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Quotes:
"And to talk of beautifying the countryside when the roads are in such appalling conditions is like putting lipstick on the dirty face of an ugly woman".
Letter writer on the $3 million government beautification project employing one thousand people between now and Christmas (The Mirror, One Caribbean, 3rd and 4th November).
"But if you asked me on international television if I had sex with an uglita like Monica, I would have lied too".
Jason Sifflet on Bill Clinton.
"Ask him about social security and affirmative action [and] he gives you a story about how he understands what people are going through, 'because I grew up as a poor, black boy in a small town in Tennessee'."
Jason Sifflet on Al Gore.
"George W. - pli worse encore".
Jason Sifflet on George W. Bush.
"[H]e's also saying: 'People think I'm running on my dad's reputation. That's not true. I'm running on my mom's reputation too. My mom is Barbara Bush. She is a kind of way chiffonere and I don't know how my father can look at her and think of sex but she is one of the most respectable women I know'. ... 'I don't know a damn thing. But I am surrounded by the best advisors that my Daddy can buy and you can believe me when I say that I will not make a single decision by myself as long as I am your President'.
Whatever happens you can be sure America's policy to us won't change. Once upon a time, we used to be strategic Cold War outposts. Nowadays, we are stepping stones for drug smugglers and money launderers. Apart from the need to break down bananas, that defines the whole policy on us, regardless of who's in power, Republican or Democrat. Hooray, hooray. Here come the helicopters".
Jason Sifflet on the upcoming presidential elections in the USA (The Mirror, 3rd November).
"One senior police officer told me candidly not too long ago that the press is of no help to police accountability, since they (the police) have become immune to the criticisms of their actions that make up a significant portion of the news packaged by the media for public consumption. It's true".
"The Review Team found everything wrong with the Force save for the music of the Police Band".
David Vitalis (The Mirror, 3rd November).
"What's the name of the victim of the latest police shooting?"
'Trivia' question on local radioshow. The person providing the correct answer had a chance to win some ninety dollars (The Star, 4th November).
"If we express how we feel about his life and death, does that mean we're politically motivated? And in any event, why shouldn't we be politically motivated when it seems the whole political machinery of the police, the politicians, even the church has been engaged against my brother? When did it become a sin to be politically motivated anyway?"
Tony Mathurin, brother of police shooting victim Paul Hamilton, on how officials of the Catholic church initially objected to the family reading a eulogy for Paul in church (The Star, 4th November).
"Investigation? What investigation?"
Housewife's response to The Star's question about what outcome she expects from the police investigation into the shooting death of Paul Hamilton (4th November).
"He and many others fall into a category that I have dubbed the 'see-through' people. We don't want to see them to look at them, because of what they represent, and therefore we try to make them transparent, or see-through. We shove them out of the way, we even shoot them dead, just like on television.
So they got him!"
Louise Hamel on Paul 'Beck' Hamilton, who was a Castries street-person suffering with a drug addiction (The Star, 4th November).
"Is that because we are useless builders, horrible people and the worst developers in the world?"
Director of Rochamel Construction, Gavin French, on the fact that despite the problems experienced in constructing the Hyatt Regency hotel, Rochamel has been asked by the Rosewood hotel company to develop their new resort in St. Lucia (The Star, 4th November).
"It is impractical for seven of us to man 21 bus stops".
Special police constables on why it is difficult to stop unauthorised bus drivers (The Star, 4th November).
"Get back on the ship!"
Cruise ship passenger calling out to his wife. The couple was allegedly in the line of fire of the police officer who shot and killed Paul 'Beck' Hamilton in front of the Vendors' Arcade, on one of the busiest streets of Castries on Saturday morning (Tuesday Voice, 31st October).
"This is not a crash programme or a slush fund. There is nothing political about it".
Official of the St. Lucia Labour Party on the $3 million government project to employ one thousand people between now and Christmas (quoted in The Crusader, 4th November) |
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Citizens demand inquest in police shooting of 'Beck'
Concerned citizens are calling for an inquest into the shooting death of Paul 'Beck' Hamilton, the 34-year-old Castries man who was shot in the back while fleeing from a policeman. The shooting occurred on Saturday at around 10.30 am in front of the Castries Vendors' Arcade, on one of the city's busiest streets, in full view of dozens of eyewitnesses including tourists who had just disembarked from a cruise ship.
