St. Lucia Online: Last Week's News

DISCUSS EMAIL

ST. LUCIA 'S SEARCH ENGINE

search
St. Lucia Online logo
St. Lucia Flag

John Compton makes bid for farmers' support

Prime Sites

News

Sports

Jobs

Entertainment

Community

Society

11th November 2000

Gypsum plant at Delcer Choiseul to create 200 jobs

Millet resident stabbed to death

Tennyson Joseph new assistant to PM Anthony

C&W to integrate C'bean internet service

Miniature museum at Government House

House of Assembly approves $63.5 million gov't loan

Human Rights activists take to the streets

Jazz 2001 announcement on international TV

CARE program seeks funding for new premises

Prison officers call for removal of superintendent

Sir John and George Odlum in National Unity?

 

Visit  the Current Events discussion forum
CLICK HERE

 

THIS WEEK'S NEWS

 

SEARCH ARCHIVES

 

 

Quotes:

"Don't get me wrong, it is nice to see St. Lucians marching for something but the police are hopeless and the people will just be making their feet hurt. So I am not going anywhere".
Member of the public commenting on the planned march to protest the shooting death by police of Paul 'Beck' Hamilton (The Star, 11 Nov).

"Although the Italians appreciated our acts of kindness, they truly regarded us as a different breed of humans. They walked behind us expecting to see tails jutting out, saying that Mussolini had taught them that negroes had tails. I believe that they understood and realised that we were just as human as they were because we proved to the women, in particular, that we were. We started getting intimately involved with them and thus they learned and started to respect us".
St. Lucian war veteran on his experiences during the Second World War in Italy (The Star, 11 Nov).

"The brutality of Paul's death was shocking, his burial sickening".
The Star on the undignified way in which police shooting victim Paul Hamilton's funeral was conducted by church and cemetery officials (11 Nov).

"'I want to inform you that there's a bomb at St. Joseph's Convent, at St. Mary's College, at the Comprehensive and Sir Ira Simmons schools... oh, and at the Clendon Mason Memorial in Dennery, the Ave Maria and... there's even one under the Minister's chair at the Ministry of Education', he blabbered. 'They're all going off in an hour. Do something and inform the newspapers, O.K.?'"
Victor Marquis satirizing the recent spate of prank bomb calls to schools. Sir Ira Simmons Secondary School was a victim to a hoax for the second time, this week (The Voice, 11 Nov).

"To ignore evil is to become an accomplice to evil".
Dr Martin Luther King, quoted by Mary Francis , human rights lawyer and organiser of Tuesday's march against police brutality and other injustices. (The Voice, 11 Nov).

"The reason for inaction was that 'we have been planning our action'."
Official at Ministry of Agriculture on the issue of the giant snail plague in Monchy which was first identified in August but continues unabated. (The Star, 11 Nov).

"'We are waiting for it to be cleared, but you know the government already', said the Ministry official".
Official at Ministry of Agriculture on the fact that a large consignment of slug bait to fight the giant snail plague in Monchy is sitting on the Castries docks (The Star, 11 Nov).

"Was Mr James suggesting that because the Devauxs were white (whose fault is that anyway) that they should not be considered for an award too?"
Letter-writer commenting on Willie James' statement on Radio St. Lucia that the government was correct in giving commercial awards to businessmen A.F. Valmont, J.Q. Charles and Elwin Marcellin, but excluding the Devaux-run firm of M&C. Willie James allegedly implied that M&C was excluded - and rightly so in his opinion - because its owners/managers are white (various newspapers, 10th and 11th Nov).

"Frazer retaliated. 'What do we do when we don't have the necessary resources?'
'It's not up to the accused to establish whether it's marijuana or not', said Foster".
Lawyer Colin Foster challenging magistrate Horace Frazer who was sentencing suspects found in possession of substances which the police claimed was marijuana but which were never forensically tested. (The Star, 11 Nov).

