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Quotes:
"Quite frankly, Mr. Minister, the Caribbean is just not sexy anymore".
Leading representative of an international funding agency to minister of Education Mario Michel at the World Education Forum in Senegal, West Africa, where Michel's presentation was met with "a deafening silence" (The Mirror 5th May).
"Criticizing the authorities can provoke an alarming reaction from politicians in some Caribbean countries".
Amnesty International on the occasion of the celebration of World Press Freedom Day (Thursday Voice, 4th May).
"I did not go to a pre-school and I have not suffered from it".
Minister of Education Mario Michel, quoted by Early Childhood Educator Rosemund Renard in a "respectful critique of such a statement" (The Crusader, 6th May).
"It must be clearly understood that freedom of speech applies not only to ideas that one supports but also to ideas that are not pleasant and not in keeping with what one thinks. During slavery it was certainly too emotional and unreasonable to slave owners for anyone to write that a slave is human and entitled to the same rights and privileges as his slave master and owner. ... And in the sixties in the Southern United States it was certainly too emotional and unreasonable to suggest that Blacks and Whites attend the same school, sit at the same lunch counters, drink from the same fountain or even attend the same church".
Editorial critique in The Voice (6th May) of a remark made by David Vitalis (The Mirror 17th March) where he insists that "some ideas may be too unreasonable and emotional for public consumption" and that "the publicizing of such screwed-up thinking should be publicly condemned". On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.
"It may, of course, mean that this thing is real and that the witches have cast a spell of confusion on the entire island, so that we're none of us aware of what they're about. Which would indicate that there's something to this witchcraft talk".
Victor Marquis on the contradictory information surrounding a witches' conference allegedly being held in St. Lucia (The Voice, 6th May).
"-Now fun go start, as dem strangers in town
-Looshans sure go try to copy their twang
-Yeah, is later on you go hear the score
-All dem locals trying to talk hee-haw"
Morgan George, 'Comic Poet View' on the effects of the importation of 30 donkeys from Montserrat (The Voice 6th May).
"Somebody had just pelted an empty beer bottle in my direction, that narrowly missed my head. I was fortunate to have taken evasive action in time, thus allowing the missile to sail over my head, in order for it to make contact with its intended victim".
Timothy Alfred, recalling an evening walk in Castries in 1970 (The Voice, 6th May).
"As Press Secretary, doesn't it strike you as somewhat odd, that when the prime minister introduces his wife to other heads of state, she is regarded as the First Lady of St. Lucia. A first lady who has yet to be introduced to St. Lucia".
Franklyn McDonald to Earl Bousquet (The Voice, 6th May).
"Hmm... A retreat.. This has a new meaning - to advance in a different direction. Backwards, I suppose".
Fernando Boulogne, 'Just a thought'. Cartoon in One Caribbean (6th May).
"When I ran for the Dennery Seat in 1997, and if you give me a little smile in friendly ridicule, you are so right, because I made an absolute fool of myself..."
D. Sinclair Dabreo on how fickle praise is when it comes from political quarters (One Caribbean 6th May).
"This growing menace is the cyclist; sometimes singular, often in groups. They also appear to be the most unapologetic foulmouthed citizens".
One Caribbean on 'Our worsening traffic situation' (6th May).
"What the trade union leaders are not admitting publicly is that they have allowed personal, partisan and other selfish interests to supercede the unity of the workers movement, which Caribbean stalwarts such as Uriah Butler, T.A. Marryshaw, George Charles, Frank Walcott fought to ensure".
The Mirror editorial on the demise of trade union solidarity, made obvious on Labour Day (5th May).
"It is what we both grew up with. The countryside at night with kerosene lamps and crickets".
Derek Walcott on the writings of Patrick Chamoiseau (The Voice 6th May).
"I've made promises to myself to quell this cynicism before. This time, I say that something better must happen. ... I have crossed the last boundary - the one within myself that traps me in the world other people make. Now, I want to move on to something new, something more thoughtful, more positive, more futuristic. I don't know exactly what it is yet, but Jah knows, and that's enough for me right now".
