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Menissa Rambally (23) new minister of Tourism
Menissa Rambally, 23 years old and currently Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation and International Financial Services, will become the new Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation as of Monday 6th March, when Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony's cabinet reshuffle comes into effect. According to local radio news broadcasts, the most contraversial appointment has been that of Rambally to the vital post of Tourism Minister.
Other changes in the current cabinet involve the transfer of Phillip J. Pierre from Tourism, Civil Aviation and International Financial Services to the (adapted) post of Minister of Commerce, International Financial Services and Consumer Affairs. The current Minister in this post, Dr. Walter Francois, will head the newly designed Ministry of Development, Planning, Environment and Housing. In doing so, he will relieve Cassius Elias, Minister of Agriculture, of the portfolio for the Environment and Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony of that for Planning.
Prime Minister Anthony also relinquishes the portfolio for the Public Service, which will be given to Attorney General and Senator Petrus Compton. Compton will now head a new Ministry of the Public Service. Dr. Kenny Anthony will continue in his role as Minister for Finance, Economic Affairs and Information.
Finally, Michael Gaspard, currently Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development, Youth and Sports will become Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Human Services, Family Affairs and Gender Relations (headed by Sarah Flood-Beaubrun), where he will be given special responsibility for Human Services and Family Affairs.
The Prime Minister announced the reshuffle of his cabinet at a press conference held on Thursday. Dr. Anthony explained that after having been in office for two years and nine months, he has had the chance to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of his administration. "It is clear to me that I have carried an extraordinarily heavy load over the period", Anthony said. He also conceded that the announced changes would result in "a relatively insignificant increase in the overall cost to taxpayers".
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Unexpected rain causes death, landslides and floods
Six hours of torrential rains, bringing more than four inches of water to parts of the island on Monday night caused the death of a child and severe damage to roads and bridges along the west and east coast and in the Vieux Fort area. Two-year-old Simeon Saltibus was swept from his father's arms as they attempted to cross a waterway above the La Toc Tunnel at 6:30 pm. The child's body was later recovered but pronounced dead on arrival at Victoria Hospital.
Students, commuters and others were stranded in various parts of the island as roads became blocked by mud, uprooted trees, rocks and debris from massive landslides. Between Anse la Raye and Soufriere alone, at least four landslides occurred and another two made traffic impossible between Soufriere and Choiseul, at Victoria and Mount Jacques. Numerous rivers became temporarily impassable, as water cascaded down from the mountains towards the sea. At Sarrot, the bridge became impassable. The road at Praslin suffered a 'total collapse', making traffic between Micoud and Dennery impossible, and another landslide occurred at Mahaut, also in the Micoud district. The runway at Hewanorra International Airport was flooded when the Vieux Fort river spilled over its banks and several hours of mud-clearing were needed to make air-traffic possible again - although no flights were affected. Also in Vieux Fort, dozens of residents in the Baccadere spent anxious hours watching the water level rise in the Dengue whilst the mouth of the river remained blocked with sand. Numerous homes were flooded, some with water as high as three feet, before action was taken to open up the bottleneck and allow the Dengue to empty its water out into the Caribbean Sea. In Castries, a number of streets were flooded, with water in some places as deep as four feet. In Choiseul, Micoud, Laborie and Saltibus, rivers temporarily overflowed their banks, allegedly causing panic among some residents.
Low-lying banana plantations near main waterways in the Mabouya and Cul-de-Sac valleys, in Roseau and along the Troumassee, Mahaut, Canelles and Marquis Rivers all sustained damage from the rains, mostly in the form of heavy siltation. Actual losses appear to be minimal - in the region of one percent of all crops.
Also apparently related to the heavy rainfall was an accident that took place on the newly opened Tunnel Road, involving a mini-bus carrying schoolchildren. Seven children were injured, some of them fairly seriously.
Around 7:00 pm on Monday night, Prime minister Kenny Anthony cancelled all celebrations due to be held the following day to mark St. Lucia's 21st anniversary of Independence. In a speech to the nation on Monday evening, Anthony said: "This has been a difficult decision but I am of the view that our energies would be better spent tomorrow seeking to return our country to normalcy". Most independence celebrations were postponed until Sunday 27th February.
