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HE’S OUT! The Star (St.Lucia)

SATURDAY, APRIL 06, 2019

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Ubaldus Raymond, seemingly a magnet for controversy, en-route to a recent sitting of parliament.

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INVEST SAINT LUCIA REFLECTIONS PROPOSES NEW LAND (An over-my-shoulder DEVELOPMENT SITES look at life) Fellow Travellers P

By Michael Walker

I

suppose that when you travel as much as I once did—and by “much” I mean up to 200 days a year, which almost brings me up to Saint Lucia’s ministerial level—you are bound sooner or later to have someone famous, or infamous, sit next to you for the duration of the flight. Commuting as often as I did between Europe and the US (and being absolutely nuts about air travel), I took the Concorde from Heathrow to JFK and back about once a month for more than two years.

Strangely enough, I encountered someone famous on only one occasion during that period.

It was on the return leg. I had left the Boston area early that morning by private jet just in time to catch the 10am flight to London that arrived in the late afternoon.

My seatmate was immaculately dressed for business and seemed quite agitated. I was in 1B, as always, and he occupied 1A. Unusually, he was quite chatty (people tend to keep themselves to themselves on these flights) and he told me all about his flight “going technical” on him, which was why he was taking Concorde. I commiserated with him, poor devil, having to fly supersonic when he could have flown in luxury in his government jet.

I had to stay in London for a couple of days on business, which coincided with his stay and we met a couple of times for dinner even though we were staying at different hotels. Unfortunately, although he was to be joined by his wife later in the week, he had quite a different agenda for our “friendship” and I had to cut him off, which made him quite angry. I guess I had been naïve. Gays were still “queers” in the days before enlightenment.

Travelling first class on regular flights was quite a different matter. I remember one particular TWA flight from Boston into Heathrow, again a day flight, but subsonic, that was delayed for quite some time at the gate before departure. The captain was becoming pretty irritated and the one remaining passenger was clearly getting on his nerves. When she finally appeared, looking absolutely gorgeous, she plonked herself down next to me before grabbing my hand and wrist. “Hold me,” she panted, “I’m terrified of flying.” I graciously acquiesced and she clung on to me for most of the flight.

The cabin crew was so star struck that I felt I had to ask my new found close companion,

“Excuse me, but am I supposed to know you?”

She cracked up and howled with laughter.

It turned out she was the star of a TV series called Dynasty—which I had never heard of—and she was on her way to Paris to be fitted for wigs for an upcoming movie she was going to make. Coincidentally, we were staying at the same hotel in London, the Savoy, so she offered me a ride in the limousine that her studio had provided, and a good time was had by all for the next couple of days.

Then there was the Gatwick to Barbados flight with Mick Jagger by my side. David Bowie was on the same flight. They were on their way to Mustique. I took my small plane down to meet them and ended up donating loads of my books to the small school that they supported on the island. I received a very nice thank you note from a Lady So-and-so, who was clearly Mick’s private secretary or the person in charge of the school, that I still have today.

We chatted the whole flight, something I never did otherwise, but he was so different from the public persona, the image he presented. His father was a teacher of history, I remember, and the whole singing business was supposed to last just a year or two. He seemed fascinated to learn that I made a good living, to say the least, from writing textbooks.

For ninety-nine point nine percent of the time these chance encounters remained just that, but occasionally, just now and then, they became something more. I recall a memorable flight from Paris to Buenos Aires via Rio de Janeiro on Air France. The first class cabin was sparsely populated, just five Arab gentlemen and me. My guy was clearly the leader. They were from one of the Gulf States and they were on their way to do business in South America. The Sheik was chatty and friendly and kept feeding me figs with his fingers as we talked. Believe it or not, it turned out that he had learned English using my books and could still, years later, quote from the texts in the books. By the end of the flight we had become firm friends and I found that I had promised to visit him in his country as soon as possible on my return to Europe and hold courses and workshops for his teachers.

The collaboration that started at the beginning of the eighties lasted for many years until he passed.

Looking back at my career, I realize that perhaps the most momentous events have not been the most successful campaigns or the millions in sales but instead it was the quiet moments, the passing encounters that made all the difference.

lans announced by Invest Saint Lucia (ISL) to develop a number of residential areas, including approximately 11 acres of land in Beauchamp, Micoud, and approximately five acres in Bois Jolie, Dennery, are taking shape.

According to Chief Executive Officer, Roderick Cherry, the Beauchamp and Bois

Jolie developments are part of an overall development plan conceptualized for lands vested to ISL. Fifty-nine lots in Beauchamp and at least 25 lots in Bois Jolie will be developed. The lots have been designated mixed use, which is a combination of residential and commercial; and range

from 4000 square feet to as large as 12,000 square feet.

They will be made available to residents of the respective communities at reasonable rates.

Lands Administrative Manager at ISL, David Desir, said the proposal has been submitted to the Development Control Authority (DCA) for

National Library Month

This Library Month visit your community library to participate in the specially curated activities.

T

he National Association of Libraries and Information Professionals (NALIP-St Lucia) celebrates April 2019 as National Library and Information Month under the theme “Libraries and Information Services on the Move: Enhancing Communities through Connections & Collaboration."

This year’s observance seeks to give more visibility to the Association (NALIP) and its work within the communities.

The schedule of activities is as follows: Friday March 29 - Launch of Book Review Competition • 200-250 word review of book "Green Days by the River"

by Michael Anthony. Open to students age 12-15 years. The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2019.

Monday April 8 - Opening Ceremony (Ministry of Infrastructure Conference Room, Union) • Prize Giving Ceremony for Book Review Competition • Retreat

workers and other stakeholders are invited to a symposium at the Central Library, Castries (9:30am3:30pm)

Friday April 12 - Community Outreach • Uptown Gardens Girls Centre Library Project Tuesday April 9 • Dennery Library Upgrade • Literary Day - Soufriere • Canaries Literacy Project Library 2pm • Get to know your librarian - Friday April 26 - Writing & Publishing Workshop individual libraries island-wide • Central Library Reading Room 9:00am-4:30pm. (Target: Wednesday April 10 secondary school students, poets, Library & Information Worker playwrights, budding novelists, Appreciation Day short story writers, journalists, • Church Service - Micoud anyone who wishes to pursue a Pentecostal Church 10am career in writing & publishing.

• Lunch - Fox Grove Inn Facilitators: renown and reputable writers and publishers.

Thursday April 11 Certificates will be awarded to Symposium participants.)

• Library and information

THE STAR

A

Activities Galore For Youth Month

pril is annually observed here as Youth Month, designed to celebrate the talents and achievements of young people, and to emphasize youth empowerment through a series of national and community activities. This week, the youth and sports ministry’s youth director, Mary Wilfred, offered a hint of the many scheduled activities. The first, a speech festival, took place from April 1 to the 4. Students fine-tuned their oratorical skills by debating parliament-style debating, reciting poetry and delivering addresses.

“We are hoping that coming out of this training, we will have more young people who can use various advocacy tools; that they can now better address issues that affect them, not just as students but also as citizens,” said Wilfred.

The formal opening of Youth Month took place on Friday.

Dubbed “Youth Expose,” the event attracted many uniformed groups, including the cadets, Red Cross and scouts. A formal opening ceremony was held at Constitution Park and

LOCAL

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included live performances and a showcase of young entrepreneurs. The grand opening marked the start of the packed calendar of events for the month.

The Wayne Louis Memorial Lecture is scheduled for April 13 at the Financial Administrative Center, starting at 6:00 pm. This event is held in partnership with the Wayne Louis Memorial Foundation, to commemorate the former vice president of the National Youth Council. Dr. Winston Phulgence will deliver the lecture.

April 15-20 will be observed as Youth Service Week. During this time individuals, youth groups and organizations are encouraged to show acts of kindness, and make a difference through service projects in their various communities. The groups can photograph their acts of kindness and upload it to Facebook. The picture with the most likes receives an award. A weekend “Kamp Kalinago” will take place from April 19 to 21 in Soufriere. The camp will seek to provide opportunities for young

people to access leadership development. Participants are expected to learn skills in events management, budgeting and proposal writing and public relations, among other related topics. They will also be exposed to the history of the Kalinago people, sometimes referred to as the Caribs. They were the indigenous people of the Greater and Lesser Antillies.

While a date has not yet been set for Youth Parliament, it is expected to take place in the last week of April.

The debate will center on the Youth Justice Act that was passed in the House of Assembly last November.

Youth month culminates with Youth Awards on April 27 at the Financial Administrative Centre. The award ceremony seeks to celebrate youth and their achievements in many categories, including: Outstanding Youth in Entrepreneurship, Outstanding Youth in Social Development, Outstanding Youth Organization and Youth of the Year.

---JSA

03

With little choice, Ubaldus Raymond Bows Out Of Government!

By Rick Wayne

A

ccording to good authority, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet has accepted Dr. Ubaldus Raymond’s resignation, both from the Saint Lucia Senate and as the government minister in charge of the public service, effective next week. Dr. Raymond is currently off island on official business and was unavailable for comment.

Meanwhile, recorded somewhat salty conversations between him and an unidentified female have been making the rounds, on the internet and elsewhere.

The senator was earlier at the heart of a similar controversy last year, this time involving two young women he claimed had sought to blackmail him.

The matter generated a storm of public resentment, with

the prime minister coming under sustained pressure to fire Raymond, then attached to his office as finance minister. At the time the prime minister said he would make a decision based on the police charges against the teenaged blackmailers. But finally the charges were controversially withdrawn by the office of public prosecutions. Not long afterward the senator was given responsibility for the public service.

Before enlisting in the United Workers Party shortly before the 2016 general elections, Mr. Raymond served as a minister in the 2011 Labour Party administration, headed by Kenny Anthony.

He resigned on the basis that the prime minister made him feel “like a doctor employed as a motor mechanic.” Before finally returning to join the Allen

Dr Ubaldus Raymond (pictured) is no longer a member of the Saint Lucia Senate.

Chastanet-led UWP campaign for office, Raymond served in the government of Turks & Caicos.

He is married with children.

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April 06, 2019 THE STAR

Are our cops scapegoats for mediocre politicians?

I

cannot recall a time when my fellow citizens were even nearly satisfied with the performance of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force. Not that we are more respectful of other arms of government. If I am to be brutally blunt, the police force, like other public service departments, is only a mirrored reflection of ourselves—who we are, our standards, our sense of right and wrong, our work ethic. Nevertheless, hardly a day goes by without complaints to call-in radio and talk-show hosts about our sworn protectors of life and property, as if spitting at the sky were our most cherished sporting activity.

We typically ignore the history of the force, choosing instead to gripe about the latest grievance, usually nothing new. Small wonder our meagre efforts at remedying the situation have been as effective as gwen en bas feuille against

stage-four cancer.

We need not revisit the record of our police force in colonial times, when authority over these “plantations” resided in the manicured hands of the Mother Country. But then what have we done to improve the force since Independence?

By all the evidence, it seems we simply went on with business as usual, with the force often headed by foreign commissioners. As for its real controllers, our politicians, the best that can be said about them is that they may well have succeeded in turning our police officers into scapegoats for their own shortcomings—which is not to say they managed that without, in some cases, the full cooperation of police chiefs.

Consider one commission of inquiry into the administration, command and discipline of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force in 1988. Among its conclusions: “There are no

appeal, nor can judgment be passed on the other matters mentioned by [name deleted] about which disciplinary charges have not yet been preferred. The commission is, however, aware from evidence adduced that the overall perception of the rank and file in the police force is that [the former commissioner] has lost clear guidelines to indicate the moral authority to command the areas of responsibility and by example. The scars remain. It authority of Officers in Charge is quite clear to the commission . . .” More importantly: “The that these unsavory events commission found no evidence have had and continue to have to indicate a lack of loyalty to a most detrimental effect on the the government and the state morale and esprit de corps of of St. Lucia. However, neither the Royal St. Lucia Police Force. the government nor the state

“Further, the developments commands the police; the which have accompanied Commissioner of Police does.

