Prime Minister Friday defends sale of lands at Chatham Bay
CHATHAM BAY, Union Island is worth protecting, but protecting it does not mean it cannot also deliver value for the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) said Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday.
Also, arrangements like the one Chatham Bay was sold under have brought tremendous fiscal benefits to some countries, he contended.
The prime minister made these declarations in a press release issued by his office, dated August 31, days after it was announced that the government had sold 100 acres of land at Chatham Bay for EC$52.7 million, and that the land was given to the buyer for conservation purposes and not for hotel or resort development.
The sale has generated much public discussion, with the contention being that the entity that has purchased the land listed as AHRA LLC are not known. The names of the owner/ owners of AHRA LLC have not been attached to the sale and people are wondering who owns AHRA LLC.
One Union Island resident described the sale as “disrespectful” as the details were only mentioned in parliament when information was being given aimed at reporting on the fiscal situation in country and not on the sale of Chatham Bay itself.
Friday said that people criticising the sale are failing to consider two fundamental aspects of the transaction- the land is being sold for conservation, and the government can buy it back at the same price within two years.
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