NEWS TICKER
Showing posts with label economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label economy. Show all posts

Sunday, July 15, 2018

DLP's Systematic Demise of Agriculture

The Extension Unit in the Ministry of Agriculture is under serious threat of extinction by the DLP government and its hired operatives. Notwithstanding, the urgent and critical need to revitalize the agriculture sector to ensure food security, healthy eating, increase exports, enhanced economic activities and to improve the standard of living in the farming community, the DLP government is hell bent on eradicating such a critical unit.

In recent times, the Extension Unit has been faced with orchestrated challenges and yet still the staff preserved.  With limited resources, Extension carried out farm registration post Hurricane Maria for the distribution of financial support from the World Bank. The funds were strategically distributed in areas supportive of the DLP government. But the pressure and criticism were directed at the Extension unit and not the DLP operatives who politically butchered the original bonafide list of farmers. Despite, the calculated mischief by DLP operatives and the deafening silence of senior administrators within the Ministry of Agriculture, the Officers completed hundreds of complaint forms made by the farmers because of the crookedness of the DLP government with the $18 million. Imagine Officers are not aware of fertilizers given to DLP cronies to distribute to supporters and not farmers.

There is a constant bashing of extension officers by ministers and operatives like, Kervin Stephenson and Reggie Saverin from the PM’s office. It is public knowledge that at a meeting held at the housing conference room with senior agricultural officials to include the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Reginald Thomas there was an outburst from Reggie Saverin who resort to indecent language. Mr. Saverin outburst was in response to sound, technical advice from the plant quarantine officer, Mr. Nelson Laville. At another meeting at the Division of Agriculture conference room, Mr. Savrien was annoyed by questions and comments posed by Mr. Franklyn Magloire, Team Leader for the West Agriculture Region and Saverin virtually open the door and asked Magloire to leave.

There have been many threats about getting rid of Agricultural extension but this is delayed pending the results of the upcoming general elections. The DLP government in on the verge of closing the Agriculture offices for the West Region located in Salisbury and the Central location at the DBMC building in Goodwill. They are so deceitful, officers are being contacted one by one and asked where they would like to work. PS Reginald Thomas has even issued threats to officers saying that they will be penalized if they express themselves about the wrong that is going on. Some officers are so frustrated and are seeking alternative employment. What type of government treats its extension officers in such an unappreciative, arrogant and condescending manner and expect them to produce?

The Extensionists are battling tremendous marginalization from within. Imagine, officers who are not appointed do not receive a travelling allowance and appointed officers only get travelling allowances for a limited mileage of 200 to 240 miles monthly. But with all the transportation deficiency in the Unit, the limited vehicles in the ministry were hijacked by the DLP operatives. The former Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Johnson Drigo left the Ministry several months ago but still has the vehicle received under Banana Accompanying Measures (BAM) funding. Nicholls Esprit, the political DLP misfit who was installed in the MOA was given a new vehicle under BAM to do the DLP’s dirty work and recently he was given a brand new white double cab. All this, when the Extension Unit is struggling for vehicles to do their work in the country’s economic interest.

Whatever will affect the current structure of extension will affect service to the farmers. Regional and subregional extensionists remain united and committed but can not continue to remain silent about the wrongs destroying agriculture. The new minister of Agriculture, Hon. Reggie Austrie,promised sweeping changes. Let us wait and see, if it is not his usual hot air.

How the DLP government can be so blatant in their further demise of the very important Agriculture industry? This vicious attack on the Extension Unit should not be tolerated by any right thinking Dominican. Agriculture built Dominica and will continue to play a very important role in the survival of Rural Dominica.

For the officers in the Extension Unit within the Ministry of Agriculture to properly execute their functions towards the overall advancement of Agriculture in Dominica, there must be; formal and continuous training of officers, well equipped regional offices, adequate remunerations, method & result demonstration plots, proper transportation or access to transportation and most importantly, the complete weeding out of political operatives in the MOA who are geared at destroying the Extension Unit.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

The Jaws of a Jackass

We've resisted commenting on the propaganda of former Director of Audit Clarence Christian but we have decided this afternoon to make a brief comment. Mr. Christian is all over radio and social media braying about how great our economy is, compared to the days under a previous UWP administration.

First, it is necessary for us to understand that the previous UWP administration is not represented in the current pool of leaders of the party so to presume what is alleged to have occurred then would be the same as what would occur now should the UWP be elected back into office is ridiculous. It makes no sense to labour that point.