The commission found from the them have for some time now manifested themselves evidence of police witnesses, in the parlous state of the some of whom were forthright administration and supervision and others subtle or evasive, that the Commissioner of Police of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force in respect of which has lost the moral right to duties and responsibilities are command the Royal St. Lucia exercised in a most perfunctory Police Force.” (Does any of this have a familiar sound? Read on.) manner. In the result, an environment has been created

“The commission in in which other authorities have assessing the [name deleted] perforce by default been forced competence, integrity and professional energy to command to ursurp [name withheld] the Royal St. Lucia Police Force powers and authority, albeit by unlawful means.” has avoided being swayed by

The report concludes: “The his dismissal from office as commission has no doubt that Commissioner of Police, as such there exists the talent in St. dismissal was not upheld on

Is the RSLPF a force divided against itself or have they been turned by political manipulators into their own worst enemies? In either case the people are the losers!

Lucia to make the change for the better, provided there is the will to achieve it.”

Maybe, but what about those earlier mentioned remaining “scars?” Whether or not the force was headed by a native son, factionalism has always plagued the organization. Kenny Anthony’s public remarks before and after his IMPACS investigation only made an especially bad situation intolerable. Former commissioner Vernon Francois certainly had his fans among the public and within the police force. That he was made the first scapegoat of the debacle now known as IMPACS only dumped more fuel on the fires of self-hatred that since 2012 have consumed the force. The consequences are to be heard daily from citizens denied normal police services.

Public trust in the police is at an all-time low, quite possibly in consequence of Kenny Anthony’s public pronouncement in 2013 that crime in Saint Lucia is facilitated by cops, politicians and businessmen. Soon afterward he pointed an accusatory finger at Vernon Francois, whom he claimed had turned a willful blind eye to the horrors associated with what the U.S. State department referred to as “gross violations of human rights.” Francois was consequently barred from attending police seminars and other activities in the U.S.

In his recently published book Restored Confidence, Francois wrote that he placed less blame for his problems on the U.S. than on Kenny Anthony “who pronounced he had information on the existence of a police hit list of criminals.

If such information is coming from the head of government, how can one properly blame the Americans if they accept it as credible?”

Early in his book Francois revealed his intention was “to challenge the irresponsible and altogether bogus address delivered by Prime Minister Kenny Anthony on March 8, 2015.”

In November 2018 the wife

of a police officer close to the IMPACS matter took a bullet in the head as she prepared for bed. Her husband was out at the time. Several hours later he was fingered at a police press conference as “a person of interest” and a serial wife abuser. The police attempted to back away from that declaration hours after it hit the local airwaves and the Internet, then permitted the officer to return home—the scene of the crime—without any charges.

Meanwhile there have been conflicting statements from the police about the analysis at a St. Kitts-Nevis crime lab of samples taken from the scene of the shooting. Explanations for why no one has yet been charged with the murder of Kimberly De Leon are offered once in a while, nearly all confusing to the regular mind.

The victim’s husband, as earlier indicated, is no ordinary policeman. In the time of the previous administration he had informed the Public Service Commission of threats on his life by fellow police officers associated with Operation Restore Confidence. The warning came from his commissioner at the time. In an interview with this writer, the declared then undeclared person of interest in the Kimberly De Leon matter suggested someone may have mistakenly shot his wife in the semi-darkness of their bedroom when the bullet was meant for him. Or that she was the victim of a paid hit man.

His earlier appeals for police protection had all fallen on deaf ears, he said.

Yes, indeed “the scars remain.” As if the several problems confronting the current police commissioner were not already overwhelming, he is now dealing with an apparent impending storm involving city council cops whose powers were last week extended by an act of parliament. It remains to be seen what it will take to force the current government to alleviate the burdens of the police, including the smarting “scars” from earlier lost wars, internecine and otherwise!

THE STAR

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Are Ernest Hilaire and the Castries Mayor gearing up for something bigger than control of the CCC? Dean Nestor

L

ast week this newspaper featured a comment by Mayor Peterson Francis that was his response to several unsavoury insinuations tossed at him by South Castries MP Ernest Hilaire at the most recent sitting of parliament, among them this: “The Castries Constituency Council has become synonymous with bad governance and irregular practices, bordering, some might say, on corruption.”

We also featured the mayor’s reaction: “The same Dr. Hilaire, immediately after I assumed office, came to me to see whether I could pass on leftover funds for a Marigot road

project. When has the council ever been involved in building roads?”

This week Hilaire told this reporter: “To be honest with you, I’m not even sure what the mayor was trying to say. I don’t know that I was involved in any road project in Marigot.

Whatever he meant, and he can always clarify, if he is suggesting corruption he should say so. If he is suggesting that the CCC ought not to be involved in road construction and I condoned it by asking him for funds, then he should say so.

I have no problem with the CCC fulfilling its mandate, as long as it is done the right way and the right procedures are followed.”

An official in the Office of the Mayor, promised to provide proof of the contrary

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but up to time of writing has not delivered. Meanwhile, Hilaire had not dismounted the evidently toothless tiger: “The mayor must understand he is not a lone ranger on a horse just riding through, cracking his whip and firing his pistol to get order in the city. I support what he’s done in terms of cracking down on urination and things like that, but he should not feel offended when I say to him that there are too many reports of irregular activity in the CCC.”

Hilaire also accepted the challenge issued to him by the mayor last week. “I’m going to write the mayor and ask him for all the minutes of councils to see what was done. I’m going to ask him for access to all the books and I will definitely go into a meeting to ask questions.

If he is claiming that everything he has done is above board, then I will go to the council meeting and ask the councillors if they were aware of this. You see, the mayor seems to forget I have a representative on the council and when he comes

out of those meetings I ask him questions. There’s a lot that has gone on in the CCC. Does the mayor really want me to come out with them in public? It will come out at the right time.”

Could the “right time” for Hilaire turn out to be in the middle of a campaign for the seat he now holds? “Everybody knows Peterson has political ambitions,” said the opposition MP. “I’ve heard those rumours about a possible Castries South run, just as you have. I just have to do my work and do it to the best of my ability. I’m grateful to the people of Castries South for the confidence they’ve put in me. Since then, I’ve tried my best to represent them, get to know and understand them. I’m from the constituency and grew up here. I will work as hard as I can to win the next election.”

He added: “I’m not really worried whether the UWP turns out to be Mary Isaac or Peterson Francis. I am doing the best job I can and hopefully that will carry me through. If it doesn’t, at the end of the day it’s the

Are the mayor of Castries and South Castries engaged in a war other than involves the CCC? Time will tell!

constituents who have the final say.” He paused, chuckled, “The last time I was a political virgin. Obviously the next time around I won’t be.”

Financial Action Task Force Recommendation: Record Keeping

By The Attorney General’s Chambers and the National Anti-Money Laundering Oversight Committee (NAMLOC)

R

ecord keeping is a bedrock for proper business administration.

Recommendation 11 of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) 40 Recommendations, covers record keeping.

Financial Institutions and businesses engaged in other business activities, such as jewellers, lawyers and real estate agents are required to maintain records on domestic and international transactions.

These records may include business correspondences, information on unusual large

transactions, account files and information obtained whilst conducting customer due diligence such as copies of official identification. The information collected should be in such detail as to facilitate the reconstruction of individual transactions if required by a domestic competent authority, such as the Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA).

This recommendation requires information to be kept for at least five years after the conclusion of the business relationship and this should be enshrined in law. Financial institutions and entities engaged in other business activities should be able, when a request is made by the competent authority, to produce the records promptly.

This recommendation is covered under the Money Laundering (Prevention) Act, Cap.12.20. Section 16 (1)(a) of the Act states, “A financial institution or a person engaged in other business activity shall, establish and maintain transaction records for both domestic and international transactions for a period of seven years after the completion of the transaction recorded”. Section 16(8) of the Act mandates that records are to be kept in a format that allows for easy retrieval, to assist in investigation and prosecution of money laundering offences.

Failure to comply with these requirements constitute an offence and upon conviction an individual can be fined no

less than one hundred thousand dollars, but not exceeding five hundred thousand dollars or imprisonment of seven to fifteen years or both.During the onsite visit from September 16-27, 2019, the assessors from the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) will seek to determine from financial institutions and persons engaged in other business activities whether these requirements are being met. The list of businesses that fall within the category of Other Business Activities can be found in Schedule 2 of the Money Laundering (Prevention) Act, Cap. 12.20.

Additional information on this recommendation can obtained from the CFATF’s website at www.cfatf-gafic.org.

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april 06, 2019 THE STAR

It’s time to reconcile at least some of our differences!

Peter Josie

A

dmirers of Nelson Mandela like to point to his advocacy of universal adult suffrage in his native South Africa and to his 27-year incarceration on Robben Island as worthy of praise. For my part, what sets Mandela apart is the establishment of the Truth Commission after he became President of South Africa. No other African leader has come close to establishing such a far-reaching and consequential body. It was his way of reconciling the long history of racism, bigotry and discrimination against native Africans and to set his country (and Africa) on a path to peace and prosperity.

Two oceans away, my support for US President Obama turned lukewarm when

I perceived him going out of his way to avoid offending white folks, playing it safe with his ready smile and gentle manner.

He appeared agonizingly weak and feeble from this distance.

Interestingly, of the large field of Democrats angling to replace President Trump at the next elections, only Kamala Harris of California has made what I consider a potentially transformative statement.

Ms. Harris has publicly said, “America has never had an honest dialogue on race relations.” She also knows that America’s white majority will until the end of time avoid such a discussion. The old white men in her party will also avoid Ms. Harris, and she will disappear as a Trump challenger.

In the meantime, these same people, some black and brown folks too, will also pretend that the fiery young Democrat Ms. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez is a threat; the

Trump Republicans and others have labeled her a socialist, whatever that means in today’s world. Not surprisingly, these same hypocrites were prepared to wear tee shirts supporting a Russia-Trump alliance, evidently preferring white Russian communists over black and brown American Democrats.

It surprises no one that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has become a political target even though she is too young to be a candidate for President in 2020. Whatever they do and however they turn, the voices of American women and those of the black and brown communities will not be easily stayed. It is a voice and an agenda whose time has come. And who better to lead it than a young and fierce female?

Whether in the form of reparations or a truth commission, it’s high time that America faced up to an honest dialogue on race including slavery, Jim Crow and the

Who will prove himself worthy of the title Saint Lucia’s Nelson Mandela? Are our politicians made of the right stuff to initiate such a move?

continuing discrimination against black and brown people.

This line of thinking naturally took me back to Saint Lucia as she continues to mark 40 years of Independence. I was not privy to the discussions, which led to the year-long calendar of events to mark the fortieth anniversary, but it’s not too late to suggest an item for inclusion on the list of activities. I suggest the inclusion of a national discussion on reconciliation, aimed at narrowing our differences on Independence, including the colours of the national flag, the coat of arms and above all our attitudes.

Some unhappy people have interpreted this yearlong celebration as wasteful expenditure. They do not know, or care to know, how much the State is spending and who else may be picking up the tab for these Independence events.

It would not surprise me if such attitudes go back forty years or more. At the time, the opposition had invited their supporters to stay away from Independence observances.

Some went as far as to organize their own beach party and other functions for the holiday.

To reconcile our differences would involve an attitudinal sea change. Why should that be when the opposition has

spent almost as long in office after Independence as the government? Some people may ask why the Labour Party didn’t change what they did not like about the flag and coat of arms when they were in office.

Instead, they chose cosmetic changes such as WASCO for WASA, Government Printery to National Printery and the NIC from NIS. Let me be clear, my suggestion is to use this year to promote a serious and meaningful dialogue across political lines that have been postponed for too long by weak-kneed leaders. Some people refuse to face the idea of unity because they benefit from division. I am convinced that dialogue can begin between leaders with the confidence and spiritual fortitude to try.

Both sides of the political divide have a special responsibility to effect this national reconciliation. Each must stand on his or her feet and not be bogged down by party hacks and those who profit from division. We ought not to enter our forty-first year of Independence still so childishly divided and obdurate. We need to restore harmony and put an end to hostilities that are inimical to our welfare and that of future generations. We need

to stop fooling those who can’t read and are without.

Someone must tell our civil servants that a majority of them work in first- world class offices even as they serve half-educated and struggling Third World people, including their families. In an atmosphere of fear and doubt and division spread by infantile bomb scares, only criminals and enemies of the people benefit. Those who are desperate for fresh general elections were in office for fifteen or more years after Independence. They could have changed things for better. Only now do they ask for a further drop in the value added tax.

