Camilo Gonsalves, Minister of Finance and Area Representative for East St. George, has chimed in on the partial destruction of Huffles’ investment at Brighton Beach.
Gonsalves, who was joined in a Facebook video by Tourism Minister Carlos James, said what rangers working for National Parks did was very inappropriate.
“I want to say unequivocally that not only was it not done with my authority, to the extent that I have authority there, it was not done with the authority of the Ministry of Tourism, which has responsibility for parks and beaches. This is a complete surprise to me; it was an unauthorized act. It was arbitrary, it was capricious, and it was wrong”.
Gonsalves stated that, in addition to property destruction, all of the property destroyed was put on private land next door, and he is unsure when parks and beaches in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines began accumulating litter.
Gonsalves further suggested that Huffles must be compensated for the structures he built, which he stated were built with the full knowledge of the Ministry of Tourism.
“I don’t know who authorized this and why it was done in such a heavy-handed manner. I’m a regular visitor to this beach, and everything that Huffles has put down is put down with my knowledge and the minister’s knowledge. I don’t know who decided that they were going to come and become a law unto themselves and destroy his property without due process. It cannot happen; we’re sorry it happened; it will not happen again; and we fully support Huffles management of this”.
“When this was nothing, when this beach was a jungle, it was Huffles and his brethren who made this beach what it was. They built a facility here; the facility fell apart over time, so we decided to build a new facility here. When we got the shop, the first and only applicant to come down here and set up a shop because nobody thought it would make money down here was Huffles”.
If the National Parks wanted to do something at Brighton Beach, Gonsalves suggested they help clear up the sargassum.
“The person who cleans up the beach is Huffles. If national parks and beaches want to come down here, of course they are welcome. The beach is covered in seaweed; they could clean up some of the sargassum. They could work with people in a way to make sure that everything is done in accordance with the right regulations, but what they cannot do is drive down in the middle of the day with no authorization and send rangers to pull down his property and throw it away like it’s garbage”.
Huffles has made this beach a one-of-a-kind destination in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, according to Gonsalves.
“We love him for his investment and his sweat and tears on this particular beach, and we support him fully in his efforts down here. You have made this beach a destination, and I thank you and I am proud of you, and again, I apologize for whatever happened today, but we will make it right”.
