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Quotes:
"Even when my dog is sick I take it to the vet; I will never ask someone to shoot it".
Dennis Dabreo on the allegedly cold-blooded shooting by a policeman of escaped prisoner Alfred Harding (One Caribbean, 2nd Dec).
"We need respect - respect for self, respect for others, respect for life".
Member of the public commenting on the shooting death of Harding (The Star, 2nd Dec).
"When Magistrate Fraser suggested that [the accused] would never touch her again if he was sent over the bridge for a month, Joseph fainted in the court".
Thursday Voice on a court case last week. The man in question was accused of sexually assaulting his aunt. After the magistrate threatened to send him to jail for a month, he fainted. His aunt subsequently begged that he be put on a bond instead (30th Nov).
"Magistrate Fraser then wished Philip a Merry Christmas and sent him to serve a one year term of imprisonment".
Thursday Voice on magistrate sending a crack addict to jail for theft, in the hope that this will also break the man's drug habit (30th Nov).
"That gentleman loves nothing better than an argument, so much so that even when you agree with something he's said, he'll provoke you into telling him what your agreement was based on. And then he'll use your answer as an excuse to start a new debate".
Lorraine Williams on Rick Wayne (The Star, 2nd Dec).
"We need to do something about this crap and I think the thing we need to do is to ask Mr Petrus Compton to resign from his position because his statement is a license for murder and that is exactly what happened".
Peter 'Ras Ipa' Isaac on the shooting of Alfred Harding after attorney general Petrus Compton had reportedly announced that Harding would be pursued "mercilessly" (The Star, 2nd Dec).
"While she was leaving she said: 'Go and get your f***ing arm fixed you piece of shit'. And then she left".
Letter to The Star relating a young woman's remark to the man who had been tugging at her handbag, refusing to let go. The woman reportedly responded by calmly twisting and breaking the man's arm, then walking off. The letter-writer expressed awe and approval of the woman's actions. (The Star, 2nd Dec).
"The economy is not in recession, it is in 'transition'. The disappearance of money from the Poverty Reduction Fund is not corruption, it is a 'bureaucratic deflection of resources'. Unemployment, which has risen from 15 per cent under the UWP government to 25 per cent under Labour, is 'a diminution of the utilisation of human resources', and so on and so on".
Letter-writer (The Star, 2nd Dec).
"The Attorney General said they were going to pursue Harding mercilessly. It appears the police were very faithful to his order. I want to say to Petrus Compton in turn I will pursue this case mercilessly, until justice is done".
Martinus Francois, human rights lawyer and former legal representative of Alfred Harding (The Crusader, 2nd Dec).
"The cop ordered them to 'keep their mouths shut'. Harding was just a foreigner".
The Crusader reporting an eyewitness' account of the shooting death of Harding (2nd Dec).
"The United Workers Party cannot be serious. This is advanced science. They are seeking to make a leader from scratch".
The Crusader on UWP leader, Dr. Morella Joseph (2nd Dec).
"The policeman fired the first shot into his leg, and was about to fire again when I drew his attention to the fact that Harding was not moving or trying to run away. He fired a second into Harding's body as he lay on the ground. I thought that was not too cool".
Eyewitness account of the shooting of Alfred Harding by a policeman (The Mirror, 1st Dec).
"Because I have a sneaking suspicion that though we're supposed to be in transit, our plane just ain't coming at all. ... The thing about being in transit is that you're supposed to be going somewhere and most, if not all the time, you're supposed to know where you're going. ... The St. Lucian economy is going nowhere. The flight is cancelled. In fact, the flight was probably never really chartered".
Jason Sifflet on prime minister Anthony's claim that the economy is in transition, not in crisis (The Mirror, 1st Dec).
"Crop diversification was supposed to be the solution because it gave us something to eat as well as something to sell, but it seems that many St. Lucians will only be interested in buying local when some research facility comes out with the macaroni and cheese tree".
Jason Sifflet (The Mirror, 1st Dec).
"There is also mention that the building is within the international flight path for aircraft".
The Mirror on the newly (reportedly illegally) constructed windsurfing centre within the Anse de Sable National Park in Vieux Fort, which is being operated by German nationals (1st Dec).
"Is it true what certain people are saying that not one government minister or high official had attended the performance by the visiting Russian Classical Ballet and that is because they do not appreciate high culture; that they only like to see girls gyrating and wining in scanty clothing?"
One Caribbean on the performance by the Moscow State Ballet at the National Cultural Centre (2nd Dec).
Habit (n) - repetitious behaviour which may be biologically ingrained, such as: birds will build nests, fish will live in water, dogs will bark and growl, and mini-bus drivers will have affairs with under-aged schoolgirls".
