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Quotes:
"When he was at the University of the West Indies, who do you think he was working for? He went to Jamaica and worked at the College of London with about 500 students. He left three years later and it was a full university with 2000 students and three campuses. Who do you think he was working for? Not St. Lucia? Not the Caribbean? So what are they talking about?"
Lady Gladys Lewis on some people's complaint that Sir Arthur Lewis 'did not do enough for St. Lucia' (The Star, 27th Jan).
"You do not quite know where a poem begins, but I think it must be like music. There is a phrase and then the phrase creeps and multiplies itself and finally you get something that shapes itself into a poem'".
Derek Walcott, Nobel Laureate for Literature (The Star, 27th Jan).
"I asked Clarence for $1,400. I only got $600".
Testimony in court by mother of a 10-year-old girl who was sexually abused by Clarence, a male relative. Clarence was sentenced to two years in prison (The Star, 27th Jan).
"The driving standards on the roads are diabolical and disregarding of human safety, that's lawlessness. Men urinating from moving vehicles and openly in the street, that's lawlessness. The blatant racism and jealousies experienced by visitors and residents are rife, that's lawlessness. A total disregard for any fellow human beings is widespread, that's lawlessness".
Letter to editor, calling PM Dr Anthony's speech on how he will tolerate "no lawlessness in St. Lucia", "overwhelmingly wet and weak" (The Star, 27th Jan).
"I say therefore that if today's teen boys are marginalised because girls are now excelling academically and otherwise it is the penalty they must pay for what their forefathers have perpetuated upon females of generations past. I say further let them simmer, even sizzle, let their grandfathers feel the stress, shame and anxiety for what they have done. Simply put, it's a backlash boys".
Letter to the editor from self-proclaimed feminist 'granny' on how decades of male disrespect for women have resulted in a generation of lost young men. She predicts that a new generation of progressive women will raise their sons not to exist on the margins of society (The Star, 27th Jan).
"Therefore, the government of St. Lucia should determine whether casinos should be located on failing banana estates, thereby alleviating the chronic-unemployment situation in these areas".
Wilson Jn.Baptiste (The Wednesday Star, 24th Jan).
"At the time the child had a scratch near the neck. H. [the father] questioned N. [the mother] about it and upon learning that the child had taken a fall, began beating N. on the face telling her that she should take better care of the child".
The Voice on court case. The child's father was fined $1,000 and $500 in compensation (27th Jan).
"Wayne knows that this writer knows that he knows that I know he is devoid of intellectual equilibrium".
Willie James on Rick Wayne (The Voice, 27th Jan).
"But I find myself now once more looking forward to next week, to see whether something, anything will come to pass".
Victor Marquis, still waiting for the promised launch of a political party of National Unity (Thursday Voice, 25th Jan).
"According to members of the Catholic Church in Laborie, every time they dig the cemetery to find a space to bury a body, they come up against another already buried coffin".
The Mirror (26th Jan).
"When we speak of indiscipline, how is it that a government can take taxpayers' money and build pathways and retaining walls on a cemetery to accommodate squatters, persons who have no right there, whilst taxing unmercifully those who have striven to buy a piece of land, borrow money to build a place they could call 'home' and do things in an honest and decent manner?"
Letter to the editor (The Mirror, 26th Jan).
"These days, I don't give 'lifts' to anyone at night... period. My car has been programmed to ignore anyone who is under 60 years and not carrying some form of disability.... Yes Siree! If you are a male under 60, I'm sorry for you. You would be standing by the roadside wearing a three piece suit and my car (not me) would totally ignore you. For all I know, the suit could well have been stolen".
Cletus Springer on his (car's) response to the rise in crime (The Mirror, 26th Jan).
"Ah, Mr. Editor - here we go again: - lectures, speeches, poems and posturing. Let's pat ourselves on complacent backs and brag that we are a special people".
Hunter Francois on how during Nobel Laureate week, a crucial issue addressed by both Derek Walcott and Sir Arthur Lewis - that of Eastern Caribbean political unity - is never addressed (The Mirror, 26th Jan).
