IMPACS: Too Hot To Handle?

SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2019

IMPACS www.stluciastar.com

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Too Hot to Handle?

For how much longer will successive governments pass the buck on the nation’s two biggest stink bombs?

(See centre and page 3.) Does Justice Minister Hermangild Francis (pictured) know?

• Tel: (758) 450-0021 / 31 / 728 1000 • Fax: (758) 450-0092 • Email: info@bluewatersslu.com • Website: www.bluewatersslu.com

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02 LOCAL

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AUGUST 10, 2019 THE STAR

Where is my brother, Simeon Antoine? that was the last any of us

By Cecilia Jean Charles heard of or about him, until murmurs began to circulate throughout the communities of him being dead following an very passing day brings altercation. We tried to make with it the possibility of contact with him immediately tragic news of his death. but that was futile.

We try not to let it settle in that

We went to the police my brother Simeon Antoine, who did not seem to want to better known as Sempre, has help. After we spent over an disappeared into the abyss of cold case files. Every news item hour giving a statement to the investigating officer, it was of an unknown body found, later discovered that all the sends shivers down the backs of my family. Will this be the end information had mysteriously gone missing. We don’t know of our waiting, our searching, that they went investigating and our crying? Will we finally either, since they never had get closure? Is this news of any updates to give. They also his death or is he still alive refused to help by giving us a somewhere? The ticking clock letter to take to the electoral clacks loudly in our ears day in department so we could get and day out. It is not knowing a photo of him to bring to the that painfully yanks on our media. Personally, I made hearts all the time. contact with the Choiseul and

Who would have known Vieux Fort police where it was that Wednesday, March 27, rumoured that my brother might would be the last day that I have died. However, nothing would see my brother? He was was on record about him, distressed about a domestic except that someone reported issue with his pregnant he might have been in a fight, girlfriend and decided that but the police told us there was he would head to see her in not enough evidence about Choiseul where she lives. But

E

Simeon Antoine (pictured) has been missing since March.

that. The saying, “Where there is smoke, there is fire,” kept ringing in our ears and we continued to search.

We took our story to

newsrooms and social media but that also proved to be no help. The only result we got was heart-wrenching phone calls of people telling us that he is dead

but with no proof. Even people who we thought would have given us reliable information predicted my brother’s death with no justification. Our hope was awakened when we received a call from someone with a Vincentian accent telling us that my brother was alive.

However, after a few days of talking and begging to talk to our brother, to no avail, we concluded that this was most likely a hoax.

After four months of getting nothing concrete and no follow-up from the police, we, the family of Simeon, long for closure. We are asking that if anyone knows anything about his whereabouts or what happened to him, please come forward. It has been an upsetting experience for all of us and we would appreciate any help offered.

Editor’s Note: The STAR was unable to contact the police press office to provide updates about Simeon Antoine’s case at press time.

Warning issued about travel to US

A

mnesty International issued a global warning to those traveling to the United States after violence left 31 people dead in two mass shootings last weekend.

The travel advisory, issued on Wednesday, calls for visitors to "exercise caution and have an emergency contingency plan when travelling throughout the USA". It warns travellers to remain vigilant at all times and to avoid places where large groups congregate, including places of worship, schools or nightclubs, all locations that have been targeted recently. "Depending on the traveller's gender identity, race, country of origin, ethnic background, or sexual orientation, they may be at higher risk of being targeted with gun violence, and should plan accordingly," the advisory adds.

The human rights groups issued the travel warning in the midst of "high levels of gun violence" which Amnesty International referred to as a human rights crisis. Some countries have taken similar actions to protect their citizens by issuing warnings to travellers who have plans or are currently visiting America.

---USA Today

THE STAR

august 10, 2019

LOCAL

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Is IMPACS more than DPP can chew and swallow?

O

n Monday this week Prime Minister Allen Chastanet described before the press some of the difficulties confronting his administration in its pursuit of a judicial resolution of IMPACS, not least among them an absence of admissible evidence.

He said: “On the campaign I promised, if elected, to put together a special task force to look into IMPACS. But I could not believe what we found— better to say, did not find—upon taking office. The evidence, such as it was, wasn’t even in Saint Lucia; it was in Jamaica.

Nothing in the report could be substantiated, so putting a task

force in place wasn’t going to resolve the problem. When we took office there wasn’t even a DPP.”

Once Daarsrean Greene assumed the post, Chastanet said, “I gave him the opportunity to evaluate the situation himself in order to determine whether he could rescue the situation that his predecessor had publicly complained about.”

The prime minister went on to say the DPP’s office had since been “working with the government of Jamaica and collected some evidence.

