KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) — Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace has restated his objection to a devaluation of the Eastern Caribbean (EC) dollar, saying the EC$18 million (One EC dollar = US$0.37 cents) in losses by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) during the last fiscal year is no reason to devalue the currency.

The East Caribbean dollar is the legal tender used by eight of the nine members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and has been pegged to the United States dollar since 1976 at the exchange rate of US$1 = EC$2.70.

ECCB Governor Sir K Dwight Venner said recently that the losses were due to very low returns on Treasury Bills.

“We have not overspent our budget, but there has been a drop in revenue of about 30 per cent due to very low returns on Treasury Bills,” Sir Dwight told journalists while attending an International Monetary Fund (IMF) conference in Jamaica recently.

Some financial analysts have said that it might be time for a devaluation of the EC dollar, a suggestion that Eustace, an economist, has strongly rejected.

Eustace said that because foreign trade is conducted with US dollars, a devaluation of the EC dollar would make commodities much more expensive.

He, however, said wages will not rise at the same rate to cover such increases.

“So you will be worse off. It might improve the economy being competitive, it might give some improvement in that, but it brings extreme hardship on the consumer,” Eustace said during his weekly radio programme on Monday.

“… we have to watch the impact on our economy, and I do not support the devaluation of the EC dollar. We have had that system in place for the last 38 years. I think it has worked pretty well and we can’t just jump because we have had some period of difficulty, especially, the $18 million loss of the Central Bank for last year,” said Eustace, a former prime minister and minister of finance.

He noted that the ECCB has reserves of over EC$130 million, some 95 per cent of the EC dollars in circulation.

“There are not many countries in the world that can boast that. So, while it is important to restructure and develop our economies, let us not get carried away because the Central Bank lost $18 million in a particular year,” he said.

“I am sorry that they lost it. I am not particularly pleased that that took place, but I understand some of the circumstances which gave rise to that loss…

“The point is, they lost $18 million. Even given the state of our economies, that is not sufficient justification for any devaluation for the EC dollar,” Eustace said.

The ECCB has said that its reserves can cover imports for eight months, and Eustace noted that other central banks can only cover three months.

“So while I understand we must be careful and the bank must be managed properly, [but] … to my mind, there is no reason at this time to fear a devaluation of the EC dollar. In fact, I will oppose it if that proposal is made,” he said, noting that Sir Dwight also opposes a devaluation of the currency.

He, however, said that it would not be easy to convince the seven independent member states of the OECS to devalue the EC dollar.