Published 11 February 2018
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
by: Media Source
PM Harris has gone back on election promise not to sell land to foreigners; beachfront lands at La Valle recently sold
Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 11, 2018 – Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris, who promised in his Team Unity’s election manifesto and on the campaign trail three years prior to the February 2015 General Election not to sell any of the 1200 acres of land in the hands of National Bank, have sold hundreds of acres of those lands to foreigners since taking office.
This has been disclosed by the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) Parliamentary Representative for St. Christopher 2 (Central Basseterre), the Hon. Marcella Liburd.
Liburd noted that one of the major reasons given by Dr. Harris for challenging the Cabinet, which he was a part of for 18 years, was the (Vesting of Certain Lands) Act 2012, referred to as the Land for Debt Swap, which placed 1200 acres of land in that financial institution to reduce the national debt.
“Dr. Harris and Team Unity went around the country falsely accusing Dr. Douglas and the Labour Government of going to sell the land to foreigners, white people, and that locals were being robbed of their patrimony. This emotional issue was falsely sold to the people,” said Liburd, who told listeners to the Issues programme that “the Labour government did not sell one inch of land of that land.”
She pointed out that when the Labour Party government of Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas left office after the February 16 2015 General Election, “not one inch of the land in the control of National Bank was sold.”
“Since taking office, Timothy Harris and his Team Unity government have sold some of that land to foreigners. Not a word. You cannot hear anything. Timothy Harris has recently sold beach front lands at La Valle in Sandy Point to foreigners,” said Liburd, also the chairperson of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party.
“Has he told the public? Not a word. Not a word. Beachfront lands at La Valle have been sold recently to foreigners. Is he ensuring that the public has beach access there?,” asked Liburd, who recalled that when the Labour Government wanted to develop La Valle, there was a lot of negative talk spearheaded by the Parliamentary Representative, Hon. Shawn Richards, who was very critical and opposed any development of La Valle.
“Does Shawn Richards know that beachfront lands have been sold at La Valle in his constituency? Has Shawn Richards told the people of Sandy Point? Do the people of Sandy Point know that beachfront lands have been sold in La Valle? Does Lindsay Grant and Eugene Hamilton know that and if they know, why is it that none of them have come forward to let the public know that Timothy Harris has sold beachfront lands to foreigners at La Valle,” ask the Central Basseterre parliamentarian.
“I am calling on Timothy Harris to let the public know about the sale of lands to foreigners. How many acres have been sold and who they were sold to and the cost of each sale?. How much of beachfront lands at La Valle has been sold and to whom the lands have been sold,” said Liburd.
Photo 1 – Hon. Marcella Liburd
Photo 2 – Hon. Timothy Harris
Photo 3 – Hon. Shawn Richards