"'When he hung up he said quietly, 'I got a Nobel prize', and I said, 'Whoopee! Let me call the girls'. But he said, 'let's just wait for the news and see if it's true'."
Lady Gladys Lewis, widow of Nobel Laureate Sir Arthur Lewis (The Star, 27th Jan).
"'After that I decided to set up some loudspeakers in the area to talk to people, you know, from a spiritual background pointing out certain things to them', Big Brother says. For this he was nearly arrested for what one police officer told him was disturbing the peace. Feeling a bit intimidated he decided to record his message on a cassette and left it running in his absence".
The Mirror on Albertine 'Big Brother' Auguste, a Choiseul Country & Western Kweyol story teller and preacher (26th Jan).
"If you make the effort, you will find that among these five marijuana smoking, time wasting, crap talking youths, there is at least one artist, there is a greenthumb who seems to be able to make anything grow anywhere, an athlete, an entrepreneur and of course, a drugsman. ... As you drive past their little Niggertown, ask yourself a question: Which one of the five has the best chance of living his dream, of learning to be the best at his game? Which one has the best chance of becoming rich and well-respected in the society we live in today? The answer is more than a little scary isn't it?"
Jason Sifflet, 'Analekta' (The MIrror, 26th Jan). |
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Violence and struggle against it continue
Gang-related violence in Vieux Fort, another unwarranted violent attack in Castries, a bomb threat, the introduction of uniformed security guards at the Castries Comprehensive School, two unrelated allegations of police brutality, religious and moral analyses from members of the public, and a clash between the Tourist Board and the Hotel and Tourism Association regarding the latter's support of a decision by hoteliers to issue safety warnings to their guests - for the fourth consecutive week, the content of this week's crop of newspapers largely continues to revolve around the issue of violence and the nation's struggle to understand, prevent and police it. Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Francis Nelson is due to retire this week but no word has yet been issued as to who will succeed him.
The Mirror and Wednesday Star report that leaders of rival drug gangs in Vieux Fort have promised the police to mend their ways. At least three men have ended up in hospital over the past fortnight, following fights in which cutlasses were used. According to the papers, the Vieux Fort police this week held a meeting with gang leaders and issued them with "a stern warning about the behaviour of their members". But The Mirror adds that residents, particularly in the Mangue and Shantytown areas of Vieux Fort, continue to be fearful.
A Castries man was charged this week with the murder of 31-year-old Vieux Fortian Ives Deterville, who was found stabbed and unconscious in Roots Alley on Saturday 13th January, and later that day died in hospital. No one has yet been arrested in connection with the other suspected murder that took place on that same date, in which 49-year-old Dorothy Boriel née Recaii was beaten to death at her home near Clarke Street, also in Vieux Fort. Both The Crusader and Wednesday Star report this.
The Star and Mirror both report on the allegedly unprovoked attack on a 19 or 20-year-old woman from Chase Gardens in Castries, who was clubbed across the face whilst on her way to work at around 5.45 am, last Tuesday morning. The victim lost an eye due to the blow and suffered a broken nose and facial injuries. The blow caused her to fall into a drain, unconscious, where she was later found by a passer-by. According to the victim, she had heard footsteps behind her and turned to see who it was. Whilst turning, she was dealt a "tremendous blow to the face", writes The Mirror. She was neither robbed nor raped. The Star quotes a police spokesman as saying: "We are very anxious to receive any information we can about this horrendous incident. We would like to discover what manner of animal decides to do something like this. ... This seems to be just a motiveless, sick assault". The attack occurred on the La Pansée Road.
Meanwhile, the police themselves come in for some serious criticism again, this time in The Wednesday Star, where two alleged victims of police brutality tell their frightened tales. A teenage mother of two relates how she was arrested after allegedly telling four police officers who were in her yard that if they didn't have a search warrant, they had no right to be there. After a somewhat heated verbal exchange, the victim claims she was 'roughed up' by the officers and taken away in a police van. "When we got a little way off from my home one of them held up a gun to my face and the female officer was playing her hands in my face. I told the two other policemen, 'You see that she is playing her hands in my face and no one is telling her anything. You guys think the law is yours'. One of them put his baton in my mouth as I was talking and said, 'Yes the law is ours'. The female officer threatened to move all my teeth in my mouth and I was told I would sleep in the cell until Monday'."