They were too busy making costly deals instead of dropping the VAT rate. They are now busy watching PM Chastanet as if they wish to enjoy his successes.

Forty plus years ago, the process of consultation and constitutional design was so tightly controlled, that there was little room for creative thinking outside the models presented by the British colonial mindset.

The government may even have believed that its methods were correct. Who knows? However, the more visionary MPs were willing to imagine where Saint Lucia would be forty years later—meaning today, viz-aviz Singapore and Taiwan, for example. I have repeated ad nauseam the core differences between the government of the day and the Labour opposition at the time, on the matter of Independence.

Three decades later, after widespread consultation by the Suzie d’Auvergne Constitution Commission, appointed by a Labour government, Labour politicians had an opportunity to do right by the people and replace the Constitution handed down by the former colonial power. Instead, they spat on the d’Auvegne Committee recommendations because it dared to recommend reducing the powers of the prime minister among its other farreaching recommendations.

Notwithstanding the above missteps and faux pas, it’s high time to turn a new page through reconciliation, and begin a new phase of our independent journey.

THE STAR

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Police have nothing to say on last week’s bomb scare

etails of the March 29 bomb threat remain murky.

Seemingly simple questions are still unanswered such as, which city bank was directly threatened? Why were employees of Scotiabank, Royal Bank of Canada, Beauty Max Super Centre and other businesses in the William Peter Boulevard evacuated, while at Massy Stores, barely fifty yards from the aforementioned establishments, it was business as usual? How much did this near two-hour work stoppage cost the banks and the nation?

Acting deputy commissioner of police in charge of operations Dorian O’Brian relayed to this reporter—through one of his officers—that the RSLPF would not provide details regarding the affected banks “but investigations are continuing.”

The usual response, whether in relation to rape, murder or individuals suddenly requiring urgent medical attention after a few minutes in police custody.

However, officers on the ground last Friday unofficially informed reporters that CIBC FirstCaribbean

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LAUNCH OF YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROJECT (YEP) LOGO COMPETITION

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The RSLPF remains tight-lipped about the two-hour disruption of normal business in the city last Friday.

International Bank was the threatened target.

Just as confusing was the response from the Saint Lucia Fire Service. As to Massy’s continued operations during the threat, the fire service’s David Antoine said he did not know whether there had been a misunderstanding, “But in circumstances like this we and the police would have required people to evacuate.” He

had no explanation for the fact that at the time of the threat Massy carried on as usual. On the other hand, this reporter has been reliably informed that the company may not have known its personnel were in any danger.

A Beauty Max official said that employees evacuated because they received word of a bomb threat from unofficial sources, certainly not from the

Vacancy Notice

OFFICE ASSISTANT Export Saint Lucia invites applications from suitably qualified persons for the position of Office Assistant. The Officer will generally function as the Office Assistant at Export Saint Lucia, handling all transportation-related duties and providing clerical support to the Unit.

Duties and Responsibilities Handle all filing, faxing, photocopying, mass duplication of documents, and document storage for the organization. Record incoming and outgoing mail. Conduct deliveries and collections on behalf of the Agency. Perform any other job-related duties requested by the Chief Executive Officer.

Skills and Abilities Possess a valid driver’s licence with at least two years minimum driving experience. Have a good experience in the development and/or management of an efficient filing system. Be proficient in the use of the internet, email and office machines (computer, fax, photocopier, scanner). Be able to multi-task smoothly and efficiently with a keen sense of priority. Have excellent oral and written communication skills, be an avid team-player with a positive attitude, mature, discreet, self-directed, reliable, and prepared to work additional hours at short notice.

Qualifications • Certificate from the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College or equivalent • A minimum of five (5) “O” Level, or GCSE or CXC passes including English and Mathematics Salary Remuneration shall be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Application procedure Applications inclusive of resume and certified copies of relevant educational certificates can be submitted to the following email address: info@exportsaintlucia.org or mailed to: The Chief Executive Officer Export Saint Lucia 2nd Floor, Hewanorra House, Pointe Seraphine, P. O. Box CP5524, Castries

Deadline for receipt of applications is Monday 15th April 2019 at 4.00 p.m.

police. In all events the threat turned out to be bogus, calculated for whatever reasons to disrupt normal Friday business in Castries.

A bomb threat three weeks ago resulted in the arrest of a well known news reporter. He was charged on two related counts and currently is on bail.

----Dean Nestor

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he Ministry of Equity, Social Justice, Local Government and Empowerment invites all youth under the age of thirty-five from the communities of New Village, Conway, Barnard’s Hill and Wilton’s Yard to design a logo that will serve as a visual identity of the newly commissioned Youth Empowerment Project. The competition will run from April 1- 30, 2019 under the theme “Enlighten, Enrich, Empower.”

All entries must be addressed to the Project Coordinator, Youth Empowerment Project and submitted via email to info. yepslu@gmail.com or on CD to the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice, Local Government and Empowerment, 4th floor of the Greaham Louisy Administrative

Building, on or before 4:30pm on April 30, 2019. The winner of the competition will receive a prize of $500.00 and a laptop.

The second place winner will receive a tablet and whoever comes in third will receive an android mobile phone. The winning submission will be used as the official logo of the Youth Empowerment Project.

The Youth Empowerment Project is focused on mitigating risk factors that trigger criminal and anti-social behaviors at individual, family, community and societal levels. Special emphasis is placed on young men and vulnerable groups particularly children, atrisk youth and women. This project is being funded by the Caribbean Development Bank.

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St. Rose makes room for new SLMDA leadership!

Joshua St. Aimee

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ith the Owen KingEuropean Union Hospital still not fully operational, and the St. Jude redevelopment project nearing its 10th year, it’s no secret that there are many challenges confronting the health sector. Last year the Saint Lucia Medical and Dental Association made headlines with its constant challenges to government policy decisions.

Now the SLMDA has undergone a massive shake-up.

At the organization’s annual general meeting last Saturday, Dr. Merle Clarke was elected president, in place of Dr. Alphonsus St. Rose, who had fronted most of the SLMDA’s public confrontations with the Chastanet government.

He served from 2017. The full executive comprises Dr.

Leonard Surage (vice president); Dr. Alphonsus St. Rose (immediate vice president); Dr. Marisa Jacob-Leonce, (secretary); Dr. Twyla LouisFernand, (assistant secretary); Dr. Lisa Charles (treasurer); Dr. Tamara Semei-Spencer (specialists’ representative); Dr. Janin Dublin McIntyre (dentists’ representative); Dr. Johnoma Giffard (junior doctors’ representative); and Dr. Monique Monplaisir (public relations officer).

Having served as the vice president on the 2015-2017 executive, Clarke said her decision to run for president was a simple one. “I do think that we needed some fresh blood for the SLMDA because we’re at a somewhat tricky place as it pertains to healthcare in Saint Lucia. I was vice president, so I’m aware of what it takes. I felt that I was ready, at this point, to take on the mantle of leadership. We do have a fairly young executive,

lots of fresh new faces and we’re hoping to get lots of new ideas out of them and the general membership.”

Dr. Clarke revealed that a major part of her mandate is providing health education to the public and ensuring individuals are living healthy lifestyles. “We need to be preventing chronic diseases, which are the major problems that we face,” she said. “I think we are naïve to think that we’ll be able to pay to treat the end-stage problems associated with those chronic diseases.

We need to get Saint Lucians to understand we don’t have a choice, and failure is not an option. We need to find a way to get people to understand all that needs to be done to ensure ours is a healthy and progressive nation.”

As for the new SLMDA executive’s relationship with the government: “Certainly we understand our role in guiding healthcare policy, but we do

Newly elected president, Dr. Merle Clarke, will lead a fresh-faced executive for the two-year tenure.

have to work hand-in-hand with the ministry in doing that. Our

members are the people who are working in healthcare in

Saint Lucia so we do have a very important role to play, and we recognise that.” The organization also recognises “the urgent need to move to the OKEU.” How does the new president plan to tackle the issue of consultation? Dr. Clarke said that when she served on the previous executive there would be quarterly meetings with the health ministry.

The plan is to continue this initiative, and if need be, hold them even more frequently.

She said: “Rest assured this executive will make it clear to the authorities that we are the people on the ground, this is what we’re faced with, and this is what from our perspective needs to be done. Of course they have their own role in sourcing the money, and so on.

But we also need to give our perspective, and we certainly plan to do that.” Outgoing president Dr. St. Rose was at press time unavailable for comment.

The Moroccan Sahara: The sound of reason will always prevail

By H.E Abderrahim KADMIRI Ambassador of His Majesty the King of Morocco to Saint Lucia

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he city of Marrakech, Morocco, hosted on 25 March 2019, a ministerial conference on the African Union’s role in supporting the UN-led political process in the regional dispute between Morocco and Algeria.

The delegates of 38 African countries came together in the African Ministerial Conference where they expressed their support to finding a political solution to the territorial dispute in the Moroccan Sahara.

The Marrakech conference was a sound success and was held in reaction to South Africa, Algeria and Namibia that led a fierce campaign to deviate from the UN-led political process in resolving this regional dispute of the Sahara by the organization by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) which had a solidarity conference with the so-called Western Sahara

on 25 and 26 March 2019 in Pretoria. The SADC conference failed since majority of the African countries made the choice to attend the parallel summit convened by Morocco and insisted that they were following a United Nations resolution passed at the African Union Organization Summit, held last year in Mauritania.

It is to be noted that seven member states of the SADC, namely Angola, Madagascar, Zambia, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Eswatini were among the 38 countries that accepted Morocco’s invitation. CARICOM countries did not take part in that meeting, in spite of the multiple maneuvers to involve organization.

Finally, in the declaration adopted by the conference of Marrakech, the representatives of the 38 countries have warmly welcomed the constructive initiative of the Kingdom of Morocco to convene this conference and support the United Nations’ political process on the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.

They also reaffirmed their

Thirty-eight countries join Morocco’s stance for a political solution within the Moroccan Sahara.

unwavering commitment to a united, stable, proactive and prosperous Africa, to respond to the multidimensional challenges of today’s and tomorrow’s complex world.

They also expressed support for the decision reached by the Assembly of the African Union Number (Dec.693), adopted at the 31st African Union Summit, held on July 1 and 2, 2018 in Nouakchott; which “puts the Moroccan Sahara issue back into its appropriate framework, that of the United Nations” and “allows, therefore, to immunize the AU against any inappropriate attempt to

divert the path of unity and integration,” as said by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Nasser Bourita.

It is these parameters that allow the AU to support the political process led by the United Nations and to be in accordance with the Security Council resolutions, which call for a “political, realistic, pragmatic and sustained solution based on compromise”.

It is to be recalled that in the royal speech that marked the return of Morocco to its institutional family, HM King Mohammed VI set a roadmap for

the kingdom within the African Union, the minister said, adding that the Marrakech Conference reflects this royal vision that it intends to federate and go forward.

Praising the merits of the Marrakech Conference, United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, hopes that all the AU Member States support the UN’s efforts aimed at reaching a final solution to the Moroccan Sahara issue.

Furthermore, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary General, Stéphane Dujarric was answering a question on the final

declaration issued at the end of the Ministerial Conference on the support of the African Union to the United Nations and said, “We hope that all member states support the UN’s effort”.

In fact, this regional dispute, that is none but a legacy of the cold war era, has been proven to be a stalemate. Nevertheless, Morocco is keen on raising awareness on its straightforward position about its Sahara as well as its willingness to abide by the valid UN led process. The international community wants to look forward and tackle the challenges it faces that are particularly related to human and social development.

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Are Sarah and archbishop at odds over local gay laws?

Claudia Eleibox Mc Dowell

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he recent death of Gervais Emmanuel, who allegedly identified as gay and may have paid the ultimate price, has sparked another wave of discussions centered on gay rights in Saint Lucia. Senator Hermangild Francis, also justice minister, was first to suggest officially that the island’s buggery laws should be revisited—especially if that’s what Saint Lucians want.

He added: ”Too many young people are being maligned because of their sexual orientation. I don’t think that’s right. Everyone should be entitled to his or her own sexual, political and religious beliefs.” However, the laws that protect citizens’ right to free expression and association are not as kind to those considered other than heterosexual.

