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Record drug bust: EC $8.1m worth of marijuana
Police last weekend carried out a record drug bust when one ton of Colombian marijuana was seized from a house in Bois d'Orange. Three men were arrested in connection with the operation: two of them St. Lucian and one a Spanish-speaking individual. The drugs have an estimated street value of EC$8.1 million. This is mentioned as a sideline in an article in this week's Mirror on the questionable legality of random searches and the use of roadblocks to develop grounds for 'reasonable suspicion' as a precursor to carrying out searches. Lawyer Martinus Francois is taking the Royal St. Lucia Police Force to court in what The Mirror describes as "a legal contest that could change drug policy in St. Lucia".
Meanwhile, a 17-year-old English girl who was arrested at GFL Charles airport on March after security officers found twelve kilograms of cocaine in her luggage, was sentenced on Tuesday to pay EC$75,000 within two weeks or spend eighteen months in jail. The drugs have a street value of approximately EC$300,000. The girl was travelling in the company of her mother at the time of the arrest. Charges were laid against both for possession of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to supply. The mother pleaded not guilty and the case against her was eventually withdrawn. The 17-year-old pleaded guilty to possession and was found guilty in that respect. The other charge was similarly withdrawn. This is reported in The Star and Thursday Voice.
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Duah to stay pending minister's decision on asylum
Smart Duah, the Nigerian student who was illegally detained in a St. Lucian prison for three-and-a-half years before a court order set him free two weeks ago, may stay until the ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided whether or not to grant him political asylum. Duah came to St. Lucia in 1996, allegedly to escape political persecution in his homeland of Nigeria, but overstayed his visa and was eventually put in jail. A year later, a court order to send Duah back to Nigeria was ignored by the authorities. A plane ticket sent for Duah by his family was allegedly similarly ignored and allowed to expire. After three-and-a-half years in jail without conviction, Justice Suzy d'Auvergne two weeks ago finally ruled that the 24-year-old man should be released from prison [ see last week's news]. She then allowed Duah to stay until the 21st March. This week, however, Duah's lawyer, Colin Foster, secured another court decision from d'Auvergne, this time to the effect that Duah will be allowed to stay in St. Lucia up to fourteen days after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has determined his application for refugee status. Furthermore, d'Auvergne also ruled that Duah may only be deported if his application for refugee status is denied.
The treatment that Duah has received at the hands of the immigration authorities, and recent remarks in the media by minister of Legal Affairs, Velon John, to the effect that if it were up to him, Duah "would be deported immediately", appear to have evoked condemnation from numerous St. Lucians, both at home and abroad. The interim president of the Centre for Legal Aid and Human Rights, lawyer Mary Francis, in this week's Voice newspaper calls on the minister of Foreign Affairs to grant Duah refugee status. "St. Lucia will not be hurt by granting such status, in fact, the denial of the application would result in injury to St. Lucia's reputation as St. Lucia will be judged as a country where the Human Rights of persons are violated and will be seen as not adhering to the rules of all civilized countries". On a more emotional level, Mary Francis continues: "As a people who have collectively experienced the oppression and injustice of colonialism we ought not to perpetuate this legacy but rather destroy it".
Meanwhile, a charitable church organisation is providing for Smart Duah's daily needs. The Crusader, Mirror and Voice all report on the case.
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Call for Primrose Bledman Legal Aid Fund
The memory of Primrose Alphonsus Bledman, the lawyer and cultural activist who died at the age of 72 on the 15th March and whose body was laid to rest last Wednesday at Choc Cemetery, must be commemorated by the establishment of a Primrose Bledman Memorial Legal Aid Fund. This was proposed last Wednesday morning by barrister Petra Jeffrey-Nelson during a special sitting of the Supreme Court, convened to honour the deceased barrister. The special sitting and the subsequent Cathedral service conducted by Monsignor Patrick Anthony, were attended by distinguished guests, including minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade George Odlum, former Prime Minister Sir John Compton, the Hon Chief Justice CM Dennis Byron, her Ladyship Madame Suzy d'Auvergne, senator and Attorney General Petrus Compton and president of the Bar Association, Kenneth Monplaisir QC. In The Thursday Voice and The Star, Primrose 'Prim' Bledman is commemorated as a man of generosity and compassion, a strong supporter of musical and cultural groups and activities in St. Lucia and a "one man legal aid clinic". In a personal tribute in The Crusader, George Odlum describes Bledman as "a mediator, a conciliator, a peace-maker [who] would move gingerly between opposing sides in the hunt for reconciliation and compromise".