"Already being labelled the St. Lucia Banana Conspiracy, the question many persons are asking is what will be Pat Joseph's next move?"
"'Pat Joseph was labelled corrupt in the Dean Nicholas letter to the Commissioner of Police', a lawyer stated. 'Therefore it is the SLBC which has to be sued since Dean Nicholas accused Pat Joseph of stealing SLBC's monies'."
The Crusader on the continuing confusion about the future of the St. Lucia Banana Corporation. The SLBC's shareholders are set to meet on Monday 13th November in an extraordinary meeting (11th Nov).

"Mr. Regis blames the public's not reporting violations of their rights by officers for the current attitude of the police to human rights".
The Crusader on Assistant Commissioner of Police Ausbert Regis' view on the public's discontent with the recent incidents of police brutality (11 Nov).

"St. Lucia has been facing a number of problems recently, and by having a government of unity will not make any change of life, because the Prophesy of God has to be fulfilled, so there will always be chaos and destruction in this country".
"I cannot see any ways or means in which the economic crisis itself will change, because what's there to happen will happen".
"The only government we can depend on to bring us peace and unity is the government of God".
Three persons asked whether they think now is the time for a government of National Unity to sort out the country's problems (One Caribbean, 11 Nov).

"Gadget (n) - a small mechanical tool which could be operated with one button, not dissimilar to the workings of a Prime Minister's Press Secretary".
"Garcon (n) - in French it means 'boy', in Saint Lucian English it means 'man', a striking example of irony when one considers the mental capability of the typical Saint Lucian male. As one should also note five million Frenchmen can't be wrong".
"Grass - Nationwide employment agency".
Alternative dictionary of St. Lucian usage (One Caribbean, 11th Nov).

"... but others are saying that it has nothing to do with his fear of Sir John, it is simply that the party is waiting for all its MPs to do their four years service and qualify for their pension for life before taking any risks at the polls".
'It Never Ceases to Amaze Me'  - referring to when a general election will be called. (One Caribbean, 11th Nov).

"The records show that at present there are 211 male penals, 13 males committed for trial, 2 males committed for sentencing, 10 prohibited immigrants, 42 remanded males, 7 convicted males at large, 2 condemn[ed] prisoners, 10 female penals, and 3 females remanded in custody".
Thursday Voice (9th Nov).

"Your actions are a reflection of the professionalism of the RSLPF, and the FBI greatly appreciates all of your assistance in the arrest of these subjects".
Letter from the US Department of Justice to Commissioner Francis Nelson of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force, to congratulate him on the successful involvement of 22 St. Lucian police officers in apprehending US citizens Robert and Kimberly Morgan on charges of fraud (Thursday Voice, 9th Nov).

"I would like you to know that you are probably being abused".
Ronnie Piper, Communications major at Lee College in Bay Town, Texas, on the topic of men abusing women (Tuesday Voice, 7th Nov).

 

The Constitution of St. Lucia 

Budget 2000 speeches

Casino Survey Report

Full Text of  Blom-Cooper inquiry report

 

NEWSPAPERS:

RADIO STATIONS:

  • Helen 100 FM
  • Radio Caribbean International
  • Radio St. Lucia
  • Gem Radio

TELEVISION:

REGIONAL:

Gypsum plant at Delcer Choiseul to create 200 jobs

    Some two hundred people in the Choiseul area, at all skill levels, can look forward to employment at a soon-to-be-established gypsum factory at Delcer. Construction of the factory is expected to start in January of the new year. Caribbean Energy Resources Inc., the joint venture which will operate the gypsum plant, received approval from cabinet this week. The new Delcer operation will produce gypsum building blocks and roofing tiles. Raw materials for the plant - such as gypsum, limestone and petroleum coke - are to be imported from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and the US while the finished products will be exported to the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition to that, some raw materials are to be obtained from municipal waste collection in St. Lucia while ten percent of the gypsum blocks and roofing tiles produced at Delcer, will be utilized locally to support low cost housing. This was announced by minister of Commerce, Philip J. Pierre and reported in The Tuesday Voice. According to the newspaper, minister Pierre said that the Delcer plant will be self-sufficient as far as its energy requirements are concerned. "Both steam and power generation will be produced by the incineration of the raw materials at the power plant to be constructed alongside the gypsum plant at Delcer. It is estimated that the plant will produce an excess supply of approximately nine megawatts of power per hour at a voltage of 66 KVA, which is the voltage of the national grid. The excess power is expected to be sold to the local power company, LUCELEC".
    To transport raw and finished products, a jetty will be constructed in Choiseul for the berthing of ocean-going vessels and barges.
    In the Thursday edition, the Voice editor commends the arrival of the gypsum plant, yet deems the government's announcement that ten percent of the factory's products will be used for low-cost housing "impractical and foolhardy". The newspaper mostly foresees problems in monitoring the allocated use of the gypsum products, asking rhetorically: "how is one to determine that the gypsum blocks being bought by the contractor is [sic] for the purpose of building a low income house". Rather, writes the editor, "What should be done, is the more practical approach of giving mortgage loans to lower income families at a lower percentage than that which would normally be given to higher income ones".

ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ...

Millet resident stabbed to death

    Thirty-seven-year-old Julian Charles is dead following an altercation another Millet resident last Sunday morning at around 11 o'clock. According to a report in the Thursday Voice, Charles was being insulted by another man, and took revenge by first hitting him on the mouth, then following this with a blow to the shoulder using a large stone. The other man responded by stabbing Charles once in the upper abdomen. Charles died on the spot. The police are investigating the incident.

ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ...

Tennyson Joseph new assistant to PM Anthony

    Tennyson Joseph has succeeded Ernest Hilaire in the post of administrative attaché to prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony. This is reported in the Tuesday Voice and Wednesday Star. Tennyson Joseph recently returned to St. Lucia after four years as a Ph.D research student at Cambridge University in the UK. Joseph has submitted his thesis and is currently awaiting examination. During the academic year 1999/2000, Joseph was attached to the Institute of Commonwealth Studies in London as a post-graduate research fellow. Joseph already holds a first class BA in History and Political Science and a M.Phil in Political Science from UWI.

ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ...

C&W to integrate C'bean internet service

    Cable & Wireless (C&W) intends to integrate its eight existing internet service providers (ISP) in the Caribbean region into one fully resourced Caribbean ISP. This was announced by regional business CEO Robert Lerwill, last week in Barbados. The integration will cost US$4 million and is expected to "significantly improve the quality of the service we offer to our many customers", said Lerwill. How soon the integrated regional ISP service come on stream, is not yet clear. This is reported in the Thursday Voice.

ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ...

Miniature museum at Government House

    Governor-general Dame Pearlette Louisy has embarked on the establishment of a miniature museum at Government House, in a bid to provide students, other interested locals and visitors to St. Lucia with a chance to learn more about the history of Government House, its line of occupants, and the history of rule in St. Lucia's democracy. According to reports in the Thursday Voice and One Caribbean, the move to create a mini-museum at Government House on The Morne is part of "a wider regional effort by Caribbean Heads of State, the purpose of which is to enhance awareness of cultural and heritage values, engender pride and interest in the island's democratic history, and to create revenue generating heritage tourism attractions".
    The new mini-museum will also encompass a virtual component, with the creation of an internet website which is to provide interactive displays and easy access to information. The initiative is being supported by the St. Lucia Heritage Tourism Programme. The island's electricity company this week demonstrated its support of the project by donating a computer and printer for use in the miniature museum.

ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ...