Monday's heavy rainfall was not expected. Weather forecasters had predicted 'scattered showers' but the downpour which brought a record 133.4 mm of water was not foreseen. "The only other significant February rainfall figure which came close to Monday evening's deluge was 110.2 mm or 1.22 inches which was recorded on February 4, 1982. This is followed by 92.3 mm or 3.63 inches which was recorded for the entire month of February in 1990", writes The Star.
By Wednesday, heavy equipment had cleared most landslides, while the washed-out road at Praslin had been covered with plywood allowing light vehicles and minibuses to pass once again. Four days after the unexpected deluge, however, restoring pipe-borne water to certain parts of Choiseul, Laborie, Vieux Fort and Augier remains impossible, writes The Voice. According to the paper, the St. Jude's hospital currently depends on the Vieux Fort fire station to provide it with truckloads of water, as do some schools in the area. In Augier and Banse, children were forced to carry their own drinking water to school. According to the Vieux Fort branch of WASCO, the problems are due to broken water mains at the La Ressource River.
All newspapers report on Monday night's catastrophe.
21st Feb: Full text of Prime Minister's address to the nation
22nd Feb: Ministry of Communications & Works damage assessment report.
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Short-stay visa for Martinique abolished
As of next month, St. Lucians will no longer require visas for visits to Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guyana for stays of up to fifteen days. This has been announced by the French government. The relaxation of visa requirements is a gesture of the willingness of the French government to facilitate exchanges between St. Lucia and the French Overseas Departments. The measure is, however, experimental as the French authorities intend to monitor the flow of St. Lucians visiting the French territories. Furthermore, for visits of more than fifteen days, regulations will also be relaxed - although a visa will still be required. This is reported in both The Voice and Star newspapers.
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Multi-million dollar facelift for Sulphur Springs
An Interpretation Centre, restaurant, trails, additional viewing platforms, washroom facilities, a gift shop, improved facilities for vendors, enhanced parking space and additional training of tour guides - to the sum of EC$3.5 million: this summarises the 'tourism enhancement package' for Soufriere's Sulphur Springs. The multi-million dollar facelift is expected to be completed by September, and is meant to make the already famous live volcano the island's premier tourism attraction. Special care is being paid to ensure that local residents in particular, and St. Lucians in general, benefit foremost from the project. Already, the government has constructed a new access road via the historical Rabot Estate, and telephone, water and electricity supplies have been brought into the area at large as part of the Sulphur Springs enhancement package. Furthermore, a Gros Islet company has been contracted to perform the construction work, which will involve labourers from the Soufriere area. The project is funded by the Soufriere Regional Development Foundation, the Canadian International Development Agency and the government of St. Lucia. Earlier, in 1997, similar plans were scrapped due to the unsuitability of the original site. This is reported in The Voice.
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'Press Club' off air following new RSL board
The appointment of a new board for the St. Lucia Broadcasting Corporation (better known as Radio St. Lucia, or RSL) has so far led to the resignation of one talkshow host: Claudius Francis. Francis, who hosted 'The Press Club' every Sunday afternoon on Radio St. Lucia, in a press release this week said that his decision was due to the fact that the did not "feel comfortable" working with RSL's new chairman, Geoff Fedee. Fedee replaces Lindon Fevrier. Other newly elected members to the board of RSL are Shelton Daniel, Monty Maxwell, Clement Prospere, Claudia Francis and Theresa Mason. The new board was announced on Monday by prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony. Dr. Anthony promised to make a budgetary allocation for the radio station's needs, especially with respect to upgrading the building where it is housed at The Morne. Dr. Anthony said he is "confident that the new Board will be able to provide the new beginning the station needs to live up to its responsibilities as one of the last national broadcasting entities that also has the capacity to reach and serve the Caribbean as a whole". This is reported in The Voice. A few months ago, RSL became the subject of heated debate between media workers and the government, following the previous chairman's decision to curtail popular talkshow host Sam 'Juk Bois' Flood's editorial liberties.
