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Weekly feature by Edward Harris |
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Quotes:
"And only Smarth Duah could make the economy the second most important subject in the week of the Budget".
(The Mirror, 31st March)
"The point must be made, however, that St. Lucians do have a passion for moaning and complaining. But when too many people are moaning and groaning, and doing so all the time, the reasons or causes for their discomfort cannot be ignored".
The Mirror on the paradoxical situation of there being being reported economic growth yet despondency amongst businesspeople and ordinary folk (31st March).
"We are getting accustomed to poverty. We are developing an excellent cadre of beggars in St. Lucia. And wherever people don't eat, there is crime".
Minister of Foreign Affairs George Odlum, speech on 'The Politics of Survival' at Chamber of Commerce luncheon (The Mirror, 31st March).
"We are waiting to see if the company comes up with its promises. It is all a learning process".
Minister of Labour, Velon John, on the overnight pull-out of informatics company PLU (The Crusader, 1st April).
"We can't blame politicians for lacking vision and foresight. That's like asking turtles to run fast before the Japanese catch them".
Jason Sifflet (The Mirror, 31st March).
"Mr. Editor, this crap must stop".
Letter to The Mirror about minibus drivers going on a wild-cat strike (31st March).
"Never have I heard the Creole language spoken in such simplicity, as is spoken in every nook and cranny of our country by the masses, and not as spoken by our 'Creole Scholars'. So often I have had the opportunity to listen to the Creole Language being spoken to citizens via television, radio or in public for that matter, finding it very difficult trying to comprehend the messages in these speeches. Not so with Her Excellency".
Tyrone Robert Harris, letter to The Voice, on Governor-General Dame Pearlette Louisy's command of Creole (1st April).
"There is room for improvement in the accuracy of criminal records held on the Police National Computer, many of which contain only a name and no date of birth or other identifying particulars".
From the 1998 report 'Institutional appraisal and strategic review of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force' (The Crusader, 1st April).
"So, for example, it is still an offence in Saint Lucia to roll a hogshead on the street, to be a female in male attire (presumably trousers), to whistle without an excuse, to sing an insulting song or to fly a kite".
Governor-General Dame Pearlette Louisy, Throne Speech 2000. (The Voice, 1st April). |
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PLU informatics closes overnight: 70+ unemployed
Between 72 and 80 persons unexpectedly found themselves on the breadline this week after the local management of Palma, Lazar and Ulsh (PLU), an informatics firm based at the Union Informatics Park, fled the island late last week. PLU management gave no prior notice and left behind debts amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Unpaid salaries for the month of March reportedly amount to EC$109,000 whilst the company is also said to owe the National Insurance Scheme contributions dating back to August 1999, a sum amounting to EC$90,000.
Cable & Wireless, Lucelec, Advance Builders, Sanitary Upkeeps, Renwick, Glace Motors and some private individuals are also said to be creditors. Meanwhile, PLU has promised to honour its March payroll whilst according to the National Development Corporation (NDC) - the body that manages the island's industrial estates - PLU is trying to re-open its Union factory at a later date, or else have a new company take over the premises. All newspapers report extensively on this.
Distressed workers first found out about the sudden closure last week Thursday or Friday. Staff had been given Thursday and Friday off because, as manager Kate Yanity had explained, the company's server needed to be repaired. When a worker later passed by the factory, he found a note stuck on the factory gate, written by PLU's Philadelphia-based Executive Vice President Christopher Mallon, and addressed to all PLU employees. It was headed "Suspension of operations in St. Lucia" and further read: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, PLU will be suspending operations at the Union Informatics Park immediately. It is our hope that the current economic and industry issues can be resolved so that work can once again commence. Any current salary owed to PLU employees will be paid through the normal direct deposit. PLU regrets any inconvenience this may cause and thanks you in advance for your cooperation". The notice was post-dated Monday 27th March - the day on which staff was expected to return to work. According to The Crusader, Mallon was in St. Lucia on Wednesday of last week and had discussions with PLU's St. Lucia-based manager, American national Kate Yanity. That same Wednesday night, the factory was closed down. Workers who went to Yanity's home on Friday morning found the place locked and a phone call to Immigration confirmed that Yanity had already left the island for the United States.