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UWP: withdraw police portfolio from minister
The leader of the opposition United Worker Party, Dr. Vaughan Lewis, on Monday called on prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony to relieve Velon John, minister of Legal and Home Affairs, of his responsibility for the police force. Lewis made his call after minister John, last week, sent shock waves through the Royal St. Lucia Police Force by stating publicly that none of the current Acting Police Commissioners is "fit" to take on the role of Police Commissioner [ see last week's news]. The current Police Commissioner, Francis Nelson, is due to retire in July. His deputy is newly appointed Canadian Neil Parker, who will "logically" take over from Nelson, minister John announced last week. For some years now, the appointment of non-nationals to head the national police force has been an issue of contention.
UWP leader Vaughan Lewis has taken particular offence at minister John's accusation, in a statement to the press last week, to the effect that "under the last government, the force was seen as nothing more than a political tool to secure the entrenchment in office of the UWP against the will of the people". The Star carries this report.
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Unemployment drops, trade deficit widens
Days before the government's Budget Address on Tuesday 28th March, The Star and Crusader each carry reports on socio-economic trends in the nation. The Star, quoting from a statement by press secretary Earl Bousquet, announces that unemployment figures dropped in 1999 to 18.1 percent, which is 3.4 percent lower than the 21.5 percent figure recorded for 1998. According to the press secretary's report, says The Star, "approximately 1000 jobs were created in the construction industry in 1999, with an additional 1500 in the tourism, wholesale and retail sectors". Particularly the 15- to 24-year-old age group fared better in 1999. According to prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony, it is expected that unemployment figures on the whole will continue to fall in 2000, while the economy is expected "to do even better in the year 2000, with the increased local and foreign investment that will come on stream this year, especially in the tourism industry, agriculture and in the private and public sectors".
The Star however goes on to quote opposition senator Peter Josie, who deems the above figures "a smokescreen designed to pave the way for the prime minister's March 28 budget presentation".
Meanwhile, The Crusader this week carries a long and quantitatively detailed report on the widening of St. Lucia's trade deficit over the year 1998. The trade deficit grew by 1.5 percent to $742.63 million dollars, mainly as the result of a continuing reduction in exports (7.9 percent), claims the newspaper. It then goes on to explain that, although the trade deficit continued to grow in 1998, it did so at a slower rate than in the year 1997, when the level of exports fell by 26.6 percent.
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Southern Taxi Ass'n opposes airport shuttle service
The Southern Taxi Association is up in arms following an announcement by director of EC Express, Allen Chastanet, that the airline carrier intends to establish a shuttle service between Hewanorra International Airport in Vieux Fort and GFL Charles airport in Castries. According to Cletus 'Rocky' JnBaptiste, president of the Vieux Fort-based Southern Taxi Association which has a concession to operate at Hewanorra airport, "action will definitely be taken" if the government allows EC Express to operate such a shuttle service between the island's two airports. There are currently one hundred taxi drivers working with the Southern Taxi Association, and at busy times, another thirty-three taxi drivers from the New Frontier Taxi Service assist in transporting persons between the island's main international airport in the south, and their final destination, often in the north of the island - some forty miles away. "If this shuttle service comes on stream, we will surely be hurt", says JnBaptiste. The Taxi Association's president is expected to meet with Allen Chastanet on Sunday 26th March to discuss the situation. The Voice reports this. Allen Chastanet announced EC Express' plans in last Thursday's television talkshow 'Talk'. EC Express is expected to start operating in St. Lucia on April 17th. The new airline has come under close scrutiny in recent weeks following accusations of conflict of interest by one of its directors [ see last week's news], Michael Chastanet, as well as preferential treatment allegedly shown by the St. Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority in the construction of counter space. The Voice's reporter Micah George, in a separate article this week keeps alive some of those issues.
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PM annoyed over press leak: 19 seats, not 17
The Mirror's opening story this week, announcing that St. Lucia may gain two extra constituencies for the 2002 elections, has elicited the annoyance of Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony. The Prime Minister is now demanding an explanation from the chairman of the Constituency Boundaries Commission as to how this piece of news could have been leaked to the press before it was even communicated officially to the Governor-General and "those concerned". The Voice reports this. Neither in his capacity as the minister responsible for elections nor as member of the St. Lucia Labour Party, says Dr. Anthony, has he been informed of the recommendations, "yet they have been communicated in such detail, in such an irregular manner" in the press.
