Today's Daily Observer newspaper had an article today which covered comments made by Fisheries Minister, Hilson Baptise, where he says a number of extremely confusing things relating to our petition to the Prime Minster.
Essentially, I am the spokesperson for the Antigua Conservation Society and have been interviewed by www.caribarena.com and also by The Daily Observer about a petition to Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer that we have started. The petition asks the PM to take action to get the draft Fisheries Regulations signed. They have been languishing on the desk of the Fisheries Minster's desk for five years. These regulations are attached to a Fisheries Act 2004 which was developed with input from fishers and the various stakeholders prior to it going before this government all those years ago. The reason we are petitioning the PM is that the Fisheries Minister can't seem to get the regulations signed for some reason which we can't quite understand.
There has been calls for these regulations to be signed from the various stakeholders here locally for years and there has also been pressure from international groups as well. Why? Well we are currently using the 1983 Fisheries Act to protect our marine resources and those resources have taken and are currently taking a serious beating. There is pressure on every aspect of our marine resources and there are many fishing methods being used out on the reef by commercial fishermen that are totally unsustainable. Many endangered species are being fished out right before our eyes and despite urgent calls from many stakeholders and the technical people within the Fisheries Ministry including the chief Fisheries Officer, nothing happens. The Act is sitting in limbo. For more on the rules and regulations we are using currently and the ones that are still sitting waiting to be signed click here.
Anyway, our petition to the PM has generated huge interest and has gotten many people speaking about it in the media and beyond. We have about 1800 signatures on our petition and we expect to get the remaining 200 to make up our goal of 2000 within a few days. We will keep it going though until we see some results. In the meantime, we expect to deliver the signatures to the PM after we get our 2000 goal.
In today's paper, the confusing statements that Baptiste made are as follows:
1) He says that the petition is a waste of time.
If this is the case, why is he falling over himself now to say that he is going to have it signed all of a sudden?
2) He says that it couldn't have happened before because he has been traveling for the past two weeks.
Two weeks??? What about the past five years? These regulations have been sitting on his desk for ages. This isn't anything new at all.
3) He says that the criticism over the past few months because not enough was done about the terrible state of the marine resources is "politically motivated" and that we have an agenda.
This couldn't be further from the truth. Nothing I have written over the past month on the lack of action on signing off on the Fisheries Regulations has had any hint of politics. The Antigua Conservation's Facebook page and it's petition on change.org has no political undertones or language at all. We do have an agenda though and that is to get the fisheries regulations signed as they are now.
4) Another thing he says is that he is going to get a committee set up to discuss the regulations to make sure that only the best regulations are approved. He goes on to say that he will only approve the regulations which the committee of stakeholders all agree on and are regulations that they can agree to adhere to. “As I speak to you I am putting a committee together to go over the
regulations to ensure that everybody agrees and are willing to comply
with it,” he said.
How does any of that make sense? There are huge problems with this because as this document clearly demonstrates (click here) there have been consultations with the stakeholders. In fact, there have been many, and there is no need to step backward and revert to more consultations. It was consultations that ended up helping to get the Fisheries Act of 2004 drafted and then the Fisheries regulations drafted also. A committee filled with stakeholders will only cause the Fisheries Act to get buried if not scrapped. A talk shop is not what is needed at this point! What is needed is for the minister to sign on the dotted line. In addition, why would the Minister consider only the "best regulations" which "everyone agrees with and are willing to comply with.."? This would be like asking the bankers on Wall Street to sit on a committee to decide on what regulations should be imposed upon them and telling them that only laws that they agree with and are willing to comply with will be considered. See why this may be a problem?
An edited version of the newspaper story can be found by clicking here. You have to laugh at the comments. Anyway, as you can see, this issue isn't an easy one and there is good reason that we are petitioning the Prime Minister. Please sign the petition and join the ACS on facebook. If the petition doesn't work, we may have to go to plan B and then C. We will get some changes for sure because the future of our marine resources is sitting in the balance.