Following the unexpected and unceremonious closure of PLU, a group of some forty upset members of staff last Wednesday sought to have their concerns addressed at the Ministry of Labour. They are primarily worried about payment of salaries and the fact that their personal belongings remain locked inside the factory building. After a corps of some seven police officers was hastily brought in, a delegation of workers eventually met with Labour Commissioner Andrew James and Deputy permanent secretary Ingrid Bullard. At this meeting, a letter was revealed from PLU top-man Mallon, addressed to the NDC. In this letter, PLU apologises for "the manner in which this business decision was executed" and promises that all workers will be paid as usual by the 31st of March. The Labour Commissioner has announced that he will await the deadline for salary payment before undertaking further action. The NDC, according to General Manager Elizabeth Soomer, has confirmed that it will follow the same policy. According to a press release from the NDC, following communication with PLU in the US, the company's overnight closure was the result of the fact that it had "lost two major contracts required to keep its operations in St. Lucia and the USA going for the year 2000". PLU blames the "decline in the US mortgage market". The NDC elaborates on this by explaining that PLU "benefits from the outsourcing of work in the area of flood hazard-risk assessments from major banks and insurance companies". According to PLU's Christopher Mallon, by 21st of April, "all concerned would know where they stand".
Although the NDC can take legal action against PLU through the Embassy in the US should the company fail to pay its debts, including severance pay and social benefits, The Star reports that NDC appears to be hesitant to get "too radical" with PLU and Mallon. "He's still important in our venture to get other contacts", NDC manager Soomer is quoted as saying.
PLU's overnight departure is all the more shocking since the informatics factory has in recent times been hailed as the island's flagship factory. Only two weeks ago, NDC's Soomer praised the company during the radio programme 'Hot Bakes and Cocoa Tea', and as recently as January 21st, The Mirror reported that prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony, on a tour of the Union Industrial Estate and the PLU factory, said he was "impressed" and deemed the activity he witnessed at PLU "a tremendous experience".
According to The Mirror, "the workers of PLU are not your average everyday, semi-educated, labour-hungry factory workers. They are all tertiary education graduates and the starting salary was $1500 a month. They were supposed to be the future of the NDC factory shells, replacing the less stable, low income textile and assembly plant workers with better educated, better paid mind workers. They represented the new, modern, hi-tech talent the island needs to cultivate". Partly because of this, several PLU employees "were increasingly reliant on their salaries and the company encouraged it. Up to one week before closing, Yanity signed job letters for staff members to get large loans for home improvement and vehicles".
PLU's departure elicits biting remarks from several commentators in this week's newspapers, all of whom question the long-term benefits of a policy dedicated to luring foreign investors with incentives and tax waivers, only to see such companies flee the island unexpectedly, leaving behind financial debts and unemployment. Earlier this year, garment factory Belle Fashions in Dennery closed down after some twenty years in operation, without notifying its staff. Hundreds of workers were left unemployed.
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Smart Duah sent into hiding, fearing deportation
Smart Duah has been sent into hiding by his lawyer, Colin Foster, following unofficial reports that the government intended to deport the 24-year-old Nigerian. This, despite a court order ruling that Duah be allowed to remain in St. Lucia until his application for refugee status has been decided, and that he may only be deported if this application is refused [see last week's news]. The Mirror and Crusader report this. The Crusader further adds that "it was strongly rumoured that the government had decided, although not exactly in a Cabinet meeting, that Duah should be sought by the relevant authorities that night and sent packing onto a Concord flight from Barbados to Germany and then onto Nigeria".
To prevent Duah from being deported prematurely, the team of human rights activists who represent the Nigerian had High Court Orders served on prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony, Home Affairs minister Velon John, Foreign Affairs minister George Odlum, the Immigration Department and the Police this week, cautioning them strongly against flouting last week's court order.
Smart Duah entered St. Lucia in 1996 and overstayed his visitor's visa. He was eventually arrested and although not charged within the mandatory 72 hours of his arrest, a court later ruled that he was an illegal immigrant and must be deported back to Nigeria. This, however, was not done and Duah remained unlawfully detained for almost 3-1/2 years. A ticket sent by his family in Nigeria for his return was ignored by both the immigration authorities and the ministry of Legal Affairs, and allowed to expire.
