From Caribbean News Service

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Apr 26 2017 – Prime Minister Allen Chastanet says cash flow problem being experienced by his government is the main cause for the removal of the EC$700,000 subvention to the St. Lucia National Trust (SNT) for the 2017/2018 financial year.

The removal has prompted the Trust to call on government to rethink its plan to withdraw the funds. It has summoned an emergency membership meeting for Saturday to discuss the issue.

Calling the subvention removal “unprecedented, unjustified and an exceedingly unfortunate measure given its record as the country’s leading quasi-government institution for conservation,” the SNT called on all Members of Parliament to insist on the reinstatement of the subvention for the 2017/2018 period.

It said it would “also seek the support of its international partners, civil society and the entire St. Lucian populace, home and abroad, to advocate on its behalf”.

However, Chastanet said the subvention removal had nothing to do with the differences between his government and the Trust on the proposal of a dolphinarium for the Pigeon Island National landmark but rather with government’s lack of money and his belief that government should be paying for the Trust’s recurrent expenditure.

“Right now, we have a cash problem in the government. We are not generating enough revenue to cover all the costs that we have. We have to prioritize where we are going to spend our money,” Chastanet said.

He explained that as a result of the country’s cash flow problems, several government and quasi-government entities were now under review, such as the St. Lucia Tourist Board, which is being replaced by a new entity.

The annual Jazz Festival has now changed into a Summer Festival, while Radio St. Lucia is under review, as well as the Government Printery, General Post Office, St. Lucia Marketing Board and Fisheries Department.

“So, I am not vexed with the Trust,” Chastanet said, explaining that the Trust, like all entities in St. Lucia, is required to justify how it spends monies given to it.

“I’ve been elected by the people to make decisions to best benefit and re-prioritize how we are going about government’s business. There are too many St. Lucians who are suffering and who believe government has abandoned them.

“The decisions we make on a day-to-day basis do not reflect their needs. So, we have to reprioritize how we are going to spend the money in St. Lucia, and if there was enough money to go around, this would be a non-issue.

“Everybody has to justify every single cent that we are spending. The government spends about $114 million a year on different entities and every single cent that we have is under review.”

For more on this story go to: http://caribbeannewsservice.com/now/government-cuts-700000-subvention-to-st-lucia-national-trust/