External affairs minister Sarah Flood-Beaubrun, for one, seems not to share Francis’ views on sexual rights. Last week she focused on health risks that she associated with homosexuality. “There’s no need to be emotional about it,” she said, “no need to be one-sided.

Let the facts contend and let us make the best decision for our country. HIV/AIDS is serious. We do not have the kind of money to invest in secondary health care and tertiary health care.

What we need to do is encourage healthy lifestyle choices.”

So-called “Christian values” have long had a major influence on Saint Lucia’s lawmakers. Archbishop Robert Rivas spoke for the island’s Roman Catholics. “Whoever said the church is against [homosexuals] is probably misinformed about the church today,” he said. “I have never said that in my preaching in Saint Lucia. I’ve been here eleven years and a bishop for 29 years. I’ve never preached that, and I’ve never heard our archdiocese preach

Nevertheless, he agrees with Hermangild Francis, that the time may be right to revisit the island’s buggery.

“In so many developed societies,” he said, “it has gone beyond debate. If it is a law that is distressful and it’s not a law that has been serving its purpose the way it ought to have served its purpose in the past, then it has to be reviewed and updated as necessary.

I hope that our governments in the region will look at all the situations and do the right thing, but always maintaining a high standard of morals and values for our people.”

Pope Francis, has expressed views similar Sarah Flood-Beaubrun (left) has long spoken out against homosexuality. But, now it seems even the leaders of the archbishop’s. He seems the Catholic Church including local Archbishop Robert Rivas (right) are softening their attitude to gays, saying now to be preoccupied with it may be time to update related laws. homosexuality among the clergy. A spokesperson for gays and lesbians, only the and is listening,” said Rivas. person as Jesus did. Jesus that.”

United and Strong was at time actions that make them so.

“The church will always love did not accept adultery, but

The archbishop said the of writing not available for “The church today is learning the person and care for the he accepted the adulteress.”

Catholic Church is not against comment.

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Caribbean Awards Laureates thank those who came before

rinidadian filmmaker Danielle Dieffenthaller broke into tears at a moment, recalling her late father, as she accepted her prize on Saturday night at the Sandals Royal in Barbados.

Dieffenthaller and three other winners, Kimala Bennett from Jamaica, Michael Taylor from Jamaica, and Corey Lane from Barbados, were honoured by the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence, for their work in science, art, entrepreneurship, and activism.

Dieffenthaller also thanked “those who had come before her” as she accepted her prize.

The other laureates were also visibly moved as they thanked their parents, mentors, and families for the support which had allowed them to do the work they had done to be deserving of the award.

Dieffenthaller is a Trinidadian filmmaker who has produced, most famously, the Trinidadian TV series Westwood Park; Taylor is a world-renowned climate scientist; Bennett is a

media entrepreneur in Jamaica, founder of The Lab agency; and Lane is a youth activist in Barbados, founder of the Nature Fun Ranch.

Her Excellency, Dame Sandra Mason, Governor General of Barbados, and the Mia Mottley, Barbadian Prime Minister, were present on Saturday night to witness the presentation, and Barbadian songstress Allison Hinds gave an unforgettable performance.

The winners were presented with cheques for (TT) $500,000, a medal and a citation. These four join 35 other laureates from throughout the Caribbean who have been honoured in the region since 2006, when its inaugural ceremony was held in Trinidad and Tobago. This was the first time the awards were staged in Barbados, but the third year in a row they were held outside Trinidad & Tobago. In 2017, the ceremony was staged in Guyana, and last year in Jamaica.

Sir Shridath Ramphal,

L-R: Corey Lane, Danielle Dieffenthaller, Kimala Bennett, and Prof Michael Taylor.

Chairman of the awards’ regional selection panel speaking at the event, praised the ANSA McAL Foundation, which funds the awards. The late Dr Anthony N Sabga, founder of the ANSA McAL GROUP, a regional conglomerate based in Trinidad, created the programme. The awards, said

Sir Shridath, “Acknowledge the one-ness of our Caribbean society. They lift our sights to levels of performance which we do not believe to be attainable.”

Sir Shridath also revealed that the awards committees of various islands would be empowered to seek nominations from outside

their territory. There are nominating committees which seek candidates in Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago and the OECS. This new development means any nominating committee could reach into adjacent territories, like the Bahamas, the Caymans, or Belize, which have no local nominating committee.

Also speaking at the event was Dr James Husbands, Barbados’s first ANSA Caribbean Laureate (Science and Technology, 2008).

He said the awards were the “region’s greatest private sector contribution” to arts, science, public and civic contributions and entrepreneurship. He also praised the tangible financial support given which allows laureates time to think and produce.

Mr A Norman Sabga, chairman of the ANSA McAL Foundation, and Chairman and Chief Executive of the ANSA McAL Group, reaffirmed that “The ANSA McAL Group will continue to support these awards.”

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Alva Baptiste Warns: The Reading is a human right Temperature’s Rising!

By Melissa Martin

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ive your brain a workout— read a book. Pump up the muscle mass between your two ears. Reading is that important. And people in all countries around the globe deserve the right to learn to read.

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Another shot at rebuilding the St. Jude hospital has begun.

Will this time be the charm?

early ten years since the St. Jude Hospital fire, work has once again begun on the redevelopment project. In an address to the nation last November, the government announced that a new wing will be constructed, and this week, early preparatory works continued on the site. While the wing has been described as the best option by Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, and is expected to take 18 months to complete, the Saint Lucia Labour Party has continued to raise its concerns on the project.

On Wednesday, opposition MPs Moses Jn. Baptiste and Alva Baptiste, along with other party representatives, convened a press conference outside the hospital site.

As contractors went about their work, the meeting got underway with the opposition representatives voicing their complaints.

Alva Baptiste declared that at this point in time, “The temperature is rising,” and promised that more protest marches might be on the SLP’s cards. “If for example they attempt to demolish our buildings,” he said, “then we are going to be very mobilized and we are going to take action! But you are going to know about those actions if there is a need to proceed in that particular direction. The second thing: if they attempt to give a private concern our buildings, the Saint Lucia Labour Party, after winning the next general election, intends to complete those buildings

SLP MPs Alva Baptiste (left) and Moses Jn. Baptiste.

for the use of the patients and staff.”

Baptiste assured reporters that the SLP would not recognize any contracts between the government and any private entity. “I want to speak to those third parties directly,” he said. “Do not enter into any contractual arrangements with Allen Chastanet and the UWP administration, because the SLP and the people of Saint Lucia are opposed to any privatization of St. Jude’s hospital.”

Moses Jn. Baptiste acknowledged that his government had failed to complete the project after five years of promises to “deliver a state of the art hospital before the end of 2015” but pointedly added, “We never stopped work.” The reference was to the fact that soon after taking office in June 2016, the Chastanet government decided that to spend more money on the half-completed, egregiously constructed St. Jude structure made no sense. Moses insisted that, “When this government

came into office, it would have been six months till the completion of the hospital. They found buildings that were in progress. This is not a situation where the government came in and there was no work happening. They stopped work on the hospital for three years.”

Baptiste contends that patients and staff should have been transferred from the George Odlum Stadium by now.

In a recent interview with the STAR, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet addressed the amount of time it has taken for that move to be made. He stated that he understands the anxiety, and his government hopes in the quickest possible time to present the new St. Jude.

“We inherited a mess,” said the prime minister, “but again I’m not one who continues to blame others; I have to accept what the reality is.” The prime minister said that completing the project would have taken more than a year, and would’ve cost in excess of $100 million.

Literacy for All

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimates that 175 million young people lack basic literacy skills. To address the issues, UNESCO Regional Office of Southern Africa (ROSA) is supporting programs and activities to develop quality literacy materials for literacy educators and learners through integrating mother language in literacy teaching and learning.

Fifty-two years ago, UNESCO officially declared September 8 International Literacy Day, with the goal of highlighting literacy as a human rights issue. www. unesco.org/.

In 2018, The International Literacy Association developed the Children’s Rights to Read project. The Case for Children’s Rights to Read lists 10 fundamental Reading Rights. www.literacyworldwide.org/.

According to Atlas (2017), the 25 most illiterate countries include: South Sudan, Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Chad, Somalia, Ethiopia, Guinea, Benin, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Senegal, The Gambia, Bhutan, Pakistan, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Nepal, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Mauritania, Togo. www.worldatlas.com/.

Children Need Books

Family Scholarly Culture and Educational Success: Books and Schooling in 27 Nations, a 2010 article in the ScienceDirect Journal found that, “Children growing up in homes with many books get 3 years more schooling than children from bookless homes, independent of their parents’ education, occupation, and class.” www.sciencedirect. com/.

Children need to see other kids that look like themselves in picture books. Why? Kids of colour need to be represented in literature to show they are important in the world and that they matter. We Need Diverse Books is an organization with a ---JSA vision of “a world in which all

children can see themselves in the pages of a book.” Find more information at www. weneeddiversebooks.org.

Diverse books, both fiction and nonfiction, help kids understand that even though children look different on the outside, they are all the same on the inside. Our homes, schools, libraries, and communities need diverse books on bookshelves.

Celebrate Children’s Book Week

With Children’s Book Week turning 100 years old in 2019, Every Child a Reader and the Children’s Book Council have announced plans for a celebration. The 100th Anniversary theme is “Read Now. Read Forever.”

Look to the past, present, and most important, the future of children’s books. Children’s Book Week is April 29-May 5, 2019. Happy Birthday to Children’s Book Week!

Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the U.S. Every year, events are held nationwide at schools, libraries, bookstores, and homes. www. everychildareader.net/.

Raising Readers

Why is it important to expose babies, toddlers, and younger children to the world of books? Why is it important to read aloud to babies and toddlers? Why is it important to make reading fun for children?

Parents are a child’s first teachers, first role models, and

first communicators; talking, listening, singing, making sounds, smiling, laughing, and hugging. Homes are the building blocks of society. “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents,” surmised Emilie Buchwald.

“Learning to read and write doesn’t start in kindergarten or first grade. Developing language and literacy skills begins at birth through everyday loving interactions, such as sharing books, telling stories, singing songs and talking to one another.” www.zerotothree.org/.

“Children learn to love the sound of language before they even notice the existence of printed words on a page.

Reading books aloud to children stimulates their imagination and expands their understanding of the world. It helps them develop language and listening skills and prepares them to understand the written word. When the rhythm and melody of language become a part of a child’s life, learning to read will be as natural as learning to walk and talk.” www. readingrockets.org/.

“It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations— something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own.”

-Katherine Patterson Melissa Martin, PhD, is an author, columnist, educator, and therapist.

She lives in U.S.

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FISHY BUSINESS Grow Well’s junior golfers score again overseas

Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime, but what if he doesn’t know how to cook?

went through a long list in my mind, everything from grouper to pompano, tuna to salmon, ood things come to those and came up with the humble who bait. This is the “fry-me-dry.” essence of the old Chinese I would stand by the proverb “Give a man a fish and stove, crowding my mother, you feed him for a day. Teach a hearing the oil bubbling in an man to fish and you feed him old, bent and blackened frying for a lifetime.” The first time pan, sometimes getting hit by I heard it I was overwhelmed the splattering oil because I by the sheer simplicity of the had crept up too close to the aphorism. Then I heard the twist one-burner stove, then after by comedian George Carlin: grabbing one of the cooked “Give a man a fish and he will fish in my hands, juggling eat for a day. Teach him how to it to keep from getting my fish and he will sit in a boat and palms burned and stuffing it drink beer all day.” There are in my mouth, I crunched it and other modern variations of the crunched it again; a mouthful of quip: “Teach a man to fish and heaven. he will be surrounded by people Trevor’s father taught me telling him how they can do it how to fish. But first we had to better.” dig for worms. I came up with

My wife also knows that a multi-colored and manywhen a man is taught to fish legged creature and Trevor you can get rid of him for the jumped back in alarm. “Dat is entire weekend. But my mother not ah earthworm,” he shouted. found that out many years “True?” I asked. “What planet it before when she allowed me to from?” spend a weekend by my school Eventually, we got a milk friend Trevor. Up to that point tin full of wriggling worms and in my life, she gave a boy a fish headed for a pond at the back and he would ask for more, of Trevor’s house. There was especially something we called a bamboo clump at the side of “fry-me-dry”—essentially a the pond and Mr. Roop, Trevor’s sardine or small herring which father, cut two thin and supple she bought by the bowlful. She rods for us. Trevor knew what took out the scales with a knife, to do but I had to learn how slit the stomachs, washed the to take a piece of string, put a fish in some lime and then cork from a bottle on the string marinated them in onion, garlic, and then tie the end to a small salt and pepper. She later safety pin, break off a piece dipped each little fish in flour, from one of the worms but threw it in very hot oil and fried leaving enough wriggle room, it to a crisp. Recently, when thread it onto the sharp end my daughter Jasmine asked of the pin and then immerse me what fish dish I liked best I the pin and worm in the water

By Tony Deyal

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and watch the cork bob until it got pulled down. When that happened, I had to whip the bamboo rod upwards to “hook” the fish and then take it off the hook. Simple? Basically, a jerk at one end of the line waiting for a jerk at the other end.