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WIBDECO allows SLBC to sell to Geest
The Windward Islands Banana Development and Exporting Company (WIBDECO) is not going to try to stop the St. Lucia Banana Corporation (SLBC) from selling its bananas directly to Geest. This was decided last Thursday at a WIBDECO board meeting held in St. Vincent. WIBDECO has instructed its directors on the Geest Board not to obstruct or prevent the company from buying SLBC fruit. WIBDECO owns fifty percent of Geest; the other fifty percent belongs to Fyffes. According to SLBC chairman Patrick Joseph, Fyffes also has no objections to Geest buying directly from the SLBC. WIBDECO's compliance is surprising in the light of recent clashes between the regional banana marketing company and the privatised, SLBC [see last week's news]. This is reported in The Voice.
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Sandmining: ongoing destruction of beaches and turtles
Sandmining once more makes headlines after allegations that intense sandmining took place at Anse de Sable beach in Vieux Fort, earlier this week. A photograph and article in The Mirror show that sand was being removed from the beach, which hitherto had been relatively unaffected by this illegal activity. According to an engineer attached to the Vieux Fort office of the Ministry of Communication and Works, there exists an agreement between the ministry and "one gentleman" to periodically remove thirty cubic yards of sand in order to clear the river mouth at Anse de Sables. However, this week's sandmining activity is alleged to have been on a much larger scale than the specified thirty cubic yards. As far as the engineer is aware, no other permits have been issued, and the matter will be reported to the police if the allegation of illegal sandmining activity proves to be valid.
Meanwhile, another article in The Mirror focuses on the results of the mainly illegal, large-scale sandmining at Grande Anse beach, in the north-east of the island. This has had dramatic consequences for turtle nesting, among other things. The author of the article claims that turtles in St. Lucia have no chance of survival - due to ecological disruptions and the recent return to active turtle hunting [see last week's news]. "In the past, the Fisheries Department were so concerned about the turtle situation that they actually employed wardens to patrol the beaches during the nesting season. The wardens' services were discontinued when sandmining increased to such a pitch that without police support their task became impossible and the National Trust was advised to take care of matters". The article implores the department to share more fully the data on which it bases its opinion that St. Lucia's turtle population is once again large enough to sustain hunting. "If the Fisheries Department has more accurate and up-to-date data it would be nice if they would share this information with the public who are still dreaming of St. Lucia as a turtle paradise where tourists make photo-safaris to the beaches to see the turtles and where scientists spend time to study our local fauna".
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St. Lucia Distillers tops world's best
St. Lucia Distillers walked away from the 11th Caribbean Rum Fest with an unrivalled fifteen medals: four gold, five silver and six bronze - making for the greatest number of prizes won by any one company out of the 37 competitors from around the world.
With entries from distilleries in the English, French and Spanish-speaking Caribbean, Central and South America, the US, Hawaii, Tahiti and New Zealand, St. Lucia Distillers topped the ranks in all five categories, namely: spice and flavoured rum, overproof rum, regular rum, premium rum and white rum. This is reported in The Star and Voice.
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Fond d'Or Park open: Morne Sion to be continued
The Fond d'Or Nature and Historical Park is the latest jewel in the crown of the St. Lucia Nature Heritage Tourism Programme, due to be opened this Sunday the 27th. The 418-acre Fond d'Or Park is located in the heart of the Mabouya Valley, and boasts attractions such as an old sugar mill and curing house, hiking trails taking visitors past a wide range of medicinal herbs and trees, horseback riding, donkey cart rides, and rafting. According to Mabouya Valley Development Programme community liaison officer Evestus Augustin, the Fond d'Or project was undertaken in a bid to combat illegal sandmining. "What the people of Mabouya Valley need, what St. Lucia needs, is a community-based initiative that will help the real people of the island - Heritage Tours is bringing us just that". Three more heritage tourism sites are expected to be open by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, restoration of the Morne Sion Sugar Mill in Choiseul is expected to recommence following a grant of US$13,000 from the Italian/UNESCO Funds in Trust project. This project, which is also supported by the Heritage Tourism Project, involves the young leaders group of the Choiseul Secondary School under the guidance of Pertula George. The project won acclaim in 1998 as part of a regional Young Leaders Programme but had to be abandoned when funds ran out. The new financial impetus has been secured with the help of Foreign Affairs minister George Odlum. Both events are reported in The Star.