Meanwhile an investigation is on-going.” He did not say how the Jamaica government

became involved in the matter and to what extent. According to Saint Lucia law, the lead investigator in the IMPACS matter should have personally handed over to the DPP at the conclusion of his investigation, all related matters. Instead the IMPACS report was delivered to then Prime Minister Kenny Anthony, who then proceeded to publicize on TV vital aspects of the investigation, without prior consultation with the office of the DPP.

He later said that if the DPP needed to see more than the report she received from the prime minister, then she should have consulted with him.

HILAIRE GOT IT WRONG AGAIN!

By Dominic Fedee, Minister of Tourism

I

t is unfortunate that as a sitting parliamentarian, Castries South MP Dr. Ernest Hilaire continues to mislead the public on matters of national importance. His most recent offence of political heresy is the clear misrepresentation of the Virgin Atlantic Issue. Dr. Hilaire clearly has not researched the numbers. Had he done so, he’d know that as tourism minister, Allen Chastanet never had a budget of $250 million.

Further, the figures Dr Hilaire used to indicate the subsidy spend of other Caribbean islands to Virgin Atlantic are unverifiable since the islands would have signed a confidentiality clause to safeguard the sensitivity of such commercial information.

The confidentiality clause was never signed by Saint Lucia as we have never reached an agreement with Virgin Atlantic.

And why would responsible governments around the region share this information with Dr Hilaire and open up themselves to requests from other carriers who may be disadvantaged by the subsidy to another airline?

The right precedent has been set by this government respectfully saying no to Virgin Atlantic’s request for a subsidy. It is clear to the industry that we are interested in a sustainable business approach as it relates to flights coming to Saint Lucia. While the government of Saint Lucia supports sharing the financial risk for start-up flights, we are of the firm belief that airline routes after two or three years of government support should

become financially viable.

In the last eight months Saint Lucia has attracted eight new weekly flights with seven directly from Miami and one from Chicago, starting December 19. We are proud that none of the abovementioned attracted Minimum Return Guarantee (MRG). This demonstration of confidence by other carriers in our destination makes it even more difficult to justify subsidies to any carrier at this time. Like those carriers, I believe in the power of the St. Lucian brand, the hospitality prowess of its tourism professionals and the legend of its natural beauty.

The case before us is one that requires critical analysis, not hit or miss political mudslinging. It would be difficult to spend 20% of our marketing budget for a return of 7% of our global passenger arrivals, especially when other airlines are planning their own growth strategy for Saint Lucia without the need for subsidies.

Moreover, the aspiration of a regional approach is most ideal in circumstances such as these, but it must also be appreciated that the Caribbean does not have the best track record on the whole subject of integration and functional cooperation.

I must highlight that despite our attempts to arrive at a regional consensus on the Virgin matter, we appreciate that our sister Caribbean islands are in a different place in their development of tourism and, more importantly, airlift capacity. Thankfully on this occasion, Saint Lucia has the option to say no.

We feel further justified,

as in consultation with the local private sector on Saturday July 26 the overriding consensus was that the level of investment required to keep the Virgin flight into Saint Lucia is burdensome on national tourism marketing budgets. While as an industry both the private and public sectors would have loved to keep the Virgin flight flying, we appreciate that as an industry a better return on investment can be attained. It was a clear business decision in the best interest of Saint Lucia. As indicated by me publicly, we continue to be open to further dialogue with Virgin Atlantic with a view to arriving at a mutually beneficial corporate relationship.

As for Dr Hilaire, this is not his first attempt at misleading the people of Saint Lucia in his own political interests.

Just recently in the House of Parliament, the Prime Minister had to set him right when Hilaire publicly asserted that the CIP figures were not included in the Estimates, when in fact the figures were clearly outlined in the document. He has also told many untruths on the controversial tourism development at Black Bay by failing to acknowledge the former SLP administration sold acres of prime beachfront land six days before the 2016 general elections, and below market value. This much can be gleaned from the development agreement signed by former Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony on May 31st, 2016.

The list of Dr Hilaire’s fabrications is quite long, and confirms my recent public characterization of him as a false prophet.

Has the IMPACS report become a Sisyphean stone for DPP Daarsrean Greene?

Then Justice Minister Victor La Corbiniere publicly concurred.

The DPP left office never having seen any evidence supportive of allegations contained in the IMPACS report.

Meanwhile, President of the Police Welfare Association, Travis Chicot, has said: “The DPP needs to come out and tell us what’s happening with IMPACS. If he has evidence regarding any of the related

killings, he should prosecute.

Let the courts decide the veracity of the evidence.”

