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Weekly feature by Edward Harris |
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Quotes:
"The musical background was also sustained by my mother who would constantly be singing in her off-key soprano, operatic arias; she also told us about Cavaleria Rusticana and Galli-Curci. However, my brother and I, in our childhood ignorance, used to whirl these heavy seventy-eights at each other like frisbees in the drawing room"....
"Our urban existence on the Chaussee, however, was not the St. Lucian experience without visits to the country. It was here the poet's and playwright's eyes expanded with fresh, clear vistas of Patience and D'Aubaignan, of Soufriere and La Fargue. The acrid smell of coastal vessels or whining sounds of country buses could all be forgotten on those summer holidays to meet planter, woodcutter, and charcoal-burner and hearing contes on boloms, soucouyants, la diablesses, and lougarous, or of strange murders on coconut estates, of bathing in brown rivers, on black sand beaches or drinking water from fresh springs. This is the country of Sea at Dauphin, Malfinis, Lone, The Banjo Man, Chanson Marianne, Ti-Jean, Brother Rabbit, and The Guitar Man's Song. In the island of the imagination these landscapes with figures seem to shout for colourful compositions".
Roderick 'Roddy' Walcott, who died last Monday, recounting childhood memories of himself and his twin brother Derek (The Crusader, 11th March).
"I tell you, if our incorrigible machomen needed more support for their chauvinist belief that you can't entrust positions of authority to women, well, sad to say, they got it yesterday. Thanks to the pointless diversion of traffic away from the city end of the John Compton Highway, Castries experienced the mother of all traffic jams".
Rick Wayne on International Women's Day celebration last Wednesday, which started at 4:30 pm but saw traffic being diverted from early morning (The Star, 11th March).
"They see her as a defenseless sardine to be rescued from being chewed up by the sharp-toothed, blue-eyed, merciless sharks in the rough waters of the tourism world".
Earl Bousquet on the persons who consider Menissa Rambally too young or of the wrong gender to head the ministry of Tourism (The Voice, 11th March).
"Politicians call it 'bureaucracy'; public servants who administer the system prefer to call it 'the process'; and people, like Smith and Mirville, who are affected by it, say it is bare frustration".
David Vitalis on the problems encountered by two young registered nurses trying to obtain employment (The Mirror 10th March).
"'Why do people gamble?' And the answer is: greed, snobbery, sexual compensation, boredom, machoism, intellectual exercise, the desire to prove one's superiority to the forces of chance, inexplicable excitement, and it helps to attain unfilfilled goals. Freud expressed his views on some gambling acts as a sublimation for copulation or masturbation. This profile of casino gamblers indicates that gaming will not attract a wider cross section of visitors, but will attract a specific market niche to which St. Lucia's tourism industry does not cater at this point in time"
The Voice on the issue of casino gambling (7th March).
"Castries is now almost totally dysfunctional, and with the traffic congestions and the crowds, efficient conduct of business would have been impossible without the telephone and the fax machine. On a daily basis over 3,ooo vehicles, including 984 minibuses pour into the city together with trucks, trailers, container trucks and thousands of pedestrians".
John Compton on the future expansion of Castries (The Voice and Crusader, 11th March).
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"International watchdogs scrutinize financial sector"
St. Lucia has been placed on the top priority list of financial service sites that need close scrutiny by international watchdogs, claims The Mirror, following what it describes as a first "assault on the firewalls of integrity" of the island's budding international financial services sector. This alarming statement follows two recent controversies about perceived conflicts of interest in what is to become the new pillar of the nation's economy. First of all, there is confusion about the precise status of the company that is allocated the task of registering agents & trustees for the financial services sector: the International Financial and World Investment Centre (IFWIC). According to Phillip J. Pierre, minister for International Financial Services - a portfolio he retained after last week's cabinet reshuffle - IFWIC is 100 percent government-owned. But in a recent publication in Business Focus, the deputy managing-director of the Financial Centre Corporation (FCC), Anthony Bristol, says that IFWIC will be managed by a private company, i.e. FCC, which moreover will also be the promoter of St. Lucia's new financial services sector in general.