Jason Sifflet, for the last time writing his weekly column 'Beyond the Boundary' in The Mirror (5th May).
"I migrated from St. Lucia to New York in 1977, a young man, in my high school days. My heart and sincere concern never migrated which had led me to visit as often as possible, as lately as last December 1999. ... I read the weekly news, devotedly, from St. Lucia which is especially now since recent months easily accessible thanks to slucia.com online news".
Kembert S. Mason from New York, wondering whether St. Lucia is moving to the left ("the worst is yet to come"), the right ("the worst has come and gone") or remaining in the middle (The Mirror 5th May). |
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Open-pit mining may be viable in St. Lucia
Claiming that the red soil along the Barre de l'Isle and other slopes around St. Lucia contain economically valuable minerals such as nickel and cobalt, engineering consultant Roosevelt Isaac in this week's Mirror urges that a feasibility study be undertaken to establish whether it would be viable, and desirable, for St. Lucia to mine and extract these minerals on a commercial basis.
The island's red soils, known as laterite soils, are "essentially products of tropical weathering of rocks", Isaac explains adding that the vast lateritic deposits in St. Lucia are of similar origin to those found in Cuba. In the article, Isaac explains the methods employed at a laterite mining plant at Mao Bay, in Cuba, where a process called 'acid pressure leaching' is used to extract nickel and cobalt from the soil. "Ore is mined by open-pit methods, using scrapers to remove the overburden, draglines and haulage trucks. The ore is transported to an extraction plant where it is processed by washing, acid leaching and drying under very high temperatures in reactors. The raw nickel and cobalt sulphides produced are transported by ship and railway to a refinery in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada for processing to pure metal products. The annual production of combined nickel and cobalt from Cuba for 1996 was 26,000 tonnes".
Isaac goes on to outline the price history for nickel on the world market. He claims that demand is currently exceeding supply, resulting in a price that is moving upwards. "Armed with this bullish forecast of demand and price, international producers of nickel are seeking financing to expand their existing operations or start up new ventures", Isaac writes, implying that now might be a good time for St. Lucia to venture into the mining sector. He urges that government seek Cuban expertise in undertaking a feasibility study of the island's potential for commercial nickel and cobalt mining.
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Fall-out expected after dismissal of Nugent murder case
Relatives of 23-year-old Canadian Thomas Nugent, who was stabbed to death in Castries in April of last year, say the release of Nugent's alleged killers on a no-case submission, earlier this week, is likely to have a negative impact on the island's tourism industry. Nugent's cousin, Steve Sjodin, who is married to a St. Lucian and has been resident on the island for the past ten years, says that the Canadian authorities have been closely monitoring the judicial process in the Nugent case and have concluded that the case "was terribly mismanaged". Sjodin expects that this may result in "some travel advisories for Canadians".
Shortly after the murder, two men from Leslie Land were arrested and charged with the murder of Nugent, based on the accounts of two eyewitnesses. The names of these eyewitnesses were reportedly made public after minister of Legal Affairs, Velon John, announced on television that their help was needed in connection with the murder enquiry. According to The Crusader, "Well lo and behold, both these witnesses disappeared off the face of the earth along with many others". Steve Sjodin echoes this view, saying: "Those witnesses were afraid and they just hid. The police did not continue their investigation".
Despite seventeen adjournments, the prosecution was unable to present one or more witnesses to the murder. During last Thursday's preliminary enquiry, magistrate Florita Nicholas finally decided to dismiss the case and release the two accused. Although one of the witnesses had made a sworn statement, his presence was still required in court. As Superintendent Ausbert Regis explains in The Star: "We had issued a bench warrant for securing the presence of the witness and we tried on many occasions to execute the warrant, but we have just not been able to make any contact with the witness. It is obvious that the witness is in hiding". Director of Public Prosecutions, Norton Jack, confirmed this. Jack agreed with The Star's suggestion that a witness protection programme might have prevented the witness from fleeing, but explained that on its own, St. Lucia simply does not have the resources to implement such a scheme. However, Jack added that the Attorney Generals of the OECS are working on developing a regional witness protection programme.