Hamilton, who was well-known as a habitué of William Peter Boulevard where he washed cars and found parking spots for a dollar or two - had been apprehended following a complaint of verbal abuse and was being transported to the Central police station on Jeremie Street. Hamilton was reportedly alone at the back of a police vehicle and not handcuffed. According to eyewitness accounts quoted in the Tuesday Voice, Wednesday Star, The Mirror and The Weekend Star and also aired on Thursday's DBS television talkshow Talk!, Hamilton - who was unarmed - jumped off the police vehicle and made a run for it. According to eyewitnesses, one of the accompanying policemen responded to this by drawing his gun and shooting Hamilton once in the back, despite warnings from a colleague not to shoot. Hamilton died on the spot minutes later, in front of a dazed, shocked and disbelieving crowd.
Public outrage over the incident was immediate, with several eyewitnesses proclaiming that they would willingly testify at an inquest. However, six days after the shooting, The Mirror reports that "many" witnesses have already changed their tune and are now saying "that they did not see the incident at all". According to the paper, one of the market vendors who actually cradled Hamilton's body while he drew his last breath and who "said she lifted Hamilton's shirt and observed one deep wound in the centre of his back, near the spinal cord", is now "most unwilling to speak with the press, saying she wants no more trouble".
The Mirror goes on to report: "A taxi driver who witnessed the shooting also said he did not want his name mentioned or his picture taken. 'People are afraid that the police might threaten them', he said. 'Because when things like that happen they don't want nobody to testify. They just want that to die out'."
Commissioner of Police Nelson has promised an investigation into the incident. In a public statement, Nelson allegedly said that the policeman did in fact call out to Paul Hamilton to stop, and that he shot only after repeated warning. But the outcry in the media maintains that even if the policeman called out a warning, he had no right to shoot Hamilton considering the nature of the offense for which he had been apprehended. Concern and anger also stem from the fact that Hamilton was unarmed and had his back turned towards the officer, and could not therefore have posed a threat to the policeman's life and, further, that the shot should not have been fired in the presence of a crowd of innocent bystanders.
Hamilton, a father of three, was known to have a drug problem. He was a graduate of St. Mary's College, a former employee of LIAT and at one time represented St. Lucia on the regional basketball team.
Meanwhile, lawyer and human rights activist Mary Francis is spearheading protest action against the killing of Paul 'Beck' Hamilton. Under the theme 'It's now or never', the National Centre for Legal Aid and Human Rights is scheduled to hold a meeting on Monday 6th November at 5:00 pm at the Castries Parish Centre on Micoud Street. The purpose of the meeting is to devise strategies for demanding that an inquest be held into the latest shooting death at the hands of a policeman. As Francis explains, "Section 2 of the Constitution states that shooting to death by police is unlawful killing until disproved by an inquest. In the absence of an inquest, our fundamental human right to life as guaranteed under section 2 of the Constitution is violated. We say the law must be upheld in St. Lucia. So we demand an inquest now which will investigate the death of Paul Hamilton, Marvin Joseph, all other persons killed by police. Nothing less than an inquest must be accepted. No inquest, no justice. No one is above the law, not the police, not the politician. We the people call for equal protection under the Constitution - the supreme law of the land".
[Read the Constitution of St. Lucia].
Paul Hamilton's brother, Tony Mathurin, in the Wednesday Star also states his intention "to get to the bottom of this, for my sake, for the sake of our country, for the sake of all those others who have been shot down by the police without even an inquest!".
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WIBDECO: certified growers must target supermarkets
While prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony last week told banana farmers on the island to "Hold tight, we will survive!", CEO of the Windward Islands Banana Development and Exporting Company (WIBDECO) Bernard Cornibert is more conservative in his predictions. "Will the situation improve in the short run? The answer is no. Will it improve in the longer term, possibly. No one can say with any degree of certainty", Cornibert is quoted as saying in The Mirror. Cornibert made his remarks at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon address, last week. The speech came hot on the heels of a series of field trips to banana farms made by the prime minister and a team of banana officials, during which the PM told farmers that "while people are complaining that things are bad in the industry, St. Lucia is still making some progress". He supported this by saying that this year St. Lucia produced 2 million more tonnes of bananas than last year. The PM also emphasised his government's support for the industry by reiterating that he has acquired $1.2 million from the European Union to help fight leafspot disease, that $3 million is being spent to subsidise the price of banana boxes in October, November, December and January, and by reminding farmers that they are now exempted from paying various taxes on their raw materials. This is reported in The Mirror.
