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Quotes:
"Those mosquitoes are of a special breed. They like the smell of the mosquito coil".
Shantytown resident commenting on the mosquito plague resulting from what The Mirror calls "the construction of a walkway over a year ago. ... The water under the walkway is stagnant and black, making it the perfect home for certain insects". The 'walkway' is in fact a multi-million dollar covered drain that was meant to drain Shantytown's grey water into the Atlantic Ocean at Anse de Sable Bay - but the water is mostly stagnant. Last February, local businessman Martin Devaux alleged on the HTS evening news that the construction of this very drain might have been the reason for investors abandoning plans to build a 250-room hotel and golf course in the Shantytown/Anse de Sable area.
"It is easy for us as ministers to continue to receive our salaries and ignore the fundamental problems which impede the development of our nation".
George Odlum, minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, calling for a "healing of the society" which, he says, "is getting fiercely polarized again" (The Crusader, 23 Dec).
"Unless we take serious stock as a region in our quest to become productive and build an industrial base, and if we keep the present pace and style in terms of work habits and work ethics on the job, this region will become more and more Haitianized".
Project director of the Caribbean Programme for Economic Competitiveness, Melvin Edwards (The Crusader 23 Dec, Wednesday Star 20 Dec).
"'Are you laughing at me?' he scowled, his manner taking an angry turn. All of a sudden, he took one step back, in order to get a better look at his companion. 'Hey!' he mentally digested the appearance of the man before him, 'where you from? Why you dressed all in red like that? You in the Labour Party? You playing Papa Jab or what? What you doing here all alone in the dark like that, with only a bunch of horses with you?' He peered a little more closely at the reindeer. 'Hey! Those aren't horses! What are they? Rastafari..! I know. They must be some of those Montserrat donkeys we've been hearing about, right? You from Montserrat?"
Fictitious Rastafarian beach vendor accosting Santa Claus. Christmas story by Victor Marquis (The Voice, 23 Dec).
"It is HIV/AIDS, injuries and violence that are the leading causes of death in people of young age".
Caribbean Epidemiology Centre, Overview of Health in the Region (The Voice, 23 Dec).
"Why invest in families? If the economy is bad, if the roads are bad, if the government is bad, if the police is bad, if the 'opposition' is bad, if the news is bad, if the hospital is bad, if the cruise ships industry is bad, if the lawyers are bad, if the courts are bad, how will your investment in families make anything better? ... If families learn to be honest so does the nation; if families are ethical, the nation is; if families learn to work well and earn enough, the nation becomes prosperous. Similarly, if families are allowed to be lawless, disorderly and destructive, the nation lives exactly that way. If families do not learn their civic responsibilities, the nation has no credibility; if families have no vision or clear direction, the nation is in turmoil".
Clara Louis (The Voice, 23 Dec).
"'Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house,/
Lots of creatures were stirring:/
rat, cockroach and mouse./
Though Mum had used Baygon,/
Jeyes Fluid, Pine Sol,/
There just was no way to get rid of them all."
Fragment from 'A Caribbean Christmas' by Victor Marquis (The Voice, 23 Dec).
"We cannot allow criminals to have the upper hand in our society by failing to say what we see or helping the police to solve a crime, because we are just as guilty as the criminal if we don't come forward to testify".
Denys Springer on courage and civic duties (The Voice, 23 Dec).
"She described to the court how the teacher slapped her several times, raped her and then kicked her out of the back of his car".
Testimony of 16-year- old student of Rockhall Secondary School at the Castries Magistrates Court (The Star, 23 Dec).
"Madam Sequin: 'I heard, boom! Then another shot. Can I say the words?'
Coroner: 'Yes'.
Madam Sequin: 'I heard the police officer say 'Where you put the fucking gun? Boom! Where you put the fucking gun? Boom! Where you put the fucking gun? Boom! I heard all of that from inside the room. I heard that ten times. It went on and on and on'."
The Star reporting on the coroner's inquest into the shooting death by police of Nigel Gabriel, two years ago, at Madam Sequin's guesthouse in Monchy (23 Dec).