In all, The Mirror identifies four major components of the financial sector which, it claims, must remain separated by "firewalls" to prevent corruption or the semblance thereof - accusations that hound the international financial sectors of some other Caribbean countries such as Antigua and St. Vincent. "[I]t is important to keep the regulatory and administrative quarter separate from the promoters who should themselves be separate from the agents and trustees", writes The Mirror, outlining the conflicts of interest that will otherwise arise. "How would it look if the person who is promoting the financial services sector also has an agency and is competing with other businesses for the clients that they are supposed to be getting for the agents and trustees? How would it look if the registration of international business companies and trusts and certification of agents was done by someone who was himself a licensed and registered agent? How would it look if people in the registry and in the regulatory side of the industry were also involved in being agents in the industry? Certainly, the registry cannot be itself a registered agent and trustee".
Despite assurances to the contrary from Anthony Bristol, The Mirror continues: "[B]ut the very things which were just mentioned seem to be happening now. The registration function of the Department of Financial Services has been taken over by a private company and that company is the same company which is promoting St. Lucia".
Another moot point tackled in this week's Mirror and also in One Caribbean is the fact that in April 1999, the chief executive officer of Phillip J. Pierre Business Services, one Mario Lendor, applied to the Department of Financial Services to be registered as financial services experts. The then head of the Department of Financial Services, Ingrid Bullard, responded by asking whether Mr. Lendor was applying on behalf of the company or for Phillip J. Pierre. Lendor replied twice: in the first instance stating that the application was for both; but then subsequently claiming that the application was for himself only, and not for Phillip J. Pierre. "The letter was said to be written on stationery bearing Phillip J. Pierre's letterhead, but Pierre showed The Mirror a copy of the letter which had no letterhead and no signature", writes The Mirror. The paper continues: "Pierre told The Mirror he did not know that Lendor had applied to be a registered agent on behalf of his company. He told The Mirror that he knows fully well that the Minister shall not engage in the business he holds the portfolio for, but he said he cannot remember if Bullard told him that Lendor had confirmed that the April 1999 letters of application were from Phillip J. Pierre Business Services as well as Lendor".
Pierre has since lodged a resolution at the Registry (on 5th October 1999) stating that neither he himself nor his company will be involved in financial services whilst he is the minister. Pierre lodged the resolution "out of an abundance of caution", he said.
Registration of international financial services trustees and agents started last Friday. The first two lawyers to have registered are Michael Gordon and Nicholas John. Phillip J. Pierre was signatory to the certificates. This is reported in TheVoice.
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Roddy Walcott (70) passes away
After a long illness, Roderick 'Roddy' Walcott died on Monday at the age of seventy in Toronto, Canada. The twin-brother of Nobel laureate Derek Walcott was a highly respected playwright, screenwriter, painter, theatre director, costume and set designer, song lyricist and literary editor. He was the leader of the St. Lucia Arts Guild in the 1950s and '60s and one of the founding fathers of Caribbean theatre. He produced seventeen dramas, eight musicals and two screenplays. Some of his best-known works are 'The Banjo Man' and 'The Harrowing of Benjy', which today is still the most produced play in the English-speaking Caribbean. Roddy Walcott and his family moved to Canada in 1968, with a temporary return to St. Lucia from 1977 to 1980, when Walcott became the island's first director of Culture. Walcott was awarded the St. Lucia Medal of Honour (Gold) and the Joseph Devaux Lifetime Award earlier this year. In 1976, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire. A memorial service will be held for him at the Methodist Church in Castries on Saturday 18th March.
All newspapers dedicate reports to the passing away of Roddy Walcott, while The Crusader carries a centerspread article written by the late Roddy Walcott himself, in which he colourfully describes his own and his brother Derek's childhoods in downtown Castries in the 1930s and '40s.