Secondly, Mr. Christian and others like Tony Astaphan and Paul Alexander (in the USVI) are taking pains to point out the "many" business places that are expanding. The people of Dominica must understand that the places that these fools keep pointing to are all large businesses going through expansion. These large businesses cannot support our economy; it can only be sustained by small businesses, the mom and pop stores. Small businesses are the ones who drive up an economy; if you're in doubt, take a look at the United States.

Thirdly, it is very simple to determine whether an economy is thriving by just taking a look at government social programs. The formula is simple; if the government is spending more money to assist more of its citizens from plunging further into poverty, the economy is in dire straits. The "National Employment Programme" is a social welfare programme. Our government is spending millions of dollars on a programme that ensures thousands of our citizens have a job. That can only mean that the government is artificially reducing the unemployment rate. We would venture to guess that the true unemployment rate in Dominica is in the high 40% range, a situation that, if allowed to exist, would threaten the government itself, which is why Roosevelt Skerrit will continue to maintain the programme and boast about it as a success, because it is successfully preventing thousands of young people who would otherwise have been unemployed, from revolting against the him.

Clarence Christian is a jackass. This man has greased the pathways that has allowed government officials to rob our treasury. We should expect him to continue to tow that line since he too gets a cut under the table. Mr. Christian should concern himself with the fog that has surrounded him for several years. Sir, since you are so adamant on informing us about a previous UWP administration and seeing that you have joyously taken to asking numerous questions of several persons in our society, we have a few for you; we hope that you can answer them.

  • What shenanigans were you involved with at the Woodfordhill Credit Union?
  • Why did you believe that, as a member of the DOWASCO board and a DLP propaganda official, you could forego payment on your water bills, in the process racking up thousands of dollars in charges, which resulted in you being kicked off the board?
  • Why did Roosevelt Skerrit authorize George Nanthan to conduct repairs on the road leading to your home just prior to the funeral service of your mother-in-law? Is it because you are financially strapped and could not afford to do it?
  • Why, as Director of Audit, you failed to submit three reports to parliament, as you were required to do?
  • As an individual with several years in the Credit Union organization and as a former Director of Audit, it would be fair to say that you should be an authority on Credit Unions. However, the University of the West Indies does not think so; why did UWI reject you as tutor on a course on Credit Unions and replace you with your sister-in-law, a secretary to the IPO?

Mr. Christian, when you are living in a glass house you should not throw stones. You have taken up the propaganda role alongside Anthony Astaphan. Mr. Astaphan is said to have a cherry tree which is being picked and juiced by a man in the valley. We also know that a Mr. EW has been farming your garden; haven't you noticed that someone is picking the avocados on your avocado tree? They're making guacamole with your avocados. This must be the reason why the government is now saying that agriculture is on the rise.


This post has been updated. 17:50GMT

Monday, December 19, 2016

A turn for the worse?

We're hearing from a very reliable source that H.H.V. Whitchurch is not doing so well and may be staring at bankruptcy. You will recall that it was just 2 months ago that Roosevelt Skerrit made available half a million dollars to the company to help it sustain itself. Now we're learning that the company may now paying some of its workers with vouchers. Should this trend continue the logical alternative would be that this 100-year old company will be out of business and its employees will be on the unemployment line. So much for a booming economy our leaders love to talk about.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Miriam Moves

Public Works Minister Miriam Blanchard, thoroughly embarrassed by our expose yesterday on the conditions existing at the Macoucherie Bridge and the ineptitude of her ministry, dispatched a technical team to the site today to respond to our concerns. The team, which included Permanent Secretary Kendell Johnson and Chief Technical Officer Emile Lancelot, made a preliminary inspection of the foundation of the structure and we can only assume that they will move expeditiously in resolving this issue.

We're hoping this is not just for show. Judging by the media in tow, we believe Minister Blanchard is trying her best to let us know she's on the job. If she really wanted to convince us of that however, she would have brought along some caution signs to alert motorists, but that was most likely not her primary concern. Furthermore, there was no need to drag an entire contingent of the country's press behind her; GIS would have been fine, but Ms. Blanchard evidently wants to put her best face forward. Bravo Miriam. Now put up the signs and fix the bridge.

We would like to thank Ms. Blanchard for responding to our concerns; we can only hope Tourism Minister Robert Tonge can follow suit. Mr. Tonge spends more time on Facebook than in his ministry; let us hope that Ms. Blanchard will inspire him to get off his ass once in a while.

