At a recent United Workers Party (UWP) briefing, opposition leader Allen Chastanet responded critically to the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) administration’s recent defending statements and current handling of the Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP), voicing concerns over transparency and accountability.
During last week’s Sitting of the House of Assembly, Castries South MP and Investment Minister Dr. Ernest Hilaire delivered an impassioned defense of the current administration’s CIP operations.
However, Chastanet characterised Hilaire’s approach as “cowardly,” expressing dissatisfaction with the format in which the minister addressed the allegations against him and other officials.
“Instead of holding a major press conference, where he could have delivered the statement he gave in the house, and then allowed reporters and maybe even people from civil society to have been there to question him, instead he chose the cowardly way of dealing with this issue,” Chastanet said.
He criticised Hilaire’s choice to use a ministerial statement at the House’s opening, pointing out that this approach left no room for immediate response or questions. “While the Minister is giving his speech there are to be no interruptions and no questions are allowed to be asked… That’s why I call it the cowardly way of dealing with this issue.”
Chastanet also raised concerns about transparency in the SLP administration’s handling of CIP-related funds.
He argued that the public was not adequately informed about the administration’s infrastructure plans and noted that details in a September 12 Gazette publication were unclear.
The September 12, 2024, Gazette in question announced approval of two projects: “Caribbean Galaxy Real Estate Limited – National Infrastructure Improvement Program” and “Bemax LLC – Rock Hall Housing Development Project.”
However, Chastanet questioned the sufficiency of the information presented in the Gazette. “What you’ve put in the gazette still does not satisfy the legislation,” he stated, adding that specifics on the scope, costing, and contractual terms of the infrastructure projects were absent. “What roads? What bridges? What are they building? Who has done the costing? Where’s the contract between Galaxy and the government of Saint Lucia?”
He continued, expressing concerns about transparency in the Rock Hall housing project. “We hear about Rock Hall, all you gazetted was the name Rock Hall. How many houses? How much are the houses going to cost? Who, at the end of the day, is going to own the houses? How are those persons going to be selected?” Chastanet questioned, emphasising that the public cannot assess the project’s value without further information on its costs.
Meanwhile, Minister Hilaire, who delivered a nearly hour-long ministerial statement at last week’s House, largely in defense of the SLP administration’s handling of CIP, also presented data on government earning and expenditure from the 2022 – 2023 CIP report.
Hilaire noted that the CIP unit is preparing the 2023–2024 CIP report, which he planned to present to the House.