The victim says she remained in custody from Friday evening until Saturday afternoon, together with her eight-month-old baby son. She has been charged with assault, using insulting language and resisting arrest.
In an unrelated case, a 25-year-old Marigot man accuses one policeman of shooting him in the leg, and blames other policemen for beating and kicking him. According to The Star, on New Years eve, the victim was spotted by police officers while he "'took a peep inside [an] uncovered truck', but took nothing". A little later, while sitting outside his mother's shop in Marigot, "a red Mitsubishi four-door saloon pulled up", says the victim. "JJ was driving. The SSU man was sitting in the front, the other police officer was in the back. ... The window of the car was down. The SSU man shouted: 'Don't move'. I sat up on the bench. He then fired the gun at me. The bullet hit my big toe, taking off the toenail, and went into my shin bone". He alleges that he was neither charged nor arrested on that occasion and simply left to nurse his gunshot wounds. Last Friday, the same man claims that he was yet again the victim of police brutality, this time after having been accused of breaking into a yacht. According to the victim, he spent Friday night in jail in Anse la Raye. On Saturday afternoon, says the victim, "The police opened the cell and took me to a room. There was three of them. ... One of them started kicking me in my belly. They made me sit on a chair and then surrounded me. One began kicking me continuously. The others were shouting questions at me. He kicked me several times in my head. I was on the floor. They wanted me to say that I had broken into the boat. I told them I didn't do it. Eventually they gave up and left". The victim says he was later released. No charges were laid against him. Deputy Police commissioner Neil Parker, asked to comment by the newspaper, expressed surprise that a police officer should have discharged a firearm without subsequently filing a report about the incident. He promised to investigate the matter.
It would appear that as of next week, Parker will be in charge of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force, since Police Commissioner Francis Nelson goes into retirement as of next week. The Thursday Voice reports this in its editorial. The editorial does not, however, reveal who will replace the police chief . In the past, prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony has made it clear that he will not have a non-St. Lucian - such as Canadian Deputy Police Commissioner Neil Parker - heading the island's police force.
The Voice editor goes on to state that "History, we believe, will be kind to Commissioner Nelson. With justification. He will be remembered as a man who came into a situation which was virtually unmanageable, already on the brink of near-chaos, and seemingly heading full tilt toward utter anarchy. ... [A] general feeling among the members of the public was that there were 'no guards to guard the guards'; and even more alarming was the realization that in fact, the guards did need guarding. Into this maelstrom, Francis Nelson found himself catapulted, with the ultimate responsibility of turning things around. .... But Nelson, in addition to inheriting a bad situation, was inhibited by a chronic dearth of tools and equipment - and proper manpower - to accomplish the job which had to be done. In the face of staggering odds, he nevertheless managed to make some positive changes in the Force and, although there is still an enormous amount of work before whoever replaces him, it will have to be admitted that he left the body in an at least slightly better condition than it was when he assumed the post of Commissioner".
At the governmental level, the Wednesday Star reports that prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony will be discussing the problem of crime with his Caribbean colleagues at the upcoming Intersessional Meeting of Caribbean Heads of Government in Barbados, from 14th to 16th February. Amongst themselves, regional leaders have already been privately discussing "the apparent upsurge in crime in the region".
