Robertson S. Henry. Sports and Cultural Contributor
THURSDAY JUNE 06, 2013; KINGSTOWN, SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES – Last Monday during his weekly radio programme, Leader of the Opposition Arnheim Eustace said he was “shocked” by the Bill; being debated today in the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Parliament.
“I was so shocked on seeing this, I thought I saw 208,000 [dollars]. I found the thing unbelievable so I started to look at the various items that could make up all this amount of money,” he said,
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said that the Opposition Leader’s “shock” over the Supplementary Appropriations Bill being debated in Parliament today is because the Government is succeeding in building the Argyle international airport, the largest capital project in the nation’s history
Earlier on Thursday during the STAR FM Rdio morning programme ‘The Morning Scoop’ Thursday the Prime Minister called in to state that, the Supplementary Appropriations Bill to be debated is for approval for loans to complete the EC2 million project.
Today the Government is seeking Parliament’s approval to borrow EC8.7 million of the EC8 million contained in the bill.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves
Gonsalves further said that contrary to Eustace’s media statements, each of loans that make up the EC$148.7 million is a soft loan. “He made a wrong statement there, a wrong assertion.”
The Prime Minister noted that when he came to office in 2001, there was a debt of EC$180 million for the Ottley Hall Marina, which was worth EC$16 million. He further stated that when Eustace was Minister of Finance minister, he paid EC$19 million to service that loan.
He further explained that EC$1.3 million of the EC$3.5 million for debt servicing contained in the Bill, is for monies from the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank for which there was an under-provision in the 2013 Estimates
“And I am simply correcting that,” he said.
In addressing the House, the Prime Minister further reminded lawmakers that before the December 2010 general elections, that Opposition Leader Eustace told a press conference in which he said his New Democratic Party (NDP) would complete the airport.
However, Prime Minister Gonsalves contends notwithstanding that pronouncement, the Opposition “has at every turn put obstacles in the way of the project.”
“I want to see them matching their words with their deeds today,” he said, adding that the construction of the airport cannot be supported with a “bottle stopper”.
Gonsalves, who is also the Minister of Finance further pointed out “You have to support it with money, and the money had to be appropriated.”
According to Gonsalves, by coming to Parliament to seek approval, his Unity Labour Party government is doing its business openly and transparently.
“That is what good governance is about. … I had to come here and get permission and it is the permission which opens the tap to the water,” he said.
He informed today’s House Sitting that under the former NDP administration, Supplementary Appropriations in excess of the sum permitted by law were not brought to Parliament for approval. He further said that no Finance Committee meetings were held in relations to supplementary bills, as the law requires.
Meanwhile, Gonsalves said it is the policy of his government to finance the airport by funding from different sources and the people gave a mandate in 2001, 2005, and 2010.
He said the electorate would reward his government with a fourth consecutive term in office when the airport is completed. “That is what sticks in the crop of the opposition.”
