By Caribbean News Global 
LONDON, England – In addition to the government of Saint Lucia resolve to the global impact of the Russian – Ukraine war; comes the echo of Citizenship by Investment (CIP) to which the minister responsible for CIP and his acolytes, venerate liberal dogma in a weak defense (in law, economics and commonsense) to the ostensible continuance of Russians and Belarusian participation in Saint Lucia’s CIP programme. A superficial policy, if upheld, threatens the island and its people un-necessarily.
This comes on the heels of reports EU ban of ‘golden passports’ not a threat to local CIP – Peterkin.
While there are provisions for innovation and accommodation for ‘seasoned veterans’, Caribbean News Global (CNG) request for comment from a literary luminary on the above, said: “Peterkin and the minister for CIP are both lost”.
Setting aside previous unintelligent comments (the usual norm) from the minister for tourism, investment, creative industries, culture and information, to the news story that says “while he is aware of the reports, he has not received official word from European officials. He says, however, that the move might have been taken to ensure that the CIP programmes are held to the highest standard and that the future of the CIP in Saint Lucia is still to be determined.”
Listen to the nuance of folly.
The importance of this mindset and baloney is paramount to the initial concept of Saint Lucia’s CIP programme, launched in 2015, and now, its worthiness, and the desperate need for revenue, even from questionable sources.
The loss of CIP and related socio-economic investment has overriding effects on Saint Lucia’s upcoming annual budget, notwithstanding, inflation, trade, logistics the consequences of Russian action in Ukraine, which will render expenditure and revenue projections off-the-charts. [A correction is plausible].
Listen to Antigua and Barbuda, Prime Minister Gaston Brown
According to CIP Saint Lucia, “investing in your future, making key investments in Saint Lucia opens the way to citizenship and a passport to the world. A passport that allows visa-free, or visa-on-arrival travel to more than 146 counties. This is what makes our passport a well-respected travelling document across borders.”
March 3, Reps. Burgess Owens (UT-04) and Steve Cohen (TN-09) introduced the No Travel for Traffickers Act, bipartisan legislation to revoke a country’s eligibility for the US Visa Waiver Program if they participate in citizenship-by-investment, the practice of selling passports in exchange for economic investment.
Moreover, European legislation under consideration will emanate visa-on-arrival travel to more than 146 counties from these CIP programmes.
In either undertaking, it renders CIP Saint Lucia practically worthless. And considering the uselessness of a Saint Lucia government minister and member of cabinet to ostensible distinguish an ethnic Saint Lucian vs. a Saint Lucian citizen through the purchase of a passport via CIP Saint Lucia, highlights the pessimistic aptitude and irrational utterances to navigate the storm ahead.
“The nations of the world are now engaged in a struggle to safeguard the international legal order, which has been gravely threatened by Russia’s invasion of a sovereign State. No states are more vulnerable than small ones which are usually the first victims,” writes Sir Ronald Sanders.
The degree to which 40 plus Saint Lucian passports are circulating in Russian hands in this global sphere is cause for concern. The predisposed openness to the much-needed revenue from the sale of Saint Lucian passports to Russians/Belarusian enhances existing threats.
Also, now, ascends more questions to ‘the consequences that regional countries now face in terms of the withdrawal of correspondent banking relations (CBRs) that are vital to their economies and the wellbeing of their people.’
Related: Further restrictive economic measures on Russia
On Tuesday, “the new Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act received Royal Assent in the early hours of March 15, following an expedited passage through the UK parliament.” These are deemed “new measures to tackle corrupt elites and dirty money.”
Putting you First – Putting Saint Lucia First requires a recalibration of the mindset and utterances of wingmen and lightweights who seek to advance the interest of oligarchs – and actions that put the political and economic interest of personality first.
And thus, Saint Lucia is unnecessarily exposed to global action, that cannot be easily discarded.
Related: The invasion of Ukraine – a turning point in global history