Some weeks ago, Justice D'Auvergne ruled that Duah had been imprisoned illegally and should be released immediately. Following this, Duah filed a request for political asylum - a matter ordinarily decided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Last week Thursday, however, the entire cabinet of government ministers and permanent secretaries took a vote to decide the outcome of Duah's application. Officially, the outcome of this vote has not been made public. In a page-long 'Statement by Government of Saint Lucia on the Smart Duah Affair' published (as a paid advertisement) in this week's Crusader, Voice and Star newspapers and described in The Mirror, attorney-general Petrus Compton explains that "in a democratic and open manner the Cabinet of Ministers came to its decision. However Cabinet also agreed to refrain from making any statement or taking any action in relation to Mr. Duah. Cabinet agreed that notwithstanding its decision, further dialogue should be had between the Honourable Prime Minister, the Minister of Home [and Legal] Affairs and any other persons whom they agreed to consult. Cabinet was also minded of its duty to obey the Order of the high Court, notwithstanding the contradictory language of that Order, and was minded that its decision not to act immediately would allow that Order to be complied with".
In other words: the ministers and permanent secretaries have voted and decided whether or not to grant Smart Duah political asylum but they do not wish to make that decision public and, furthermore, they might still change it. As the attorney-general further states: "The Honourable Prime Minister and Chairman of Cabinet has since agreed to direct the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to again address Cabinet in order to advise whether any new information has come to hand which could assist Cabinet and cause a review of its decision".
Although the government has declined to make its decision public, The Mirror writes that "it has been widely believed that a great majority of Ministers voted against Smart Duah on that day" (the paper further says it understands that only three ministers voted in favour of Duah). The Crusader quotes a permanent secretary as saying "I'll go with government, to send him back to Nigeria". The Star, finally, states that "Duah ... has failed to find support among Cabinet members for his application for political asylum, despite earlier pleas from Odlum that compassion be shown to the Nigerian".
Breaking some of cabinet's silence this week was George Odlum, who had earlier advised his colleagues to vote in favour of granting Duah asylum. After Thursday's secret vote, Odlum spoke out publicly on the issue during a Chamber of Commerce luncheon, in front of a delegation of twelve Chinese businesspersons who were visiting the island. Speaking on 'The politics of survival', Odlum pleaded Duah's case, saying: "He committed no crime other than overstaying. More than the amount of people we have in St. Lucia are at present overstaying in America and England. They have not been thrown in prisons. ... If we consider overstaying a crime, he has paid more than enough languishing in a St. Lucian jail. And that is a particular kind of jail. As the minister of Foreign Affairs of this country, it is my duty to speak out on the international scene. And I speak out in support of Africa. ... We must demonstrate to the world that we are a humane people. A people to break new ground in human rights and even if we are not signatories to relevant human rights instruments we must show the attitude and the colour of our thinking when dealing with people of the world". Odlum is quoted in The Crusader, Star and Mirror.
The Voice carries the attorney-general's advertisement but no further news report on the Duah case.
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Minibus driver shot in cold blood
St. Lucia suffered a week of violence, with newspapers reporting on one cold-blooded murder and two separate incidents of alleged police violence.
A 33-year-old minibus driver from Cacoa, Babonneau was shot three times in the chest at point blank range whilst sitting in his vehicle waiting his turn on the queue. The murder occurred very early on Wednesday morning, opposite George V Park. Dead is Elias 'Elvis' Lionel. There are no eyewitnesses. Police found six .22 cartridges in the vehicle and one of the car's windows was shattered inwards. Robbery has been ruled out and police are now investigating a possible drug link. Family and friends of Lionel, however, believe the killer may have mistaken his victim's identity. The murder comes four weeks after Augustin 'Top Knotch Joe' Edgar was shot in a similar 'contract killer'-manner in Grass Street, Castries. Police have not yet made any arrests in that case. The Star also reports on the murder.
The Voice reports that 28-year-old Rockhall resident Haynes Alexander has lodged a complaint with the CID, stating that he was arrested for "misbehaving" and subsequently beaten up by uniformed policemen. He allegedly sustained a broken left arm, amongst other injuries. This occurred on Saturday 25th March. Alexander claims a bull-pistle, a shovel and a mop stick were used in the attack. Alexander has been told that the matter will be brought to the attention of the Police Commissioner.
