By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St.Kitts ( Wednesday 11th 2018)- Business owner John Wilkes who recently took to social media network Facebook to voice his concern over the expected rent increases on the Frigate Bay Strip-a popular entertainment spot- is not sorry that such a move in airing the matter is creating widespread public debate including politics drama over the situation.
“There was no negotiation, there was no reasoning….nobody to go to, everybody was saying they don’t know about it. So sometimes when a poor man ain’t got nobody to go to, he take it to the people so I expressed meself to the people and I have no regret.”
Yesterday, (Tuesday 10th April)The entrepreneur of Buddies Beach Bar who better known as Johnny Maude called into Freedom FM’s Issues programme sometime after Tourism Minister Lindsay Grant would had had his say on the controversial topic over the telephone also.
According to Wilkes, “We are not complaining about the increase. We know it’s gonna be increased” whilst pointing out that the area needs to be fixed up in saying “What we complaining about is the amount because the Strip is bad.”
As understood, the business owners were called to attend a meeting organised by the Frigate Bay Development Corporation in late March but after finding out about the actual figures for the proposed increased rental payments, there was an attempt by some of the business owners to further address the matter.
“We were called into Frigate Bay on Thursday 29th (March) to confront these leases. We got there and we were presented with them. We were told that we need to sign them and bring them back in Monday, then realising Monday would have been Easter Monday, they decide that it’s gonna be Tuesday. When we opened the thing and saw the hike of the increase, Spuddy (another bar owner) decide to request a meeting with somebody who could hear us out.”
Wilkes who has been operating his establishment for eleven years had been paying $1100 but is being asked to pay $2500. It is alleged that some of the liquor-only bar owners who had been paying $375 are being asked to pay $2000, $3000 and $3500 in some instances.
As gathered, some of the business owners reached out to the Managing Director of the Frigate Bay Development Corporation, Sleigh Boncamper.
“We tried to reach the boss and he tell us, there’s gonna be no meeting with the Board; the lease gotta be signed because the lawyers want to get them in the court this week. There was no negotiation, there was no reasoning….nobody to go to, everybody was saying they don’t know about it. So sometimes when a poor man ain’t got nobody to go to, he take it to the people so I expressed meself to the people and I have no regret and whoever think it was bad and it was politics, it is always politics, it is always politics …is politics give you big jobs, is politics give you that.”
Wilkes continued: “So all I’m saying is that sometimes when people coming in and talk they must talk correct. We had no chance, we have no choice, no part of being negotiated to negotiate with this man (he said) sign it because the lawyers want to get it in this week.”
The business owner said he took to Facebook to express himself.
“Well you don’t know who to go to, like you ain’t got no representative so I went on Facebook to express myself and I have no regrets.”
In that post made on Sunday 8th April, Wilkes said “the beach owners are facing a modern day eviction.”
Meanwhile, Grant said the decision is not final and he lashed out at taking ongoing issues on the media.
“It is a work in progress. It is not etched in stone so before we go on the media to blast –I don’t have a problem with people blasting but let us try to see what the issues are at the table and if there are unresolved issues at the table that cannot be resolved then we could come on the airwaves but don’t distort this thing for one reason or another.”
The Tourism Minister claimed that the business owners are not being chased from the beach.
“It’s a work in progress and I want to ensure that every single owner of bars on Frigate Bay that we are not here to dispossess, run any of the bars owners.”
He continued: “We want to see them make money. As a matter of fact…the strip is taking on a vibrancy of its own because we are doing the work. We have about 5 million dollars of work more to do over there. It’s going to be a fantastic beach area when it’s done both for the locals and for those who come to visit.”
The Tourism Minister said he is not involved with the day to day operations of the Corporation.
“The issue of the strip is dealt with by the Frigate Bay Development Corporation they have a board, several members …and the board is the one who determines as a board on the issue of the leases, not the minister. I ain’t have nothing to do with that; it’s the board that deals with that. The board has a chairman which is Mark Wilkin, the board has a managing director which is Sleigh Boncamper. I don’t get involved in the day to day operation of the Frigate Bay Development Corporation.”
Grant said he does not want the matter to become a political one.
“I don’t want this to develop into a political issue because it is not a political issue. It is a business issue that we’re dealing with no politics in this, strictly business, absolutely nothing but I just want to make sure that the public at large understands that.”