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Nigerian freed after unlawful 3-1/2 year imprisonment
24-year-old Nigerian, Smart Dua, was finally released from prison on Monday after Justice Suzy d'Auvergne ruled that he was being unlawfully detained. Dua is to leave St. Lucia by the 21st of March. Smart Dua spent three and a half years at Her Majesty's Prison in Castries after overstaying his visa. He came to St. Lucia in 1996 in a bid to gain refugee status, sensing that his life was in danger in Nigeria following his participation in anti-government demonstrations. In March 1997, Justice Floretta Nicholas ordered that Dua be deported back to Nigeria as soon as possible but this did not happen. Meanwhile, Dua's detention became "an unofficial prison sentence", as The Mirror newspaper puts it. According to The Mirror and The Crusader, in April of 1998, Dua's father sent a fully paid airline ticket for his son to return to Nigeria. A St. Lucian friend of Dua's claims that he gave the ticket to chief immigration officer Alexis but again, no action was taken and Dua remained incarcerated. Dua's friend further claims that following the expiry of the ticket, in April of 1999, Alexis returned the unused ticket. Last week's Crusader carried a copy of this airline ticket. Eventually, Dua's case was taken up by human rights lawyer Colin Foster, resulting in his immediate release. Dua has been given two weeks to leave the country but meanwhile, has filed for refugee status. Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Foreign Affairs, Earl Huntley, has agreed to consider the application - something which lawyer Colin Foster says is a favourable sign. Furthermore, Foster does not rule out the possibility that Dua may seek compensation for wrongful imprisonment. According to The Mirror, Dua is "just one of several Nigerians who suffered wrongful imprisonment at the hands of St. Lucian authorities in recent few years". The paper quotes the case of at least one other Nigerian who spent a year in jail here and continues: "Human rights activists and lawyers say that there may be a number of other foreign nationals who have been wrongfully imprisoned here". In its editorial, The Mirror lashes out at the relevant authorities, saying it feels "shame and outrage", and calls upon the prime minister to order an investigation and to issue an official government statement on "this very sad story". "We need to determine just how it happened that Dua's constitutional rights were so blatantly trampled upon by the local authorities ... Many people are saying that what happened to Dua could never have happened to a white person and if we accept that then it is a very serious indictment on this country. We hate to believe that the colour of one's skin determines the sort of reception they will get here".
The Crusader, which was the first newspaper to draw attention to Dua's case [see news archives], asked Legal Affairs minister, Velon John, for a comment on the case but was told by a secretary that he is "not discussing any issue with the media until after the budget". The paper also spoke with Dua shortly after he was released on Monday. "I'm overwhelmed", said Dua. "My God, I never thought I would see the day when I was able to walk around quite freely. The air is so wonderful. ... Every day I was praying for my freedom. Everyday I prayed that someone would listen to me. At times I felt so hopeless and wondered if ever I would get out from that terrible place. ... I'm so very, very happy".
The Star and One Caribbean also report on Dua's release.
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Action against hiring of unqualified civil servants
Some permanent secretaries and heads of department occasionally hire persons to fulfil positions for which they are not qualified, thereby disregarding guidelines set out by the Public Service Commission (PSC). This allegation stems from a memorandum by the chairman of the PSC, Keith Weekes, sent out early last month to all permanent secretaries and heads of department. In the memorandum, Weekes warns against an "abuse" of the process, introduced in September of 1999, which allows permanent secretaries and heads of department to hire staff in the lower ranks of the civil service. At the time, the St. Lucia Civil Service Association protested strongly against the delegation of this power to permanent secretaries and heads of departments, but the PSC went ahead with the new procedure anyway. Now, five months later, the PSC is threatening to revoke its decision. "Reports reaching the Commission indicate that there is an abuse of process which pertains to the appointment of 'qualified persons'. As a consequence, you are directed to provide the Commission with all letters, applications and academic qualifications of all officers who have been appointed by virtue of your delegated power of appointment. These should reach the Commission before March 31, 2000", writes PSC chairman Weekes. The Mirror reports this.