Despite acknowledging that St. Lucia has been faced with "difficulties" lately, the St. Lucia Tourist Board - a government body responsible for marketing the island overseas - does not agree with a statement made last week by the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) to the effect that it supports hoteliers who advise tourists to be extra careful when visiting certain troublespots on the island. According to the newspaper, The SLHTA, represented by its vice-president Rodinald Soomer, "also suggested that some areas should be blacklisted". But Tourist Board director Hilary Modeste calls this "a drastic step" and appeals to hoteliers' economic sense by implying that their actions may end up hurting their wallets. "When someone makes a decision to come on a vacation they first make a decision about where they will go. They do not choose a hotel before they decide on where they are going. So when a major influential body like the SLHTA is found to be saying things like St. Lucia is not safe, then people are just not going to come to the destination". The SLHTA - along with the Chamber of Commerce - recently called for the resignation of minister of Legal Affairs, Velon John, and minister of Tourism, Menissa Rambally. But Modeste this week said that "the leadership of the industry is not an issue". Nevertheless, in the same breath, Modeste admits that: "We have not paid attention to the issues and trying to find solutions to them and we sometimes tend to look at superficial solutions". It is not clear who exactly Modeste had in mind when he used the term "we". According to The Wednesday Star, Modeste feels that "despite the difficulties St. Lucia has been faced with in recent times, the burden of responsibility lies on persons who manage the industry to put in place the kind of measures that would make visitors feel safe. [Modeste] does not, however, believe that the problem lies with government ministers". Again, Modeste does not make it specifically clear who are "the persons who manage the industry".
Modeste does suggests though that newly established measures, such as the Rapid Response Unit and increased police patrols in known trouble spots, should first be given a chance to work. He also revealed that the Tourist Board will meet with major tour operators in the United States early next month "to try to change the stained image of the island".
The Castries Comprehensive School, in its own attempt to deal with (gang-related) violence, this week announced that the ministry of Education will soon put in place uniformed security officers "to control movements through the school gates and to deal with any disturbances which may occur on the school grounds". Last week, a "closely knit group" of five boys attacked another student, who subsequently needed medical treatment. The students involved have been suspended pending further investigations.
Finally, after some weeks without an incident of its type, employees at Cimpex's head office at Massade were on Friday forced to evacuate the building following a telephone call announcing that a bomb had been planted on the premises. The Star reports this. It proved to be yet another hoax however, and after a thorough search, work was resumed. Last December saw a spate of hoax bomb threats, causing considerable disturbance to schools and business places in Castries.
Several concerned citizens comment on the recent upsurge in crime and violence on the island, adding their own analyses and remedies to the already considerable chorus of voices on the subject. All papers carry an article by medical doctor and pathologist Dr Stephen King entitled 'Spiritual Poverty'. King argues that there are three main assets to life: spirit, knowledge and money (referred to more commonly in social science as moral capital, human capital and material capital). King uses this model "to explain why I know of persons who have grown up financially poor but spirit and knowledge rich, [and] these people are usually happy and progressive. I have recognized that persons growing up this way will usually acquire money during their lifetime and will not remain financially poor. I also know of people who have grown up financially wealthy but spirit and knowledge poor, and often these persons waste and lose their financial wealth and are usually unhappy people". King's observations offer an interesting assessment of the possibilities for breaking St. Lucia's seemingly vicious cycle of violence and self-destruction. Dr King concludes: "Wealth of spirit and knowledge are two areas to which all of us have virtually equal access. Further, I believe that the flow of assets in life is spirit followed by knowledge followed by money, hence the imperative to work first on spiritual values. If you believe these arguments, then you will agree that making our nation and ourselves spiritually wealthy will result in more knowledge and more money; for us as a nation and as individuals. If you agree with this then it is imperative that our leaders begin to address, in a practical way, the national spiritual development".
King's contribution may well be the most logical and coherant call to date for rebuilding strong moral values in St. Lucia, beginning, as King pleads, with respect, care and discipline. "Respect includes respect for oneself, for others, for property, for authority, for the environment and for nature. Care includes care for oneself, for others, for property, for institutions, for the environment and for nature. These values when applied together produce love, thoughtfulness, self esteem, politeness, tolerance among others. However the vehicle that is necessary for successful application of these values is discipline. Discipline allows us to be consistent, committed, industrious and productive. I share these with you to allow me to apply these values and this concept of poverty in our national context".