Alternative dictionary of St. Lucian usage (One Caribbean, 2nd Dec).
"He informed the court that he prefers to take the six months jail time rather than to do the one year of probation because he has problems waking up on mornings and cannot reach the probation office on time".
Tuesday Voice on court case involving a homeless man who asked to be confined rather than continue his probation (28th Nov). |
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PM demands clarity in police killing within week
One week is the time period that prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony has granted to police commissioner Francis Nelson and minister of Legal Affairs Velon John, to present the results of a complete investigation into the shooting death of Barbadian escaped prisoner Alfred Harding. Furthermore, the PM has ordered that the commissioner of police review the policy on the issuing of firearms to policemen.
Alfred Harding was allegedly captured by four men from La Clery at around 2.30 am on Tuesday, 28th November. Although he had been been forced to lie down on his back, a policeman who arrived on the scene shortly thereafter reportedly proceeded to shoot Harding at close range in his leg and abdomen. Harding died soon after, on the way to Victoria Hospital.
Coming on the heels of the shooting of Paul Hamilton by a policeman on a busy Castries sidewalk on October 28th and a subsequent 'March for Justice' by concerned citizens, the allegedly cold-blooded shooting of Harding by yet another policeman has raised emotions even higher. Although there is little sympathy for Harding per se in the week's newspapers, numerous commentators agree that the man who had been convicted for illegal possession of a firearm, ought to have had his day in court.
In a statement to the press, PM Anthony said that if the evidence points to the policeman in question having shot and killed Harding in cold blood, that "the full force of the law shall come into play and St. Lucians can expect that justice will prevail". The policeman has been suspended pending the investigation and the decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions as to whether or not charges must be laid against him.
All newspapers report on the shooting of Alfred Harding, who made headlines in July of this year after human rights lawyer Martinus Francois won a court case in which attorney general Petrus Compton and superintendent of prisons, Victor Pierre were accused of torturing Harding. Harding, who was known in his native Barbados as an 'escape artist', had been kept unlawfully chained and shackled in prison in St. Lucia for a continuous period of ten months and fifteen days. He sued the government of St. Lucia for damages and was awarded EC$25,000. However, following his liberation from shackles in July, Harding escaped from prison on the 19th of November. According to The Crusader, Harding's lawyer Martinus Francois is apportioning some blame for his client's death to the attorney general. Following Harding's escape, Petrus Compton reportedly stated that Harding would be pursued "mercilessly". Francois is quoted as saying: "I believe partly because of what Mr Compton said about mercilessly pursuing Harding, that's why the police had the mindset to execute him". Suspicions that Harding's escape may have been staged, or may have been made possible with help of certain prison authorities or others have been aired from the outset and the alleged cold-blooded shooting of the Bajan has done nothing to put these allegations to rest.
Meanwhile, the Daily Nation newspaper in Barbados this week provided a detailed report on the shooting of Alfred Harding, quoting at length one of the eyewitnesses who states that Harding was shot defenselessly and in cold blood. Both The Voice and One Caribbean have reproduced the Daily Nation's 30th November article in its entirety.
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Illegal activities plague Pointe Sable National Park
Once again, plans for the Pointe Sable National Park in Vieux Fort have been placed in jeopardy, with the Club Med hotel and a new windsurfing centre allegedly being among the main culprits. This is reported in The Mirror. Sandmining with permits that were not in order infuriated officials of the Vieux Fort Town Council last week, when "a fleet of tipper trucks ... and a loader" removed sand from the Atlantic beach at Anse de Sable in Vieux Fort. Although a permit was shown indicating that 250 cubic yards were allowed to be removed from this particular beach, it is alleged in The Mirror that more than that amount was in fact mined. Furthermore, the sand removed was taken to replenish a beach at the nearby Club Med hotel, although the permit was reportedly issued in the name of a contractor "to undertake personal works". Writes The Mirror: "Is that not absurd? It is alleged that Club Med mined sand constantly over the past years to undertake construction works on its compound, and this serves to be the reason for the disappearance of the beach near its compound".
On the same Saturday that the allegedly illegal sandmining occurred at Anse de Sable, a newly established windsurfing centre nearby reportedly sent a loader onto the 'Queen's Chain' section of the beach to create a pathway from their building down to the water's edge. "The loader removed vegetation which restricts the beach sand from blowing away", laments The Mirror. "Sad to say, but, this windsurfing centre ... was constructed without the approval of the Development Control Authority. Southerners may have realized that the building was being constructed both day and night. They had to meet commitments made to clients in Europe and to evade the Officer of the Planning Department who visits Vieux Fort irregularly. A notice was issued by the Planning Department to the developer to stop the construction of the building, but this was disregarded with blind eyes and deaf ears. Such actions against the authorities can only be considered 'insultive'", concludes The Mirror. Finally, the newspaper reports that: "There is also mention that the building is within the international flight path for aircraft". The windsurfing centre in question is associated with a locally-owned business, but is operated by a German national, reports The Mirror.