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Chastanet must resign, say HelenAir directors
Directors of local airline company HelenAir on Thursday called for the immediate resignation of Michael Chastanet, the chairman of the Aviation Licensing Authority Board. Arthur Neptune and Mario Reyes claim that Chastanet was listed as a director of regional airline EC Express whilst simultaneously acting as chairman of the board. This, the HelenAir directors say, is a direct violation of the 1992 Aviation Regulations.
Neptune and Reyes made their allegations in Thursday's DBS call-in show 'Talk' with Rick Wayne. They said they had put their allegations before the then-minister of Aviation, Phillip J. Pierre, who promised to investigate the matter, but has not responded since. According to The Star, Neptune and Reyes "supplied what appeared to be documentary evidence supporting allegations that Chastanet and his son Allen were both directors of EC Express while Michael was chairman of the local Aviation Licensing Authority, contrary to law".
Earlier this year, HelenAir and EC Express (a subsidiary of Air Jamaica which is due to start services out of St. Lucia this coming April) were discussing a take-over bid but negotiations have since broken off. More recently, HelenAir has joined forces with regional airline BWIA. Last year, developments surrounding a four million dollar loan guarantee for the cash-strapped HelenAir caused great political turmoil, resulting in the dismissal of three government senators, including Rick Wayne.
The Voice and Star both report on the HelenAir directors' allegations against Michael Chastanet.
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Price of gasoline set to rise
Due to an increase in the price of crude oil on the world market, prices for petroleum products in St. Lucia will increase in the coming weeks. This was announced by then- minister of Commerce, Walter Francois, last Friday. Francois said he hoped the price increase would be marginal and would not have a domino effect on the price of other goods. He could not say exactly when prices at the pump would go up. Currently, a gallon of unleaded gasoline retails at EC$6.42, and leaded at EC$6.06. This is reported in The Star. In an unrelated letter to the editor of The Mirror, M. Grech questions the wisdom of a price system which "penalises" environmentally-aware motorists by making lead-free gasoline more expensive than leaded gasoline.
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Stray cows shot and left to rot by roadside
Vieux Fort police officers last week shot and killed eight stray cows, leaving the dead or dying animals' bodies to decompose or be amateurishly butchered by passers-by wherever they collapsed. Three cows were shot near the southern town's Il Pirata restaurant, greatly infuriating its owner, Gherardo Gualtieri. "I cannot believe the police just left the cows outside my restaurant for two days. The smell was very bad and they were rotting. People were coming and cutting pieces from the cows. There was a terrible smell and it was very difficult to stay near it. The cows were in a terrible condition and they had to be buried", The Star quotes Gualtieri.
Last week's shooting of stray cattle follows a grace period of six months during which cattle owners in the south were expected to construct pens for their animals. To help them, the ministry of Agriculture also fenced-in a communal pasture at Beausejour where cattle-owners from Vieux Fort to Micoud can graze their animals. This communal pasture was completed about two weeks ago and hence, last week saw the start of the stray cattle eradication programme.
But the shooting of stray cattle is, as yet, wrought with confusion concerning the issue of authority. The Vieux Fort police officers involved in last week's shooting of eight cows say they acted on a clear directive from the Prime Minister's office. Asked for confirmation of this, staff at the PM's office could not reply immediately. Assistant Commissioner of Police Hermangild Francis said he was not aware of such a directive from the PM's office but explained that the police acts within the bounds of the Traffic Act by shooting stray animals when they constitute a threat to road traffic. The Star, on checking the relevant section of the law, asks whether the cows that were shot last week actually did constitute a threat to traffic, or whether they were - as "reports indicate" - grazing alongside the road.