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Three weeks of Funfair rides at Cul de Sac
Three weeks of unadulterated fun at what is set to become the new location for mass entertainment in St. Lucia: Cul-de-Sac. Starting yesterday, Taylor's Fun Fair Amusements of London is running an amusement park at the recently tarmac-clad location. The rides are to be integrated into celebrations for the anniversary of St. Lucia's independence (22nd February) and will remain for at least three weeks, according to an article in The Mirror. The funfair is an initiative of the ministry of Community Development. There are scary rides, roller coaster, 'choo-choo train rides' and cartoon toy rides amongst others: twelve rides and twelve different games in all, catering for all ages. The fun starts on weekdays at 5pm and on weekends at 3pm. The company is said to adhere to strict safety standards.
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Civil servants boycott paid parking at Barnard Hill
Civil servants boycotting the Barnard Hill car park (at the rear of Government buildings) managed to upset plans by the National Insurance Property Management Organisation (NIPRO) to transform this into a paid parking lot. NIPRO announced two weeks ago that as of last Monday, parking a vehicle at Barnard Hill would cost ten dollars per day, $35 per week, $140 per month or $1,340 per year. [Search news archives]. The car park in question is mostly used by civil servants and visitors to the Government buildings. Civil servants, through the Civil Service Association (CSA), on Monday and Tuesday boycotted the parking facility and minister of Consumer Affairs, Philip J. Pierre, also expressed his concern to NIPRO, on behalf of the civil servants and St. Lucian consumers. As a result, from last Wednesday, the Barnard Hill car park was once again a free service, with the various stakeholders having scheduled a meeting later this week to discuss the future of the plans. The Star reports this, while the Thursday Voice also pays attention to the issue.
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FRC moving ahead with Kweyol language course
Persons interested in learning to speak and/or write Kweyol (Creole) are invited to sign up for a series of courses being offered by the Folk Research Centre, as part of the institute's efforts to promote the language. In addition to teaching students to speak and write Kweyol, the course also offers insights into the structure of Kweyol, and seeks to compare differences between English and St. Lucian Creole. Classes will be held at the Anje Nou and Unit Corporation Building at L'Anse Road. For more information, call 452-2279 or 453-1477. The Star reports this.
Meanwhile, The Voice reports that the FRC last week held an intensive retreat to assess the way forward in both the long and short term, and that an Annual General Meeting was held on Saturday 27th January to chart a way forward. It was reported two weeks ago that following a series of burglaries, the FRC had seen it fit to move part of the institute's collection to other, safer locations. [Search news archives]
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PM may lower house tax for lower incomes
Following strong complaints from homeowners and businesspeople on the island about what they claim are excessively high assessments, The Voice this week reports that prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony has "hinted" that government may take steps to lower land and house taxes. According to the article, property taxes in St. Lucia are governed by the Land and House Tax Ordinance of 1950, last amended in 1971 - but for many years and in many areas, this act was not (fully) enforced. More recently, however, the Inland Revenue Service has started to assess property values and presented owners with tax bills. But in an interview with the Government Information Service last week, Dr Anthony said he was "concerned that the existing land and house tax rates may be a burden on the commercial sector and may act as a disincentive for property development and enhancement". At the same time however, the prime minister appears to be most concerned with lower income property owners, new homeowners and pensioners. According to The Voice, the PM said that "the reduction, if it were to take effect, would be in keeping with government's policies on housing for low-income earners, through which generous concessions have been made available for home construction". The PM also added that the existing tax regime encourages conflicts between taxpayers and tax collectors (i.e., government).
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May 2001 census
The most comprehensive census ever to have been held in St. Lucia is due to be conducted in May of this year, when all residents of St. Lucia will be asked to answer a series of questions designed to shed light on a wide range of social and economic aspects of their lives. Information on (un)employment, housing, educational achievement, family size, overcrowding, lighting, cooking, fuel usage and incidence of pipe born water will be collected for the 2001 decennial census, as well as data on crime, fertility, traffic congestion, health and transportation. The Voice reports this. The paper quotes the director of Statistics, Edwin St. Catherine, as saying: "This census when it is completed will be able to assist any and all government departments in their planning. I firmly believe that if properly utilized, the 2001 Census Report can serve as a blueprint in both the public and private sectors charting a new socio-economic path for St. Lucia".
