from the
Botanical gardens station due to poor working conditions, bad management and
political shenanigans. Agriculture relief material that was donated by
international agencies are being misappropriated in the interest of political
posturing and farmers can’t get the tools, seeds and water tanks that were
donated exclusively to the farmers of Dominica. It is high time the DLP
operatives like Dr. Reginald Thomas, Blandford,
Rickie Brumant or Ryan Anslem now acting director be called to give an
account of their involvement in the mismanagement and corruption at the
gardens. These DLP operatives should also explain why it is that the Citrus
Certification facility at the gardens is in such a deplorable condition when
Dominica should be actively rebuilding the citrus program after the devastation
of Hurricane Maria .
On our
visit to the La Plain Station we had a rude awakening. In addition to not
having a proper place to sit down the employees do not have access to a washroom
facility. The staff has had to use the neighboring plot of land to relieve
themselves and as a result the owner of the abounding property has lodged a
complaint in the form of written letters to both the ministry of health and the
ministry of agriculture. We understand that the Ministry Of health is
taking matter seriously.
The
stations at Grand Bay and Woodford Hill are also in mess. In Portsmouth, the
staff working with the propagation unit has had to set up their work space in
what was a pig raring area. We understand that the situation is so bad at the
Portsmouth area that Reginald Austrie has ordered the immediate shutdown of the
propagation unit and that all the staff member should report to the Chinese
facility in Portsmouth sometime next week.
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| DLP Building Under Repair |
With
18 years of repressive governance the people of Dominica have become numb to
corruption, incompetence and mismanagement in government however itis still
baffling that while the government has shown no interest in repairing
facilities that are of paramount importance to the farmers and the plant
propagation program on the island PM Skerrit and his goons still have the
audacity to utilize the country’s resources-the relief material and even
foreign volunteer aids to renovate the Labor Party building in the center of
Roseau while the government totally neglects employees working in deplorable
conditions.
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