"I feel good doing it".
DL electrical contractor on arriving to disconnect the electricity supply at St. Lucy's Home, describing how he felt about throwing the home for the elderly into darkness at Christmas time. Despite alleged arrears of $6,000, LUCELEC did not go ahead with the disconnection - not yet (The Star, 23 Dec).
"Frederick told the constable he had vital information regarding the Odsan shooting. 'I gave him the scenario. The guy started getting on. He was obviously not interested. I put the telephone down'.
Former Acting Commissioner of Police Andrew Frederick, who was shot in the hand and leg by a robber last June, attempting to get the police to arrest the alleged gunman. No arrest has yet been made (The Star, 23 Dec).
"I've been seeing this girl where I work for several months now. We are intimate but I'm not in love with her, yet I feel attached to her for some insane reason - that's not the problem. Though I have my personal girlfriend at home, I still think that I'm in love with yet another girl at the same hotel".
'Depressed' male explaining his domestic woes in 'Your problems answered' (The Star, 23 Dec).
"'We must set some standard when it comes to journalism, at least persons should have basic skills, like English', said Mr George. ... The majority at the round table agreed that of course the basic skills are needed but one reporter said that being a good journalist cannot be tested by the academic level alone. 'There must be that spark of curiousity [sic]', she said."
The Star on a training session for media practitioners (23 Dec).
"'Being divorced with a family means that being thousands of miles away is quite desirable'.
'Have you ever been in Canada during Christmas? Jesus Christ!'
'At least the rain is not cold'.
'Cook four turkeys every Christmas for thirty years and you'll need a vacation too'.
Tourists explaining why they've chosen to spend Christmas in St. Lucia (The Star, 23 Dec).
"Ingenuous, while he is totally embraced by the Creole speaking majority here at home and abroad, he has a number of detractors. So what? Many people do not even like themselves".
Willie James on Sam 'Jook Bois' Flood (The Mirror, 22 Dec).
"It's a very interesting shop because you never know what you will find here".
The Mirror quoting a Vieux Fort shopkeeper extolling the virtues of his shop (22 Dec). |
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Cable & Wireless threatens to pull out of St. Lucia
Cable and Wireless, currently St. Lucia's sole telecommunications provider, has warned the government of St. Lucia that if outstanding issues concerning C&W's role in the emerging telecommunications regulatory environment cannot be resolved, and the rebalancing of C&W's rates cannot be settled before March 2001, it will have "no alternative" but to invite the government to buy out its St. Lucian operations - as is provided for under C&W's existing licence.
The threat is expressed in a letter from C&W's London-based financial director, Robert Lenwill, addressed to prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony. According to The Mirror, the letter was confidential and written some weeks ago, but CANA reporter Ernie Seon this week got wind of the news and issued a report that has been picked up by The Voice, Star and Mirror.
In a response issued on Thursday, C&W's communications manager for the Windward Islands, Deborah Johnson, acknowledged that while the company was "keen to continue serving its customers in St. Lucia and throughout the Caribbean", there are "a number of issues outstanding regarding the company's business in St. Lucia relating to the orderly introduction of sustainable competition in the St. Lucia market". Johnson also said that C&W is currently continuing dialogue with the government "as a matter of urgency".
Over the past two years or so, St. Lucia has been spearheading the dismantling of the C&W monopoly in five member states of the Organisation of Caribbean States (OECS). Last October, legislation was passed through the senate recognising the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL): a St. Lucia-based authority that is to oversee the formation of a unified telecommunications policy in Dominica, Grenada, St. Vincent, St. Kitts and Nevis as well as St. Lucia. The ECTEL legislation outlines the rights of new entrants to participate in the telecommunications sector in the five island states without hindrance, thus putting an end to C&W's monopoly. First chairman of ECTEL is St. Lucia's communications minister, Calixte George. On a number of occasions in the recent past, George has sharply castigated C&W for making "excessive profits" and for not going far enough in cutting costs to consumers. In January of this year, for instance, local papers reported that minister George accused C&W of conducting its business in the smaller Caribbean islands with "a colonial attitude". At political meetings also, members of the ruling St. Lucia Labour Party occasionally take credit for having succesfully put pressure on C&W to lower its rates as was promised in the 1997 Labour Party election manifesto. However, C&W's threat that it may now have to hold the government to its contractual promise and ask it to buy out the company, has come as a surprise to many.
