Anguilla and other OECS members which are supAAplied with petroleum from Trinidad and Tobago will be receiving a total sum of EC$84 million a year as from February coming.

Chief Minister Fleming

“At present, the Government of Trinidad gives to the OECS, through CARICOM, three million dollars a month. As from February that will move to seven million dollars a month,” Anguilla’s Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, told The Anguillian. “It means that 84 million dollars a year will be shared equally among six islands: Grenada, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica, St. Kitts and Antigua. They will get 12 million dollars a year. Anguilla and Montserrat will get six million each.”

Mr. Fleming went on: “There is now some money in the coffers from July to January [2006-2007] when only three million will be paid and we will get a portion of that… but going forward we will get approximately six million dollars a year. This will be used for community and other social development projects.”

The Chief Minister said the Trinidad money was being made available under the twin-island republic’s Petroleum Stabilisation Fund.

“Remember we are getting all our petroleum from Trinidad. They are making big money and they are passing some back to us,” he stated.

The money is now being accessed through CARICOM and, according to Mr. Fleming, as soon as it is received by the OECS Secretariat, Anguilla will get its share.

Mr. Fleming said he was very pleased with the expected funds. He was of the view, however, that Anguilla should get a bigger portion of the money as there were children on the island from all of Caribbean whose schooling and other social needs were being met by the Government.

| Printer-friendly page | Send this article to a friend |

World News