[dropcap]A[/dropcap]lliance candidate in the 2001 general elections Dr. Keith Mondesir, has called on the government to be “up front” and reveal how much it is going to cost taxpayers to host former US President Bill Clinton when he visits the island next Saturday.
Mondesir pointed out that the former president’s lecture tours “do not come cheap,” and asked the government to reveal how much Clinton is being paid to address an invited audience of around 200.
“It is very hard to believe the government does not know at what cost Mr. Clinton is coming and how much he will be paid at the end of the day,” Dr. Mondesir said in a Radio St. Lucia interview on Thursday.
“My understanding of international people of Mr. Bill Clinton’s status, singers, entertainers etc is that when they do come to the Caribbean and places like that, they are paid in advance because they do not want to reach here and come to find out that not enough money has been raised to pay them,” Dr. Mondesir added. “We would like some further clarification from the prime minister.”
Dr. Mondesir says Saint Lucians have a right to know how much the visit will cost against the benefits accrued and whether the island can afford such an expense at this time.
“You must know what it is going to cost you at the end of the day and what you are going to get from it and I find it very hard to believe that this government, with all those intelligent people, could undertake something like this without knowing how much it is going to cost,” he said. “I would like some clarification from the prime minister’s office and nobody has answered. They know there is a cost. What is the cost? The taxpayers of Saint Lucia deserve to know what this is going to cost them and if they can afford it at this point in time. These are hard times and we have to be careful about how we spend the taxpayers’ dollars. This is showing responsibility and this is showing good management.”
Meanwhile, the prime minister’s press secretary Earl Bousquet has responded to Dr. Mondesir’s concerns. Mr. Bousquet says the cost of Mr. Clinton’s January 18 visit to Saint Lucia will be “minimal” while the benefits are “sure to be immense.”
Additionally: “I can assure you that the cost to government and the people of Saint Lucia will be minimal. This is a private visit by a major world public figure. And the cost to the people and government of Saint Lucia in this particular instance will be quite minimal. But whatever they are, it will certainly be worth the visit by former President Clinton.”
The PM’s press secretary continued: “In the meantime the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is continuing to coordinate with representatives of Mr. Clinton’s office. Like I said, it is going to be a purely private visit. Mr. Clinton is a world figure and while here he will be addressing some 200 private and public sector leaders and, as has been acknowledged by the executive director of the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association, this visit will certainly attract the international press at a time when Saint Lucia needs all the international press exposure it can muster, particularly as Saint Lucia is vying for the presidency of the United Nations General Assembly later this year.
“It will also help in our efforts to promote tourism and that has been acknowledged by the SLHTA and members of the Saint Lucia Tourist Board. The cost implications therefore have to be weighed against the value of such a visit.”
Asked to comment on Dr. Mondesir’s suggestion that the former US president was being paid in advance, Mr. Bousquet said: “I would not wish to engage in public debate on a matter on which Dr. Mondesir is clearly ignorant. Dr. Mondesir is in absolutely no position to know what sort of negotiations went into the visit by President Clinton. That sort of information will be made available in time. However, I challenge Dr. Mondesir; I challenge him publicly, to prove that there is any proof in his claim that President Clinton has been paid in advance and secondly, that he will be charging for his lecture here. I challenge Dr. Mondesir and I urge him that if he can’t prove these false allegations that he should desist from making these sorts of statements because he wants to be politically correct. I also question the political correctness of opposing something that could redound to the benefit of one’s country.”
Mr. Bousquet said that due to security reasons he was unable to reveal the venue selected for Clinton’s lecture until closer to the time. Clinton is expected to address and take questions from the audience in addition to being guest of honour at a special dinner.
In a broadcast interview yesterday, acting prime minister and chairman of the organising committee, Mario Michel, also sought to clear the air on the cost issue. “Countries and organisations have been known to pay top dollar in order to secure President Clinton as a speaker time and time again. Fortunately for us in Saint Lucia, we have been able to secure this visit at no cost to the government and people of Saint Lucia, other than the cost of hosting the dinner.”
Mr. Michel said: “This will be of little significance to us in Saint Lucia given the status of President Clinton and the impact we believe this can have on the tourism investment climate in Saint Lucia.
He continued: “In fact, in preparation for the visit, several secret service and diplomatic personnel have already arrived on the island and we are expecting a lot more traffic from the US within the next few days.”
— Writer: Molly McDaniel
The preceding first appeared in the STAR in 2003.
Editor’s Note: According to a Washington Post report, between 2001 and 2005 President Bill Clinton earned US$31 million in speaking fees. For his address, delivered at a Sandals Grande conference room, later named after the U.S. President, he received US$100,000—paid by Financial Innovations Inc. Clinton’s visit was facilitated by controversial Lebanese billionaire Gilbert Chagoury, three years ago awarded this country’s highest honour, The Saint Lucia Cross by then prime minister Kenny Anthony.