Meanwhile, Nugent's relatives believe the police should have done a better job of investigating the fatal stabbing. "This is not justice. It's a joke", a bitter Sjodin told The Crusader. "This is just a brush-off. The police and the authorities had better begin to take this type of crime very seriously. ... My cousin is dead. Those guys that did it are laughing. ... [Thomas] had a knife wound that went all the way from his heart up to his neck. The police and the DPP assured us all that they had all the evidence they needed to bring a successful case against the accused. We had such high hopes. Now, I am in total shock and disbelief at what I just witnessed in the courthouse. My family is so outraged. There is now no closure for us. We are so very terribly hurt". The Mirror also reports on the no case submission.
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Canadian aid budget increases by Cdn$100 million
Environmental management, economic competitiveness, modernisation of the public sector and legal and judicial reform - these are the policy priorities for which the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is ready to provide financial aid in the countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). After a number of years of shrinking budgets, this fiscal year CIDA sees its budget increased by Cdn$100 million. It is as yet too early to say how these funds will be distributed over the various CIDA-supported programmes but the OECS as a whole, and St. Lucia by implication, stand to receive some of the money. Already, CIDA's disbursements in the Commonwealth Caribbean on a per capita basis are higher than anywhere else in the world says Cam Bowens, a senior development officer for CIDA who visited St. Lucia and other Caribbean islands over the past few weeks. Tied to the increased budget, however, are renewed expressions of concern by the general public in Canada as to the effectiveness of the CIDA aid funds. Therefore, CIDA will in future keep a closer eye on the projects it helps to finance, to "ensure that we are getting the results we think we are paying for", said Bowens. All newspapers report on this.
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Barnard expected to step down from Tourist Board
Craig Barnard, the new chairman of the St. Lucia Tourist Board, is expected to announce this weekend that he will resign from the post, just one week after his appointment. The Mirror writes this. The controversy surrounding Barnard's appointment stems from an allegation made by Rick Wayne on last Sunday's T.V programme 'Talk', to the effect that a conflict of interest exists between Barnard's role as the operator of two large hotels - Rendezvous and LeSport - and his chairmanship of the Tourist Board. According to Wayne, Craig Barnard had initially refused the position of chairman presumably for precisely that reason. Barnard has been an ordinary member of the board for some years but, as chairman, Wayne argued, he is likely to be privy to information that would be financially beneficial to his hotel operations. Even if he never uses such information, Wayne reasoned, with Barnard's appointment as chairman, the perception of such a conflict of interest would nevertheless still exist. Opposition to Wayne's line of argument came, amongst others, from Berthia Parle, president of the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association. Parle emphasised the potential value of Barnard's contribution to the Tourist Board, precisely because of his long-standing experience in the hotel industry. Whilst agreeing that Barnard's professional qualities make him the perfect man for the job, Wayne nevertheless maintained that any form of conflict of interest, in any public organisation, ultimately undermines the credibility of that organisation. In his weekly commentary in The Mirror, David Vitalis sides with Parle, opting for pragmatism rather than principle. Vitalis writes: "How can Craig Barnard's chairmanship be a conflict of interest, when his interests are the interests of the tourism sector? In trying to determine the best structures and mechanisms through which human beings should relate to one another in order to improve themselves and the world, people must separate what is workable from what is ideal".
In a separate article in The Mirror, it is mooted that "Barnard's resignation, if he finally decides to step down, will be seen as an embarrassment to the recently appointed Minister of Tourism, Menissa Rambally. Her appointment of Barnard ... was one of her first important decisions as Minister". The leader of the opposition United Workers Party, Dr. Vaughan Lewis, in an article in The Voice, concurs with that view, saying that the apparent "debacle" over Barnard's appointment "reflects not so much any doubt about the capabilities or integrity of Mr. Barnard, but much more a public distrust of the intentions and motivations of Prime Minister Kenny Anthony".
