[dropcap]A[/dropcap]lmost fifty years after the John Compton administration acquired lands owned by Jerome Joseph Montoute and his family, the matter will be taken for the third time to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, on June 20, 2018. When Montoute died in 2010 at the age of 89, his daughter, Theodora Montoute, assumed his role in the fight for the family’s rightful compensation. But the story of Jerome Montoute’s land meanders in a heap of incompetence and negligence of a series of Saint Lucian governments.
Theodora has taken front stage but Montoute had eight other children that he thought he was able to care for with income from his fishing and livestock business. During the peak of his investments, at age 48, Montoute’s 32 acres of property were compulsorily acquired and sold in 1970 to Rodney Bay Limited by the Saint Lucia government. Present day residents old enough to remember the occurrence say that Compton credited the development by Rodney Bay Limited with eliminating mosquitoes and enhancing the area for touristic purposes.
Montoute had requested EC$1,110,780 from the government based on his land evaluation. According to a letter dated 18 March, 1970, George Odlum, at the time employed as Secretariat of the West Indies Associated States, responded: “As indicated in our negotiations I regret not being able to entertain your offer . . . I can find no market evidence relating to the sales of similar or comparable lands which would support the quoted asking price.”
The family argues that the land was bought by Montoute’s grandfather in June 1881, from plantation owners when they were leaving the island. The estate was meant to remain in the family. Montoute’s property was inherited and he bought an additional, adjacent lot from his uncle. Further, Montoute claimed concerning neighbouring property: “It was brought to our attention that Mr. Compton had paid these people much more for their small lot than he was offering me for much more land.”
After much resistence from Montoute, in March 1970 Premier John Compton agreed to compensate him with EC$50,000 plus 22 acres of crown lands at Beausejour at a reduced cost, plus free land preparation by the government so that he could relocate his livestock. But Montoute’s September 1, 1970 request to retain five unused acres of his original property—to which he was sentimentally attached—resulted in decades of waiting, countless negotiations, withdrawals of previous offers from the government and an unending exchange of letters and meetings. Different administration leaders eventually had Montoute requesting compensation for 25.5 acres of land, a fishing net, six fishing canoes, about 300 sheep, 210 coconut trees, five ponds and cattle—only a percentage of his total property that was either damaged, lost or expropriated—adjunct to 28 years of interest by 1997. His total figure was $187,150 plus the land originally offered in Beausejour.
Like an Israelite who never made it to the Promised Land, Montoute had only received $40,000 from the government in the form of interest accumulated awaiting an agreement. On July 23, 2002 he also received a cheque for $126,906.69 as “an interim payment”. Twice the Kenny Anthony administration claimed that appointing a Board of Assessment was “too costly” to come to a settlement for Montoute’s rightful compensation. But according
to Theodora Montoute’s open letter to the government in 2016, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court ruled in Montoute’s favour twice. However, she said, “Despite the passage of 46+ years, the sizable financial outlay to ensure the retention of counsel, and Supreme Court judgments in 2008 and 2015 affirming wrongful expropriation and concomitant undertaking to compensate him have gone unheeded.”
Almost eight years after his death, Jerome Montoute’s family awaits correction for what they claim was stolen from them, which would by now have accumulated 49 years of interest. A document prepared by Montoute’s eldest daughter—with information that governments supposedly claimed they could not find in time for local court proceedings in 2004—includes an introduction penned by Montoute explaining why he thought he was unfairly treated. He was a staunch supporter of the St Lucia Labour Party and described himself as “the sacrificing Lamb in the Name of Development”.
In the document he stated that he had nowhere to place his animals, which resulted in them being lost, killed or stolen. He also mentioned being unable to fish when Moses Matalon was constructing the Pigeon Island Causeway. Montoute further claimed that several prominent politicians had badly disappointed him.
Jerome Montoute is still known in Gros Islet, Belle Vue and Cap Estate as “the man with all the sheep” and a vibrant community spirit. His life changed forever in 1969 but his involvement with the people was never forgotten. The story of how he lost everything is well known to Gros Islet residents. Some shared with this reporter memories of his sugarapple-filled estate, and of when he planted the tall pongola grass still evident today.
In 2016 the road from the Gros Islet Bridge up to The Landings Resort was named after Jerome Montoute. The aforementioned document was the basis for this decision by the Cabinet and town council. His daughter says the road runs through what was once his property. “I made sure they named it after him.” Obviously referring to the Causeway that was named for Jamaican engineer Moses Matalon, she added: “They named other roads after people who were paid for their work.”