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Police to search for illegal firearms
The police have announced a vehicle 'Stop-and-Search' programme to be implemented in the coming weeks in an attempt to curb the possession and use of illegal firearms. The offensive comes in the wake of several firearm incidents, some of which involved wounding and death. Last Saturday, a resident of Grass Street, Castries, was shot to death in cold blood by one of three gunmen, and subsequently robbed. The Thursday Voice announces the stop-and-search exercise; The Crusader reports on the shooting death.
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'Paba' Anthony receives St. Lucia Cross
Father Patrick Anthony has been awarded the nation's highest honour, the St. Lucia Cross, as part of St. Lucia's 21st Independence anniversary. 'Paba' Anthony received the Cross for distinguished community service and his outstanding contributions to theology and cultural development. Roderick Walcott received the St. Lucia Medal of Honour gold for his eminent and outstanding contribution to the literary and performing arts. Other awards were as follows.
St. Lucia Medal of Honour silver: Laurent John, Madrie Mason and Pastor Alfred Lewis. St. Lucia Medal of Honour bronze: Carlos Stephen, Stanley French and Kendal Hippolyte. St. Lucia Medal of Merit silver: Joseph 'Rameau' Poleon, Jules Joseph and Gerald Guard. Les Pitons Medal gold: Edison Ernest, Royce Stanislaus and Dorothy Pilgrim MBE. Les Pitons Medal silver: Nathan Phillips, Carlton Felix, and Francis Blanchard. Les Pitons Medal bronze: Albert Long Randolph Quinlan and Gregory Williams. St. Lucia Public Service, Long Service awards: Don Rosemond, Vernon Joseph, Majorie Braithwaite, Majorie Lake, Joseph Combie, Kenneth Arthur, Chriselda Branford, Felix Mathurin, Carl Marshall, Martinus Francis, Remy Charles, James Joseph, Linus Gaillard, and Marina Henry.
The Star reports this.
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Odlum criticises 'horrible work ethic'
"We must make our Ministry and our Overseas Missions more efficient and pro-active than we have been hitherto. The horrible work ethic and the sloppiness in the workplace which currently exist cannot continue. The people of St. Lucia pay our salaries and it is a form of dishonesty to accept pay for the lack of commitment and dedication that I see around. We are not here to mark time. Foreign Service is expensive and we must feel the sense of duty and devotion to help our Community to transform itself to meet the stringent demands of the Global World". These harsh, albeit constructively-intended words came from minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, George Odlum, at a recent meeting of overseas representatives for St. Lucia and members of staff from his own ministry. As Odlum announced in his speech, "We must use this opportunity, as 'Mamai-la-caye' to be brutally frank and analytical". It is presumably in this light that Odlum told St. Lucia's overseas consuls and other representatives, as well as the ministry's own employees in Castries, that: "We have to jettison the old clock-watching culture. We must not hide to play computer games all day while the goals of the Ministry take a back-seat. We must develop a new work ethic which will impel us to produce instead of just hanging around waiting to be posted overseas. We must develop a new professionalism which does not only favour friend but rewards competence, character and commitment. ... The new philosophy cannot settle for mediocrity and cosiness. We must all be born again if we are to help the people of St. Lucia into the New Millennium".
Odlum outlined three immediate priorities for foreign office staff, namely to inform St. Lucians of the dramatic developments currently taking place on the global scene and the implications they hold for St. Lucia; to devise new policies and strategies to absorb some of the shock which the island's vulnerability attracts, and, lastly, to make the ministry of Foreign Affairs and St. Lucia's overseas missions more efficient and pro-active than they have been. Odlum's speech is printed in its entirety in this week's Crusader.
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