House of Assembly approves $63.5 million gov't loan

    The House of Assembly during Tuesday's meeting approved a proposal by prime minister  and minister of Finance Dr Kenny Anthony to raise EC$63,500,000 by issuing savings bonds. The money is to be used for the execution of part of the 2000/2001 capital development programme, that is, for the construction and rehabiliation of roads, construction of a bus terminal in Vieux Fort, building jetties in Anse la Raye, Canaries and Laborie, expansion of school buildings, and for tourism and youth and sport development. In addition, $23,200,000 will be put into a sinking fund to gain interest which, according to Dr Anthony, will in 15 years pay off the principal on the loan.
    The bonds will be underwritten by the Royal Merchant Bank of Trinidad & Tobago, and the bank will "guarantee that the Government receive[s] the full amount stipulated, whether or not the Bank is able to sell the entire bond issue, Dr Anthony told members". This is reported in The Mirror.
    In presenting his proposal to the House of Assembly, Dr Anthony dismissed notions expressed by opposition senators and some media commentators recently, that the government is - as One Caribbean put it this week - "taking us deeper, and deeper, and deeper into debt". Dr Anthony countered this fear by explaining St. Lucia's debt situation in some detail. The Mirror reports: "The $63.5 million being borrowed from the Royal Merchant Bank would increase the external debt from $269.3 million at August 31, 2000 to $332.8 million, he [Dr Anthony] said, adding that external debt service would rise from $25.3 million to $31 million. The most important figure of the debt service, the Prime Minister said, was the ratio of external debt to exports of goods and services which, he said, would move from 'a paltry' 4% to 4.6%. St. Lucia's external debt/GDP ratio would grow from 25.5% to 28.7% inclusive of the loan from Royal Merchant Bank, figures he said were well below the accepted norms of 30-35% (external debt - GDP) and 15-20% (external debt service - exports). 'It is clear that we are well within our prudential limits and it is little wonder that banks throughout the region are always interested in St. Lucia because of the way we have been managing this debt portfolio', Dr Anthony told the House".
    The idea that St. Lucia's economy is declining - a sentiment increasingly expressed in the media - was dismissed by prime minister Anthony, although he conceded that business might be slow for "some" firms and that "some" might be experiencing "a little pain", as The Mirror puts it. But this, argued the PM, is due rather to the drop in banana export earnings - from $91.6 million in 1998 to $87 million in 1999, despite increased production and quality in that sector.
    Dr Anthony also defended his government's $11 million allocation to finance the Short Term Employment Programme (STEP), two or three years ago, saying it was needed at the time to create some much-needed liquidity in the economy, "to assist the private sector and at the same time to address a burning problem [i.e., unemployment] in the country".
    One Caribbean, in a highly critical commentary on Tuesday's decision to 'borrow' a further $63.5m, claims that since May 1997, when the current government came into office, it has borrowed a total of EC$481,915,114.51 - that is over $481 million. By comparison, writes One Caribbean, St. Lucia's total budget for 2000/2001 is $726.4 million. "What is happening is that as a country we are borrowing more than we can afford to pay back and sooner or later we would find ourselves in a position such as that which Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago found themselves in during the 1970s and 80s".

ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ...

Human Rights activists take to the streets

    St. Lucians united under the banner 'Concerned Citizens for Justice and Human Rights' are expected to take to the streets this Tuesday 14th November from 4 pm, to protest the shooting death of Paul 'Beck' Hamilton [see last week's news] and to demand that formal inquests be held into this and other police shootings. Meanwhile, The Crusader and Mirror report that Director of Public Prosecutions Norton Jack on Thursday ordered that inquests be held into the deaths of Paul Hamilton, Marvin 'Podo' James (who was shot in December 1999) and the bizarre shooting at Jn.Marie's gas station in late August, which cost security guard/actor Franklin Gilbert his life [search news archives]. The Voice adds that the police officer who shot Paul Hamilton in the back on a busy Castries sidewalk, last Saturday, has been sent home pending the outcome of the inquest. He was reportedly a probationer - that is, a policeman with less than two years experience in the force.
    The group of concerned citizens, headed by lawyer Mary Francis of the National Center for Legal Aid and Human Rights and including other prominent citizens such as Rick Wayne, Peter 'Ras Ipa' Isaac, Lorne Theophilus, lawyer Martinus Francois and former magistrate Nigel Toussaint, met with some forty other concerned citizens at the Castries Parish Center last Monday to discuss strategies to tackle the problem of police brutality and other injustices in St. Lucia.
    A comprehensive report of this meeting is found in the weekend edition of The Voice. The paper quotes Mary Francis as saying: "Human rights is not about the subversion of the State. It is about good governance. It is about making the Government and the State adhere to the law. In a democratic society, political and civil rights are very important to the preservation of our democracy, our freedom, our liberty. So we must guard against police brutality and unlawful arrests. If we allow these things to continue, our freedom would be eroded and St. Lucia would be in a pitiful state".
    Martinus Francois suggested as a strategy to combat police brutality that the state of St. Lucia be sued "for a million bucks or more. This would send a tremendous message to the system and society", Francois argued. Francois' suggestion led press secretary Earl Bousquet in the Wednesday Star to write: "No date has been set for the inquest, but the human rights lawyers and advocates who have adopted this latest high profile case are already seeing dollar signs".
    Peter Isaac is quoted as saying: "All we are asking is for the taxpayers to put pressure on the authorities to see that crimes in this country, when committed, are properly investigated and brought to a conclusion which is satisfactory to all law-abiding citizens. This is not an anti-police demonstration but rather a demonstration which will stress the need for the principle of Justice for All. The time has come for all right-thinking, caring citizens to stand up for their rights and let themselves be seen and heard, if we want the survival of justice in this country, before it's too late".
    Rick Wayne, in his speech, called for solidarity and courage, saying: "The reason we have a very serious problem in this country is because the evil is popularly and tacitly endorsed. The evil is not caring about people's lives... In St. Lucia we have a lot of people who are quiet and a lot of people who are scared to speak out".
    Writing in his own Wednesday Star, Wayne also stated his fear that if something is not done about police brutality, before long, "some of us will have determined it's better to die than to live at the mercy of killer cops whose actions are endorsed by the authorities, including the Church, if only tacitly. ... A lose-lose situation!"
    Last week, it was reported in The Mirror that although several eye-witnesses were eager to testify immediately after the shooting of Paul Hamilton, later in the week, some of them were already changing their tune. The problem of witnesses - and even jurors - being fearful to come forward and testify or perform their juror's duties receives attention in this week's papers again. Both the police department and the DPP are assuring witnesses and jurors that no retaliation or intimidation will befall them when they come forward. But as Mary Francis remarks, part of the problem is that a "culture of fear has overtaken St. Lucians, and ... the police themselves are responsible for the public's fear".

ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ...

Jazz 2001 announcement on international TV

    Zydeco and Zaniya - by May of next year, all St. Lucians and several thousands of other visitors to the St. Lucia Jazz Festival 2001 will know precisely what these brands of music sound like. Organisers of next year's 10th jazz festival announced this week that New Orleans Zydeco, Brazilian Zaniya, and 'Creole jazz' will be center stage features next year, with bands from Cayenne, Cuba, Martinique, Dominica and Africa making Jazz 2001 into a truly international event. Desmond Skeete, chairman of the St. Lucia Tourist Board, further announced that the precise line-up for Jazz 2001 will be broadcast simultaneously in Europe, the United States and the Caribbean during a major television launching in December - one of the special events planned for the 10th anniversary of the island's most successful festival. According to Skeete, the line-up for 2001 will yet again surpass that of the previous year - even though the general agreement this year was that the range of artistes was the best ever. Acoustical jazz, fusion jazz, traditional jazz, a certain amount of rhythm and blues and a strong representation of Creole jazz will make up the St. Lucia Jazz Festival 2001, which is set to run from the 3rd to the 14th of May. The Mirror and Star both report this.

ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ...

CARE program seeks funding for new premises

    The CARE organisation is seeking funds in the sum of EC$14.5 million to build a multi-purpose center in the Cul-de-Sac valley, where it can provide a one-year programme in Human Development, two-year programmes in 10 different skills, an Agricultural Science programme, a Daycare centre for babies of teenage mothers, central headquarters, computer literacy facilities for trainees and micro-industries in various areas. Construction of the new premises is expected to start early in 2001. Final plans are expected to be ready by the middle of December. The CARE programme currently has centres in Castries, Canaries, Anse la Raye, Vigie and Gros Islet where education and training is provided for disadvantaged and marginalised young people.
    Brother Patrick Dominic Brunnock of the Presentation Brothers is asking St. Lucians at home and abroad to try and make a donation towards the expansion of the CARE project. He can be reached at tel. (758) 452-4690 or by writing to PO Box 156 in Castries, St. Lucia. The Mirror, Voice and Star all report this.

ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ...