The National Security Minister agreed. “I think he [Chicot] is correct,” said Mr. Hermangild Francis. “The onus is on him. The government has done everything in its power to deal with the IMPACS report and connected matters. We are not going to be doing as others before us did, which is to say they behaved as if they were personnel from the DPP’s office.

The DPP is independent and the Constitution gives him that right.”

On Thursday, in a call to Timothy Poleon’s Newsspin programme, Rick Wayne said apropos an earlier statement by the prime minister: “This thing has the same root cause or problem as Grynberg. We do not want to address the facts we know. Why do we refuse to demand answers from the main figure in both IMPACS and Grynberg? He made the determination to ignore the findings of lawful inquests in favour of ‘corrective steps’ he felt would appease the State Department. This is

what has led to all the trouble now confronting us. The DPP appears to be missing in action because he knows every step he makes toward a resolution stands to bring down the whole house. The government should be up-front and tell it like it is.”

Meanwhile, those caught up in the fall-out of the IMPACS report, continue to suffer.

As Chastanet highlighted on Monday: “I am completely cognizant of the officers who are involved in IMPACS and how difficult it must be for them. It must be very, very difficult for them. We know it is and, what’s worse, some are still in police uniforms but are not allowed in certain departments. They walk around looking like pariahs; nobody wants to interact with them. It’s not healthy for the police force generally. So we’re trying to resolve that. At no point have we made this less of a priority today than when we were in Opposition.”

It remains conjectural how much a comfort to the hurting RSLPF will be the prime minister’s expression of concern.

---Dean Nestor

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AUGUST 10, 2019 THE STAR

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The day I landed a million-dollar gift!

Peter Josie

T

here once lived in the town of Vieux Fort a man named Louis Boriel. Vieux Fortians and persons elsewhere knew him as a self-made man who owned land, animals and other property.

Stories abound how he came to his riches. He was the grandchild of East Indian indentured labourers who had been enticed to the Caribbean from their homes when former slaves from Africa refused to work the same lands, after emancipation. I knew Louis through my mother’s father, Gaston Alphonse, who was a master carpenter in the town and who had built many large, beautiful homes, some for the Boriel family. I kept in touch with Louis after my grandfather passed on, even after I had moved to Castries.

When I entered politics our paths crossed more regularly due to the many public meetings held in Vieux Fort. I was therefore not surprised when Prime Minister Allan Louisy informed me in September or October of 1979 that Louis Boriel wanted to speak to me personally. By then the party with which I had contested the elections had formed the government and I was curious to discover what Louis had to say to me. It was suggested I pay him a visit at his town house in Vieux Fort, preferably on a Saturday of my choosing.

Of course I was not about to wait until I had a free Saturday. I therefore phoned his home one Friday. His wife took the call and I informed her

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of my plan to visit Vieux Fort the following day and that I would like to call on her husband. On arrival at the Boriel residence I found the man of the house seated in the porch overlooking the town’s main street, awaiting my appearance. Following the usual pleasantries I discovered that Louis wished to caution me to avoid corruption in public life. “You are young,” he said, “and if you work well, money will come.” He reminded me that he had known my family for a very long time and considered them upright and decent God-fearing folk. To my great surprise he informed me that my grandfather Gaston, with whom he shared the same ethnic origin, was his godfather. It occurred to me that my grandfather may have owed his consistent employment in the 1950s-60s to the Boriel family.

I discovered that the revelation of family connections and the warning of corruption were merely the tip of a deeper, more philosophical matter that Louis wished to bring to my attention. It turned out the reason I had been summoned to meet the gentleman had more to do with the practical work of politics: creating jobs and putting money in peoples’ pockets. He did not offer any biblical quotation, such as always having the poor among us. Neither did he caution me about certain known individuals who liked to harvest where they did not plant.

No, it wasn’t any of these things he wished to delve into. His next few words had a far wider and more universal application, even as he offered them in the context of little Saint Lucia.

“Peter,” he said finally, “if you were to gift every Saint Lucian one million dollars in his hands today, do you know that in ten years the same people who are poor today would still be poor?” I did not press him for an explanation, sensing the quickening of his story. Besides, I had always known there was more to poverty than the lack of money or job opportunity. I must admit, however, that the idea of poverty had never been put to me in quite the way Louis had just put it. I recalled hearing (and believing) from a very early age that if one were to succeed in commerce and wealth gathering, one needed a mentor or guide who had walked the walk, so to speak.

It had been taken as gospel in my youth that only persons who had acquired wealth and property were able to offer advice to others who wished to emulate their success.

At that time it was claimed by those with information that poverty was an attitude of mind, as are wealth accumulation and thrift. And the difference between property and poverty is like night and day, as every sensible child can tell.

