Caribbean Times 39th Issue - Friday 18th November 2016

Friday 18th November 2016 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 5
PM Browne addresses Cove Head issue
By Everton Barnes
Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, is
clearing the air regarding land transfer
arrangements between Cove Head, a
company that owned lands at Dredge
Bay, and the government.
This is in response to allegations
by the United Progressive Party political
leader, Harold Lovell, accusing
Browne of wrongdoing in the arrangement
between the company and the
government.
According to the prime minister, he
is neither a director nor a shareholder
in the company that has been in existence
for more than 15 years and
which owned lands and two buildings
at Dredge Bay. Those lands and buildings
were acquired by the government
from Cove Head and turned over to the
National Urban Renewal and Housing
Development Company.
He disclosed that in exchange, Cove
Head was sold lands at Friar’s Hill for
housing development at $5 per square
foot; a price above the $3 per square
foot the government had decided it
would sell lands for development.
The prime minister further disclosed
that the Cove Head lands were
the only lands available for a housing
development specifically for the people
of The Point and Villa Area.
He added that the two buildings
have since been converted to offices for
the NURHDC.
“It should be noted that the Cove
Head land, was the first parcel of land
that was made available on credit, for
the commencement of the Dredge Bay
housing project. National Housing started
with three members of staff in one of
Cove Head buildings, since it had no
premises or any funds budgeted for its
operations. Today, National Housing is
a major success with over 150Million
in assets and over 300 homes under
construction,” he revealed.
PM Browne said those who assert
wrongdoing on his part have failed to
provide any evidence to that effect and
he accused them of being motivated by
spite and envy.
Prime Minister Browne and President of Chile - Michelle Bachelet
speaking on a regional approach to address climate change.
cont’d from pg 4
of us from small states live
with a different reality.
We know that global
warming; sea-level rise, extreme
drought and stronger
cyclones, are daggers at
the heart of our existence.
For us, “1.5 to stay alive”
is not a frivolous slogan; it
is a constant reminder that,
if temperatures continue to
rise, our countries will suffer
insurmountable losses.
In fact, many small island
states will disappear beneath
the sea. That is the stark reality
facing small island states.
We hope it is also a warning
to the world’s most developed
nations, that the tides
of the world’s climate will
also be battering their most
secure bastions.
In this connection, I call
on all governments to begin
early conversations with
appointees to Mr. Trump’s
administration. If the United
States waivers in its current
leadership on climate
change, or if it withdraws
from its commitments, a
chain reaction will be triggered,
that will leave the
Agreement in tatters, and
the world in peril. It is a
real danger that must be addressed
with urgency.
Therefore, I call on special
groupings within the
United Nations such as AO-
SIS, to mount urgently a
collaborative effort, to lay
out the dangers that confront
us, to the new US administration.
On a wider point, I
emphasize, that to fulfill the
commitments of the universal
Climate Change Agreement,
the resources of the
Global Environmental Fund
and the Green Climate Fund
must be replenished. Adaptation
financing must be significantly
increased to balance
global priorities in line
with the Agreement.
Average global temperatures
have already increased
1 degree Celsius above
pre-industrial levels; we
must collectively act now
to protect our planet. If the
global community does not
act decisively to curb emissions,
it is likely that every
ecosystem across the Planet
will fundamentally change
in our lifetimes.
Therefore, the problem
has all the urgency of now.
The bell may be tolling loudly
for small islands that are
innocent victims of the profligacy
of others, but it is also
tolling for all nations.
Let us recommit ourselves
to immediate collective
action, in saving our
planet.
Thank you.