The first bite I got, I pulled so hard that the fish, a small Coscarob or what we called a “coskie” of the Cichlidae family, flew off the hook and ended up so high in the bamboo patch that we could not reach it, especially since the hook, freed of the fish, had continued its journey and ended up stuck in my back. Despite this initial setback, I was hooked for life. The next day, by then as boastful as all the other fishermen, I headed out on my first ever camping trip with Trevor, his father and two other friends.

We went to camp at a dam in the forest and having caught a few fish, left one of the men, Ginger, to cook while we went hunting. We returned empty-handed and hungry. On the little fire we had set up, our chef had boiled rice and curried the fish. I put some of the rice in my “enamel” plate and poured the fish and curry-sauce over it. I bit into my fish first and it skidded right out of my mouth.

The others gagged almost simultaneously. It turned out that Ginger had not taken off the scales or gutted and washed the fish. All he did was put some oil in the pot, pour in curry powder and “cooked” the fish. Perhaps the Chinese should have known

that teaching a man how to fish was not enough. You also have to teach him how to cook.

Paras and Sam, two of my fishermen friends, did not need the Chinese. During a fishing trip, they introduced me to a delicacy which, thirty-years later, I still remember. We left Carli Bay, a fishing village in Central Trinidad, and headed up the Gulf of Paria towards a group of islands off the NorthWest Peninsula, fishing all the way. We were well armed; beer for me, two bottles of over-proof Puncheon rum for the others, and seasoned catfish for all.

We landed on one of the islands, Chacachacare, in the late evening and Sam quickly gathered some sticks and started a fire, currying the catfish. I made sure, this time that the only scales involved were the ones that the fish was weighed on. Later, on the island, in the moonlight, bewitched by the sounds of the night and the rumble of the occasional smuggler heading to or from Venezuela, I had the secondbest fish dish of my life. The experience led me to once more question the Chinese wisdom.

I learned to my joy and later sorrow, that if you teach a man to fish he has to buy a boat and trailer, rods, reels, gas, a GPS and beer. *Tony Deyal was last seen trying to communicate with the fishes. He dropped them a line but they refused to respond.

From left to right: Keymanie Thomas, Lisa Daniel and Samuel Richelieu at St Andrews Golf Club in Trinidad.

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he award-winning Grow Well Golf Youth Team returned from Trinidad on Monday. Keymanie Thomas, Samuel Richelieu and Lisa Daniel were the winners of this year’s Rotary Golf Tournament in January.

It was the first time ever a team of juniors won the golf tournament, which is the biggest in Saint Lucia.

Their prize was a weekend trip to Trinidad where they played on Sunday in the Rotary Club of Port of Spain West’s annual tournament at St. Andrew’s Golf Club, Moka. The two-man team of Keymanie and Samuel were astounding as they placed sixth in a field of about 100 adult golfers, winning themselves more prizes in Trinidad.

Tracey Arnold, a Grow Well Board Member—who accompanied the youngsters

in Trinidad as chaperone— said she was amazed to witness the love and respect accorded to Saint Lucian juniors in Trinidad. Players were particularly impressed with 15-year-old Keymanie Thomas who is Grow Well’s 2018 Champion and a student of Corinth Secondary School.

Lisa, who played in a team with a Trinidadian Junior Girls Champion, is also a student of Corinth Secondary School.

This Sunday, Keymanie, Samuel and Lisa will return to Trinidad as part of Grow Well’s Team of 6 to participate in the 4-day Caribbean Junior Golf Open, also at St. Andrews in Trinidad. Grow Well’s former golf champion Rayshorn Joseph, Adrian Richelieu and Celina Lubin, will join them. Sixteen-year-old Adrian and 14-year-old Celina are students of Gros Islet Secondary School.

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An artist imagines Castries with its own national monument!

lwyn St Omer has lived decades filled with experiences of theatre, literature and art. Like his other siblings he always reminisces on his childhood memories of meeting, at his father’s home, local and international pioneers in the arts and advocates for cultural preservation. Sir Dunstan St Omer did not want his children to pursue art, by his son’s account.

But when he realized they would sneak into his painting supplies and make their own pieces, he stopped resisting. Alwyn said it was because his father knew an artist’s life could be difficult, with little appreciation from his own countrymen.

Alwyn and Alexis Felix plotted monuments for acompetition meant to commemorate Saint Lucia’s 10th anniversary of Independence.

“People like John Compton, my dad, George Charles, they came from colonialism and independence was a big dream.

When we achieved it, we allowed it to fizzle because of local politics. It was never really celebrated,” said Alwyn.

By his telling, by 1989 John Compton, Romanus Lansiquot

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april 06, 2019 THE STAR

Saint Lucia’s very own national monument was approved by Cabinet over thirty years ago.

and other government personnel had formed a committee to get the monument underway.

Alwyn’s design and Alexis’ plan and location were approved

by Cabinet. “It was meant to celebrate people who had worked hard and aspired to achieve excellence,” said Alwyn. He had recently personified the Amazona Versicolor as a cartoonist, so he thought, “What better than the Amazona Versicolor in abstract?

It has three triangles just like the flag.” The structure was meant to tower almost seventy

feet in Trou Garnier, near the Castries waterfront, all white and depicting the national bird in flight.

Thirty years later the envisaged monument remains a dream. “It was meant to serve as a medium of inspiration for Saint Lucians to strive towards the economic and social progress of the island,” the artist mused. “In the States you have the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower in France, so why not our own here?” Asked why Saint Lucia should be the first Caribbean island with its

own Statue of Liberty equivalent, he smiled: “Well, we are the only island to boast two Nobel Laureates!”

He added: “We have to do something with Castries. The monument would completely modernize the city. It would be a tourist attraction in the middle of Castries.” He asserts that as a country that produced the “greatest modern writer of Shakespearean style,” Saint Lucia can do a better job at providing a unique experience to tourists.

“I have to quote my old man:

‘We are a very gifted people, but we are very disoriented people.’

When people come here they see a dirty CDC. We have no museum and no theatre in the land of Derek Walcott. It seems not to matter to our leaders that what we offer at our craft centres are imported from Taiwan and China. We are boasting about tourists coming but we’re not selling our art; we have no art in public spaces. People come here knowing that this is a destination where you don’t have to spend, so they hold their money until they get to St Croix or one of those places.”

The monument would be the catalyst for Alwyn’s idealistic Castries. “Successive governments always say it’s something they want to do. Even the former mayor of Castries, Irvin John, who was a stalwart, really wanted to do it,” he lamented.

“The tourism industry is a new creature but a huge monster.

These hotels have bigger budgets than the country’s. The people on the ground want to be part of the tourism too,” said Alwyn, referring to tourism minister Dominic Fedee’s much lauded Village Tourism initiative.

Alwyn St Omer still perseveres for Castries to have it’s equivalent of the Statue of Liberty.

For that and a culturally enriched Castries to work, Alwyn says, government needs to change policies. “A 500-room hotel would open up in Saint Lucia and import all its art and craft. We must have our own local creations available to visitors looking for souvenirs of Saint Lucia that truly represent who we are.”

---Claudia Eleibox Mc Dowell

Levern Spencer to be Designated Official Sports and Youth Ambassador for Saint Lucia

he Government of Saint Lucia will bestow on Levern Donaline Spencer the title of Official Sports and Youth Ambassador for Saint Lucia. Acting Prime Minister Ezechiel Joseph made the announcement at a special dinner held in Spencer’s honour on Friday March 29, 2019 at Sandals Grande.

The Acting Prime Minister, who is also the Parliamentary Representative for the community of Babonneau, where Spencer hails from, further announced the decision by the Government of Saint Lucia to issue a commemorative stamp to recognize Spencer’s achievements. The government will also honour Spencer with the donation of a motor vehicle and a sports facility with her name.

Levern Spencer is marking twenty years of representing Saint Lucia in High Jump and has on fifteen occasions been named Sports Woman of the Year. She has also won several international medals in high jump. The event called “A

Celebratory Dinner in Honour of Levern Spencer on the Occasion of her 20th year of Representation to Saint Lucia” was also a continuation of the observance of the island’s milestone 40th Independence Anniversary.

Levern was joined by her family and friends and several sports personalities from Saint Lucia, the region and internationally. Among them Senior VP of Sportsmax Caribbean Lance Whittaker, who spoke about the magnitude of Levern’s achievement at the Commonwealth Games. Victor Lopez, president of the North and Central American and Caribbean Athletics Confederation (NACAC) presented Levern with the NACAC Award for 20 years of excellence in representing not just Saint Lucia but the region as a whole.

It was also a night of unexpected moments for Spencer as her coach at University of Georgia, Wayne Norton, visiting Saint Lucia for the first time, was a surprise speaker. Also paying tribute to Spencer was Minister for Youth Development and Sports, Edmund Estephane who said, “You are a great example of the role model

Levern Spencer and Ezechiel Joseph at a ceremony held in her honour.

for all young people and even the not too young. We say a very special thank you for 20 years of hard work, 20 years of zeal, sacrifice, perseverance, pride, courage, focus, lots of effort and self-discipline. We thank you for the exposure that you have given to Saint Lucia.”

Gregory Lubin, Spencer’s first-ever athletics coach, was given a commemorative plaque by the Minister of Youth and Sports, in recognition of his early work with the then teenager.

Levern Donaline Spencer was born on June 23, 1984 and grew up in Cacoa, Babonneau. Levern Spencer is a graduate of the Entrepot Secondary School where her athleticism was recognized, she went on to participate in several national sports meets, before being selected for regional and international games. She also graduated from the University of Georgia.

Among her noteworthy achievements are: 2001: Bronze medal - World Youth Championship 2005: Gold Medal - Guatemala City, Central American and

Caribbean Championships (CAC Championships) 2006: Bronze Medal Cartagena, Central American and Caribbean Games 2007: Bronze Medal – Rio, Pan American Games 2008: Gold Medal - CAC, California 2009: Gold Medal - CAC, Havana 2010: Gold Medal - Central America and Caribbean Games, Mayaguez 2011: Gold Medal – CAC, Mayaguez 2013: Gold Medal - CAC, Morelia 2014: Bronze Medal Commonwealth Games, Glasgow 2014: Gold Medal - Central American and Caribbean Games, Veracruz 2015: Gold Medal - Panam Games, Toronto, 2018: Gold Medal - Central America and Caribbean Games, Barranquilla 2018: Gold Medal Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast.

THE STAR april 06, 2019

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World Autism Day 2019

pril 2 is recognized internationally as World Autism Day. The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender relations and Sustainable Development is pleased to join the international community in recognizing this day to raise awareness of people affected by this disorder.

Persons with autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience challenges in three (3) main areas: • Impaired social skills, such as reduced interest in others and limited eye contact • Repetitive behaviours, such as hand flapping, rocking and resistance to change • Disordered communication, such as delayed speech and language for imaginative play

Because autism is a spectrum disorder, each person with autism has a unique profile of strengths and needs and autism has varied levels of severity. Autism is also often accompanied by an array of other complications such as sensitivity to sensory stimulation, digestive irregularities and medical issues. It must also be noted that some individuals have co-occurring diagnoses i.e. affected by multiple disorders, including autism.

The ministry is aware that a number of learners in the education system are on the autism spectrum, and it plays

The education ministry pledges it’s support to students who suffer with autism.

an increasing role in supporting the educational needs of these non-typical learners.