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Promising kick-off for Jazz 2000 - live on the web
The St. Lucia Jazz Festival 2000 had a promising kick-off on Friday night at the Mindoo Philip Park with performances by XTatik, Beres Hammond, Excess Amounts of Love and Mervyn Wilkinson. For the next ten days, the longest and biggest jazz festival ever to be held in St. Lucia is expected to draw record crowds. Now in its ninth year, the jazz festival has spread its activities around the island, with special sessions during its first weekend (6th and 7th May) at Morne Coubaril and Balembouche, in the south. All through the week, there will be free sessions of Jazz on the Square in Castries, with five lunchtime shows and two evening sessions. Free concerts during the week will also be staged in Soufriere, Vieux Fort and Laborie [for details see www.slucia.com/jazz].
Meanwhile, Cable & Wireless is preparing to set up a live broadcast on the internet of jazz sessions at Pigeon Island, sometime next weekend (13th or 14th May). Details will follow on St. Lucia Online as soon as C&W releases them.
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SLP top brass gains 'renewed vigour' from retreat
In a press release, the St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP) announces that its senior members have emerged "with renewed vigour" from two days of closed-door discussions. The SLP retreat was held at Club Med, in Vieux Fort, over the Labour Day weekend. According to the SLP, "a frank exchange of ideas" took place on matters of internal party organisation and prioritisation of projects. With regard to the recent spate of conflicts between the government and media practitioners (alluded to in the press release as "the coordinated propaganda offensive against the Government") the press release states that the gathering discussed the Labour administration's and the SLP's communication strategies.
One of the retreat's conclusions was that the party needs to "remain guarded against alienation of key sectors and sectoral interests. Such admonitions, it was recognised, were useful and welcome, but their timing and presentation also ought to be equally carefully considered to avoid deliberate misinterpretation and distortion by persons with their own agendas".
This remark ostensibly follows Foreign minister George Odlum's remarks during last month's budget debate, in which he chided his colleagues for having alienated several key sectors in the society. Up to last week, it was unclear whether Odlum would attend the retreat in Vieux Fort. This week's press release, however, states that "all sitting parliamentarians" attended the meeting - which would include Odlum.
Finally, the press release concedes that "Participants considered the complex issues relating to the challenge of attending to the deserving needs of party stalwarts and supporters while at the same time ensuring fairness and justice in the creation and delivery of government services and opportunities". The press release does not however state whether any policies were formulated in this regard. The Star and Mirror both report on the retreat.
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Manufacturing sector to be studied once more
The ministry of Commerce is set to undertake a benchmark study of exporting and export-ready companies in St. Lucia, with the aim of repositioning St. Lucia's manufactured products in the export market. This is announced in this week's Voice. According to the ministry's press release, output in the manufacturing sector increased from EC$139.2 million in 1998 to $149.9 million in 1999 but there was a slight drop in the contribution to Gross Domestic Product, where the percentage of output dropped from 6.1% in 1998 to 5.9% in 1999. The study will be undertaken in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat in the UK, and executed by Dr. Asif Chida.
News of the study comes hot on the heels of the release, last week, of a critical 47-page report by Francesco Abbate of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in which the international competetiveness of St. Lucia's manufacturing sector is also evaluated. In that report, Abbate calls on the government of St. Lucia to urgently scrap several constraints to manufacturers, in order to boost economic activity [see last week's news]. Incidentally, the figures given for manufacturing productivity in the UNCTAD report differ slightly from those provided in this week's press release by the ministry (EC$139.1 million in 1998 and $149.2 million in 1999).
