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Soothing words but uncertainty over C&W continues

Prime minister's address to the nation on the future of Cable and Wireless

Despite an avalanche of reassurances from the prime minister and other government spokesmen, there is as yet little further concrete information about the future of telecommunications in St. Lucia. Cable and Wireless (C&W) announced last week  that it was preparing to pull out of St. Lucia on March 31^st when its licenses expire. Prime minster Dr Kenny Anthony, in an address to the nation "on the future of Cable and Wireless", announced that a meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, 21st February in St. Kitts, where the OECS, including St. Lucia, will discuss outstanding issues with Cable and Wireless. The prime minister revealed little new concrete information in his speech but repeated assurances given earlier this week and reported in the weekend's newspapers, to the effect that the government has the interests of Cable & Wireless' four hundred odd employees "uppermost" in mind. PM Anthony promised the nation that the transition to a new telecommunications environment on the island, if C&W really does pull out, will not disrupt telecommunications services in the country. The PM also promised C&W employees that they will be assured of continued employment with any entity that takes over from C&W.
Earlier in the week, as was reported in the Tuesday Voice and One Caribbean, the PM also said that if C&W goes ahead with its pull-out, that a "new liberalized environment" will offer "better prices, more consumer-oriented services and added potential for employment".
A transition team has been set up under the chairmanship of Marius St. Rose (NCB) with Geoffrey Devaux (private sector) and Anthony Astaphan (a Dominican attorney) to effect a smooth changeover in the island's telecommunications environment, should C&W go ahead with its announced pullout. A team member representing C&W's employees will be announced later.
Press reports quoting the PM have implied that there are other telecoms companies interested in taking over from C&W, and that the current pool of C&W employees will be re-employed by whoever takes over from C&W. In Sunday's address to the nation, however, the prime minister revealed no further details of potential successors to C&W but instead urged C&W employees to realise that with the knowledge that they have acquired, they are themselves now capable of running the telecommunications services on the island. He also called on capable St. Lucians overseas to apply their expertise to this end. However, the PM clearly stated that the government of St. Lucia itself has no intention "to own, manage or operate telephone services, now or in the future".
All in all, despite speeches and reassurances from various quarters, for the time being, employees, consumers and beneficiaries of C&W sponsorship money largely remain uncertain about the future direction of telecommunications in St. Lucia.
What did become clear this week however, is that minister Calixte George no longer heads the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications (ECTEL) negotiating team  which is charged with the task of overseeing the establishment a liberalised telecommunications environment within the region. Several national newspapers last week alleged that negotiations between ECTEL and C&W ran aground on January 31st when minister George refused to shake the hand of C&W's director of Legal Affairs - a black Trinidadian - calling her a "white man's house slave". But government has so far neither sought to  dispel the rumours, nor offer an explanation. However, at a meeting of the heads of state of the Eastern Caribbean States earlier this week, it was decided that Calixte George would no longer head the negotiating team. A release  stated that "it would be advantageous to elevate the level of negotiations to the highest executive level" while, in the same breath, complimenting the previous negotiating team, headed by Calixte George, "for the excellent work in advancing the process to the present stage". One Caribbean interprets the statement differently and claims that: 'Despite the diplomatic language in the communique the end result is that the OECS authority fired Calixte George!'
Grenada's prime minister Keith Mitchell will replace minister George. Or, as the editor of One Caribbean puts it: "In the finest tradition of Caribbean diplomacy, our leaders decided to stick together as one region, and appointed the Prime Minister of Grenada to lead the upcoming negotiations. This removed Calixte George from the scene and allowed us to continue without having to apologise to Cable and Wireless and with the goodly lady concerned".
In a commentary on DBS, Dennis Dabreo last week speculated on the possible consequences of minister George's alleged 'house slave' remark. "If Saint Lucia is to restore its credibility on the international scene and convince potential investors of the safety of investments here and furthermore that we are an investment friendly and welcoming destination, we must try our best to undo the damage which has been done before a bad reputation seals our fate".
C&W, for its part, according to its Windward Islands director Trevor Clark, hinted that negotiations with ECTEL may indeed have faltered as a result of minister George's allegedly undiplomatic behaviour - although he also claims that C&W did not decide to leave St. Lucia merely because of "the attitude of one person". Clark told a DBS news reporter: "Senator George is like Viv Richards - a very hard hitting batsman. But even Viv mishits sometimes. And I have no doubt Mr. George did mishit on a couple of occasions. Certainly on January 31 when we were supposed to meet".