The Crusader, finally, reports on the case of 20-year-old Kerwin Charles who last Sunday allegedly was "punched, kicked and had his head slammed against the wall of the nightclub [Indies] twice by a plain clothes police officer. According to Charles, he was involved in a brawl inside Indies nightclub that was eventually broken up by security staff and a plain-clothes police officer. Charles' opponents were allowed to leave, he alleges, but he himself was beaten up by the policeman who subsequently took him to the Gros Islet police station. There, Charles says, he was pulled out of the vehicle by his feet. He hit his head on the pavement, causing his scalp to split. "He then dragged me inside the station and cuffed me in my face again several times. Then he pulled a gun on me and he said if it was outside Indies, he would have shot me". Charles was then allegedly kicked in the face, causing the upper part of his nose to fracture. Eventually, three other police officers intervened and Charles was taken to Victoria Hospital where X-rays revealed that his nose was indeed broken. According to The Crusader, no charges have been filed against Charles nor has he been requested to give a statement. Charles has not filed a complaint, the newspaper adds, since he does not know the name of the policeman allegedly involved.
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24-year-old sentenced to death
Last Monday, Elishus Louis (24) was sentenced to hang after a 12-member jury found him guilty of the murder of Azard Carter Henry. Henry, 18 at the time, was killed with a single gunshot in the George Charles Boulevard on 28th July 1996 at 8:15 pm. Three eyewitnesses testified that they had heard several gunshots and then seen Louis put away a gun and leave the scene. Last week, another accused in the same case was released due to lack of evidence.
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EC Express and taxidrivers temporarily agree
Following a meeting last Sunday, EC Express has temporarily put on hold its plans to start an airborne shuttle service between Hewanorra airport in Vieux Fort, and GFL Charles airport in Castries. The plan, which was announced by spokesman Allen Chastanet during a television talk show the previous week, caused anger amongst the members of the Southern Taxi Association [see last week's news]. The one hundred taxi drivers argue that such a shuttle service would "deprive them of much-needed income". EC Express denies that this would be the case, saying that in the long run, EC Express' activity at Hewanorra airport would prove to be a benefit to taxi operators rather than a loss. He further argued that taxi drivers must realise that already, Air Jamaica, of which EC Express is a subsidiary, provides taxi drivers with the greatest percentage of their business and "while the taxi drivers were paying just over EC$7400 for the concession to operate at Hewanorra, EC Express was also paying its dues, over EC one million dollars a year in landing fees with another million going to St. Lucia Catering Services". The Voice reports this. The Tuesday Voice and Star also report on the matter. EC Express has promised to put out a position paper before moving to apply for permission for the shuttle service.
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New home for Sessene Descartes
Marie 'Sessene' Descartes, the Queen of Folk who this week celebrates her birthday, stands to receive a new home from the ministry of Community Development and Culture. This is announced in The Voice. A piece of land has already been chosen and construction will start sometime this year. According to the ministry, Sessene's new home will eventually be metamorphosed into a Folk Heritage Museum, to be dedicated to the memory of the Queen of Folk music.
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Branch of herbalist organisation in St. Lucia
In a bid to bring together herbalists, scientists, physicians, scientists, agriculturalists, pharmacists, students and entrepreneurs, St. Lucia last Sunday launched its own division of the Caribbean Association of Researchers and Herbal Practioners (CARAPA). This organisation, which was first established in Trinidad in 1998, aims to promote the appropriate use of indigenous Caribbean herbs, based on sound information about their properties and therapeutic effectiveness. At a meeting at Balenbouche Estate in Choiseul, more than 35 persons from around the island elected the first steering committee. St. Lucia's representative at CARAPA is Dr. Gilbertha St. Rose. On 7-9th July of this year, CARAPA will hold its third annual workshop in Jamaica. The fourth workshop will take place in St. Lucia, in the year 2001. The Tuesday Voice, Mirror and Crusader all report this.