CTO Emile Lancelot addressing the assembled media
PS Kendell Johnson addressing the assembled media
PS Kendell Johnson facing the cameras


Monday, December 5, 2016

Dumb and Dumber

To characterize the current Dominica Labour Party government as the most incompetent in the history of the Caribbean, let alone Dominica, is not an exercise in hyperbole; it is a statement of fact! From captain down to cook, this administration is populated by plethora of buffoons, linguistically-challenged nincompoops (Minister Cabinot comes to mind), a self-described dog, an alleged kidnapper, at least two functioning alcoholics, serial child abusers, a cherry tree picker, certified members of Roosevelt Skerrit's harem, and an incompetent tourism minister who is just as unqualified to be a tour guide. Leading this band of misfits is Boss Crook himself, Mr. Skerrit.

The last of couple weeks have borne witness to torrential rains throughout the island. Our infrastructure has taken a beating; roads have been washed away and the temporary bridges that were provided to us appear to be becoming permanent structures. Mother Nature continues to expose Mr. Skerrit. It has also exposed the incompetent Miriam Blanchard as well.

Ms. Blanchard is the Minister of Public Works; it is her responsibility to ensure that resources are available to quickly repair our damaged road network. It is also her job to ensure that the public is alerted to dangerous conditions on our roads. Social media is awashed with photographs of flooded roads and damaged infrastructure; no where in the countless photographs we have seen any evidence that Ms. Blanchard's ministry has done anything to alert the public to the conditions that exists on our roads. 

The situation with the Macoucherie Bridge is especially acute; the foundation of the lone temporary bridge has been severely compromised by the rushing waters of the Macoucherie River to the extent where one side has dropped several inches and is no longer level with the adjoining road. This is a disaster waiting to happen but Ms. Blanchard and her ministry have not thought it fit to alert the public of the precarious condition of the structure nor has her ministry taken steps to mitigate the looming disaster. What is Ms. Blanchard waiting for?

Macoucherie Bailey Bridge Foundation
Closeup of Macoucherie Bailey Bridge Foundation
Imminent Bridge Collapse
Robert Tonge, our Tourism minister is just as incompetent as Ms. Blanchard. At the end of October Mr. Tonge and his underling Colin Piper, to much fanfare, declared our tourist season open and stated that they were ready for the tourists they expected to flood our streets and our parks. But how prepared were they? Just days before the opening of the season, this government hastily decided that it needed to do patchwork on the roads to Wotten Waven and Trafalgar. A Bailey Bridge, which had been put in place after TS Erika, has remained impassable since construction. What were they doing since the close of the last season?

Wotten Waven to Trafalgar Bailey Bridge, October 2016
Wotten Waven to Trafalgar Bailey Bridge, October 2016
Mr. Tonge's failure was on display recently when a walkway in Wotten Waven collapsed under the weight of a few tourists. Thankfully they were not seriously injured but a glimpse at the walkway reveals to us all that its pending collapse should have been forecast had the officials at the Tourism ministry undertake an evaluation of our system. Is Mr. Tonge and his people so stupid as to not know that a wooden structure in the middle of a rainforest that is used as a walkway should be inspected regularly to determine its integrity? How many more failures can we expect through this season?

Collapsed Walkway
Collapsed Walkway
But Mr. Tonge and Ms. Blanchard are symptoms of a larger problem, which is the entire Skerrit government. Across the board, this government has failed us consistently. Roosevelt Skerrit continues to sell our passports without any inhibitions and he joyfully boasts that it is the most sought-after on the market. What Mr. Skerrit is not saying, however, is that the reason they're so popular is because they're the cheapest. But cheap products don't last. 

We demand that Ms. Blanchard direct her staff to take the necessary measures to secure the Macoucherie Bridge and to protect our lives. Should anyone be injured as a result of her negligence, she will be personally responsible.


Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Who's picking Whitchurch Cherry Tree?

The talk in Dominica today has been centered around the picking of cherries. The speculation goes that a certain resident of the Roseau Valley has been harvesting at will and with impunity the cherries from a cherry tree that is planted on another individual's property. Recognizing that this was all code words, we inquired and came away with a rather amusing story about a sitting member of parliament and a well-known attorney-at-law.

Using this as a point of reference, we have to inquire; who is picking the cherries from the Whitchurch cherry tree? In presenting his supplemental estimates today in parliament, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit stated that the government of Dominica, one man, had given a half million dollar loan to H.H.V. Whitchurch to help the company finance its operations. This may seem minicule to some but it is a stunning revelation to us.

The government of Dominica is not a bank yet here we have a situation where Mr. Skerrit admits that he has given a significant loan to a commercial entity. What really is the relationship between Mr. Skerrit and the Aird family? As a commercial enterprise, Whitchurch should be able to access capital from local financial institutions; in fact that is the norm. By seeking finance directly from the government, we have to question the reason(s) that may be. Is the company in such dire financial straits that our local banks have refused to lend it any capital? Why didn't the company approach the AID bank for assistance with the government providing assurances instead? Is there a secret relationship between Mr. Skerrit and the Aird family? If so, what is it?

