AN INTERLOPER’S GET-RICH PLAN FOR OUR SAND

Guest Commentary

It has been years now since Sam Holland, an American interloper has his sights on the natural resources of Dominica (stone and sand to be more specific).  He has over the years been desperately trying to get control of major quarrying operations in Dominica.  He is dead broke and has satisfied himself that Dominica is ripe for foreign exploitation.  Thus far, Holland the has managed to get in bed with top government officials and DLP operatives like Wrecker Shillingford and Francis Emanuel to the detriment of our economy and our environment.

Holland claims to be operating a company called Aggpit.  To date he is unable to produce one audited financial statement of Aggpit’s operation since inception.  He cannot produce one land lease or certificate of title to the properties where Aggpit is supposed to be operating. Aggpit does not even have a company prospectus.  We have not even gone into the resume of Mr. Sam Holland as yet and already there is a significant case against the legitimacy of Sam Holland as a bona fide foreign investor.

To add insult to injury, this meddler has even gone as far as fraudulently sending to his investment targets via the internet pictures of Quarry operations owned by Sodex Enterprises and Walsh Sand and Stone as operations belonging to Aggpit.

To date, since coming to Dominica Sam has attracted no more than two Investors, who have since become suspicious of Sam, and would desperately like to recoup their debt financing investments from him.

This is the very same Sam Holland who tried to develop a quarry operation right in the middle of the village of Coulibistrie.  This effort was stopped only after a massive public demonstration by the villagers.  Without that demonstration the Government would have allowed him to continue his rock mining and quarry operation right in the middle of Coulibistrie.  Following that disappointment, Sam set his eyes on other existing quarry operations which in his opinion seemed somewhat vulnerable and in the course of time he ended up in bed with Arthur “Wrecker” Shillingford.

Mr. Shillingford claimed that he has a permit from Cabinet to dredge the Layou river mouth below the operation of Walsh Sand and Stone.  Incidentally the same area is included in the section of the river where Walsh Sand and Stone has a permit to dredge. Prime Minister Skerrit explained in an August 11^th, 2009 appearance on Kairi FM that Cabinet permits like the one held by Shillingford are issued pending the approval of the Planning Department.

A few months ago after getting into bed with Arthur Shillingford, Sam Holland tried entering the Layou river mouth to begin mining that area without planning approval.  He was promptly stopped by Walsh Sand and Stone employees as well as the land owner who had not given him or Arthur Shillingford any permission to use his land surrounding the Layou River Mouth.

Only in Dominica could Sam Holland and or Arthur Shillingford get a Cabinet permit to quarry without first obtaining permission from the land owners to use their land for the quarrying operation.  Only in Dominica can this so called investor and unapologetic serial meddler, defy a stop order from the legitimate authority demanding that he desists from doing that which he has no approval to do.

Only in Dominica, simply because our government officials can be encouraged to ignore the public interest over a plate of food and a few trinkets.  Why do Eddie Lambert, Francis Emanuel, and Julius Timothy come to mind? Maybe, just maybe , these gentlemen can explain to us what Sam Holland is actually doing in Dominica and exactly where did he get his permission and authority to continue to do what he is doing and what he intends to do?  Sam Holland must be getting some kind of word of mouth permission from government or someone acting on its behalf to be continuously behaving so recklessly in a country which is supposed to be governed by the rule of law. That much is clear.

It begs a lingering question: What about us as a nation seems so attractive to these shady characters and moneyless investors?

Just a little bit of due diligence by government officials would have exposed Sam Holland for who he really is. But this apparent case of “birds of a feather” flocking together did not permit even this most basic level of monitoring in the public interest.

To be sure, the conquering eyes of Sam are not set only on the east of the Layou River, where he entered without permission on property belonging to Ivor Rolle to commence his illegal dredging operation in the Layou River.  He dreams of frying bigger fishes.

Hopefully, Minister Julius Timothy can help bring some clarity and sanity to this crucial situation by letting us know at the very least what else his buddy has on the cards.