The Special Education Unit of the ministry collaborates with various governmental and non-governmental agencies, such as the Community Child Health Service and the Child Development and Guidance Centre, to assess and identify cases of autism.

Having identified these learners with ASD, the ministry provides a range of learning placement options dependant on the assessed severity of autism and the education needs of the individual. Some students with ASD have a high level of intellectual functioning. These learners access the national curriculum at mainstream schools, but are permitted to have a personal aide to provide

support services such as staying on task and minimizing potential disruptions to learning for the rest of the student body.

Other students more severely affected by autism access learning at special schools where the learning environment is more adequately adapted to their educational and functional needs. At special schools, in addition to accessing their capacity of academic content, students learn practical skills, some directed at achieving independence, while others skills taught have employment potential.

Worldwide, autism is one of the fastest growing disorders in prevalence. In the last two decades there have been more than a 600% increase in autism cases in the United States, with the US Center for Disease

Statistical capacity of more than 20 Caribbean countries to be strengthened

S

LOCAL

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tatisticians from the statistical offices of over twenty Caribbean countries and overseas territories will soon be equipped with increased capacity in census planning, management and implementation. A fourday workshop organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in collaboration with the Secretariat for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), will take place in Kingston, Jamaica, from 8 to 11 April 2019.

Caribbean statistical offices will be carrying out population and housing censuses between 2020 and 2022. Population censuses, which collect data from every household in the country, are the largest statistical exercise carried out by

Government officials and they require detailed planning. In the upcoming round, many countries will also be adopting new methods and technologies, such as use of handheld devices to capture data during household interviews.

To support this process, a joint ECLAC, UNFPA and CARICOM workshop will strengthen the capacity of key government statistical officers in the Caribbean to manage and implement the census.

Through the workshop, participants will acquire skills to enhance their ability to plan and manage the census, including making timely decisions at all stages of the process. This will include the arrangements for testing new methods and technologies for census enumeration as well as the dissemination and use

of census data to generate key national development indicators. Participants will have an opportunity to share the experiences in their countries as they prepare for their national census.

The workshop will be facilitated by experts from ECLAC, UNFPA and CARICOM. Workshop participants and facilitators will include statisticians and census experts from Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Chile, Curaçao, Dominica, Fiji, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Panama, and Canada.

Control (CDC) admitting that reported survey figures are likely inaccurate due to a lag in reporting. In Saint Lucia, an estimated 253 identified cases some years ago was thought to be an underestimation at the time, and likely did not include older persons in the population.

With its thrust towards Education for All, the ministry is committed to intentionally supporting students with special educational needs.

Among the special school population in Saint Lucia, there are approximately 55 students diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. Of these, the highest concentration is at Dunnottar School, which currently has three classes specifically serving children on the spectrum. This commitment has led to development and implementation of the Education Quality Improvement Project (EQUIP) which is highly focused on enhancing and supporting special educational needs in Saint Lucia. The EQUIP aims to support the sector through a number of interventions including:

1. Curriculum review with a focus on special education integration 2. Development of a special need policy 3. Provision of assistive devices for children with special needs 4. Provision of direct in-service and degree level training for educators within the sector. Training will also be extended to the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College’s Division of Teacher Education and Educational Administration to augment the competence of teacher educators to be better equipped in preparing our teachers to support children with special needs.

Of equal importance to the Ministry of Education is ensuring that our special needs children are catered to in appropriate and adequate learning environments. Thus, EQUIP, and a new project currently at the development stage, will be undertaking reconstruction of the Dunnattor and Vieux Fort Special Education Centres. These centres will be equipped

with new technologies and supporting infrastructure to be better able to cater for our most vulnerable.

Our reality in Saint Lucia is that we can benefit significantly from improvements in awareness and resources needed to effectively cater to children with autism. Many persons are unaware or poorly informed about the disorder, its presenting characteristics and how to appropriately interact with individuals affected by it. Sadly, many persons with autism in Saint Lucia are still subject to micro-aggression such as bullying and namecalling.

The ministry is committed to redoubling its efforts to improve the community for rhe autism spectrum. We believe that through education and training, learners with autism can gain sufficient independence for selfmanagement and gainful employment. The ministry resolved in our commitment to preparing these individuals and all other learners to become productive 21st century

National Insurance Corporation Vehicles for Tender Make: Mitsubishi Model: Outlander Year of manufacture: 2003 Engine capacity: 2400cc Make: Daihatsu Model: Extol Year of manufacture: 2004 Engine capacity: 1300cc Tenders should be in a sealed envelope and marked: Tender for Vehicle Director National Insurance corporation Francis Compton Building Waterfront, Castries Saint Lucia Vehicles can be inspected at the Castries Carpark.

Tenders close by 4:30pm, April 1st, 2019.

18 HEALTH

APRIL 06, 2019 THE STAR

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KIM’S KORNER

The Nerve!

The nervous system works seamlessly in everyday body functions, so when something does go wrong with a nerve, its hard not to miss.

H

ow do we move, make decisions, smell, feel pain and make memories?

The answer lies in our nerves, which make up the nervous system. The nervous system controls how we function and react to our environment. It has two parts: the central nervous system (CNS) which consists of sensory nerves that monitor our internal and external conditions by sending signals to our brain for further processing and action; and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) which consists of motor nerves that send signals from our brain to our muscles and organs, helping us to function and move within our environment.

Each nerve cell is divided into segments called neurons which are surrounded by a sheath. The sheath acts as an insulator and conductor

speeding up the movement of the signal (action potential).

As the signal moves from one neuron to another it changes from an electrical impulse to a chemical and then back to electrical impulse and can move at speeds of up to 120 metres per second.

When the system is at its optimum it works silently in the background and we are not even aware of it. But it is a delicate system and when things go wrong we cannot help but notice. So, what happens when things do go wrong?

Nerves are delicate and can be damaged because of an injury (external), virus, disease or conditions. In the past we have discussed damage to the nerves of the CNS resulting in conditions such as Parkinson’s, ALS, MS and stroke but now we are going to discuss damage

to the PNS caused by external injuries. Peripheral nerve injuries can be classified into three groups: • Nerves can be injured by being overstretched and even though nerves are elastic and strong force can cause a complete tear resulting in a total loss of the signal and paralysis • They can also be injured through a laceration and although it may cause transection most often there is some continuity.

• The third type of injury is a compression injury (pinched nerve) where pressure causes damage but there is no tear. A common compression injury is known as Saturday Night palsy, caused by resting the arm over a chair and falling asleep, putting pressure on the radial nerve leading to loss

of movement and sensation.

Depending on the duration of the compression the symptoms may be temporary with movement and sensation returning after time but in some cases the symptoms may be permanent.

Nerve damage may lead to neuritis—inflammation of the nerve that can be caused by an external injury or secondary to infection or an underlying condition such as alcoholism, cancer, vitamin B12 deficiency, vitamin B6 excess, diabetes, hypothyroidism or radiation therapy. Nerve damage can affect one or both sides of the body resulting in weakness, numbness and burning pain.

Signs and symptoms can vary depending on the cause and area of symptoms. The most common signs are: • Numbness or tingling in the

some cases paralysis • A tumour growing around the nerve (neuromatous) Treatment not only focuses on the cause but also on pain and function. Not all nerve injuries will recover, especially where the symptoms are caused by a degenerative disease or condition or complete damage to the nerve. Whether the symptoms are temporary or permanent, pain may be an issue and in many cases pain medication may be prescribed but physiotherapy can also help. A physiotherapist will use a range of modalities to help relieve pain, such as massage, acupuncture and electrotherapy.

Muscle weakness is also a symptom that needs attention to prevent further damage to the nerve, the muscle and the joints.

Where there is no movement at all then safe handling techniques will be taught and in cases where there is some movement then exercises will be given to strengthen the muscles. It is also important to move the limbs through their normal range of movement to prevent stiffness and shortening of the muscles.

In cases where there is a chance of recovery, for arms or legs that can radiate example after a laceration or into the hands and feet even a stroke, then exercise • Burning, throbbing or sharp alone may not be enough to pain in a limb improve function. Relearning • Chronic burning pain and tasks and skills through hypersensitivity (causalgia pain) sensory feedback (touch, sight • Heightened or lowered and sound) is important as sensation to heat, cold and is performing tasks through touch normal movement patterns. So, • Poor co-ordination and remember whatever you are difficulty with fine motor skills doing there are thousands of like doing up buttons and impulses moving through your picking up small objects body to make even the simplest • Muscle weakness and in of actions possible.

Kim Jackson is a UK-trained physiotherapist with over 20 years’ experience. She specialises in musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction including back pain and sciatica, stroke and other neuro conditions plus sports physiotherapy, having worked with local, regional and international athletes and teams treating injuries and analysing biomechanics to improve function and performance. She is registered with the Allied Health Council and is a member of PASL. She currently works at Bayside Therapy Services in Rodney Bay, O: 458 4409 or C: 284 5443; www.baysidetherapyservices.com

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april 06, 2019

19

Martin Luther King Jr:

30 quotes from the civil rights leader who inspired the world B

en, make sure you play ‘Take My Hand, Precious Lord’. Play it real pretty,” are said to be the last words of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr, just before he stepped out onto a balcony in Memphis, Tennessee where a gunman shot him a single time, ending his life half a century ago.

That gunshot 51 years ago put an end to the life of a man who is one of the most revered figures in American history— not to mention one of the most quotable individuals with a persistent relevance to the condition of the country and its people. The anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr was on 4 April 1968.

Before King made that plea for the sounds of beauty to Ben Branch, a musician scheduled to play at a planned event that evening in Memphis, he was known for using his words to inspire a generation to peaceful action in the fight for civil rights.

Here is the late reverend, in his own words.

1. “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear” 2. “Darkness cannot drive

a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

9. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”

10. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

11. “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. Indeed, it is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.”

12. “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.

This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

The anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s death 13. “Nothing in all the world is was April 4. more dangerous than sincere out darkness; only light can 5. “Our lives begin to end the ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” do that. Hate cannot drive out day we become silent about 14. “Our scientific power has hate; only love can do that.” things that matter.”

3. “If you can’t fly then run, 6. “The time is always right to outrun our spiritual power.

We have guided missiles and if you can’t run then walk, if do what is right.” misguided men.” you can’t walk then crawl, but 7. “In the end, we will whatever you do you have to remember not the words of our 15. “Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has keep moving forward. enemies, but the silence of our made the world better.”

4. “Injustice anywhere is a friends.”

16. “There is nothing more threat to justice everywhere.”

8. “The ultimate measure of

tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breath.”

17. “Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”

18. “It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.”

19. “All labour that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”

20. “It is incontestable and deplorable that Negroes have committed crimes; but they are derivative crimes. They are born of the greater crimes of white society.”

21. “We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.”

22. “The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But, the Good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”

23. “If I wish to compose or write or pray or preach well, I must be angry. Then all the blood in my veins is stirred, and my understanding is sharpened.”

24. “A right delayed is a right denied.”

25. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

26. “The Negro needs the white man to free him from his fears. The white man needs the Negro to free him from his guilt.”

27. “Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”

28. “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a moulder of consensus.”

29. “A riot is the language of the unheard.”

30. “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

---The Independent

Business models worldwide face radical change

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lobal business models are changing rapidly and radically, creating a need for policy-makers, businesses and employers’ organizations to innovate, adjust and become more flexible, according to new study. The skills gap is a major issue, with 78 per cent of corporate executives saying schools are failing to meet future employers’ needs, according to the research conducted by the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Bureau for Employers’ Activities (ACT/ EMP) and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE).

More broadly, the report identifies five trends that are radically altering global

business models regardless of size, sector or location; technological innovation, global economic integration, climate change and sustainability, demographic and generational shifts, and a global shortage of skilled labour. The report, Changing Business and Opportunities for Employer and Business Organizations, stresses that businesses cannot meet the challenges alone and should develop collective solutions through Employer and Business Membership Organizations (EBMOs).

“Technological innovation is by far the most influential trend, and is fundamentally changing the way companies add value to products and services,” said ACT/EMP

Director Deborah FranceMassin. “At the same time, we find that the greater penetration of technology increases the demand for ‘human’ skills such as creativity, problem solving, communication and collaboration.”