The other and perhaps more important point of Louis’ statement is that not everyone has the ability to use money correctly or wisely. The human brain appears to be wired differently. This may help explain the phrase “differently able persons”. It is a phrase which may aptly be applied to well co-coordinated individuals who are unable to grasp the concept of saving, and which idea a more physically challenged person may find easy to grasp. In addition, a growing number of people are socialized by television

suggest that in countries such as ours, people who smoke are often among the poorest and lowest paid. Again, there are exceptions to this observation which perhaps proves the rule. Be that as it may, a government-initiated public works programme would do well to encourage participants to quit smoking. It seems a crying shame that some thirty years after Louis Boriel first The writer calls on the government to encourage a expounded his theory of poverty local culture of saving. with his notion of a millionand its foreign tastes and in the extricate the tribe from poverty dollar gift to each citizen, the and want. It is therefore crucial pyramid of wealth and poverty consumer goods it advertises. that such education as may be The continuing glamourization remains basically the same. designed by government-paid of tobacco smoking on TV, for With such an assessment, experts and others ought to example, even in the midst of which has been confirmed the wealth of knowledge which be incorporated into a works by the government statistics programme once tax-payer exists today on its harmful on poverty, it may well be dollars are used in the creation fair to conclude that Louis effects on humans, is a case in of those jobs. point.

Boriel’s unspoken words on the I know of certain political I am aware that we live in Saturday we met in Vieux Fort colleagues who have repeated a democracy and as such we were: “A fool and his money ad nauseam the need for cannot tell grown folks how to are soon parted.” Had Louis live their lives; that the best we government to inculcate a Boriel had the grey matter and culture of savings and thrift can do is to subtly suggest. We opportunities of Nobel laureate in the society, beginning with are also painfully aware that Sir Arthur Lewis, he may well the re-introduction of a school job creation has become the have added to the great man’s savings programme, from new political mantra of every theory on money and poverty by grade one. I repeat the call politician seeking office. And observing that wealth can also that is not such a bad thing. My for government to encourage be lost by gambling, excessive citizens to save in the hope concern, however, is that the drinking, fornication and other mere creation of jobs, no matter that someone will listen and forms of licentious behaviour. act on it. It is the view of many how laudable, is only a small Those who may be poor that savings for adult workers part of the responsibility of today and are determined to government; any government. A ought to be encouraged either transform their lives for the governments has an even larger as deposits in a bank or as better ought to remember that investment in land. Such responsibility to inform those regular work without the wise savings ought to be a priority for whom it is creating jobs, and thoughtful use of their ahead of a motor vehicle, for that what they do with their earnings guarantees nothing. example, unless the latter is pay is as important as the job Indeed, such income may itself. People must be told, if no needed for the job or for earning well lead to more frustration, more income. one had told them before, that especially for those who

Returning briefly to the use to which money is put experience difficulty making will condemn them to misery or cigarette smoking: statistics useful life-style changes.

Chamber Hosts Second 2019 QGM

I

n an effort to maintain its initiative of ongoing engagement of members, the Saint Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture will host its second quarterly general meeting for 2019.

This meeting will be held at the Palmville Conference Centre, Coco Palm, Rodney Bay on Tuesday August 27, 2019, from 5:30pm.

The agenda promises to be insightful and interesting. The president of the Chamber, Karen Peter, will open by apprising members on the work of the

Chamber since the last QGM in April this year.

At this meeting, the Department of Statistics and the OECS Commission will jointly make a presentation on the subject: “Using Official Statistics to Understand Your Market, Your Targeted Demographics and Inform Strategic Business Decisions”. This presentation will demonstrate the value, importance and use of official statistics and data, as a business tool in which members have expressed extreme interest.

Also on the agenda is an

update on the law and order situation in the country and the efforts of the government and police in that regard, by Acting Commissioner of Police, Milton Desir.

As members are aware, the Chamber has been working to unfurl its updated Strategic Plan as part of its ongoing transformation. This quarterly general meeting serves to further aid this mandate by providing more valuable information to members, and of course, it is another networking opportunity for members of the business community.

THE STAR

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GOVERNMENT OF SAINT LUCIA DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING, URBAN RENEWAL AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS SETTLEMENT UPGRADING PROJECT

INVITATION FOR BIDS The Government of Saint Lucia (GOSL) has received financing from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for the Settlement Upgrading Project and intends to apply a portion of the proceeds of this financing to eligible payments under a contract for which this invitation is issued. Payments by CDB will be made only at the request of GOSL and upon approval by CDB, and will be subject in all respects to the terms and conditions of the Financing Agreement. The Financing Agreement prohibits withdrawal from the financing account for the purpose of any payment to persons or entities, or for any import of goods, if such payment or import, to the knowledge of CDB, is prohibited by a decision of the United Nations Security Council taken under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. No party other than GOSL shall derive any rights from the Financing Agreement or have any claim to the proceeds of the Financing.

