RODERICK Cherry is now entering his second week as Chief Executive Officer of Saint Lucia’s premier investment agency – Invest Saint Lucia — and already he is not keen on speaking about the lawsuit against Desert Star Holdings (DSH) and whether that lawsuit will be an obstacle that could derail the multi-billion dollar investment earmarked for Vieux Fort.
Noting that any discussion on the lawsuit is outside the domain of Invest Saint Lucia Cherry admitted he had been given certain targets, chief amongst them being the delivery of projects already in the pipeline – including DSH.
“DSH is one of them and so delivery of that will be key, however there’s a process to go through, the checks and balances, due diligence and general managing of this project as well as any other project and so I intend to do what is necessary to deliver on what invest has to,” Cherry said.
However, before DSH is delivered it has to go through the hindrance of dealing with a claim filed in the High Court by former Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony against the Government of Saint Lucia for entering into Agreements with DSH.
The claim seeks Declaration from the Court that the Agreements between the government and DSH are unconstitutional, null and void.
Cherry told reporters yesterday that political interference in his job was one of the things that concerned him, when he assumed the position last week Tuesday.
“Political interference is a reality. I am a professional. I am not a political person. I have no political affiliations. I will be guided by the best decision I can make based on my ability, training and what I believe is the right thing to do,” Cherry said.
His vision is for Invest Saint Lucia to be to be a world-class promotions agency and business enabler.
In a Meet the Press event yesterday morning, Cherry spoke highly of the staff and Board of Directors of the agency, describing them as “a solid team of people”.
He said that presently he is reviewing the agency’s strategy and learning about its people, its performance and current policy direction.
He will be focusing now on strategic external promotions of the country and in developing a targeted strategy for promoting local and regional investments.
While he applauded the public relations team at Invest Saint Lucia for the work they have been doing, he believes that communication between Invest Saint Lucia and the public must be improved, something he said he intends to do.
Citing himself as a professional, Cherry said he has a duty to perform and is quite clear what the terms of his duties are and of his ability to deliver on those terms.
Meanwhile, the ruling United Workers Party (UWP) has issued a stinging statement attacking the opposition Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) and former Prime Minister Dr Kenny D. Anthony regarding the legal action he’s taken against the continuance of the project.