On Thursday, prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony said that he was aware that the perception is that negotiations between the five OECS countries and C&W "have not progressed at a satisfactory pace" and that there is "consensus that it should be brought back on course" but he declined further comment on the issues involved, saying they would be best handled "at the negotiations table". He added that: "In the interim, both parties are obliged to respect the usual courtesies and the confidentiality of the process".
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Bad work ethic leading to 'Haitinization'
The widespread lack of initiative towards work and generally careless attitudes towards efficiency, productivity and competitiveness are threatening the economic future of St. Lucia and other Eastern Caribbean islands and are fast leading to a 'Haitinization' of the region. Both minister of Foreign Affairs George Odlum and project director of the St. Lucia-based Caribbean Programme for Economic Competitiveness (CPEC), Melvin Edwards, indicate this in otherwise unrelated news reports.
Edwards was at the time commenting on what he saw as one of the main challenges faced by several projects undertaken in the Eastern Caribbean region by the Canadian government, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Canada recently allocated CDN$25 million to help projects in tourism, agriculture, financial services and construction in several countries of the Eastern Caribbean, Guyana and Jamaica. Said Edwards: "Unless we take serious stock as a region in our quest to become productive and build an industrial base, and if we keep the present pace and style in terms of work habits and work ethics on the job, this region will become more and more Haitianized. ... [O]ur attitude towards work, our habits on the job, our commitment to working just the minimum required hours is not going to help us through".
Too often, claims Edwards, leaders 'talk the talk' but do not 'walk the walk'. "That is why the critical challenge in turning a business around has to be on the ground in terms of concrete action and working to change the face of government ministries, and state corporations. They have all spoken about reform and transforming the engines of growth, but where is this happening except when we are faced with virtual extinction and we make a last ditch effort to salvage ourselves". Both The Crusader and Star report this.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, George Odlum, in his Christmas speech in The Crusader, appears to support Edwards' rebuke. According to Odlum, there are "a number of built-in obstacles which impede the revolution and growth of our society. The first of these obstacles is the attitude of our people which constitutes a bottleneck to development. As a Government we have failed to excite and energize our people to take into their hands the responsibility of being the engine for growth in our society. Our Government must prime the pump but our people must also respond creatively and productively to these incentives. If we fail to motivate our people to produce efficiently then we will fall out of the global race for development. This is indeed a serious situation and the division of our society, the tribalised position of our party supporters and the absence of an over-riding national pride will prevent us from making any progress as a nation. It is easy for us as ministers to continue to receive our salaries and ignore the fundamental problems which impede the development of our nation. The division in our society is indeed a serious obstacle to development".
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Crisis of violence in Vieux Fort
According to the majority of participants attending a seminar on the state of violence in Vieux Fort, violence in the southern town has reached "crisis proportions". The Voice reports that six out of the eight persons presenting papers at the meeting felt that such is the case, while the remaining two presenters felt that although violence is a serious problem, it has not yet reached crisis proportions. The seminar (dubbed 'Cease-Fire') was organised by the ministry of Community Development and Culture. Evidence presented came from religious ministers, the local police and the family court and, according to The Voice, it all "pointed clearly to an increase in violence in Vieux Fort".
Participants agreed that the increase in violence is a multi-causal problem, stemming from "unemployment, lack of educational opportunities, drug and alcohol use, teenage pregnancy, the adoption of a culture of greed, loss of spirituality, the emergence of a secular moral relativism, the colonial legacy, an inefficient and unreliable judicial system, poor physical planning in low-income neighbourhoods, and lacking resources in the police department.
An unrelated article in the Wednesday Star supports the view that Vieux Fort is a particularly notorious area, claiming as it does that "Vieux Fort - with its numerous secluded bays, and its proximity to the major shipping lanes especially for yacht traffic - is a 'hot spot' in the trans-shipment of all forms of illicit drugs to neighbouring islands and to Europe and North America".