IOE Secretary-General Roberto Suarez Santos said: “The report confirms that companies, together with business and employer organisations, that embrace connectivity and digitalization will be the winners in this competitive landscape.”

The survey results show: · 56 per cent of respondents identified technological innovation as the global trend having the greatest overall impact on business.

· 76 per cent of businesses participating in the survey recognized that technological innovation gives them access to new markets. · Global economic integration is increasing the harmonization of corporate global governance, tax/regulatory and business environments, which is having a large impact on companies. 40 per cent of businesses reported that this has had a large impact on their companies. · Some 37 per cent of executives mentioned increasing exposure to global economic and political uncertainty as a major trend. · 62 per cent of companies in Europe and 58 per cent in Asia reported that a declining working age population will have a large impact on their

business. · 45 per cent of businesses in Latin America and the Caribbean and 39 per cent in Africa, indicated the youth bulge would have a considerable impact for them. · 51 per cent of businesses said that policy-makers are increasingly demanding compliance with environmental targets, · 40 per cent of firms from high-income and 45 per cent from upper-middle-income countries reported that their workforce and consumers are demanding more sustainable working environments and corporate values. · 78 per cent of executives indicated that updating the school and education

curriculum to match the economy’s needs would provide them with the skilled employees they require. This sentiment is particularly strong in emerging markets, rising to 79 per cent of respondents in Latin America and 86 per cent in Africa. · SMEs are the most active supporters of changes in the skills agenda, with 84 per cent of small businesses supporting updating education systems to meet skills needs.

The role employers and business organizations will play in these coming changes is a key element of the debate around the future of work that is included in the report.

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Royal Caribbean Is Buying the Bahamas’ Grand Lucayan Resort

rand Bahama’s biggest resort is being sold to an unexpected buyer.

Cruise giant Royal Caribbean International, in a joint venture with Mexico’s ITM, has signed a letter of intent to purchase the Grand Lucayan Resort. The deal is expected to transform the resort and develop the harbour in Freeport into a destination product centered around waterbased adventure theme parks, according to the government of the Bahamas.

The move comes less than a year after the Bahamas’ government purchased the Grand Lucayan from former owner Hutcinson Whampoa, pledging to save the jobs of the nearly 400 Bahamians who worked at the property “until it was ready to be sold again.”

And that’s precisely what the government did. “We have done what we said we would do—in the face of much criticism the Government of the Bahamas purchased the Grand Lucayan

Resort for $65 million and we said that we would hold it for the shortest period of time and sell it for $65 million—and we have done exactly that,” said Bahamas Tourism Minister, Dionisio D’Aguilar.

“I am pleased to announce to the people of Grand Bahama and to the entire Bahamas that the much anticipated sale of the 217-acre Grand Lucayan resort has finally been agreed upon,” added D’Aguilar. “The development that will roll out in Grand Bahama over the next 24-36 months will go far in restoring the island’s economy to its former glory days.”

Bahamas Minister of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson said the first phase of the new project would entail a $195 million investment, including the $65 million purchase price.

The plan is to both redevelop Freeport Harbor and transform the Grand Lucayan into a theme park that includes a five-star hotel, along with dining, gaming and entertainment options.

The Bahamian government, after just about seven months of ownership, is selling grand Lucayan Resort.

“The redevelopment of Freeport Harbor is anticipated to include significant increase in cruise ship arrivals, bringing an additional approximately two million passengers annually, with the addition of multiple cruise lines calling on Grand Bahama,” Thompson said.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean said the decision

is like a “perfect fit.” “This is an incredible project and I want to thank the Bahamian Government for giving us this opportunity in Grand Bahama,” said Russell Benford, vice president of government relations for the Americas at Royal Caribbean. “We are honoured to have been chosen from some really great people

and companies around the world for this project.

“We understand what Grand Lucayan means to the Government of the Bahamas and to the people of Grand Bahama and so you have our commitment that we will do this project right and we will do right by the government and the people of the Bahamas,”

he said. “We build spectacular world class products and we will bring that same excellence and dedication here to this project in Grand Bahama.”

The move is being undertaken in a venture with ITM, a Mexican travel giant behind several major cruise ports in the region, including Costa Maya and the Port of Roatan in Honduras, among others. The move also reinforces the Bahamas’ push to solidify its position as a global leader in the cruise industry, coming a month after the announcement of a high-profile plan to transform the Port of Nassau.

Editor’s Note: Meanwhile Saint Lucian prime minister, Allen Chastanet, with the minister for ports, Stephenson King, travelled to the United Kingdom to meet with cruise industry leaders to discuss optimizing the Saint Lucia’s ports.

---Caribbean Journal

THE WAVE’S ANNIVERSARY PROMOTION TRIP FOR 2 TO THE BARBADOS REGGAE FESTIVAL Sail, Fly and Party with the Wave as we celebrate 19 years in radio!

BE PART OF OUR ANNIVESRAY BOATRIDE ON BOARD THE PEARL ON APRIL 13TH FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A TRIP FOR TWO TO THE BARBADOS REGGAE FESTIVAL, VIP STYLE!!

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Answer the question correctly and you win a ticket to our EXCLUSIVE VIP ANNIVERSARYBOATRIDE ONBOARD THE PEARL ON APRIL 13TH. ONE lucky person on the boat will win a VIP trip for 2 to the Barbados Reggae Festival.

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VIP Package includes: Two VIP Tickets to Buju Banton “The Long Walk to Freedom Tour” (Saturday 27th April) Two VIP Tickets to the Reggae Beach Party featuring Sizzla, Busy Signal, Marzville and more (Sunday 28th April).

Two airline tickets to Barbados compliments LIAT Hotel accommodation for two with Breakfast Ground Transfers

Trip for two to the Barbados Reggae Festival is brought to you by LIAT, Fast Seven Star Inc and the Wave 94.5 & 93.7fm.

SPONSORED BY:

HARRIS PAINTS, KFC, CLIQUERS, BATTERY WORLD, SHANA, KEEBEES SPORTS BAR & GRILL

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21

Singapore prepares sweeping law to fight ‘online falsehoods’

ingapore is close to passing a law that could force websites to run government “correction notices” alongside content it deems false, and the new rules are likely to affect how big social media companies like Facebook and Twitter operate in the country.

Under the law, called the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill, the government will also be able to issue so-called “take down” orders that require the removal of content posted by social media companies, news organizations or individuals. In most cases, the government will decide when to bring an action against something for being “false.”

Websites will have the right to request a judicial review of the corrections or take-downs ordered by the government, but only after those orders are issued.

“This legislation deals with false statements of fact,” Singapore Minister for Law K. Shanmugam told reporters on Monday morning. “It doesn’t deal with opinions. It doesn’t deal with viewpoints. You can have whatever viewpoints however reasonable or unreasonable.” The bill was put before parliament on Monday evening local time. It could become law in the coming month or two.

Bad actors, Shanmugam continued, “actually put in falsehoods into the marketplace to confuse others to change the terms of the debate. And in fact it undermines free speech. It undermines democracy.” U.S.-based social media companies are increasingly under scrutiny by governments outside the United States, especially in Europe. Singapore’s new law would appear to go further than anything on the books in the European Union, however.

Last Saturday, Mark Zuckerberg said he wants governments to play a bigger role in regulating the internet.

The Facebook CEO said regulations are needed to protect society from harmful content, to ensure the integrity of elections, to protect people’s privacy, and to make it possible

for people to move their data from service to service. Tech companies from outside Singapore will have to adhere to the legislation if their content affects the public within Singapore, the minister said.

“Of course a tech company or anyone can challenge the order, and then courts will have to decide,” Shanmugam said, though he pointed out that there will be sanctions for noncompliance.

Sites that run afoul of the law three times in six months can have their “ability to profit” cut off, according to a press release issued by the Singapore Ministry of Law on Monday night local time. In a statement Monday night local time, Facebook said it shares the Singaporean government’s “commitment to reduce the spread of deliberate online falsehoods.”

“We support regulation that strikes the right balance between reducing harm while protecting people’s rights to meaningful speech,” the company said. “In fact, the draft legislation already reflects a number of investments we have made to combat false news and disrupt attempts to manipulate civic discourse,” including among other things disrupting coordinated false behaviour and removing fake accounts.

“We are, however, concerned with aspects of the law that grant broad powers to the Singapore executive branch to compel us to remove content they deem to be false and proactively push a government notification to users,” the company said. Facebook is dealing with scrutiny from several governments, within the United States and beyond.

The company’s troubles began in earnest last year when it was revealed that a U.K.based political consulting firm called Cambridge Analytica was exploiting Facebook’s site to influence the U.S. 2016 presidential election.

In most instances, Shanmugam said, the law will not call for the outright removal of false information. Instead, it will force sites to post links to “correct facts” alongside those sites’ “false” content. Those

home to a population of roughly 6 million ethnic Chinese, Malays, Indians and others.

Singapore has prominent Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu and Christian populations.

The Singaporean government cited political and ethnic violence in Europe and Asia that has sometimes been fueled by fake “news” reports online. France, Sri Lanka, India and others in recent years have seen turmoil that most observers agree was exacerbated or even sparked by misleading online posts.

Editor’s Note: While the police say that a similar bill in Saint Lucia might assist with mitigating inaccuracies in media and online, the government has not indicated whether it is something of interest.

Two women using their mobile phones at Raffles Place, the central business district area of Singapore.

“correct” links could steer readers to government sites or to third-party institutions or organizations the government considers legitimate.

Shanmugam acknowledged that Singapore has had discussions with unnamed tech companies that have expressed a desire to simply remove false information from their web properties, rather than running a government-mandated correction over the problematic content.

“Our own preference is that, actually, leave the material there. Just have something which says, ‘This is inaccurate. For the truth, go to such-and-such a place.’ And that way, in a sense, people can read whatever they want and make up their own mind,” he said.

However, the government will also have the right under the law to issue “take-down” orders in cases it deems serious. Separately, Singapore is making it easier and faster for companies and individuals to lodge complaints with the courts that can result in content being struck from websites.

Singapore is a small, multiethnic country with several prominent religious groups. It is

---CNBC

Audit Manager PKF St. Lucia - a member of PKF International We are an assurance and business advisory firm in St. Lucia, seeking a suitably qualified high performing professional to be a manager of assurance and non-assurance clients. You will be involved in providing assurance services and non-assurance to our portfolio of clients, leading audit teams during the fieldwork and non-assurance staff.

JOB DESCRIPTION The position reports to the Partners and will have direct responsibility for a team (or a number of teams) as follows: · Provide management over a portfolio of clients and deliver high quality audit or non-assurance service, including preparing and reviewing audit plans and work. · Responsible for preparation and quality of audit file and accounting clients deliverables · Achieve team and individual budgets and business plan/ performance objectives. · Manages time, adherence to budgets and client billings · Maintain the highest technical and professional standards. · Think strategically about client needs by understanding their business and key risks and deliver added value. · Providing additional help and guidance to clients on a consultancy basis. · Contributes to writing proposals and delivery. · Monitor and control staff. · Takes a leadership role in professional, business or community organizations. · Coach, train and develop staff to upgrade their knowledge. · Be seen as a role model by other professionals. · Carry out practice management activities e.g. resourcing client billing, review of timesheets etc. · Undertake wider office activities, as required.

REQUIREMENTS · · · · - -

Professional accounting qualification- ACCA, CPA, CA. 6+ years of external audit experience/financial management experience, Team player with strong interpersonal, communication and project management skills including leading teams Independent worker and problem solver a MUST. Market related salary Opportunity to grow professionally at a fast pace

Applications should be submitted no later than April 30, 2019 via email: admin@pkf.lc or addressed to: PKF St. Lucia Meridian Place Choc Estate P.O Box Choc 8245 Castries

Only suitable applicants will be acknowledged.

22

international

april 06, 2019 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

Trudeau announces $6.2-billion relocation of United Nations headquarters to Toronto

A

s a middle power, Canada no longer wants to sit on the sidelines, and Toronto’s place as the “centre of the universe” could have a whole new meaning.

In an unprecedented show of support for renewed internationalism and multilateralism — rejecting the rising global tide of unilateralism and protectionism — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced this morning Canada has submitted a formal proposal to the United Nations (UN) to have its headquarters moved from New York City to a new secure, state-of-the-art campus dubbed the ‘Global Village’ on a Lake Ontario waterfront site on the Portlands, just east of downtown Toronto.