The Project is being implemented by the Programme for the Regularisation of Unplanned Developments (PROUD) within the Department of Housing, Urban Renewal and Telecommunications, the Executing Agency. Note that the PROUD has contracted a Consultant who will be assisting in the supervision of the works.

The PROUD now invites sealed bids from eligible bidders to undertake any combination of the following works; 1. Lot 1: Construction of Residential Accesses

and Drains at La Resource Phases 2 and 3,

Contract No. /SUP 53/SFR – OR – STL (P7)

b) Lot 2: XCD360,000; c) Lot 3: XCD425,000; 3)

Experience as prime contractor in the construction of at least two (2) assignments of a nature, scope and complexity comparable to the proposed works within the last six (6) years. Subcontract work and labour only contracts shall not qualify.

4)

Experience in the construction of roads (Bituminous surfacing dressing, asphaltic concrete & concrete) base and experience in the construction of Earthen and reinforced concrete drains.

Bidding Documents may be obtained by eligible bidders from the first address below for a nonrefundable fee of XCD500 per Lot. Requests may be made by written application including email.

Written applications must be clearly marked: “SUP (NCB) - Request for Bidding Documents for the Construction of Residential Accesses, Drains and Footpaths, Lot 1 to 3”, along with the name, address and contact information of the bidder for which Bidding Documents are being requested.

Payment should be by wire transfer, bank draft or bank guaranteed cheque made payable to Accountant General.

Information to pay by wire transfer can be obtained from the first address below.

3. Lot 3: Construction of Residential Accesses

and Drains at Sarrot, Contract No. /SUP 53/

SFR – OR – STL (P9)

Applicants who request that documents be forwarded to them must submit an account number from a local courier agent that accepts freight collect charges. Documents will be promptly dispatched, but under no circumstance will PROUD or their authorised agent be held responsible for late delivery or loss of the documents so transmitted.

Consideration will be limited to firms or joint ventures of firms, which are legally incorporated or otherwise organised in, and have their principal place of business in an eligible country and are either; 1. more than 50% beneficially owned by a citizen or citizens and/or a bona fide resident or

residents of an eligible country, or by a body

corporate or bodies corporate meeting these

requirements; or

Submissions in sealed envelopes clearly marked “Bid for the Settlement Upgrading Project (NCB) – Construction of Residential Accesses, Drains and Footpaths (Lot 1 or Lot 2 or Lot 3 or any combination)”, must be received at the second address below no later than 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 10, 2019. Bid opening will take place at 10:00 am on Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at the second address below in the presence of bidders representatives who choose to attend.

2.

All bids must be accompanied by a Bid Security of Ten Thousand Eastern Caribbean Dollars (XCD10,000) for any single NCB Lot or Thirty Thousand Eastern Caribbean Dollars (XCD30,000.00) for any Combination of Lots.

2. Lot 2: Construction of Residential Accesses

and Drains at La Resource Phases 4 and 5,

Contract No. /SUP 53/SFR – OR – STL (P8)

owned or controlled by the Government of an eligible country provided that it is legally and financially autonomous and operated under the commercial law of an eligible country and otherwise meets the eligibility requirements of the CDB Guidelines for Procurement (2006).

Eligible countries are member countries of CDB. Eligible bidders will be required to submit full qualification information with their bids establishing their eligibility to bid and qualifications to perform the contract if the bid is accepted. Tender and qualifications information are to be submitted in the English language on the prescribed forms inserted in the Bid Documents. Submissions that do not provide the information required, or do not demonstrate the prospective contractor’s ability to perform satisfactorily, will not qualify and will not be considered for evaluation.

Qualification requirements include, inter alia: 1) An average annual turnover (defined as certified payments received for works in progress or completed) within the last five (5) years of: a) Lot 1: XCD3,150,000; b) Lot 2: XCD2,835,000; c) Lot 3: XCD3,340,000; 2) A demonstrable cash flow (including access

to credit) of: a) Lot 1: XCD400,000;

The PROUD reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, and to terminate the process and reject all bids, at any time prior to award of contract, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected prospective bidder(s) or any obligation to inform the affected prospective bidder(s) of the grounds for the PROUD action. The PROUD will not defray any costs incurred by any bidder in the preparation of bids.