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WTO: tourism statistics 'scanty and incomplete'
Vitally important statistical information on the economic performance of tourism is sorely lacking, says the World Tourism Organization (WTO). As a result, tourist destinations the world over, including St. Lucia, develop public policies and business strategies based on statistical information "that is, on the whole, scanty and incomplete - for the most part focussing on simple calculation of international arrivals without any subsequent analysis of the impact of tourism activity on the economies of the different countries nor, by extension, on the international economy". This is reported in an article in The Voice. The answer to this problem, the WTO advocates, is the introduction of a new reporting system called Tourism Satellite Account (TSA). Over the past years, the TSA system has been discussed at WTO meetings and it is now being implemented in several tourist destinations around the world. Asked whether TSA would benefit St. Lucia also, Berthia Parle of the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association agreed that indeed it would - but she added that technical involvement of the ministry of Finance and Planning would be "absolutely necessary" when it comes to implementing the system here.
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Banana Salvation Marketing Co. forced to drop prices
Trouble reared its ugly head this week after the manager of the Banana Salvation Marketing Company (BSMC), Fred Flood, announced to farmers that his company would be paying prices lower than those originally agreed to, due to the fact that of the 150 pallets of bananas projected for the first shipment, only 47 were actually shipped. Farmers reportedly "became quite irate", especially after the company president told them that they would have to produce a better quality fruit if they wanted to receive better prices. According to BSMC officials, the disappointingly small shipment is the result, in part, of a long delay at the Vieux Fort docks last week, when two truckloads of fruit belonging to the BSMC were stopped because they were packed in boxes belonging to the St. Lucia Banana Corporation [see last week's news]. Farmers selling to the BSCM will now be paid based on WIBDECO prices. The Thursday Voice and Crusader both report this.
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Roman Catholic Jubilee to attract 20,000 visitors
As many as 20,000 faithful Catholics are expected to attend the Antilles Eucharistic Congress' Jubilee 2000 festival, including some 120 bishops from around the world led by Pope John Paul's personal representative, His Eminence Cardinal Jose Rosalio Castillo Lara of Brazil. Jubilee 2000 will be held in St. Lucia, next week.. The festival is of special spiritual importance to participants and organisers, since it coincides with the 2000th birth year of Jesus Christ.
According to Judy Deterville of the local organising committee, St. Lucia was chosen as a venue because within the Anglophone Caribbean, the island has a relatively large number of Catholics. Jubilee 2000 will start on Wednesday 17th, with church services throughout the parishes, and includes workshops and cultural presentations. The festival culminates on Sunday the 21st, with a mass assembly at the Mindoo Philip Park, from 8:00 am onwards, led by Cardinal Castillo Lara. Jamaican songwriting priest Fr. Richard Holung is expected to stage a concert at the National Cultural Centre on Friday 19th. The event is open to all Christians. The Mirror reports this.
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Olympic top man receives imperfect welcome
St. Lucian Richard Peterkin this week accompanied Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as the president of the Pan American Sports Organisation (PASO) and the director of Olympic Solidarity on their official visit to St. Lucia. Peterkin was appointed treasurer of PASO during that organisation's 38th general assembly in Costa Rica, last week.
There was some criticism of the reception which Samaranch and his colleagues received in the island, with The Star describing the official reception in his honour as a "fiasco" due to the fact that the only government representative present was permanent-secretary Ernest Hilaire. Both the prime minister and minister of Sports Mario Michel were attending an SLP retreat in Vieux Fort at the time. Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy, however, received Samaranch and his company at Government House. In his speech, Samaranch called on the local National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to work closely with government in organising sports. At the same time, he urged the government to respect the autonomy of the NOC.
Samaranch has been the top man at the IOC for more than two decades. He is currently on a tour of all members states of the IOC, prior to retiring next year. St. Lucia joined the IOC in 1993. Both The Star and The Mirror report on the visit of the IOC's top man.
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St. Lucian on trial for rape in Antigua
A 36-year-old St. Lucian man faces a preliminary inquiry in an Antiguan court on June 26th, for the alleged rape of a 78-year-old woman who is said to be mentally ill. If made to stand trial in the Antigua High Court and found guilty of the alleged crime, the St. Lucian could face the maximum penalty of life imprisonment. He has been denied bail since he claims to have lost his passport and, hence, his immigrant status is unclear. He claims to have resided in Antigua for eight years. One Caribbean writes this.