Formally, there exist management guidelines to ensure the environmentally sensitive use of natural resources within the Pointe Sable National Park (which extends from Moule a Chique to Savannes Bay). These guidelines were established by the St. Lucia National Trust, the Pointe Sable National Park Committee and the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute. As Vieux Fort's town clerk Ernesto Brown laments, "There is a procedure to follow and everybody must abide by it" - but according to the Southern section of this week's Mirror, enforcing these laws and regulations appears to be some way off.
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Mirror: Six MP's in National Unity?
As many as six Labour Party members currently holding seats in the House of Assembly are reportedly associated with "the move towards the formation of a new political alliance that "wants to explore the concept of a government of national unity if elected". This is alleged by The Mirror in its frontpage lead story. The report was also repeated on televised news. Although not mentioning any names, The Mirror goes on to write that "It was also clear this week, that given the calibre of the persons said to be associated with the alliance, the main threat to the ruling Labour Party in the 2002 general election, would not come from the United Workers' Party but rather from the new grouping, which is expected to be formally launched early in the New Year".
Without revealing its sources, the newspaper claims it was told that the new political alliance "would not contest the 2002 poll as a political party in the conventional sense, but rather as a National Alliance for Unity. It will bring together politicians from all parties, political figures, technocrats and concerned St. Lucians in a bid to heal the political and social divisions in the country, bring unity and restore the economic fortunes of the country". A spokesman for the alliance reportedly told The Mirror that members of the new group "were convinced that St. Lucians were fast losing confidence in the economy and [that] the whole climate of economic stability which had existed has been destroyed as a result of 'uncertainty' caused by the Government's "ill-advised tax and economic policy proposals".
Prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony at the SLP conference of delegates last week lashed out at proponents of a government of national unity, implying that they are political losers who "must know when to hang their gloves up and walk away, and if they do not know, then they must get back into the ring, put back on their gloves and prepare themselves for another drubbing, whenever the bell is rung".
At the same time, however, the PM warned delegates about the 'enemies within', saying: "Be careful with whom you get into bed. Not all persons wearing a red shirt or singing the party's song have your interest at heart. Expect surprises. Expect betrayals. Prepare yourself for disappointment. The enemy is not asleep". Thus far, the only MP's whose name has been mentioned in connection with a government of national unity is that of minister of Foreign Affairs, George Odlum.
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Stigma still a barrier in fight against AIDS
The St. Lucia AIDS Action Foundation (AAF) was launched last week, with the aim of empowering and supporting persons living with HIV/AIDS - the deadly disease that has already claimed at least 119 lives in St. Lucia. There are currently 254 known cases of HIV infection on the island - and possibly five or ten times more than that.
This is reported in The Star, which has devoted its center-spread to AIDS in St. Lucia, deeming is 'a faceless disease'. The Voice also carries extensive articles on the fight against AIDS, in recognition of World AIDS Day (December 1). Caribbean-wide, there are now some 360,000 people living with AIDS - thus giving the Caribbean the dubious distinction of having the second-highest ratio of HIV/AIDS worldwide, being second only to sub-Saharan Africa. Already, AIDS is the leading cause of death for persons in the 15-44 age group in the Caribbean.
Both papers agree that one of the most difficult obstacles in winning the fight against the spread of the disease is the stigma attached to it. One of the goals of the new AIDS Action Foundation is therefore to disseminate culturally relevant information to educate St. Lucians about the dangers of the disease, and how to prevent it. Dr Marie Grandison-Didier, who has been in the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS in St. Lucia, explains in The Star that: "Most importantly the AIDS Foundation will need to empower persons infected with the virus to understand that they can be powerful advocates for their own cause. If they stand in the shadows paralysed by fear they will continue to be marginalised and victimised".
Also speaking at the launch was minister of Health Sarah Flood-Beaubrun. In her speech, she supported Dr Grandison-Didier's point to the effect that the stigma associated with the disease must be overcome in order to effectively combat its spread, but at the same time, minister Flood-Beaubrun this week prevented the doctor from appearing on a national TV talkshow to speak on the topic. According to The Star, "Dr Marie Grandison-Didier and her colleague Dr Philip Atigre ... were last week denied permission by Minister of Health Sarah Flood-Beaubrun to appear on Rick Wayne's TALK show to discuss the illness which for many still remains a taboo subject".