1. The Project Coordinator Department of Housing, Urban Renewal and Telecommunications

7th Floor Conway Business Centre Cnr. John Compton Highway & Jn. Baptiste Street Castries, ST. LUCIA, W.I Telephone: 1-758 468-2600/2609 Facsimile number: 1-758 452-1838 Email: cuthbert.mcdiarmed@govt.lc

2.

The Chairperson Central Tender’s Board

Department of Finance, Economic Affairs and Social Security Financial Administrative Centre Point Seraphine, Castries ST. LUCIA, W.I

august 10, 2019 THE STAR

Prime Minister Concerned but not Pessimistic about Virgin Withdrawal!

Joshua St. Aimee

F

ollowing the publication of Virgin Atlantic’s termination of flights notice, Tourism Minister Dominic Fedee addressed the nation on Friday July 26.

He disclosed that the British airline had demanded a EC$20 million subsidy.

On Monday the prime minister said, “Virgin Atlantic has made a significant contribution to the development of this country, and for that I am extremely grateful. But the airline has made a business proposal to Saint Lucia and Saint Lucia has taken a business approach in our response.”

Prime Minister Chastanet disclosed that the airline had been experiencing “some difficulties” and governments in the region had been approached for financial support.

His government faced two dilemmas, Chastanet said. The first concerned the amount requested, more than this country currently spends on its entire marketing campaign in the UK, and then there are the other carriers that also operate the route.

He questioned the possible reaction of other carriers if a subsidy was given an airline that has operated here for twenty years.

“So from a transparency perspective,” he said, “it would mean that at minimum we would at least have to match that amount of money to the other carriers as well.

In the case of British Airways, that actually has more seats, would I give them more than

Tourism minister Dominic Fedee has been reassuring industry stakeholders and the country in general that the opposition’s statements on the withdrawal of Virgin Atlantic are in keeping with their party’s gospel of doom and gloom.

US$2.5 million? Where would it end? We would like to help Virgin Atlantic. We would like them to stay with Saint Lucia but the mechanism they have chosen in order to obtain that support is really not workable for us.”

Opposition Leader Philip J. Pierre expressed concerns that the planned pull-out may impact the redevelopment of Hewanorra International Airport. Had the government had entered into a Public Private Partnership for the airport, as he said his government intended to do before the 2016 elections, the risk would be not the government’s.

Opposition MP Alva Baptiste also advised the prime minister to address the issue “with due haste and immediacy” to avoid serious economic instability in the country. He predicted the announced Virgin withdrawal will result in reduced

passenger numbers and negatively impact hotel occupancy and direct spending.

Chastanet remains hopeful that an amicable solution can be reached before June 2020 but the prime minister has not been sitting on his hands in the meantime. He said the government was already engaged in preliminary discussions with other carriers about increasing their airlift to the island.

He announced that come September he will lead a mission to London for further related discussions.

As for the opposition’s expressed concern for the HIA project, Chastanet said: “Virgin represents only 7% of our market. We don’t anticipate any problems in that regard. Already our talks with British Airways look promising.”

THE STAR

Chastanet repeats election promise: We’ll build a new St. Lucia, village by village!

W

hen Soufriere’s not doing well, Canaries also suffers. So does Choiseul. So does all of Saint Lucia.” So declared Prime Minister Allen Chastanet at the opening of Soufriere Square on Thursday August 1. Mr. Chastanet should know. He is, after all, no stranger to the town, famous as “Saint Lucia’s garden”. Not only does he have familial roots there, in 2011 he contested the seat and lost to Harold Dalson. Hardly something he is likely to forget any time soon.

At the square’s opening ceremony, Chastanet recalled that following Hurricane Tomas and after several visits, he realized the people of Soufriere had lost hope, had stopped believing in themselves.

“The fact is the Labour Party had been in government for three terms at that point,” he said. “The town’s MP was from Soufriere. Yet they seemed not to have a plan for the town. Or if they did, they obviously lacked the capacity to implement it.

They showed no empathy with the suffering of the Soufriere people.”

LOCAL 07

www.stluciastar.com

august 10, 2019

Financial Action Task Force

Recommendation 27: Powers of Supervisors

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

R

ecommendation 27 mandates that in order to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, countries should Soufriere MP Herod Stanislas (left) and Prime Minister give Supervisors proper and Allen Chastanet at the Soufriere Square opening. adequate powers to supervise Lucia”. The prime minister said or monitor financial institutions.

He said there was nothing it was part of a greater plan that This power should extend to the in the community in which the ability to conduct inspections. will enhance the community, residents could take pride.