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No more leaded petrol after August 2000
The use of leaded petrol in vehicles will be phased out by the end of August this year, forcing all motorists on the island to use the environmentally cleaner but more expensive unleaded variety. This was announced by prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony during his budget address, last Tuesday. Unleaded petrol currently costs $6.42 a gallon at the pump, whereas leaded sells for $6.06. According to the prime minister, the change is motivated by the fact that leaded petrol is harmful to human beings and the environment. "The true cost of continuing to use leaded petrol includes the cost of producing it, the cost of treating the illnesses which it causes, and the environmental cost", said Dr. Anthony.
Although for the moment, the cost of petrol on the island is being kept the same despite the rising oil prices on the world market, this is being done at "significant cost" to the government, Dr. Anthony further said. Government subsidises the price of petrol to some extent. Otherwise, the prime minister said, leaded petrol would now have cost $8.03 a gallon and unleaded $8.47. Dr. Anthony said he does not intend to raise fuel prices at this time in order to keep inflation down, unless the negative effects of such an approach will come to outweigh the benefits. The Mirror reports this.
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Concerns about animals at Magical Circus
The veterinarian clinic of Dr. Keith Scotland, the St. Lucia Animal Protection Society (SLAPS) and the acting chief veterinary officer Dr. Darius Gabriel have all received complaints from members of the public who are concerned about the conditions under which the animals of a visiting travelling circus are being kept. The circus has given twice daily performances at Vigie since last month. The last show finished on the 20th March. According to The Star, which dedicates a page to the issue: "For close to a week, the animals of the visiting Magical Circus have been left exposed to the baking sun and pounding rain, their cages packed in a tight row - baboons on top, lions and tigers below - on a trailer destined for the show's next Caribbean port". It is claimed that the animals have not had any exercise since they were locked in their cages on the 20th March, they are said not to be fed and watered regularly enough and security is supposedly lax, with members of the public being able to wander in and touch the animals. From the time the circus arrived on the island, SLAPS issued an appeal in the media to boycot any circus with performing animals.
According to acting chief veterinary officer Gabriel: "I am not in favour of cruelty to animals in any shape or form, but there are no laws in place in St. Lucia and until legislation is drawn up, there is very little we can do". The government only checks to see if the animals have the correct documentation and do not carry infectious diseases. Also, the size of the cages in which the animals are being kept, comply with the existing regulations set out by the International Animal Transportation Association. Gabriel further said: "Rather than making emotional responses, those concerned about animal rights should lobby government in an objective way and seek to have legislation introduced which would guarantee the protection of animals".
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Optimistic unemployment figures in budget queried
The economy is up by 3.1 percent and unemployment is down by 3.4 percent. This was the optimistic message prime minister and minister of Finance, Dr Kenny Anthony, brought to the nation during the presentation of his $726.4 million budget address, last Tuesday. The growth in the island's economy is the highest in seven years and the new budget, Dr. Anthony added, is designed to further "strengthen, modernise and reposition the economy". On the whole, this week's newspapers pay remarkably little attention to the budget for 2000/2001: with The Mirror, Voice and Star each devoting just about half a page to the topic and The Crusader none.
Furthermore, in their commentaries, both The Star and The Mirror place question marks on the positive figures presented in the budget, as well as with the figures published by the Statistical Department [see last week's news] stating that unemployment is down (from 21.5 percent in 1998 to 18.1 percent in 1999). The Mirror urges the government to investigate why, if the economy is up and unemployment down, "there is so much despondency, with business people and ordinary folk alike complaining about conditions and the fact that things are bad". The paper also established that the prime minister used one-year-old data from the Chamber of Commerce's business performance survey "to sell the nation the notion that confidence in the government, locally as well as from abroad, was extremely high".
In a similar vein, the 18.1 percent unemployment figure quoted by the statistical department last week and mentioned by the prime minister in his budget address, does not tally with figures given in The Voice on 20th January of this year, where it was reported, also based on official figures, that unemployment was still over 20 percent in St. Lucia. Similarly, at the 115th annual general meeting of the Chamber of Commerce in November 1999, Dr. Anthony reportedly said: "In terms of the general economic climate the outlook for St. Lucia is positive. ... The dark spot on the economic spectrum continues to be unemployment and the associated ravages of poverty and deprivation. These we are not so proud of but are attempting to address" (The Star, 27th November 1999).
Click here for the Budget 2000 speeches.
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