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PM: no cutbacks in public service
"I want to make it clear that I reject all the calls for those who suggest a 50 percent reduction in the public service". This said prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony during last week's May Day address at a rally for workers and unions in Laborie. "As a matter of fact, since this government has come in office, we have increased the work force in the public service whether it be in the administration of the health services or in the police force", the PM continued. One Caribbean reports this. The PM's statement likely follows recent public observations in the media that government's expenditure on the civil service in St. Lucia is too large in relation to other items on the annual budget. One Caribbean further observes that the government has been providing an early retirement scheme to long serving civil and public servants. "[B]ut the scheme is said to be over-subscribed and over budget while attracting some of the civil servants government would want to retain in the civil service".
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Lorraine Williams supports debate on abortion
Former Attorney General and Women's Affairs minister, Lorraine Williams, this week joined Paula Calderon in her call for public debate to be opened up on the subject of abortion in St. Lucia. Last week, Calderon asked that legislation be put in place which would make it clear whether or not abortion is permissible in cases where there is a physical deformity or other serious physical condition such as sickle cell disease, present in an unborn child [see last week's news]. Lorraine Williams, in a televised commentary on DBS which also appears in The Star this week, endorsed that call. Williams: "[T]o come out openly in this society and say that in certain circumstances one supports legalised abortion is to declare oneself a whore and worse. ... Well, I say it's high time this subject was put on the table and discussed as openly as we discuss the CET or OECS Unity or the Poverty Reduction Fund. This free discussion is especially necessary in our country, burdened as we are with a burgeoning population that we cannot afford. Already official records indicate at least a quarter of our population cannot afford regular meals, let alone medication and education. More and more 12-year-olds are becoming mothers. And then there are the babies that result from unreported rapes - still another subject that we refuse to openly discuss. ... I am not here recommending or endorsing abortion. ... Still, the matter must be publicly discussed. After all, a large part of the population considers abortion in some cases as appropriate. Why shouldn't they be heard? Should politicians, all male, be sole arbiters in this all important matter? I am not demanding that the church change its attitude to abortion. ... If your faith denies you the option of abortion, then that's a matter for you and your church and your God. ... There are several arguments, all reasonable, that might be made of abortion in certain circumstances, as many as there are against the unnatural termination of pregnancy. I know where I stand for myself. I cannot speak for the population. They must speak for themselves. All I ask is that they be permitted the appropriate forum from which to air their views. All I ask is that the authorities abandon the counterproductive pretense that the abortion question can continue to be ignored without heavy cost to the country".
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Lobster season closed until 31st August
The annual 'lobster closed season' is once again in effect, having started on May 1st and continuing until August 31st. During this period, it is illegal to catch, buy, sell or have in one's possession any lobsters. All major restaurants and hotels on the island have been notified of the closed season by letter from the department of Fisheries. In this, the department also explains the ecological rationale behind the regulation. Forms to declare lobster holdings must be returned to the department no later than May 20th. The Star reports this.
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Artist sells work for Golden Hope
Raphael Rinville Philip of Gros Islet this week puts up for sale fifty oil and acrylic paintings in a one-man bid to raise funds for the Golden Hope mental hospital. In what he calls the 50/50 project, Philip - an M&C Fine Arts Award winner and graduate of the Sir John Cass School of Art in London - is selling each painting at $1,000. Half of the takings for each piece sold will go to a fund for the rehabilitation of Golden Hope. The paintings all measure 20 by 30 inches. One series highlights scenes from nine St. Lucia Jazz Festivals and another captures the history of St. Lucia since 500 A.D. The paintings will be on display at the Castries Town Hall from 9th to 13th of May. The Mirror, Thursday Voice and Crusader report this.
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