Supervisors should be able citing other accomplishments: Referencing the “world-class the Hummingbird Beach Project, to compel the production of hotels in the community”, he information from financial asked: “When do you see those the Mini-stadium, the Old institutions which will aid in Trafford Complex, road repairs guests coming to town? When assessing their compliance. and expansion of the Sulphur have they been encouraged to Further, Supervisors should Springs among them. appreciate the town’s world have the power to impose a “When we were elected heritage status? Where were range of disciplinary sanctions, the recreational facilities for the in 2016,” he went on, “we including the power to promised to build a new Saint people in Soufriere?” withdraw, restrict or suspend

In consequence, Chastanet Lucia because the old model licenses. was no longer working . . . We said, tourists arrived at the In Saint Lucia, Supervisors Soufriere dock and immediately will build a new Soufriere-Fond include the FIA which has the St. Jacques, and we will build boarded a bus without anti-money laundering and interacting with the people and a new Saint Lucia by doing the counter terrorist financing same for every community.” town. He declared the newly supervisory responsibility for opened square in the town’s ---JSA financial institutions, the ECCB centre as the “heart of Saint

which regulates commercial banks and FSRA which has prudential supervision over other financial institutions such as credit unions.

These Supervisors’ mandate and powers are stated in various pieces of legislation.

Section 6(1)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prevention) Act, Cap. 12.20 states that the FIA “for purposes of carrying out its function under section 5, … has the power to— (a) enter into the premises of a financial institution or person engaged in other business activity during normal working hours and inspect a transaction record kept by the financial institution or person engaged in other business activity.”

Additionally, if there is noncompliance with the request to provide information, the person commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $50,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or both.

The Banking Act No. 3 of 2015 states in section 3(1) that “a person shall not

carry on banking business or hold himself or herself out as carrying on banking business in the Currency Union without a licence granted by the Central Bank”.

The Financial Services Regulatory Authority Act, Cap. 12.23 in section 2(a)(b) states that the FSRA “shall— (a) consider and grant or refuse applications and requests under any of the enactments specified in Schedule 1; (b) maintain a general review of the operations of all regulated entities.”

Saint Lucia is currently undergoing its 4th Round Mutual Evaluation which culminates with an onsite visit by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) September 16-27, 2019. This assessment seeks to determine Saint Lucia’s compliance with this and the other Recommendations.

More information on this and the other recommendations can be downloaded from the website of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force at www.cfatf-gafic.org.

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08 LOCAL

august 10, 2019 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

Sculptor Ricky George Revisits the Freedom Monument’s Long Road to Soufriere Dean Nestor

I

t seems every man and his dog has had his say about the Soufriere Square and its centrepiece, the Freedom Monument, nearly all of it dripping small-mind politics.

No sooner had the opening ceremony been announced than political hatchet-men invaded the narrative. Little was heard about the local talent that had produced the beautiful symbol that is supposed to epitomize the struggles associated with the people of Soufriere in the time of slavery. It turns out the story behind the monument is quite a compelling one, especially as narrated by its creator Mr. Ricky George.

First conceptualized by the National Trust in 1997, the work was completed in 2008. Its creator recalls: “It was the winning entry in all three categories of the national design competition to create a work of public art that would commemorate the historical

liberation movements on the island.”

Crafted at a Florida foundry, the monument was shipped to Saint Lucia in 2009 and left “sitting in a crate at the back of the Castries Comprehensive School for a number of years”. From there, the monument was moved to a facility in Massade.

The sculptor considered it laughable that “a national monument which was endorsed and paid for by two different administrations” was shelved and evidently forgotten for ten years. “It’s somewhat ironic that everybody now is making quite a show about it because it fits their political agenda,” observed the sculptor.

“Succeeding administrations appeared in no hurry to have the work unveiled. I recall Prime Minister Dr. Anthony’s pledge to unveil it during his term in office, but obviously that never happened.”

Two years ago Ricky George was visited by the attorney general Stephen Julien. His visit had nothing to

do with the Freedom Monument but, in the course of their conversation, the subject of the forgotten gem came up. As the sculptor recalled during a sit-down this week: “He asked about the piece. I told him it had been sitting in storage in Massade. Then he asked if I’d mind seeing it sitting in the Soufriere Square. I said I wouldn’t. So he called Herod [Stanislas] right then and there and, well, the rest is recent history.”

Stanislas called Ricky George the next day to set up a visit to the monument’s Massade home but the sculptor was unavailable. “I was told later that Herod had arranged a visit anyway with someone and they were amazed at what they saw. That is how the piece was incorporated into the square.”

