The government continues to respond after Hurricane Beryl by distributing water tanks to registered farmers.
The authorities expect the distribution to improve the farmers’ ability to store water, especially as seasonal droughts worsen.
Agriculture Minister Alfred Prospere says distribution has commenced in the country’s south, and farmers should receive their water storage tanks soon.
“We are hoping that tour farmers would make very significant use of them because climate change is having a serious impact on the agricultural sector, and water storage is very critical, especially in the dry season,” Prospere said during a pre-cabinet press conference last week.
However, Choiseul-Saltibus MP Bradley Felix of the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) says farmers in his constituency are complaining that the tank distribution is political.
According to Felix, a farmer’s association with the UWP would be a barrier to receiving a tank.
“It appears that some farmers, because of their affiliation to me and to the United Workers’ Party, appear to be victimised. And I say so because some of the farmers have brought to my attention that the word is, when they go, is that if your name was not submitted by Pauline (Prospere), which is the lady who I defeated in the last election, you will not be eligible to get a water tank,” Felix said during a radio interview last week.
St. Lucia Times was unsuccessful in attempts to reach Dr. Prospere before publishing this story.
Any third-party or user posts, comments, replies, and third-party entries published on the St. Lucia Times website (https://stluciatimes.com) in no way convey the thoughts, sentiments or intents of St. Lucia Times, the author of any said article or post, the website, or the business. St. Lucia Times is not responsible or liable for, and does not endorse, any comments or replies posted by users and third parties, and especially the content therein and whether it is accurate.
St. Lucia Times reserves the right to remove, screen, edit, or reinstate content posted by third parties on this website or any other online platform owned by St. Lucia Times (this includes the said user posts, comments, replies, and third-party entries) at our sole discretion for any reason or no reason, and without notice to you, or any user. For example, we may remove a comment or reply if we believe it violates any part of the St. Lucia Criminal Code, particularly section 313 which pertains to the offence of Libel. Except as required by law, we have no obligation to retain or provide you with copies of any content you as a user may post, or any other post or reply made by any third-party on this website or any other online platform owned by St. Lucia Times. All third-parties and users agree that this is a public forum, and we do not guarantee any confidentiality with respect to any content you as a user may post, or any other post or reply made by any third-party on this website. Any posts made and information disclosed by you is at your own risk.
This is in fact happening.
Thank you Bradley for bringing this to the public’s attention.
I was in Choiseul the other day and met a really nice hard working couple and the husband is a farmer. They are raising some amazing children also.
The same time I drove into their driveway a truck passed with 2 water tanks in the bed.
Later in the conversation he said how the SLP were victimising who they perceive as UWP supports and bypassing them in tank distribution.
He knew what he was talking about because a cousin was involved in the distribution process.
So it is not just the corruption at the top of this administration that is evil, not just the incompetence and total wastage but also blatant discrimination and victimisation of anyone in order to “protect the victory’
The SLP criminality is brazen like the Haitian ‘tonton macoute’.
The SLP evil, discrimination and corruption knows no bounds.
Security, health are collapsing. The very foundations of the country going to hell while Ministers spending millions on take and travel.
They finding out soon that time longer than rope!
There is lots of corruption in the distribution of these water tanks. Some farmers have been given slips to collect several and have made a business out of the process by selling them to non farmers $500. The question is who is the person or persons knowingly approving more than one tank for certain farmers? And are those persons benefiting from the sale
Why are these not distributed through extension officers, STOs, etc? Why must everything be political? Some of us like goodness more than biases.
Why are tax payers being forced to pay for business expenses of for profit enterprises?
Some of them take the tanks and sell them back vuz they are mot farmers
Bradley , as you can see the shoe is on the other foot now, you remember UWP did not give the opposition anything when all you was in power? Do you remember the Belrose’s doctrine?
Though I don’t support it but it happened before.