Prison officers call for removal of superintendent

    Members of the Prison Officers Association are demanding that prison superintendent Victor Pierre be removed from his post. According to the prison officers, Pierre is not capable of running the prison efficiently, is not looking after the welfare of either the prisoners or the officers guarding them, and hardly ever visits the prison yard himself. Both The Voice and Star report on this. According to The Voice, the Association had requested Pierre's removal by the 10th of November, but Pierre did not heed this demand and was still on the job on that particular day. When asked, Pierre refused to comment on the situation. Members of the Association met with permanent secretary Egbert Lionel of the ministry of Legal and Home Affairs last monday and another meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 15th Novmber, but so far, no satisfactory proposals have been made, says a spokesman for the Association.
    Tension over Pierre's leadership at the prison has apparently been mounting for several months and according to at least one officer, morale among the prison officers is "very low". The Voice reports that according to one officer, they "no longer get boots and flashlights as before. Another grouse of prison staff has to do with the Remand section of the prisons. Staff claimed that the Remand section leaks when rain falls. That section of the prisons was partially destroyed during the recent prison riots. Instead of being fixed more remand prisoners are now being housed there. Since the riots, an officer has been placed behind the prison to discourage prisoners from jumping the wall that borders Ferrands Dairy. The officer has no shelter from the elements and has no means of communicating with his counterparts inside the prisons should anyone decide to confront him. When it rains the officer shelters inside one of the containers belong[ing] to Ferrands Dairy".
    Superintendent of Prisons Victor Pierre, together with Attorney General Petrus Compton, made headlines in July and August of this year, when a judge decided that Pierre's orders to keep Barbadian prisoner Alfred Harding shackled by his ankles for a continuous period of ten months and fifteen days, constituted a breach of the prison rules and amounted to "a form of torture, inhuman and degrading punishment". Harding was awarded $25,000 in damages plus costs [search news archives] but neither Pierre not Compton resigned or were removed from their positions, following the court's decision.

ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ...

Sir John and George Odlum in National Unity?

    A new political group referred to as the National Unity Front is alleged to have been formed in St. Lucia but there is as yet no clear confirmation of the people involved in it - although the names of former prime minister Sir John Compton and current minister of Foreign Affairs George Odlum are repeatedly mentioned - as are the names of Lorraine Williams and Jeff Stewart. Although both Stewart and Williams deny involvement with the new political alliance, both appear to support the possibility of an alternative to both the current governing St. Lucia Labour Party and the opposition United Workers Party. Neither Sir John nor George Odlum could be reached for comment on the new grouping, says The Star - the only paper to report on the issue. The news that a new political alliance is in the making was first broadcast during a news report on Helen Television System, earlier this week. The Star reports: "Although the TV station did not identify members, it suggested during its news bulletin that the group comprised disgruntled members of the present government and others altogether at odds with the recent United Workers Party convention that had elected former school principal Morella Joseph as political leader, with attorney Marius Wilson as her first deputy".
    The Star also quotes from a CANA report, in which an anonymous spokesperson for the new alliance reportedly said: "There is widespread disappointment with the state of affairs in the country and people are now looking elsewhere for whatever might lead us out of this darkness. [Men] and women of goodwill are prepared to come forward and rescue the country". According to the spokesperson, the new group has "all the characteristics of a national unity front that will seek to provide he general masses with proper representation that is void of tribalism generated by political alignment which clearly has not provided the solution to this country's ills". Various commentators in a broad range of national newspapers have been defending a 'government of national unity' in recent weeks.
    Meanwhile, The Mirror this week carries an interview with newly elected UWP leader Dr Morella Joseph. Dr Joseph states that the UWP is ready for an election. "We are preparing for a snap election. We will not be caught with our pants down", Dr Joseph is quoted as saying. The Mirror continues: "When asked to comment on rumours suggesting that there is a division in the UWP, Dr Joseph said: 'What division.! There is nothing like that. There is cohesiveness and unity in the party".

ñ BACK TO TOP OF PAGE ...
 

[HOME]

[CHAT]

[BOOKMARK]

[ABOUT US]

[CONTACT US]

Translate website:

french
Francais

german
Deutsch

spanish
Espanol

italian
Italiano

portuguese
Portugues

Copyright 1999-2000 © St. Lucia Online.  All rights reserved.
 Anse De Sable, Vieux Fort, St. Lucia, W. Indies. Tel: +758 454-3418.  Email: info@slucia.com

slucia