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Prospects for banana farmers dismal after further price drop
The return of Middle American bananas onto the world market after hurricane Mitch last year; a weak Sterling exchange rate; the rainy season and - alleged by The Mirror newspaper - deliberate undercutting of prices in the British market by the Board of Del Monte - these are the factors that combinedly make the current (and future) position of St. Lucian banana farmers a dismal one. This week, the St. Lucia Banana Corporation has had to drop its prices for bananas drastically, by ten cents per pound, thus bringing the price for certified fruit to 54 cents per pound and those for other qualities to 44 and 28 cents. Tropical Quality Fruit reduced its price for certified fruit by 15 cents earlier this month.
In a press release this week, the SLBC disclosed that since October 1998, it has subsidised banana prices to the tune of EC$9 million. This is consistent with the company's policy to pay farmers a price to cover their cost of production and to enable them to make a reasonable profit. Over the last few weeks, the SLBC has tried to make new arrangements with Geest, WIBDECO, the government and the European Union - all of whom are signatories to the Banana Recovery Plan which guarantees a stable price for 18 months - but it found a decrease in price unavoidable. In a statement, the SLBC promised farmers that it will continue to do its best to secure the highest price possible for growers.
Blom-Cooper inquiry finds "high degree of maladministration"
Prime-minister Kenny Anthony has referred the Blom-Cooper report to the Director of Public Prosecutions, to see if any legal action can and should be brought against any one of the persons whom the Commission of Inquiry holds responsible for "serious malpractices and maladministration in government". According to The Mirror newspaper, however, it is not likely that legal action will be taken against any of the persons whose actions are condemned in the report, as it only states that: "no actual corruption has been found; only a high degree of maladministration in government, amounting in some instances to impropriety on the part of ministers and, palpably, one public official".
The Blom-Cooper report concludes the following:
"I have identified in this report certain aspects of serious malpractices and maladministration in government. A senior civil servant [Ausbert d'Auvergne] disregarded, if not positively defied, a clear prohibition on engaging at any time in any private activity which might be in conflict with, or harmful to Government; a breach by a former Minister of Government [Peter Josie] of the strict rules relating to governmental contracts; and a series of acts of mismanagement, not to say improper action by the chairman and chief executive [Peter Philip] of a government agency established to manage Government housing. Each of these public service delinquencies needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency, with the exception of Mr Josie's pardonable offence at Vieux-Fort. [...]
But more - a great deal more - will be needed to dispel the pervasive influence of the culture that I have identified. Otherwise, the allegations of corruption which prompted the Government to establish the Commission, will continue to flow. The suspicion in the public's mind that the machinery of government is not working, and consequently that corruption is rife, is almost as damaging to the public weal as individual corruption itself. Good governance, which can be sustained only by training and education in public administration, is the key to the future stability and development in the territories of the Eastern Caribbean. The culture of indifference or inattention to public accountability has now (at last) been, by implication, addressed in the shape of the new (post-May 1997) Government in St Lucia which appropriately decided to set up a Commission of Inquiry pursuant to a clear commitment in its election manifesto. The new Government in St Lucia has been uncomfortably aware of the past backwardness in good governance. That recognition is a necessary first step towards dispelling the culture. The second step, it is to be hoped, will come with publication of this report. [...].
But, given these prerequisites to reform, change will not come overnight.
An impetus towards a changed attitude in the various departments of Government will be necessary. If Government has at least put St Lucia on the road to "good governance" by encouraging the exposure of past failures, the future demands a permanent searchlight.
( Read the full text of the Blom-Cooper report.)
Protest action imminent at Boys Training Centre
The Civil Service Association (CSA) is starting a protest action to draw the attention of the media, public and government to the abominable living and working conditions at the Boys Training Centre at Massade, Gros Islet. One newspaper (The Mirror) describes the institution as a 'Prison Hell for Boys' and calls it the 'Hellhouse on the Hill'. On Saturday, the CSA is taking broadcast reporters on a tour of the deteriorated facility. The St. Lucia Boys Training Centre was established in 1961, to help maladjusted boys to learn economic and social skills that would help them stop 'sinking through the social cracks'. Boys who are threatening to get caught up in the downward spiral of drug dealing, theft and gun crime can be sent to the training centre by the court. At present, the BTC has nineteen residents. In its last budget, government allocated $200,000 to move BTC temporarily to the nearby Scouts Headquarters. Furthermore, last year, a management audit revealed that the training centre is so dysfunctional, it might be doing more harm than good. "Leaking roofs, broken windows, no air conditioning, one toilet for staff and none for residents, no fence, no security officers, and more runaway boys than boys in custody.. the list goes on", The Mirror writes. "The promise of brand new quarters in Vieux Fort hovers just out of reach, but in the meantime, BTC lives and works under a leaking roof and in a rising heat that makes the smell of unflushed faeces worse. Meanwhile, boys from 11-18 are learning how to survive under the worst possible conditions - a kind of training ground for the prison that is being prepared for them just south of Dennery".