Are we Dominicans really prepared to come to grasp the significance of this? Our government is not a  bank. Mr. Skerrit has taken our tax dollars, lent it to a company that does business with us, which then turned around and proceeds to use our tax money to generate a profit on us. Let that sink in for a while.

We know that we will be taken to task for suggesting that Mr. Skerrit be held responsible for this but the fact is Mr. Skerrit is the Finance Minister as well as head of government. His approval of this transaction was instrumental to its implementation. What is it about Mr. Skerrit and the Airds? Is this another instance of a cherry tree being harvested by a government official? Who's picking whose cherry tree? And how long has this been going on?



Photo courtesy Dominica Vibes News

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Fire at Coffee Plant - Yet no Coffee to Roast?

A few months ago we informed our readers of the situation at the defunct coffee plant at One Mile in Portsmouth.  We provided detailed information regarding the possible danger due to the improper storage of coffee beans and we have provided credible evidence of the rotting beans stored in the One Mile facility. We were also reliably informed that the facility was declared a danger zone after air quality testing results showed high level of toxins at the plant.
The government of Dominica is yet to deny or dispel our report on the hazardous condition of the coffee plant nor have they denied the millions of dollars spent on coffee beans that are now rotted inside the facility. But the people of Dominica have been fooled and bamboozled for so long that they tend to reject any evidence of blatant bamboozle.
Mahatma Gandhi is quoted as saying - “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet”, and so we will continue to expose the “ dorty foot” government of Roosevelt Skerrit. Why it is that the “dorty foot” government is yet to inform the people of Dominica of what appears to be the attempted arson at the Coffee plant? Did someone try to burn down the plant and for what reason?
Here is what we know.
There was an electrical system overload at the coffee plant that resulted in a small electrical fire. The overload ultimately impacted and damaged DOMLEC equipment. Upon investigation, DOMLEC technicians confirmed in a report that their equipment was damaged as a result of the electrical malfunction within the plant. We have also been reliably informed that DOMLEC is asking for an external investigation and that they are seeking redress for over $100,000 in transformer repair or replacement. We were also informed that the automated system at the coffee factory was also destroyed as a result of the circuit overload.
We informed the public of the rotting coffee beans and the potential health hazard and the floundering media is yet to follow up on our report. All we are asking for this time is for the media to take a drive up to One Mile Portsmouth – the residue from the smoke is quite visible beneath the zinc façade. We also hope that it is not too much for the media to ask DOMLEC about their damaged equipment and whether or not DOMLEC  provided a report of the same incident at the One Mile Coffee factory.
So far the government authorities have remained tight lipped on this matter even when all the signs seem to point to an attempted sabotage. Why the police and fire department was never called in to investigate the matter is yet another conundrum in Dominica.
Can the government explain to us why it is that the inoperable coffee plant was  running electricity so much so that there were overloading circuits. It simply does not make sense unless someone tampered with the electrical system or that the coffee factory was secretly producing coffee.
Something very disturbing also caught our attention. Up to the day DOMLEC came in for the investigation  the building windows and doors were secured and untouched however a few days after DOMLEC produced their report  suddenly we noticed that a window at the coffee plant was tampered with. We are not arson investigators by any means but from the photo of the damaged window, it appears that (1) someone push out the window from inside; (2) there are no visible damages to the window frame that would indicate that someone pried open the window from the outside; (3) someone attempting to force open the window from the outside would most likely need a ladder or platform to do so and, (4) why would someone choose a window facing the main thruway - why not a window or door that is away from the public eye?
Coffee Plant with suspect window in view (at left) before DOMLEC investigation. 
Coffee Plant with suspect window in view after DOMLEC investigation.
It seems obvious that a crime may have been committed at the plant and the police should have been called in to investigate. It is rather strange and interesting that the people who are responsible for the coffee plant have not made a report to the police.
We know for a fact that PM Skerrit appointed Dr. John Toussaint the VENEDOM liaison and steward of the coffee plant operation. We also know for a fact that Dr. Toussaint is in possession of keys to the facility. It is only logical that all persons with access to the facility should have reported evidence of suspicious activity, including what appears to be a break in, either staged or deliberate, at the coffee plant to law enforcement authorities and should make themselves available for questioning. But then again, if the suppression of crime and corruption were of importance to Roosevelt Skerrit, somebody would have been prosecuted and jailed for the disappearance of close to $100,000.00 worth of construction material during the construction of the very same coffee factory. We are 100% certain that the PS and others at the ministry of agriculture are fully aware of the report on the missing material and that the culprit is an untouchable former candidate of the Dominica Labour Party.
Here is what the Government of Dominica doesn’t want us to know and why they are tight lipped.
In our previous article “Upside Down Inside Out Government” we informed our readers of the VENEDOM Corporation, a joint venture between the Venezuela and Dominica governments set up specifically to operate and manage the coffee factory. A distinct part of the VENEDOM arrangement is that the revenues that would have been generated from coffee production would be distributed 49% to Dominica and 51% to Venezuela as loan repayment. As earlier noted, Dr. John Toussaint heads Dominica’s interest in the VENEDOM Corporation - the same Dr. John Toussaint who was assigned over one million dollars to head and operate an agriculture small business operation and while under his leadership, he has reported a 98% delinquency rate in loan payments. Who did he give loans to? But that is for another day of revelation.
The government also does not want us to know that the Venezuelans have been asking questions about the coffee factory and rightly so, as Venezuela is seeking to rake in every dollar wherever it is owed to them. Within the VENEDOM arrangements,  the government of Dominica was provided with a 3 year grace period that began after the completion of the facility. Based on very credible information, the grace period terminates in November of this year, 2016. Essentially, after  two years of construction + 3 years post construction (grace period), it was expected that the farmers in Dominica would be in a position to supply the coffee factory with the required coffee beans – enough for full fledged operation.
No coffee beans, no factory operation and no money to pay Venezuela come December - Boy oh boy!! Is that suspected sabotage a timely phenomenon or what?
After all that we have seen regarding the suspicious sabotage at the coffee factory, it is only fitting that we ask the Minister of National Security Mr. Rayburn Blackmoore, please follow up on this serious matter. In genuine concern we offer to Mr. Blackmoore the following cliff notes.
  • Why was the coffee plant running electricity when the coffee plant is really a white elephant-dead?
  • Why the window was damaged days after DOMLEC provided their report?
  • Did someone get so frazzled after the DOMLEC report that it became necessary to create the semblance of a forced entry?
  • Who else has key access to the coffee Plant besides Dr John Toussaint?
  • Did someone try to burn down the entire house just to get rid of one rat? 
  • Is it a coincidence that two months before Venezuela is due to start collecting from proceeds of a nonfunctional coffee factory that there is a suspected electrical system malfunction /sabotage at the factory?

