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by James Liburd,

The Christophe Harbour’s acquisition of 850 acres of prime land and $130 million has taken an interesting turn. The Denzil Douglas Administration’s decision to compulsorily acquire the land from local landowners and subsequently sell it to Christophe Harbour for a mere $17 million, roughly 46 US cents per square foot, raised serious eyebrows back in 2013.

What is even more alarming is that the very same Douglas Administration extended an unsecured SIDF loan of almost the same amount, essentially handing over $16 million to Christophe Harbour. To compound matters, the St.Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank was directed to provide additional loans of $16 million and $6 million to the development, loans that Christophe Harbour has shown little inclination to repay, accumulating a staggering debt exceeding US$21 million at present.

To add insult to injury, the local Kittitian and Nevisian landowners who had their property compulsorily acquired by the Douglas Administration successfully sued for compensation and were awarded a judgment of $27 million—$10 million more than the land was “sold” to Christophe Harbour for. The Douglas Administration had already paid out over $17 million in compensation.

Now, as the Christophe Harbour Investors teeter on the brink of having their debt or the interest on the debt to the National Bank waived, the burden of over $130 million threatens to shift from their shoulders onto the backs of every citizen and taxpayer in the country.

Questions are being raised about why the government is not pressuring Christophe Harbour to repay this substantial debt, which could alleviate the financial strain on students burdened with school loans, help struggling citizens facing hefty utility bills, and potentially allow National Bank to offer more affordable mortgages.

The people of St. Kitts and Nevis have endured exploitation and injustice for far too long, dating back to the days of slavery. It is high time that this pattern of exploitation by foreign entities comes to an end. The demand is clear: Christophe Harbour must either repay the $130 million loan or face the reacquisition of the 850 acres of land in the interest of the people. The blatant inequity of this situation cannot be ignored any longer, and the call for justice is louder than ever before.