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Esther Lee aims for Queen of the World
Esther Hyacinth Lee is making a bid for the title of 'Queen of the World' this Friday in Frankfurt, Germany. With participants from some fifty countries around the globe, the Queen of the World pageant is the third largest in the world, after Miss Universe and Miss World. The contest encompasses performances in national costume, swimwear, evening gown and interviews.
Esther Lee is the reigning Miss Commonwealth St. Lucia. She has been modelling for six years, co-hosts TV show 'Vibe Central' and is a director of Lee Productions Inc. Esther Lee's evening gown and national costume have been designed by Gregory Lord. The Mirror, Star and Voice all report on this.
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New website with news on St. Lucia launched
This weekend saw the launching of www.stlucianews.net, which is the web address of St. Lucia's latest news and information site on the internet. Established by Cletus Felix of Matrix Communications, a former public relations officer at the St. Lucia Tourist Board, www.stlucianews.net says it aims to provide "a broad based and daily updated service of what is happening around the island". Webmaster Felix is quoted in The Voice: "We intend to go behind the scenes and paint as true a picture as possible of what is happening here politically, socially and economically. We will also have features on the environment, tourism, education and business and fashion trends". The names of some of the contributors mentioned in the press release are those of Terry Finisterre (of St. Lucia Online, The Mirror newspaper and DBS television fame), Toni Nicholas (entertainment journalist for The Mirror) and Lucius Doxerie (of the Government Information Service). Cletus Felix says his website intends to provide audio and videoclips of popular radio and TV programs as well. The new website joins St. Lucia Online (www.slucia.com) and St. Lucia Onestop in keeping St. Lucians at home and overseas abreast of local events via the internet.
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All of Cap Estate finally receives WASCO water
After years of collecting rainwater and trucking in expensive drinking water, residents in certain areas of Cap Estate recently received their first pipe-born water in ten to fifteen years. General manager of the Water and Sewerage Company WASCO, Martin Satney stated that the improved service is a result of WASCO's recent pipe-cleaning operation in the north of the island. Furthermore, Satney promised that the water capacity in the northern tip of St. Lucia will improve even further once the new 20-inch pipeline from Bananes Bay to Choc Estate is put in place. This line will feed a 500,000 gallon storage tank at Choc, from where it can then be pumped to the residential, manufacturing and touristic outlets in the Rodney Bay/Cap Estate area. WASCO expects to be able to start work on this pipeline in March or April 2001. In recent months, hoteliers in particular have complained bitterly about water shortages in that area of St. Lucia. The Mirror, Star and Thursday Voice all report on WASCO's improved service.
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Debut novel: journey back into St. Lucian life
"An epic novel in which natural calamities, historical events, supernatural forces, and betrayed love all combine in deciding the fate of its characters. It is a profound statement on the nature of fate and the forces that shape society. A story that is as compelling and spellbinding as the island (in which it is set) is beautiful".
Death by Fire, Anderson Reynold's debut novel, has been well-received in his native St. Lucia, where it will be formally launched this week but has already set minds and mouths in motion. Victor Marquis in The Voice scooped the review of Death by Fire - a title derived from Derek Walcott's famous poem 'A City's Death by Fire'. Marquis describes the Vieux Fortian's first novel as "a cunningly woven tale of people, of families originating from the African and Indian continents, of their lives in St. Lucia, and especially of their tribulations, passions, loves, frustrations and the intricate way in which they touched and influenced each other. It brings together the interaction between people of different racial origins, black, white and Indian, in a seething cauldron of love, lust, hate and disaster".
Death by Fire - published by Jako Books - is set against a backdrop of milestones in St. Lucia's history: the tragic landslide at Ravine Poisson in October of 1938, which cost 92 people their lives and the two Great Fires of Castries, in 1927 and again in 1948. Marquis explains in the The Voice why he couldn't put the book down: "The telling of the story is exceptional. It is a treat for those St. Lucians who, like myself, remember life in the fifties, sixties and seventies. One is transported to yesteryear with an amazing matter-of-factness. ... If you are St. Lucian, you should, like me, love this book. My advice is to get a hold of a copy, and prepare yourself for a journey back into St. Lucian life, the way it used to be".
Death by Fire is available at bookstores islandwide or can be ordered from St. Lucia Online (write to sales@slucia.com ).
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New executive for Labour Party
The St. Lucia Labour Party elected a new executive during its annual conference of delegates at the Piaye Secondary School, last Sunday. Dr Kenny Anthony was re-elected as political leader, with 289 votes in favour and 11 votes against. Chairman of the SLP remains Thomas Walcott. Vice chairman is Wilkie Larcher; assistant general secretary is Oliver Scott; public relations officer is Henry Charles, treasurer is Elliot Francis, and newly elected trustees are Hubert Francois, Hayden Williams and Gornard Laborde. This is reported in The Mirror.
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