3 comments:
Eli, everything in Antigua and Barbuda is politicized. If you dare to stand up for anything and the politicians didn't do it first or worse do not agree, then it is you against them:conclusion - political.
I signed long time and circulated to others to sign. I will work to get some more on board so we can protect our 108......
Thank You, Eli, for this update. Your response is iron clad logic, in the face of seemingly deliberate obfuscation. For the Honorable Hilson Baptiste, Minister of Fisheries for Antigua and Barbuda, to claim that he was unable to sign the document because he had been travelling for two weeks prior, is ludicrous. It is an insult to the intelligence of every person alive in Antigua and Barbuda today. The document is well known to have languished in a limbo of inaction for some years now. To introduce the Minister's most recent travel as having any relevance in the matter makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Essentially, all of the most respected and deeply vested stakeholders,represent a quorum supporting the instrumentation of the current document. The Minister's statements could only be interpreted as a stall tactic, the motivation for this counterproductive stance, is by no means revealed in his oddly disjointed and illogical conversation with the press. From the interview, it would appear the only "agenda" being surreptitiously carried, are the unknown motivations for his recalcitrance in giving Antiugua and Barbuda empowerment, and the requisite tools to protect an irrecoverable National Treasure, which is now in the stage of what could be most described metaphorically as Emergency Trauma Unit, Intensive Care. If the Coastal Eco-system in Antigua and Barbuda is to survive with any semblance of how it has stood for as long as these islands have sustained human habitation, then action needs to be taken immediately. The Fisheries Act is the first and foremost necessary tool to make this effort to save the Coastal environment of Antigua and Barbuda possible. Minister Baptiste should be well advised to know that the eyes of the entire World Conservation movement are watching what is happening in Antigua and Barbuda. We have been in touch with people from every public and private Institution where there is an understanding of the critical nature and fragile balance of what is at stake. I would expect, that a s a result of the Petition effort, you will be encountering an avalanche of journalists, and Broadcast media representatives. The advantage here falls to us, as it is not hard to convince too many people that there is a very urgent story that needs to be told, when that dateline is globally recognized as "Paradise on Earth." Let everyone concerned with this matter work fervently together to insure that Antigua and Barbuda's current reputation for unparalleled natural beauty, does not decline into a dimly faded memory. You have the support of many people around the World.
Michael P. Whelan
Las Vegas, Nevada
June 27, 2012
Thank You, Eli, pro this bring up to date. Your response is iron clad logic, in the visage of seemingly premeditated obfuscation. For the Honorable Hilson Baptiste, Minister of Fisheries pro Antigua and Barbuda, to aver with the intention of he was unable to sign the paper since he had been travelling pro two weeks former, is ludicrous. It is an insult to the acumen of each person alive in Antigua and Barbuda now. The paper is well renowned to be inflicted with languished in a limbo of operational pro approximately years currently. To introduce the Minister's generally contemporary travel as having one weight in the topic makes unquestionably thumbs down significance at all. Essentially, all of the generally respected and severely vested stakeholders,speak for a quorum at the bottom of the instrumentation of the current paper. The Minister's statements may possibly single be interpreted as a stall tactic, the motivation pro this counterproductive stance, is by thumbs down earnings revealed in his oddly rambling and illogical conversation with the press. From the interview, it would appear the single "agenda" being surreptitiously conceded, are the unknown motivations pro his sedition in giving Antiugua and Barbuda empowerment, and the requisite tools to care for an irrecoverable National Treasure, which is currently in the stage of could you repeat that? May possibly be generally described figuratively as Emergency Trauma Unit, Intensive Care. If the Coastal Eco-system in Antigua and Barbuda is to carry on with one semblance of how it has stood pro as long as these islands be inflicted with sustained creature habitation, at that time proceedings needs to be taken at once.
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