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Friday, January 7, 2022

CHINESE COMPLEX IN MOTION FOR ONE MILE PORTSMOUTH BUT STILL NO COFFEE FACTORY

 



Greedy Octopus Reggie 

In 2002 the Chinese Government adopted a policy whereby much of it’s foreign aid to developing countries should include a market oriented Chinese agricultural investment. These investments would be conducted through cooperation between the developing states and private Chinese enterprises.

To achieve this global endeavor China’s Ministry of Finance setup special funding arrangements through China Development Bank. This special funding arrangement went towards promoting over-seas investment in agriculture and aquaculture.

By 2007 there were reports from various developing countries indicating that the Memorandum of Understandings (MOU’s) between China and these developing states included agricultural projects that would bring in thousands of Chinese settlers to run farms that would ultimately supply the Chinese market. Documents circulating in Dominica at the time indicated that PM. Skerrit had struck a deal with Chinese interest groups whereby a section of Portsmouth would be designated for a Chinese settlement. Convicted criminal, Chinese businessman and Dominica’s diplomatic passport holder NG Lap Seng was allegedly an integral part of that deal with PM Skerrit. The documents also revealed that the Chinese would also construct a new seaport in Portsmouth to serve the Chinese population.

One Mile Occupation

It is now more than 10 years since the government of Dominica handed part of the One Mile agricultural zone to what appears to be a private Chinese enterprise. The One Mile operation was presented as a replica of the very successful Taiwanese model of the 80’s and 90’s whereby the Taiwanese government would provide professional agriculturist to train and support farmers throughout the island. What we've discovered with the Chinese program at One Mile begs the question- Did our government sell or lease the One Mile agricultural land to a private Chinese enterprise? On a few occasions we notice that the Chinese surreptitiously delivering agricultural produce from One Mile to buyers around Dominica- Restaurants included. If the Chinese are here to provide support, technology transfer etc., why are they competing with our farmers?

It is only fair that after so many years occupying One Mile agricultural lands the government should provide a report on the Chinese operation. Can the Ministry of Agriculture or even DEXIA provide data on the quantity of cantaloupes, Cauliflower, melons, squash, peppers or zucchini produced, exported through the One Mile program?

Former minister of agriculture and Petro Caribe Octopus Reginald Austrie may be able to tell us how much he has personally benefited or squirreled from the Chinese in One Mile.  According to a farmer from Borne Area “it is people like Reginald Austrie and Fidel Grant that getting things from the Chinese in One mile. The farmer went on to say   Reginald Austrie so aviege(creole for avarice)  he took 4 baghouses for himself  from the Chinese and now he competing with poor farmers by selling vegetables to Kempinski Hotel ” We spoke to a few people familiar with the Kempinski Hotel operation who confirmed that  the Petro Caribe Octopus did have an exclusive arrangement to supply Kempinski with agricultural produce but  presently Kempinski  can’t even pay the water and light bills so he is now selling   lettuce for $1.50 a head at the Portsmouth market. Corruption is like a snowball –as it rolls it gets bigger or shall we say greedier.

We are aware that the Kempinski Hotel is currently in negotiation with Domlec on unpaid energy bills. The hotel which is facetiously referred to as“Mano and Skerrit Hotel” also can’t afford to supply the fresh water required for the fishes in the ponds. MA BOYDE KITCHEN should look into that.

Chinese Complex in Motion At One Mile

Recent activities at the One Mile area once again raises question regarding the nature of the deals made between Skerrit and the Chinese. Is the alleged Portsmouth Settlement deal moving from land grab to construction phase?

We can confirm that the Chinese have begun construction of a complex at the agricultural site in One Mile- Not too far from the “Never Commissioned” and derelict coffee factory. According to sources within the ranks of the DLP the complex will start off with an agricultural laboratory ,a building designated as    embassy suite, an apartment building for Chinese residents, and an area designed for helicopter landing.

The DLP administration is set against a Freedom Of Information Act and so we can’t confirm the existence of an Environmental Impact Statement for this  Chinese complex. It is important to note that the One Mile agricultural section and it’s proximity to the Indian River, it’s catchment and tributaries is considered an environmentally sensitive zone.

According to sources within the DLP administration, the project is funded by the Chinese however the government of Dominica is responsible for clearing the area and providing access and utilities.

The DLP administration began their end of the bargain as expected - with incompetence and corruption. A few days ago, two contractors were sent to the site to do the same job causing an argument and shut down. We were told that Minister Roslyn Paul’s daughter who works at the Ministry of Agriculture called a contractor from her constituency of Paix Bouche and ask him to report to the site but then someone from Skerrit’s office also called the contractor from Vielle Case constituency to report for the same duty. The contractor from Vielle Case was first to arrive with heavy equipment and when the Paix Bouche Contractor arrived he was denied entry by the Vielle case contractor. A case of rats fighting for the same piece of cheese.


Still No Coffee Factory

Our first article on the failed coffee factory also located in the One Mile area was somewhere in April of 2016 and since then the MiTC group has made several field trips to report on the coffee factory failure and abandonment. Needless to say, during our many visits we have also had the opportunity to observe the Chinese occupying the One Mile agricultural zone. We broke the news on the coffee bean fiasco - that 13- 20 foot containers of coffee beans purchased (over US 2 Million ) by the government of Dominica had been allowed to rot and then indiscriminately buried near the water source in the One Mile area. We also exposed the sham VENIDOM Corporation that was set up to operate and manage the coffee factory but instead used as a money laundering scheme between DLP operatives and Venezuelan drug dealers and money launderers. We also broke the story of the attempted arson at the facility and that the abandoned facility was being used as a shelter for goat and cattle owners and a few other acts of disgrace by the DLP administration.

The reason we kept going back to the failed coffee factory location was not only to expose incompetence and malfeasance but that we understood the potential of Coffee factory and the possible economic impact. Coffee is one of the world’s most consumed beverages and in the US only an annual market value of over $400 Billion. Even Martinique and Guadeloupe, our neighboring islands present market opportunities for Dominica’s coffee. We were hoping that if we keep exposing and shaming the administration on the coffee factory fiasco the DLP administration would move to get the factory in operation or even utilize the Chinese program to help jump start the coffee production.  Boy oh boy we were so wrong. Unlike the quick money and the personal enrichment that comes with the passport moneys, getting the coffee factory up and running comes with hard work, competence and genuine care and these shameless goons have none of the above qualities.

It is time that the government provide some transparency into what is happening at One Mile Portsmouth. Where there is secrecy in government there is impropriety and a threat against the freedom, liberties and sovereignty of a people. Verily a government that abandons the responsibility to guarantee national sovereignty, forfeits the rights to govern and should be removed by any means necessary. Tiwais Yo

 http://www.masinthecemetery.com/2016/07/upside-down-back-to-front-government.html)

http://www.masinthecemetery.com/2016/07/upside-down-back-to-front-government.html







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