Tourism and Investment Minister Dr Ernest Hilaire has defended the government’s decision not to disclose the full commercial details of Saint Lucia’s partnership with Arsenal Football Club, arguing that confidentiality is a standard feature of international business agreements and is necessary to protect the country’s interests.
Speaking during a pre-Cabinet press briefing on Monday, June 22, Hilaire responded to growing calls for the government to reveal the amount paid to the English football club and the specific terms of the agreement.
The Minister maintained that successive governments have respected confidentiality clauses in commercial arrangements and said the current administration would continue that practice.
“And you’d all recall on a previous occasion, I was asked a similar question relating to another commercial agreement that the government had signed,” Hilaire said. “And I indicated then that we were not in the business of putting out in public the value of agreements that were confidential commercial agreements.”
He stressed that such arrangements are common in both the public and private sectors.
“You sit with commercial partners, you negotiate an agreement, and there is an understanding that you would not make public unless required by court or statutory bodies to make public such documents,” he said.
“And then I said to you, I was not going to release details, some of the commercial details of it, because that was an understanding. And that’s not new, that happens with successive governments.”
Hilaire pointed to previous agreements signed under former administrations, noting that the details of those contracts were also not disclosed publicly.
“So for example, if I ask you, what’s the value of the Saint Lucia King’s cricket contract? It was never made public by the last government. Never made public. And I won’t make it public,” he said.
The Minister explained that businesses often insist on confidentiality to protect their negotiating positions.
“You could ask why would entities not want commercial details to be made public, for obvious reasons,” he said. “You negotiate with other entities, you don’t want one entity to know what you are given, and that one entity undermines your negotiating position.”
“And therefore, businesses do not release all the commercial agreements. Ask any of the businesses in Saint Lucia whether they would necessarily want the commercial information to be put out in public.”
While acknowledging that governments have a responsibility to act transparently, Hilaire argued that elected officials are entrusted to make decisions in the public interest and that not every agreement must be disclosed in full.
“You may want to say to me, this is government, and therefore government should put out in public every agreement that it signs,” he said. “And I would say to you, not necessarily. “People elect government to make decisions, to represent them, to act on their behalf, and in their best interest.”
“There are times when you need to do so, and you will be required to do so, and you should do so. But if you start releasing all the details of the agreement, there are developers and foreign entities and governments and other business partners who will not want to deal with you.”
Addressing figures circulating publicly about the value of the Arsenal partnership, Hilaire dismissed them as inaccurate.
“I saw figures being banded around. I’m not going to comment on those figures except to tell you the figures are dead wrong,” he said. “They’re dead wrong.”
He indicated that additional information would be provided in Parliament but insisted that critics should focus on the long-term benefits of the initiative rather than its immediate costs.
Drawing on his experience as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Hilaire compared the current criticism to opposition faced during the construction of the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground at Beausejour.
“The government had taken a decision to build a cricket ground at Beausejour, and the government was blasted that we were wasting money to build a cricket ground and that we should continue to play at Mindoo Phillip Park,” he recalled.
He said officials had to explain that Saint Lucia had effectively been excluded from hosting international cricket because existing facilities failed to meet required standards.
“We had to explain to the public that Saint Lucia had actually been barred from hosting international cricket because Mindoo Phillip Park could not meet the standards for international cricket,” Hilaire said.
He also rejected suggestions at the time that the stadium should have been built elsewhere, noting that international guidelines influenced the decision to locate the facility in the north of the island.
“We had to place Saint Lucia strategically where we could be able to become an attractive option for cricket World Cup matches,” he said.
Reflecting on the outcomes of that investment, Hilaire argued that the country’s sporting achievements justified the decision.
“But we not only build the cricket ground, we produce a West Indies captain who won two World Cups,” he said. “We’ve produced other players for the West Indies cricket team, because we had a vision that when we build the cricket ground, what it would produce in the years to come.”
Turning back to the Arsenal partnership, Hilaire challenged Saint Lucians to embrace the opportunities it presents rather than focus on skepticism.
“The big question is, are our institutions and our people ready? Are our creatives ready? Is Export Saint Lucia ready? Because that’s what we need to do,” he said. “We have an opportunity, we’ve created it, and can I tell you, the Arsenal arrangement is the first of many to come.”
The Minister revealed that Saint Lucia is expected to host Arsenal’s Partners Summit, bringing major international businesses to the island.
“One of the things we’ll be doing, and I just came from the Arsenal Partners Summit in Munich at the RAS headquarters, where all their partners met over three days. We will be hosting it in Saint Lucia,” he said.
“So you think of 35 of the biggest entities in the world coming to Saint Lucia to discuss relationships and whatnot.”
Hilaire also highlighted Arsenal’s ownership structure as an indication of the caliber of the partnership.
“The Arsenal Football Club is owned by one of the most, probably the most successful sporting franchise in the whole world,” he said. “They have a business model that works, has been successful.”
He concluded by urging Saint Lucians to move beyond doubt and instead explore ways to maximize the benefits of the agreement.
“Let me appeal to Saint Lucia not to be pushed into this space of self-doubt and questioning whether Saint Lucia is big enough for this, we’re too small an island to do this,” Hilaire said.