DSH PROJECT FOR VIEUX-FORT

IN SEARCH OF A BETTER DEAL FOR SAINT LUCIA

The proposed Desert Star Holdings Ltd (DSH) Project to be located in Vieux-Fort, Saint Lucia will occupy about 900 acres of government and privately-owned lands, coastal, agricultural and traditional grazing areas. In effect all the available productive, commercial, touristic and community-development lands will be given away to one Master Developer for 99 years at US$1 per acre! leaving no space for alternative developments in the area by other developers, both foreign and local, and the expansion of the town of Vieux-Fort and surrounding communities.

Given the nature, scope and scale of this DSH Project, its impacts and effects on the physical environment, especially our sensitive coastal ecosystems, residential communities, existing business operations, current eco-tourism ventures, traditional livelihoods, will be drastic, enormous and long-term. Moreover, the Terms and Conditions of the DSH Project have not been publicized by the Government of Saint Lucia nor has the Government held any discussion, dialogue or consultations with Saint Lucian nationals and in particular the residents of Vieux-Fort who will be most directly affected by the Project.

Notwithstanding the claim made in the Framework Agreement the Project will lead to “significant job creation and retention”we, the residents of Vieux-Fort and other citizens of Saint Lucia find that the Terms and Conditions of the DSH are outrageous, frightening and an insult to our  collective intelligence, vision and aspirations. What is even more disturbing is that there is a haste to amend Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) Legislation to meet the outrageous demands of this Master Developer.

We, the residents of Vieux-Fort, other citizens of Saint Lucia and all who care about Saint Lucia, whose names and signatures appear below, appeal to Prime Minister Allen Chastanet and other members of his Cabinet to stop all work on this project immediately and to engage the residents of Vieux-Fort and all affected parties in discussions, negotiations and engagements with a view to producing A BETTER DEAL FOR SAINT LUCIA with regards to the development of lands in the Vieux-Fort Area. This BETTER DEAL that we are seeking must be built upon the wise use of our scarce productive and investment lands, the preservation of our patrimony, the conservation and protection of our sensitive coastal environmental resources, the maintenance of traditional livelihoods and recreational areas, the economic engagement and inclusion of the residents of Vieux-Fort and other nationals of Saint Lucia and the incorporation of the broader issues of essential developmental needs of present and future generations of Saint Lucia.