The Civil Service Association, which represents the staff of the training centre, intends a protest action which will stop work without leaving the boys unattended. (The Mirror 31/7)
Reef restoration underway at Choc Bay
By placing some four hundred concrete reef balls in Choc Bay, Wyndham Resort has launched an attempt to revive the dying coral reefs in this bay. Similar concrete balls (with holes for the fish to take refuge) have proved to form successful artifical reefs in other locations around the Caribbean. The aim of the project is threefold: to provide a healthier eco-system, additional protection from wave action for the Choc Bay beach, and greater interest in snorkelling and diving. Visitors to the island are involved in the execution of the project.
SLHTA calls for mainstream tourism education in schools
The president of the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association, Noel Cadasse, calls upon the government to introduce tourism education as a mainstream subject in schools around the island. "Emphasis must be placed and inculcated in our youth at an early stage for an appreciation of the importance of service occupations. This is the direction in which the economy is heading and it is abundantly clear that the education system is not producing potential employees with attitudes that are conducive to working in this industry". Cadasse made his observation at the quarterly general meeting of the SLHTA, last Wednesday. He also called upon government to provide expand the budget allocated to the tourist board. Overall, the SLHTA offered positive quarterly figures and is optimistic about the future.
C&W internet summer school draws hundreds
Five hundred students are attending the Cable and Wireless Internet Summer School in Castries, and another two hundred are expected to start a six-week programme in Vieux Fort on August 3rd. The summer school - a programme offered free of charge - is designed to assist students in learning how to use the internet effectively. Participants receive hands-on training.
C&W is also donating $50,000 and technical expertise to the Ministry of Education in order to set up an internet point of presence at the ministry. This will then act as an internet service provider for schools in St. Lucia.
Preparations for opening free zone Vieux Fort underway
Organisations involved in the operations of the St. Lucia Goods Distribution Free Zone in Vieux Fort - at the site of the old runway - are currently in Miami to familiarise themselves with the running of the Miami Free Zone. The field trip is organised by the National Development Corporations. Further trips to Curacao and Panama are scheduled for later this year. The Vieux Fort Free Zone, which is a gift of the People's Republic of China to St. Lucia, is set to open in November.
Emancipation Day commemoration grips St. Lucia
The celebration of Emancipation from Slavery, on August 1st 1834, is gripping the imagination of St. Lucians. For the first time this year, August 1st has been declared a public holiday. Various newspapers devote attention to Emancipation Day, with some contributors debating its relevance to today's world, and others asking aloud whether freedom from physical slavery has also meant freedom of 'mental slavery'. While these debates are slowly gaining momentum, the government has planned a series of activities to 'Celebrate our Liberty', as the official catch cry has it. On Sunday August 1st, at 4 p.m., a model of the National Heroes Monument is unveiled, marking the start of a public fund raising drive by the National Heroes Park Committee. On Monday August 2nd, a special music festival takes place at Derek Walcott Square, starting at 4 p.m. On August 7, the film 'Unwanted Remembrances' is aired on local television stations - a story of bondage produced by the University of Vienna. On August 14, Micheal Aubertin's "Strategic withdrawal" is presented. On August 23rd, the UNESCO lecture on "The slave trade and abolition" takes place and August 26th marks the observance of the anniversary of 'The Rights of Man and the Citizen". The month of activities ends with the La Rose festival, on August 30th, in various communities around the island. (The Voice).
Yvah Odlum dies in road accident
Prime Minster Kenny Anthony has expressed "deep regret and heartfelt condolences" to parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Community Development, Jon Odlum, and his Foreign Affairs Minister George Odlum on the tragic death of their daughter and niece, Yvah Odlum.
Yvah Odlum died early Thursday morning, July 29th, as the result of a road accident. She was riding a motorcycle, heading home, when around 2.30 a.m. she was struck by a mini bus in the Bonne Terre/Gros Islet highway junction. It is believed that she died instantly. Yvah Odlum had returned to St. Lucia earlier this year from studying in California. She was the only daughter of Jon and Mona Odlum, and leaves to mourn a daughter, her parents, four brothers and further family and friends. Yvah was 33 years of age.
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