Meanwhile, The Mirror reports that only last Sunday night, the owner of one of Vieux Fort's oldest and best-known bars, George Mason of Sapphire restaurant and bar, was felled by a blow to the head from the butt of a gun brandished by a robber. Although his attacker fled without any gains, Mason reportedly experienced his "worst nightmare during his 34 years as a businessman".
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ACP under Odlum calls for import licenses
Under the guidance of St. Lucia's minister of Foreign Affairs George Odlum, the 77 nations of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group (known as the ACP countries) have decided to reject a proposal by the European Union (EU) to replace the current import regime with the First Come, First Serve (FCFS) system. According to The Voice, Odlum explained to the Council of ACP ministers that the FCFS system will lead to the "rapid destruction of the ACP banana industry" because it cannot guarantee ACP producers and exporters any level of security of access to the EU market. The ACP countries are therefore calling for a system of import licenses based on each country's history of banana exports to the EU.
On the issue of a proposal by the EU to allow all of the least-developed countries duty-free access to the European market, the ACP Council of Ministers said that although they support the initiative, they fear that because the EU market is already over-supplied, any further increase in imports will only lead to price deteriorations, "and in the case of the ACP, loss of income and even of the market itself".
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Ione Erlinger-Forde steps down at Crisis Centre
The Crisis Centre has a new executive, under the presidency of Rufina Paul who replaces the "tireless, indefatigable worker" Ione Erlinger-Forde. The Wednesday Star reports this. At the centre's annual general meeting, it was made clear that conditions at the Crisis Centre continue to be desperate. According to outgoing president Erlinger-Forde, despite the $3,000 per month subvention it gets from the government, the Crisis Centre often cannot meet its rent or staff salaries. Moreover, the current premises on Brazil Street are frequently burglarized and in a dilapidated condition. "We may soon be on the street with nowhere to go", said Erlinger-Forde. To date, the Crisis Centre is the only institution attempting to provide solutions for victims of domestic violence - something which the ministry of Health for some years now has been promising it will take over.
Rufina Paul is joined by Tony Williams (vice-president), Antonia Jean (fundraising), Dr Perez (psychiatric counsellor), Lawrence Laurent (treasurer), Victoria Charles (legal chairperson) and Genevieve Delmede (executive secretary) on the new executive board of the Crisis Centre. According to the Wednesday Star, Ione Erlinger-Forde has "promised to still be around to volunteer her services as long as her health permitted it".
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Illegal drugs in 'fairly unrestricted supply'
Drug use in St. Lucia is rising, as are police seizures of marijuana and cocaine, and the number of referrals for treatment and rehabilitation for substance abuse. So claims the Substance Abuse Secretariat, which together with the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission has issued a 61-page document entitled the 'National Anti-Drug Substance Abuse Strategy'. The report draws its information from police statistics over the period 1993 to 1998 and data from Turning Point, St. Lucia's only drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre. According to the report, between 1993 and 1998, 2,284 people were arrested and charged for drug-related offences. Of these, more than 2,000 were men and just 255 were women. Whereas in 1993, police seized 410 lbs of marijuana and 21 lbs of cocaine, by 1998, these figures had risen to 555 lbs of marijuana and 127 lbs of cocaine. The Star quotes from the report: "This coupled with the open smoking of marijuana at parties and public events points to a fairly unrestricted supply and movement of the illegal drug throughout the country". Over the same five-year-period, a total of 472 people were referred to Turning Point for various forms of drug addiction: 95 for alcohol abuse, 28 for marijuana abuse, 11 for crack and 338 for poly-drugs.
Some of the main obstacles to the effective policing of drug trafficking and the treatment of drug abuse as identified in the report are "debilitating resource constraints" at Turning Point, "including the absence of trained staff and inadequate facilities", as well as a "negative public reaction to the support provided by the US to suppress the drug trade". The latter, says the report, is a result of the fact that "many feel that the US stance on preferential treatment for bananas indicates that they [the US] are not genuinely concerned about the islands".