• Financial Times Report

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Bi-partisan task force to solve banana troubles

Although, as prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony put it, "the Windward Islands banana industry has [already] virtually been studied to death", the government last week established a St. Lucia Banana Industry Strategy Task Force whose task it will be to "refine and focus" the strategy for the Windward Islands banana industry as was recently drawn up by a European Union-funded technical team. According to the PM, the strategy developed by the EU team "does not take into consideration the peculiarities of the St. Lucian environment", and therefore needs to be adapted. The Task Force has been ordered to present "clear, practicable, sensible and viable long-term solutions to the problems facing the industry", according to a statement made by Dr Anthony, published in The Crusader, Voice and One Caribbean. The new Banana Task Force is meant to be non-partisan and to represent both the public and private sectors. The United Workers Party and St. Lucia Labour Party will each nominate one representative, and other members will be drawn from the Chamber of Commerce, the St. Lucia Employers Federation, the ministry of Planning and the ministry of Agriculture. The Banana Task Force will be chaired by George Theophilus, with former UWP minister Heraldine Rock as deputy chairperson. In his statement, Dr Anthony described Mrs. Rock as "a long-standing farmer with extensive knowledge of the industry".

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Witness protection scheme to stop intimidation

State witnesses providing incriminating evidence before a court of law in St. Lucia can now demand that they receive full protection from the state, under the Justice Protection Bill that was passed last Tuesday in the House of Assembly. The Justice Protection Bill involves other countries in the Caribbean region as well, so that even witnesses from small societies such as St. Lucia, can be given new identities and places to live. According to The Star, the Justice Protection Bill was part of an agreement for a regional programme signed in Port of Spain on July 7, 1999 by CARICOM member states. The paper quotes deputy prime minister Mario Michel as saying: "We all know of situations where it is alleged that people have information, they can give evidence but they fear for their safety. This Bill is one simple measure which would afford protection to these persons". All newspapers report on the new scheme.
In May of last year, two men charged with the murder of Canadian tourist Thomas Nugent walked out of court as free men on a no-case submission, after two eyewitnesses to the stabbing failed to appear in court. Their names had been released on public television by minister of Legal Affairs, Velon John and it was subsequently reported that they had both gone into hiding, fearing repercussions from the alleged killers. After seventeen adjournments to allow the prosecution and police to locate the witnesses in question, the judge dropped the charges. Director of Public Prosecutions Norton Jack, at the time, admitted in The Star that with a witness protection scheme, justice might have taken its course.

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Civil servants take over immigration from police

Matters of immigration in St. Lucia will no longer be dealt with by police officers but by civil servants, thus freeing up fifty-eight policemen and women for other aspects of policing. This move has been made possible with the passing of an Immigration Bill through the House of Assembly, last week. An immigration board will oversee the implementation of the changes. Under the new Immigration Act, stricter rules will also be put in place to do away with the illegal issuing of St. Lucian passports. This, according to prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony quoted in The Voice. The paper states that  this is "a major concern" to local authorities, "who appear helpless in stopping this practice". The Voice further claims that "A concerted effort was never before made to tackle this problem once and for all, until now. Repeatedly the low courts have had to deal with persons trying to enter the country with fake St. Lucian passports". The PM in his speech to the House of Assembly also emphasised that "his government will never engage in the business of economic citizenship, giving passports to foreign business persons so they could become citizens".
The Voice quotes the PM: "We have to guard what we have jealously. While we must ensure that we welcome everybody with open arms, that does not mean we must abandon the fundamental responsibility of protecting and guarding this little piece of rock. What is happening now is nothing short of scandalous. There are too many who come into this country, find ways and means around our immigration laws, end up abusing those laws, sometimes in connivance with certain individuals".