The Mirror reports that the Constituency Boundaries Commission is recommending an increase in the number of electoral districts from seventeen to nineteen. Castries Northwest and Castries Southwest will be formed into separate constituencies, thereby allowing Babonneau to become a constituency in its own right. Furthermore, changes to the boundaries of all constituencies are being recommended with the exception of the two Micoud seats, Soufriere, Choiseul, Laborie and Castries South. It is recommended that Castries Central be enlarged to include Sans Souci and parts of Vigie, Water Works Road, Leslie Land, Morne Du Don and La Pansee, thus bringing Castries Central on a par with the populations of most other constituencies. If the recommendations are implemented, only Gros Islet and Castries East will continue to have about twice as many voters as the other constituencies.
Although prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony is seeking an explanation from the Constituency Boundaries Commission's chairman, Matthew Roberts, for the report's premature release to the press, the PM says he has "no quarrel" with The Mirror for picking up the story. Matthew Roberts is also Speaker of the House of Assembly. Other members of the Commission are Thomas Walcott and Clarence Rambally of the SLP, and Wilfred St. Clair-Daniel and Darius Charlemagne of the United Workers Party.
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No-case submission after four years in jail
After spending four years on remand in jail, a Morne Du Don man was released last Thursday after his lawyers successfully argued a no-case submission. Justice Hariprashad-Charles instructed the jury to return a verdict of not guilty to the charge of murder brought against him. Eldon Simon, who was arrested along with another man for the 1996 murder of Azard Carter Henry in the George Charles Boulevard, admitted he was at the scene of the crime and in the company of the other person being charged with the murder, but denied that he played a role in the shooting murder of Henry. The case against the other accused continues in court.
Meanwhile, a Castries man this week was sentenced to twenty years hard labour after pleading guilty to raping a woman in Cap Estate in 1992. He was finally arrested in 1998. The Voice reports this.
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New EC$40m government buildings for Cul-de-Sac
The government intends to spend approximately EC$40 million on the construction of a new office complex along the Castries-Cul-de-Sac highway. In advertisements in most of last week's newspapers, the government announced a design competition for local and regional architects to come up with proposals for the complex. One of the rationales behind the plan is to save on the $6.5 million dollar rent that the government currently pays to house the ministries that will eventually be moved to the new office complex. Other reasons are the current space constraints within the Prime Minister's office, the Ministry of Finance and related agencies.
Almost ten acres of land have been set aside to accommodate the new office complex, which will be large enough to provide work space for about one thousand employees. The Prime Minister's Office and related departments such as the Audit Department, Government Information Service, Public Sector Reform, Parastatal Monitoring Department, Special Projects Initiative, Solid Waste Management Authority, Cabinet Room and PM's Lounge are to move to the new building, along with the Ministries of Finance, Planning and Commerce, International Financial Services and Community Affairs. Also to move house are the Inland Revenue Department, Customs Department and the Statistics Department. A car park and multi-purpose court are also to be part of the design.
The Voice further reports that government has allocated twelve months for the design phase, and eighteen months for construction. The project is expected to generate work for hundreds of construction workers.
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Hyatt counters accusations of poaching
The new Hyatt hotel which, after some months of delay is now set for a so-called 'soft' opening on the 14th April, has incurred the wrath of some of its colleagues in the hotel industry who accuse the new resort of 'poaching' their trained members of staff. Last week, Windjammer Landing's manager Lawrence Samuels spoke out on the issue and in this week's Star, several other hoteliers were said to support Samuels' complaint. "All of the hoteliers contacted by The Star said a number of their staff, many of whom had not even applied for jobs at the Hyatt, had been approached by the new hotel and offered employment. They, too, were surprised to find staff such as chambermaids and waiters were being targetted".
The newspaper quotes one manager as saying: "Some of my staff have complained of being telephoned at work and even at home and being chased by recruiters. Surely there are enough unemployed individuals and students from the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College to fulfill their requirements for the lower end jobs". Another told The Star that Hyatt seemed to be dodging the cost of training St. Lucians, preferring instead to let smaller hotels with fewer resources foot that bill. "This company has been given massive concessions by the government. They have also been given a large number of work permits for expatriate staff, surely they have an obligation to put something back into the industry".