This will effectively turn Toronto into the world’s capital city. The federal government will fund the construction of the $6.2-billion headquarters campus at no cost to the UN, as well as cover annual operations and maintenance costs of the complex.

“Canada has begun the process of signalling a new era for the United Nations by providing the organization with

a new fully-funded central headquarters near downtown Toronto,” Trudeau said in a release.

“Our government is promising openness and new Canadian leadership on matters that relate to all Canadians and contributes to our country’s standing in the world. We believe in the collective goal of creating a world that is better and safer, and more sustainable, prosperous, and just. Canada’s resolve for supporting and enforcing the principles of the United Nations has never been greater.”

Additionally, if the UN moves to Toronto, the Canadian federal government will sign an agreement to provide the UN’s regular budget with a significant boost in annual funding that is 30 times larger than Canada’s most recent annual contribution of $76.23 million in 2019.

Trudeau will provide the UN with $2.8 billion annually, starting on the year the UN finalizes the agreement to move the 193-member intergovernmental organization’s headquarters to Canada’s largest city.

Normally, member states contribute an amount that

Preliminary conceptual artistic rendering of the new United Nations headquarters in the Portlands of Toronto. Not the final design. (Government of Canada).

is based on the country’s capability to pay, with a formula that takes into account gross national income, debt, and per capita income. This plan proposed by Canada requires extensive consultation amongst the member nations, UN staff, and a vote in the General Assembly. A formal announcement on the details of the plan will be made at the existing UN headquarters in New York City later today.

A media backgrounder indicates a 60-acre waterfront industrial parcel on the southwest corner of the Portlands will be redeveloped

into a 4.5 million sq. ft. headquarters for over 16,000 employees with the UN Community that are currently working at the East River complex in NYC.

These employees work for the UN’s specialized agencies, programmes, funds, affiliates, and missions. A number of green design features—such as a district utility system, rainwater capture system for irrigation and to flush toilets, superior insulation, and passive heating and cooling—will earn the campus a LEED Platinum environmental certification.

The potential exists

to integrate some of the headquarters’ utilities and infrastructure with Google’s Sidewalk Labs, which could potentially expand beyond the Quayside district and include a large portion of the Portlands to border the UN headquarters.

The Canadian government assumes the UN will retain ownership of its 1952-built, Rockefeller-funded, 18-acre NYC headquarters, which recently completed a $2-billion renovation. The UN could retain a small portion of its original headquarters office space after the move to Canada, and lease

The IRD will be temporarily relocated to the

out the building’s remaining spaces to non-profit and nongovernmental organizations or even corporations, providing the UN with a major new source of revenue to help support its programs.

The entire headquarters site in Toronto will be fenced off, declared an international territory that will no longer belong to Canada, and exempt from property taxes.Ample plaza and green spaces between the campus buildings and the perimeter will provide a spacious security buffer.

However, there will be a major publicly accessible component on the periphery of the headquarters site on the northeast corner, where a 180,000-sq-ft, state-of-theart UN history museum and educational centre—named the Kofi Annan United Nations Museum—will be built. This will also be the staging area for regular guided tours of the campus.

Editor’s Note: We though you’d be happy to know that this is an excerpt of an in-depth piece

by Daily Hive Toronto as an April Fools’ prank!

INLAND REVENUE DEPARTMENT

Blue Coral Building & Treasury Office

while our Waterfront Office is being renovated.

We will continue to be fully operational during the process. So please note the following dates:

The Department hereby advises the General Public that its Waterfront Office at the Heraldine Rock Building will be closed from:

Mon, April 08—Thu, April 18, 2019

April 08 to April 18, 2019 Office closed to facilitate move All queries, correspondence and forms should be directed to our Large & Medium Section on: 3rd Floor, ECFH Building, Bridge Street, Castries Cash payments to be made on: 3rd Floor, Accountant General’s Department, Lamar Building, Jeremie Street, Castries

From April 23, 2019

CONTACT US

All queries, correspondence and forms to be directed to Taxpayer Services on 2nd Floor, Blue Coral Mall, Bridge Street, Castries ● April 08 to April 18, 2019: 468 4730 | 468 4766 ● From April 23, 2019: 468-4700 | 4536072 (fax) ● Email: customerservice@ird.gov.lc ● Website: www.irdstlucia.gov.lc ● Correspondence: Inland Revenue Department

2nd Floor, Blue Coral Building, Bridge Street, CASTRIES

The following services will be accessible as follows:  Taxpayer Services will be on the 3rd Floor, ECFH Building, Bridge Street, Castries 

.

Cash Unit will be on the . rd 3 Floor, Accountant General’s Department (Treasury Office), Lamar Building, Jeremie Street, Castries

The Department regrets any inconvenience operational interruption may cause. ~ The Comptroller

this

THE STAR

P

LIAT PILOTS AGREE TO SALARY CUTS TO HELP SAVE AIRLINE

ilots employed with the cash-strapped regional airline, LIAT, last Friday confirmed that they had agreed to a less than 10 per cent salary cut in a bid to keep the airline in the air. President of the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIAPA), Carl Burke, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that while he was not at liberty to disclose the exact amount the pilots had agreed to, pending the Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados receiving the necessary communication, he was nonetheless indicating that it was not the 10 per cent that had been requested.

He said during a meeting with LIAT a request had been made for the 10 per cent pay cut across the board and that the pilots “wrote to them and said we did not have the confidence in LIAT’s management to take us out (of this)…and we were very cautious about making an investment in the company at this time. We met with the shareholders on Tuesday and Prime Minister Mottley did give a guarantee at the shareholder level that she would ensure that there was accountability and it would not be business as usual”.

He said that pilots on Thursday night “actually voted” on the salary cut and which has since been communicated to Prime Minister Mottley. “At the moment I have to make sure that she has received our communication before I could give you that information… [but] it is less than 10 per cent, it is not 10 per cent,” Blake told CMC.

The shareholder governments of the airline are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines and they have been seeking to get other Caribbean countries to contribute a total of US$5.4 million in emergency funding need to keep the airline in the sky. At the same time, 11 destinations had been given until March 15, to respond to the airline’s minimal revenue guarantee (MRG) proposals.

Under and MRG model, it is likely that a few flights may be cut if the government is not prepared to fund them

REGIONal 23

www.stluciastar.com

april 06, 2019

with a guarantee. Media reports said that trade unions representing the airline’s workers at its 15 destinations had during a six-hour meeting here on Wednesday involving Mottley, her St. Vincent and the Grenadines counterpart, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, agreed in principle to the salary cut, pending further deliberations with their members.

The unions are reported to have agreed to a six per cent salary cut. The Barbados-based online publication, Barbados TODAY, reported Friday that the airline could collapse if LIAT management is not given a positive response from the trade unions before the Barbados financial year ends on March 31.

LIAT’s finances are so dire that if they do not come to an agreement to allow for savings for the shareholders, which would keep LIAT viable,

the airline could fold,” the publication quoted a source as saying.

Blake dismissed suggestions that the pilots were to blame for “holding up” efforts to ensure the survival of the airline, telling CMC “I don’t think we should have been blamed for that as I stated earlier on we have been in a situation where the management has made some serious blunders over the years and this has placed us in the position we are in right now. “The pilots took the time out to explain a lot of these things to the shareholders.

They basically are now being brought into the loop…with the day to day running of LIAT. They listened to us, they are very concerned about what the unions brought to the table.

“And as I said Prime Minister Mia Mottley being a new player at the shareholder level has

recognised that things have to be fixed within LIAT or otherwise we will always be coming cap in hand to the shareholders seeking more funding. This should not be. The shareholders should not be taking tax payers money to place into LIAT like this every year and hopefully things will get more serious at the board level”.

Blake said that there is need to strengthen the board and that prime Minister Mottley has “offered the staff two seats on the board of LIAT where the staff could have an input at the board level and also the pilots have been promised a seat on the scheduling committee to assist the scheduling committee in the inefficiencies in the schedule."

“So hopefully we will see some changes and we will be in a better position to improve the company’s performance,” Blake told CMC.

THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SUPREME COURT IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE CIVIL DIVISION SAINT LUCIA CLAIM NO. SLUHCV2006/0704 BETWEEN: FIRSTCARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL BANK (BARBADOS) LIMITED Claimant and

1. MONA DONAVAN

2. LUCIUS GIRARD Defendants NOTICE OF RESCHEDULED HEARING TAKE NOTICE that the Application for Permission to do an Inspection of Property filed in this matter which was scheduled for Wednesday the 6th day of March, 2019 has been rescheduled for Chamber Hearing at the High Court of Justice, La Place Carenage, Jeremie Street in the city of Castries to Tuesday, the 16th day of April, 2019 at 9 o’clock in the forenoon before Justice Cadie St. Rose-Albertini.

DATED: this 28th day of February, 2019.

(Sgd.) L. Soomer-James for REGISTRAR OF THE HIGH COURT To: FOSTERS

Legal Practitioner for the Claimant

Robin Kelton Bldg. Choc Bay, Castries

Mona Donavan Defendant in Person Sans Souci, Castries

Lucius Germain Girard Defendant in Person Sans Souci, Castries

The Court Office is at La Place Carenage, Jeremie Street, Castries, Tel. No.758 4687500, Fax No. 758 468-7543, E-mail: stluhco@eccourts.org. The Court Office is open between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Monday to Thursday and between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Friday except public holidays.

THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SUPREME COURT IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE SAINT LUCIA

ADVERTISEMENT SAINT LUCIA TOURISM AUTHORITY

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Position : Chief Executive Officer Reporting To : Board of Directors Primary Functions: Overall management of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, including oversight of the development of the Authority’s marketing and destination services, general administration. Organize, co-ordinate and direct the programmes of the Board in marketing, promotion, publicity; to utilize and deploy the resources of the Board in the best interests of the development of tourism to Saint Lucia, to liaise and co-operate with other appropriate agencies, institutions and individuals both in public and private sector within Saint Lucia and overseas.

Qualifications and experience: A Bachelor’s Degree in an appropriate discipline such as Tourism Business Management and Marketing.

At least 5 years’ experience with executive level responsibilities Characteristics : Chief Executive Officer will be expected to be able to exercise authority, accept considerable responsibility, be capable of directing and supervising staff. He or she should be adaptable with excellent communications skills. A demonstrable track record in tourism at an executive level will be an advantage. The capacity to work long hours and travel away from home is mandatory.

Remuneration: Commensurate with experience and qualifications, but a competitive package will be offered.

Application: Applications are invited from suitable qualified persons, with full Curriculum Vitae and at least two references to be received by the Board before the 26th April 2019 Applications to be addressed to the Chairman, Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, PO Box 221, Castries, Saint Lucia, and can also be sent to:njohn@stlucia.org.

CLAIM NO. SLUHCV2008/0871 BETWEEN:

FIRSTCARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL BANK (BARBADOS) LIMITED Claimant and CURTIS MARIUS Defendant NOTICE OF HEARING TAKE NOTICE that this matter has been rescheduled for Chamber Hearing at the High Court of Justice La Place Carenage, Jeremie Street in the city of Castries on Wednesday, the 22nd day of May, 2019 at 9 o’clock in the forenoon before Justice Godfrey Smith.

DATED: this 21st day of February, 2019.

(Sgd.) L. Soomer – James for REGISTRAR OF THE HIGH COURT To:

Fosters Legal Practitioner for Claimant Robin Kelton Building, Choc Bay, Castries

Curtis Marius Defendant in Person Bocage, Castries

The Court Office is at La Place Carenage, Jeremie Street, Castries, Tel. No. (75) 468-7500, Fax No. (758) 468-7543. The Office is open between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Monday to Thursday and between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Friday except public holidays.

E-mail sluhco@eccourts.org

SATURDAY, APRIL 06, 2019

www.stluciastar.com

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Photo by Bill Mortley

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Printed and published by STAR Publishing Co. (1987) Ltd., Rodney Bay Industrial Estate, Massade, Gros Islet, P.O. Box 1146, Castries, St. Lucia, W.I., Tel: (758) 450-7827 Fax: (758) 450-8690, Email: info@stluciastar.com Website: www.stluciastar.com