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Civil servants ready to strike over dismissal

Tension is mounting between the Civil Service Association (CSA) and management of the National Development Corporation (NDC), with several branches of the CSA threatening industrial action if CSA secretary Martha Fontenelle, who was dismissed by the NDC, is not immediately reinstated to her position as operations manager at Pointe Seraphine. Although four meetings have already been held this month over the issue, no agreement has yet been reached. The Crusader, One Caribbean and Tuesday Voice all report this.
The NDC claims that Mrs. Fontenelle's job had become redundant. The CSA holds that she was fired as part of "anti-union" behaviour on the part of the NDC's general manager, Elizabeth Charles-Soomer. The issue was further clouded this week following a letter printed in the Crusader, in which Trevor Anderson claims that the current conflict is not just a matter of victimization by the NDC, but also of complicity on the part of the CSA. "If the CSA had justly represented its members who had been unfairly dismissed since May 1997, especially at every Statutory body, in no way would Mrs. Soomer think of, much more, to dismiss the Secretary of the most powerful union in this country; and that's the bottom line. Far too many workers have been put on the bread line under the false pretext of redundancy and their positions filled by other persons. Yet the union had failed to offer its members one iota of support. We must ask where has the union been all this time? Has the union become an exclusive club, representing a select few? ... The CSA cannot and must not be allowed to hold this country to ransom simply because it suddenly has awakened from its self-imposed silence. Victimization in this country must stop, but not only a select few must be represented".

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Bank Crozier International sets up in St. Lucia

St. Lucia's budding financial services sector passed another milestone last Wednesday with the official licensing of its first offshore bank: Bank Crozier International Limited. At a welcoming speech, minister for Commerce, Philip J. Pierre, assured those present of the ethical and financial soundness of Bank Crozier. The minister explained that almost two months passed between Bank Crozier's application for registration in St. Lucia, and the granting of its license. "That time may seem long", Pierre said, "but this is due to the fact that our regulatory authorities wanted to embark on a rigorous screening and perform adequate due diligence". This was conducted "through various agencies and regulatory bodies in Sweden, Grenada, London and the USA. Local police authorities were also consulted. These exhaustive enquiries were made to ensure that St. Lucia was endorsing an authentic, legal and quality institution. While the Government of St. Lucia endorses and welcomes the Bank Crozier, ongoing due diligence will continue to ensure quality and the maintenance of the highest possible standards and internationally accepted practices. St. Lucia will never sacrifice its good reputation on the alter [sic] of economic expediency".
Bank Crozier is expected to set up an office in St. Lucia, using local staff. The bank is also required to make a deposit of US$100,000 within two weeks of receiving its license, in government bonds or in a local institution.
Nine months into its existence, the St. Lucia Financial Services jurisdiction has so far recorded 117 international banking companies, three insurance companies, one mutual fund and three international trusts incorporated or registered in St. Lucia. Both the Tuesday Voice and Wednesday Star report this.

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Unprecented move by police: SSU officer charged

A corporal of the Special Services Unit has been charged and arrested for causing unlawful harm to a 16-year-old boy from Gros Islet and for threatening to kill him - all whilst in police custody. The corporal pleaded not guilty to the charge. He was released on $2,000 bail and forced to surrender his travel documents. The Voice reports this.
The alleged beating occurred last Saturday, 10th February. The Wednesday Star carries the full story, including a photograph of the boy's naked, bruised buttocks on its front cover. According to the 16-year-old, it all started because a friend of his had stolen a dog belonging to the brother of the SSU officer in question. The boy claims he went with the officer to his friend's home but they did not find him there. The officer then proceeded to hit him on the side of his head with a gun and threatened to kill him. He says he was next taken to the SSU headquarters at Tapion, where he was allegedly whipped on his bare legs and buttocks with a cane while another SSU officer held him down. The 16-year-old further claims that after being taken to the Gros Islet police station, he was beaten on his head, belly, chest and mouth by the accused. He was then locked in a cell with the threat that the officer would come back to kill him. He was subsequently taken to Victoria Hospital by other police officers. Back at the Gros Islet police station, he was later reunited with his mother and released without being charged. Two days later, his mother made a complaint on behalf of her son, alleging that he had been beaten while in custody. Following that, the accused officer was charged. In a statement to the press, the Royal Police Force states that it "would like to reassure the public that this matter will be thoroughly and expeditiously investigated and the results will be disclosed by February 21. This alleged behaviour is not consistent with force policy and will not be tolerated under any circumstances".
The Star refers to this as"an unprecented move by the police".