One of the report's main recommendations is that Turning Point be supported by "multi-disciplinary teams of healthcare providers so that it can better redress the medical consequences of drug dependence and associated psychosocial behaviour". At the same time, states the report, St. Lucia needs to facilitate the return of rehabilitated drug abusers into the society.
The report recommends that "money derived from the disposal of property of convicted drug dealers or from the payment of fines" be used to pay for the fight against drug abuse.
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Soil problems stop work at National Stadium
Construction of the National Stadium at Aupicon near Vieux Fort came to an unexpected stand-still last month due to problems related to the type of soil that was encountered. According to The Mirror, work on the foundations and car park has been stopped pending the arrival of a team of experts from China, who are to decide on how to proceed. The National Stadium is a present from the People's Republic of China to St. Lucia. When work was started last September, government ministers said they expected the stadium to be finished within eighteen months. According to assistant project manager David Yong, the problem is "not a serious one", but he could not say how long construction would be delayed.
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Names of defaulting officials sent on to DPP
The Integrity Commission, which was appointed in February 1998, has finally sent a list to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) with the names of St. Lucia's top-ranking officals who have failed to declare their income, assets and liabilities for the period 1998/1999. In doing so, the Commission - which is headed by Archdeacon Randolph Evelyn – has fulfilled its obligations as set out in the Integrity Commissions Act of 1997, section 21. Basically, the rationale behind the exercise is to prevent members of parliament, permanent secretaries, heads of government departments and others in powerful positions from using the powers and privileges of their public office to illegally enrich themselves.
This action has been long-awaited. In September of 1999, the Integrity Commission sent out a "third and final letter" to the officials in question. At the time, of 117 persons involved, only sixty percent had submitted details of their assets. This figure increased later in 1999 but up to the beginning of 2000, there was still a certain number of high-ranking public servants (including one permanent secretary) who had failed to submit their details. It was stated at the time that their names would be published in the next issue of the Government Gazette - but this never happened. In June 2000, however, the Integrity Commission reported that it had acquired the services of a secretary and soon expected to take appropriate action against defaulters.
According to the law, the names of defaulters must be published in the Government Gazette and must be forwarded to the DPP for further action. In earlier news articles, it was stated that defaulters risk a fine not exceeding $50,000 and imprisonment not exceeding five years upon summary conviction. This week's press release by the Integrity Commission does not state how many names are on the list that has finally been forwarded to the DPP. However, The Mirror reports that the commission is "presently finalizing its report to Parliament for the income year 1998/99 and is receiving and examining declarations for income year 1999/2000". The Star also reports on the action by the Integrity Commission.
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Esther Lee: Miss Congeniality in Frankfurt
Esther Hyacinth Lee of St. Lucia managed to capture the Miss Congeniality Award at the Queen of the World pageant that was held in Frankfurt, Germany, on December 8th. She placed 9th overall, out of a field of forty contestants from around the world. Esther Lee currently holds the Ms Commonwealth St. Lucia title. According to The Star, she was praised by organisers of the show for her "outstanding stage presence and presentation". She was invited to participate next year in the Model of the World contest, to be held in Turkey, and has also been offered a modelling contract in Chile. Esther Lee is a co-director of Lee Productions Inc, and producer and co-host of local television show Vibe Central.
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'Life and dreams of Wayne Louis' launched
'Indelible - the life and dreams of Stephen Wayne Louis - historian, youth leader, hero' is a tribute publication in honour of historian, teacher and former president of the National Youth Council (NYC), Wayne Louis, who was killed in a car accident in April of 1998. The book was launched last Saturday at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in Vieux Fort, in the presence of Louis' widow and daughter, his parents, several current NYC leaders and other interested persons. The book was edited and coordinated by Henry Mangal. It is the first major project undertaken by the Stephen Wayne Louis Foundation. Wayne Louis is widely remembered not only for his personal integrity but also for his thought-provoking commitment to issues of African and Caribbean history and identity. The proceeds of the book will be used to set up a secondary school scholarship in his honour. The Voice and Star report on the launch.
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