Against the background of these government measures, Cornibert provides an interesting analysis of recent developments on the European market, and his proposed measures to help the Windward Islands' banana industries survive in the long run. Fraud - possibly ongoing fraud – involving import licenses on the European market, as well as a 25 percent devaluation in the pound sterling, says Cornibert, have resulted in an oversupplied market in Europe and seriously depressed prices paid to Windward Island farmers. It is critical, says Cornibert, that farmers concentrate on producing for the supermarkets where a box of bananas fetches 12 pounds sterling, rather than the wholesale market, where the same box of bananas goes for less than 4 pounds. "Today, 30 percent of our bananas goes into the wholesale market. This is a function of both the quality of the product as well as how the product is marketed. ... There are people who want Windward Islands bananas. We have a lot of support from the supermarkets but they are not going to support us if we are doing any old thing. We must meet the standards that are required by the market. And one of the key aspects of those standards is traceability. That is why we instituted the certified grower programme. It was tailored to meet the needs and requirements of the supermarket trade. We put in a code of practice that banana growers had to follow but that programme has faltered because of divisions in the banana industry, among other things. We can only get back to where we were as far as our supermarket penetration is concerned if we go back and relaunch that certified grower programme with more stringent application of the code of practice that is part and parcel of this programme. That is the only way that this banana industry will survive".
Some weeks ago, Cornibert argued that small farmers who will not be able to survive in the long run must be assisted in finding alternative ways to earn a livelihood, while other efforts must be focussed on those Windward farmers who will be able to make the necessary adjustments. This week, he added to that: "We hear a lot of talk about restructuring this and doing that, but believe me we are focussing on the wrong things. The things that we need to do are the things that will enable us to sell our bananas in the sector of the market where it matters".
Meanwhile, leafspot disease continues to pose serious problems to farmers on the island, both practically and politically. WIBDECO's director of technical services, Errol Reid, issued a press release this week, warning that reports are being received from overseas markets saying that "fruit from St. Lucia was showing high levels of ripes as a result of the poor level of disease control". Reid continued: "The situation is so bad that on some farms there are less than four healthy leaves on a banana plant and the reports out of the UK suggest an alarming incidence of ship ripe fruit, a consequence of leaf spot infestation". Several newspapers carry this release. The Thursday Voice is the only paper to carry a response to it by the permanent secretary in the ministry of Agriculture, Dr James Fletcher. Although starting and ending the response by admonishing WIBDECO for having taken the matter to the press (with Dr Fletcher stating that he hopes that "all interested parties ... will begin to display the level of maturity, levelheadedness and cooperation that is required in order to help our farmers"), the permanent secretary at the same time assures WIBDECO that the ministry is taking all necessary steps to combat leaf spot diasease, both from the air and on the ground.
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PS Joseph Alexander dies unexpectedly at age 48
A man with a "natural feel for fairness and equity", an "encyclopedic institutional memory", the "capacity to unravel complex issues 'on his feet'", and "a team player" - Joseph Alexander, permanent secretary in the ministry of Communications and Works, unexpectedly passed away on Sunday morning, 29th October, at his family home in Grace, Vieux Fort. Just 48 years old, and looking forward to retirement in the next year or two, Joseph 'Cyrus' Alexander had worked in the civil service since 1971, having served in the ministries of Education and Health, Personnel, Establishment and Training, at the Public Service Commission and, lastly, Communications and Works. He was intimately involved with bringing equity into the contracting and tendering system of that ministry, the privatization and incorporation of WASCO, and setting up the new Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL). Joe Alexander leaves behind a wife, Frances, and three children, Louise, Lavern and Aaron. He was buried on Saturday in Vieux Fort.
Both The Mirror and the Thursday Voice carry tributes to Joseph Alexander's life and achievements.
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Port Castries wins Caribbean award
The St. Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA) has received the Caribbean Shipping Association award for the port that has witnessed the greatest growth and development in 1999 on behalf of the Port of Castries. This is reported in The Mirror. According to the article, the award "reflects the impressive growth in cruise passenger arrivals in 1999 and the significant investments made in berthing infrastrucure at the Pointe Seraphine dedicated cruise terminal". This investment totalled over EC$30 million. One Caribbean, in an unrelated remark, asks if it is true that "the new part of the Pointe Seraphine port is still sinking". Shortly after finishing construction of the two new piers, there were problems with one of the piers experiencing some degree of sinking. This was attributed at the time to a natural process of settling, and expected to cease with time.