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Reggae star calls for cleaner lyrics
A Reggae Peace concert is planned for St. Lucia in which, according to Jamaican reggae star Freddy McGregor, the music will be free of "all the bad words and the idiotic lyrical contents". The Voice reports this. Although it is not revealed when or where the Reggae Peace concert will take place, both Freddy McGregor and Luciano seem to have lent their names to it, as well as a number of St. Lucian artistes. According to the article, Freddy McGregor, Luciano and Beres Hammond are some of the reggae stars who are putting their weight behind an effort to "really clean up the reggae business". McGregor said on Radio St. Lucia: "I think the youth really take on to it a lot. The music must sound positive by teaching the youth something positive. Otherwise, we don't need to play them nor record them. ... We need to big-up that which is positive. I think all of us have a responsibility to give back. That is exactly the purpose of this Reggae Concert. We are trying to give back, in our own little way, to the community; not just in Saint Lucia or Jamaica. ... We must give as much as required. Because we must remember what we've gone through. But there are lots of people who are to come through. We have to try and find ways of helping them come through. ... I would love this to be on the whole, where most of the successful people could really make a positive contribution to their country or people in general. We are making sure of that for 2001 and onwards". The Voice explains that young (reggae) artistes in St. Lucia generally have a hard time breaking through in the music industry and that as a result, the frustration experienced is expressed "in what is often described as adverse lyrical content" and that "some of those creative energies are ... chanelled in the wrong direction, resulting in a flock of misguided youth in the society".
Recently, reggae fans and Rastafarians in St. Lucia were dealt a painful blow when two young men - who identified themselves as Rastafarians - set fire to a congregation of worshippers in the Castries cathedral, killing one and seriously injuring thirteen. It has been suggested that this attack was spiritually motivated or otherwise inspired by lyrics in certain dancehall/reggae songs which call for 'fire pon the Vatican', and other similar sentiments. Although following the attack, local Rastafarian leaders distanced themselves from the assault and claimed that the two accused were not 'real' Rastafarians, the article in The Voice represents the first example of influential spokespersons actually prompting reggae fans and/or Rastafarians to be more conscientious about the types of messages they choose to listen to and espouse.
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Government borrows further US$10.8 million
The government has borrowed a further US$10.8 million from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDN) in order to finance a Shelter Development Project to improve the living conditions of people in low-income households. The Wednesday Star reports this. The National Commercial Bank borrowed US$5 million from the CDB so as to be able to make loans available citing the fact that, locally, savings and deposits have decreased.
In March of last year, the government of St. Lucia accessed $108.5 million dollars in loans and loan guarantees, on top of an existing debt which had already steadily increased over the past ten years: from $260.3 million in 1992 to 313.1 million in 1995 and 374.6 million in 1998, according to figures from the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. In addition to those this, in November of last year, the House of Assembly approved a proposal by minister of Finance and prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony to raise EC$63.5 million by issuing savings bonds.
At the time, the PM dismissed notions expressed by opposition senators and some media commentators, that the government is - as One Caribbean put it at the time - "taking us deeper, and deeper, and deeper into debt". Dr Anthony countered this fear by explaining St. Lucia's debt situation in some detail. The Mirror reported in November 2000 that according to Dr Anthony, "The $63.5 million being borrowed from the Royal Merchant Bank would increase the external debt from $269.3 million at August 31, 2000 to $332.8 million". As a result, the PM said, the country's external debt service would rise from $25.3 million to $31 million, resulting in a debt servicing figure which, the PM said at the time, remained well below the accepted norm of 30 to 35 percent.
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Caribbean tourism grants and scholarship
Caribbean students pursuing post secondary level studies in the tourism/hospitality sector at the certificate, diploma or degree level from June 2001 onwards, can apply for a grant from the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) amounting to between US$500 and $2,500. According to the Wednesday Star, grants are also offered to people currently employed in the tourism industry who would like to improve their skills in English, French or Spanish through formal, intensive language training programmes in an English, French or Spanish-speaking Caribbean country. Also available is a CTO scholarship for a period of 12 to 18 months, for someone interested in attaining a Master's degree in Tourism and Hospitality Studies. For more info, see: www.caribtourism.com. The deadline for applications is 27th April.
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