But Hyatt Regency's general manager, Dale McDaniel, counters the allegations, saying that in an effort not to hurt other business houses, Hyatt had limited the number of employees hired from any individual establishment. Of the 400 new employees that Hyatt has hired, McDaniel says, only 135 were already employed elsewhere in the tourism sector. Another 65 were employed elsewhere, whilst the remaining 200 new employees - fifty percent of the total - are new job entrants: either school graduates or unemployed persons. Furthermore, according to McDaniel, 8000 potential employees were interviewed for the available 400 positions. This, incidentally, represents almost five percent of St. Lucia's entire population or, in other words, one in every twenty St. Lucians has sought to secure employment at the new hotel.
In addition to the 400 St. Lucian employees, Hyatt has brought in 21 expatriate managers. Another 70 Hyatt training specialists will be conducting a special intensive two-week training session in early April. The Voice also reports on the hotel's imminent opening and employment figures.
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Youth skills training project kicks off in June
Two main centers at Union and Black Bay (Vieux Fort) and five smaller centres at Marc, Patience, Anse La Raye, Choiseul and Soufriere, where young unemployed men and women can learn the skills of woodwork, crafts, papermaking, furniture-making, childcare, Chinese cooking, acupuncture, massage, chef training, hospitality service, electrical, plumbing, small appliance repair, flower arranging, fashion design, business skills and information technology - that is the idea behind the establishment of the renewed National Skills Development Centre (NSDC) which is scheduled to kick off in June.
A skills training programme in itself is not a novelty to St. Lucia - the arts and craft centre in Choiseul and the Marc paper factory are the ongoing fruits of earlier attempts to teach unemployed youths valuable skills - but the NSDC is a "modification and expansion" of earlier projects, says Ernest Hilaire, permanent secretary in the Department of Youth and Sports. The Star dedicates half a page to the new youth skills training project.
The NSDC will operate out of a 20,000 sq. ft factory shell at Union to serve the north of the island, and the four wooden buildings at the Black Bay complex near Vieux Fort, to serve the south. "The pre-school and other ancillary services now at the complex will have to be moved to enable us to utilise the entire compound", says Hilaire. Centres that used to exist at Anse la Raye, Patience and Soufriere will be reactivated, and the Choiseul Craft Centre be given "a more business oriented approach". The successful papermaking venture in Marc will be expanded to also include Anse la Raye. According to Hilaire, every trainee will receive a loan and a grant. The latter is to cover the costs of transportation and meals, while the loan will help to pay for the training. This interest-free loan will have to be repaid once the trainee finds employment.
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Boys Training Centre to lose building
The Boys' Training Centre (BTC) at Massade, which made headlines last year when the dismal condition of its quarters was unveiled in The Mirror, stands to lose its accommodation entirely after June, when demolishers are expected to move in. The site of the BTC has been earmarked as the location for a soon-to-be-built hotel trade school. Meanwhile, the fifteen resident boys and their staff of counsellors and teachers will have to move to the Scouts' headquarters near the Gros Islet highway. Already, the expectation is that the provision of alternative permanent accommodation may take up to two years. The Star this week dedicates a two-page centerspread to the past and present trials, tribulations and occasional triumphs of the Boys' Training Centre.
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New lease of life for Apwé Plezi
Apwé Plezi, the popular local radio soap opera which has been running for three years now and is nearing its 400th episode, received a new lease of life recently when US-based Population Communications International donated US$10,000 to the producers of the radio programme. Apwé Plezi centres on the life of St. Lucian families and the numerous social problems they face, such as AIDS, teen pregnancy, contraception, drug abuse and rape. Research shows that more than half of the show's regular listeners admit to changed attitudes towards these issues.
The show was initially broadcast five days a week with funding from RARE but it is currently being sponsored by local companies and is aired only once a week on Radio St. Lucia and Radio 100 Helen FM. Apwé Plezi, written by Maria Grech, employs an all-St. Lucian cast. A new show, along the same lines but based in Grenada, is scheduled to begin in June. This will incorporate the lives and cultures of persons from St. Vincent, Antigua, Dominica and Grenada. The Star reports this.
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