Finally, there is the urgent issue of disposal of the killed animals. According to the Traffic Act, writes The Star, "the owner of the animal has eight hours to remove the carcass. If this is not done, then the police officer must remove it". But in last week's incident, the police did not remove the dead animals nor were either the Vieux Fort town council or the St. Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority (SLSWMA) informed of the police action and asked to assist in disposing of the dead animals. The carcasses near Il Pirata were eventually buried on Saturday afternoon courtesy of the Vieux Fort Beautification Committee. Town council chairman Julius James told The Star: "It is embarrassing for us as a council as people see these cows being shot and left and [they] are quick to think that this is to do with the Council. We do not have jurisdiction to kill cows and now we are being implicated in this. As for disposing of the cows, we are not moving anything for anybody. The police are the ones killing them".
Local enforcement officer of the SLSWMA, Cassian Henry, expressed similar sentiments.
According to ACP Hermangild Francis, shooting of stray cattle has never in the past caused these kinds of concerns. "In my experience, as soon as the cows are shot, people come and take away the meat. I my time in Vieux Fort, we would shoot four cows in the morning and by the afternoon, the meat would be gone". Francis conceded that it would be worth investigating whether sell the meat of the cows thus shot, or to use tranquilliser guns and impound the animals, whereupon the owner could either collect his animal after payment of a fine or the police could auction off the animal. In all cases, government would stand to gain financially from solving the problem of stray cattle.
According to The Tuesday Voice, over the past year, sixteen road accidents have occurred along the Vieux Fort highway involving stray cattle, eight of which resulted in serious vehicular damage. The Star quotes a higher figure: twenty-five accidents, two of which involved police vehicles.
The rationale behind the shooting of stray cattle is always road safety. In its Tuesday editorial, The Voice congratulates the Vieux Fort police and clamours for similar action to be taken in Castries, especially along the Gros Islet highway, where drivers heading north "automatically slow down when they pass Waves restaurant. The cows have become part of the fauna and flora of that area. It seems that the owners do not care if one of their animals is the cause of a fatal vehicular accident".
Meanwhile, the St. Lucia Animal Protection Society has called for alternative methods of tackling the problem, saying "an animal should not be disposed of by shooting except in a dire emergency".
In an unrelated article also in The Star, Rowaj Luap calls upon the government to start enforcing the country's traffic laws. "I do know that there are a lot of cars speeding on the roads. I do know that drivers are overtaking in the wrong places on the road. I do know they park wherever they like, footway, road and verge. I do know that some cars are unsafe and dangerous for the roads. I do know that drivers drive without care and attention. ... I do know there are people drinking alcohol, or taking drugs and driving. I do know there are many other traffic offences occurring every day. ... Just think about it for a minute, if all the people you see speeding or dangerous driving are prosecuted and the money goes back into the road network, St. Lucia would be a safe place again. ... How many people need to die or be injured on the roads just because the existing laws are not being upheld?"
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Economic activity in '99 period up over '98
Economic activity in St. Lucia increased during the period July-September 1999 as compared to the same period in 1998. This is the conclusion of an economic and financial review of St. Lucia prepared by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB).
The construction industry, in particular, contributed to this economic vibrancy, with on-going projects being the Castries-Cul de Sac highway, the Castries River bridge and the Southern Shores Commercial Development project and the goods distribution freezone complex, both in Vieux Fort.
Performance in the tourism industry was mixed, with stayover arrivals increasing but the number of cruiseship passengers declining. Agricultural production contracted over the third quarter of 1999, as compared to the same period in 1998, whilst the manufacturing sector showed mixed results. The production of rum, paper and electrical products increased but other alcoholic beverages, wearing apparel and shortening fell. "The fiscal position of the central government as reflected by the current account balance worsened", the ECCB reports. "Liquidity in the banking system tightened, while interest rates remained stable. The rate of inflation, as measured by the changes in retail price index, fell during the period under review". The Tuesday Voice is the only paper to report on the ECCB's report. Only last week, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture criticised the government's recent implementation of a new consumption tax regime, warning that in the long run it will have a negative impact on the economy in general, and the manufacturing sector in particular [see last week's news].
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