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Minister Pierre acknowledges economic problems
Minister Philip J. Pierre last week admitted during a national radio broadcast with talkshow host 'Jook Bois' that St. Lucia's economy is experiencing some difficulty - an admission that is attracting some attention from newspaper commentators since it is allegedly the first time that a government minister has publicly acknowledged that all is not well in the economy. Both The Crusader and One Caribbean report this. While several commentators and letter-writers have maintained for some time now that many people are finding it increasingly difficult to meet their financial obligations, the government has hitherto stoically maintained that the economy is actually experiencing growth. Both newspapers this week independently see as writing on the wall the fact that JQ Charles, the island's largest department store and business operating in St. Lucia, "has for the first time in its history had to organize a special clearance sale over a two day period in order to generate the liquidity which is vital to business health and well being".
Meanwhile, The Mirror quotes Desmond Duboulay, manager of The Still restaurant in Soufriere, who similarly says: "Business in the last two to three years has been the worst I have ever seen. The off season has been the worst I have experienced in the 16 years I have been here running the restaurant". He reports having had to cut down on staff and on buying supplies, and having to shut down freezers over the past few years. Nevertheless, says DuBoulay, The Still will expand its operations in a bid to survive.
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Bomb scare disturbs business on Micoud Street
The police are going to get tough on crank bomb-scare phone callers. So says assistent superintendent Albert Fregis in the Wednesday Star. Following the Castries Comprehensive, Sir Ira Simmons and the Bocage secondary schools, this week it was the turn of the CARE Life Centre on Micoud Street where a telephone call was received stating that a bomb had been planted in the building. The school was immediately evacuated and the children sent home, while shops and businesses in the vicinity were shut down for a period of three to four hours, causing chaos in the area. The Voice and The Start both report this.
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Parade brings Fireman Harris to last resting place
After 27 years of work in the St. Lucia Fire Service, where he climbed to the rank of Station Officer at the Castries and Hewanorra Airport fire stations, Lyndell Harris ('Mister Harris') died suddenly and unexpectedly on Sunday morning, 29th October. He suffered a heart attack. In honour of his memory, the pillars of the Central Fire Station in Castries were shrouded in black cloth this week. Harris, who was a soft-spoken and equanimous man, leaves behind four children and several relatives and close friends. A parade will be held in his honour on Tuesday, 7th November, starting at 3:00 pm from the Anglican Holiness Church in Castries, following which he will be buried. Mister Harris was 52-years-old. The Star reports this.
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House of Assembly meets on Tuesday
Two bills for first reading and two for second reading: that is the agenda for the meeting of the House of Assembly on Tuesday, 10:00 am. The Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority Bill and the Customs Brokers and Customs Clerk Bill are both down for first reading. The Interpretation (amendment) and the West Indies Associated Supreme Court (St. Lucia Amendment) are both down for their second readings.
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Star article clears the air on Rochamel problems
'Hyatt Loan Rescues Rochamel Construction' is the center-page story in this weekend's edition of The Star. In a well-researched article, Star reporter Molly McDaniel outlines the hurdles that have now been overcome to safeguard the future of the Rosewood hotel project along the Pigeon Island Causeway. In doing so, McDaniel lays to rest alarming reports published in The Crusader and various other newspapers earlier this year to the effect that Rochamel Construction might not be able to pay off its debts to local suppliers, and that a miniature war was developing between certain creditors and some directors of the hotel development companies involved [search news archives]. McDaniel's article in particular clarifies the "elaborate corporate web" behind the Hyatt Regency and the soon-to-be-built Rosewood Hotel - something which The Crusader, in particular, never managed to do. According to the article in The Star, construction of the Rosewood Hotel was delayed to give all those involved a chance to first sort out the financial difficulties experienced by Rochamel Construction in the construction of the Hyatt Regency hotel. These difficulties are now nearing a solution, McDaniel reports, with the US-based Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Pigeon Point Hotel company (the owners of the Hyatt Regency St. Lucia), "to rescue cash-strapped Rochamel Construction". As a result, construction of the Hyatt Regency hotel can be completed, while construction of the Rosewood Hotel can get underway. [Read the full story in The Star].
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