It is also critical that Mr. Blackmoore and Dr. Toussaint take immediate action to restore the damaged window as the dangerous toxins emitted by the rotted coffee beans may very well be escaping through the gaping hole. Certainly Dr. John Toussaint would not want to be known as the “Kaka Couchon” polluter and still the one responsible for infecting people with mycotoxins.  
There is no denying that what we have seen at the coffee plant is peculiar but we are also fully aware that the Roosevelt Skerrit administration is capable of chicaneries of all sorts therefore we make no apologies for our paranoia. Just in case Tony Astaphan starts spinning lies here is some food for thought:  History has shown us that arson is a method employed by despotic and authoritarian governments and their lackeys to instill fear on the people and as a means of controlling information. During the old Soviet Union , Stalin would often use fire to control the population, among other things, like the language and all information. The Nazis tried to burn the evidence of their concentration camps during the last days of World War II. The Maldives government hatched out a plan to burn down the office of the accountant general once the accountant general began to sniff out official misconduct. For whatever it is worth - Denny Shillingford stated that Earl "Siko Seko" Grant instructed him to “Just burn everything.”- burn the evidence and hope that the Steven Isidore and Skerrit malfeasance becomes blown away in ashes. Who can forget the fire at Melville Hall airport;  a deliberate effort to suppress any demonstration against illegal voters in the 2014 election. The people are still waiting on PM Skerrit, who publically declared that he had the intelligence on the identity of the person who placed the fire at the Melville Hall airport, to be interrogated by the police. 

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Postal executives moved out

Information reaching us within the last couple hours indicate that both our Postmaster, Ms. Claire Wallace and the Senior Executive Officer Ms. Junie Morvan, have been dismissed from their positions in the Postal Service and are being reassigned laterally to other government departments. Ms. Wallace is to take up a position at the Audit Department while Ms. Morvan is being relocated to Inland Revenue. Although the new positions are equal within the public service, there can be no doubt that their removal will be seen as a demotion of sorts.

The reshuffling comes on the heels of a strike by postal service employees who were protesting deplorable working conditions at the Post Office. The authorities appear to be upset with the senior executives inability to prevent the strike which embarrassed the government. 
 
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