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Court of Justice arrives amidst some concern

The Caribbean Court of Justice, replacing the British Privy Council as the final appellate court for the region, has come into existence with the signing of an agreement, last Wednesday in Barbados, by the heads of government of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom). The signing was hailed as an historic moment for the fifteen nations of Caricom - which includes Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.
All newspapers report on this. St. Lucia's prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony, who has responsibility within Caricom for justice and governance, reportedly said that "by affixing our signatures to the agreement before us on behalf of our respective governments and people, we will be committing ourselves to claiming our islands in the sun, dream after dream. Tonight it is the court, tomorrow we look forward to free movement of people and capital and a fully functioning single market and economy".
But warning bells were also sounded on the occasion of the establishment of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). Both Amnesty International and the Jamaica Council of Human Rights have expressed reservations on the efficiency, independence and future operations of the CCJ. The Wednesday Star carries an article on Jamaican lawyer Dr Lloyd Barnett who in a presentation to the Grenada Bar Association said that he was opposed to a court that has jurisdiction over the region's constitution but which could be "abolished or manipulated by a bare majority of politicians in parliament". He reportedly told his audience: "I have great doubts as to whether the judges of the final Caribbean Court of Appeal will be free of the political pressure which politicians are inclined to bring when politically sensitive and highly controversial issues arise".
The Voice carries a reaction by Amnesty International, which states that the signing of the CCJ agreement is "a development that may be motivated by a desire to increase the number of executions. We fear that this court is being created to make it easier for these states to put people to death. Judicial precedents that protect the rights of death row inmates may be threatened". According to Amnesty International, Caribbean politicians have for years criticised Privy Council rulings designed to safeguard the legal rights of death row prisoners. Already, Amnesty has "numerous and serious human rights concerns in the region". "When Privy Council decisions were unpopular with the electorate, Caribbean leaders chose to attack the court. The new regional court may be susceptible to this kind of pressure, and that could impact on its ability to uphold international judicial standards in contentious cases".

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Ministry supports protection of turtles

The department of Fisheries is setting up a program in the Grande Anse area to show residents that there are other ways to make an income from the presence of leatherback turtles apart from illegally killing and butchering them. The department says it has recently noted an increase in the poaching of leatherback turtles - a protected species - in the area and says that the illegal practice "is posing a significant threat to the leatherbacks". According to a press release in The Star and One Caribbean, the "programme of protection will involve turtle watches conducted by persons from the Desbarras community, located on the ridge of the Grande Anse Bay". According to Fisheries officer Dr Marie-Louise Felix, "Desbarras residents will serve not only as tour guides for the watches, which will run throughout the week, but as protectors for the nesting females".
St. Lucia currently maintains a moratorium on the fishing of marine turtles - but this has resulted in fishermen complaining that St. Lucians can no longer benefit economically from this resource. "One of the things we intend to show", says Dr Felix, "is that there can be benefits to the non-consumptive use of turtles and we are hoping that the Desbarras/Grande Anse Turtle Watch Project would become a model that can be duplicated in parts of the island where residents of coastal communities can enjoy economic benefits from the sustainable use of marine turtles".
There have been turtle watches in the past but the department of Fisheries intends to offer watches (to both locals and tourists) that are more developed, and more diversified.

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UWP gearing up for general elections

The United Workers Party (UWP) is reportedly preparing for the campaign leading up to the 2001/2002 general elections. The Voice reports this. According to the newspaper, several political events have been organised for this weekend and the coming week. Meetings are to be held in Soufriere, Dennery, Gros Islet, Vieux Fort and Castries. Last Wednesday, divisional coordinators and party operatives from the nine constituencies in the southern zone met in a closed session, reportedly "to finetune plans" for the upcoming elections. The other eight constituencies in the northen zone are due to meet next week for the same purpose.
On Thursday night, UWP leader Dr Morella Joseph and other party members will address the Soufriere community, "for the first time since the 1997 elections", writes The Voice.

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Coroner's inquest into Harding and Hamilton deaths

A magistrate at a coroner's inquest will have to decide whether there is enough evidence to proceed with the criminal prosecution of two policemen who, in separate incidents, are alleged to have caused the shooting deaths of Paul Hamilton and Alfred Harding. The Wednesday Star reports this. Director of Public Prosecutions Norton Jack stated this week that he had sent directives to the police to this effect. Commissioner Francis Nelson confirmed that he had received the relevant information and that both cases will now proceed to coroner's inquest.
Paul Hamilton (37) was allegedly shot in the back by a policeman after escaping from a police pick-up truck, on the 28th of October last year. He had been picked up for using abusive or threatening language. Alfred Harding was allegedly shot in cold blood by an off-duty policeman after residents of La Clery had captured the escaped prisoner.

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