This week PM Allen Chastanet told the STAR: “The District Rep had said the attorney general told him about the existence of the statue. It blended in beautifully with our government’s vision. What was earlier planned for the place

Celebration of Life for Dr. Robert Collis Barrow Born : June 7th 1963

Emancipated out of this world: August 1st 2019 At The Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Micoud St. Castries ,St. Lucia On Monday August 12th , 2019 At 2:00 PM Predeceased Father Collis Barrow Snr Sisters Jennifer Fedee Deborah Barrow Left to Mourn Daughters residing in Trinidad and Tobago Alexandra Lucio- Barrow Kyra Lucio - Barrow Wife Terese Lucio Barrow and family residing in Trinidad and Tobago Mother Marie Barrow Sisters Cynthia Barrow Giles Residing in Barbados Janice ‘Lady J’ Barrow Dupal & Husband Lennox Dupal

Brother Timothy Barrow & Wife Lenka Barrow Residing in the US Best Friends Willard Andrew Laury Larry Prospere Lorne Theophilus Teddy Francis Dr. Emile ‘Dolph’ Sargusingh Desmond Dujon Henry Delvin Hippolyte Denis Jolie Dr. Adrian Waterman Sharon Smith Dr. Lisa Harvey Class of St. Mary’s Collage 1979 Class of Sir Arthur Lewis Community College 1981.

And many others too numerous to mention

After two decades in the wilderness, the Freedom Monument finally gets a home!

where the monument now stands was a water fountain. I really was turned off when I learned about that. The statue was precisely what was needed. You couldn’t ask for a better representation.”

Back to Ricky George: “There’s very little reverence for art and artisans in this country.”

Pressed to reveal what he was paid for his work, he reluctantly revealed that it was a lot less than other sculptors would receive for work of such calibre.

A little research on my part revealed the figure normally paid overseas for such monuments was in the millions. This one cost just $156,000. “You could say it’s another gift from me to the people of Saint Lucia.”

George went on: “This piece exudes and reverberates the extraordinarily long and challenging journey from concept design to present. This Freedom Monument evidently awaited its own freedom by way of an unveiling on 1st August, 2019.

It echoes the resilience and tenacity personified by our slave forebears for the aspiration of freedom.”

COCO PALM COMPLETES SUITE UPGRADE

C

oco Palm launched its newly renovated Pool and Garden View Suites to the trade during the recent North America Showcase held on-island. The upgrade gives guests a truly inspired new look.

The contemporary décor follows on from the upgraded 48 Pool and Garden View rooms in 2018.

The suites have continued the new contemporary look which was launched with the revamped lobby and executive lounge introduced last year.

Local interior designer Loraine Moffat and team from Inside Out are behind the makeover.

“We were proud to introduce our new suites during Showcase where we had the opportunity to offer a first-hand walk-through of our new rooms,” noted Managing Director Mark Ferguson.

The fourth-floor suites all offer a modern and clean finish with aqua blue and green tones complemented with silver finish. White wooden shutters have been custom-made locally for the bay windows.

Lighting has been enhanced with a Feng Shuifriendly globe chandelier along with a floor lamp with marble base, ideal for reading.

Coco Palm now offers a series of new suite options.

Electrical outlets have been enhanced with dual 110 and 220 sockets and USB ports both bedside and in the lounge.

Suites can cater for a family of four with two kids under 12 years or for three adults.

The signature suite will officially be named the “Daren Sammy Suite” after Saint Lucia’s local cricket star, as he was the first to stay in the suite when Coco Palm opened in 2006. The décor will reflect Saint Lucia’s sports hero offering a bespoke finish with a four-poster bed and gold velvet sofa with a sophisticated look which will no doubt cater to

Coco Palm’s VIPs.

Coco Palm’s upgrade was influenced by a cleaner, brighter minimalistic look while maintaining the traditional Creole décor and the signature black and white tiles in the lobby. The executive lounge off the lobby is outfitted with images of West Indian cricket players decorating the walls, a Lavazza coffee station and local beer on tap, a large 50” TV to enjoy and laptop working stations available. This is most fitting given the number of cricket teams and heroes who have graced Coco Palm since its opening for Cricket World Cup in 2006.

THE STAR

09

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Grynberg In The House?

MPs Face Sink or Sink Options!

A

recent article in this paper, entitled Watergate to Grynberg: A Leap Not Too Far!, observed: “Thanks to contractual amendments to the original arrangements between Kenny Anthony and the Colorado oil prospector Jack Grynberg, the government of Saint Lucia stands almost no chance of

beating the breach of contract suit pending before the ICSID, via which Grynberg hopes to collect damages in the amount of US$500 million.” Additionally, that “Grynberg has declared his readiness to drop his suit altogether, on condition the government is prepared to forget their troubles and dance with the

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slippery oilman.” In a follow-up article the question was posed: “Dear reader, what would you have our government do?”

On Monday, the prime minister addressed the subject during a short interview: “I believe the best way is for us to go to parliament, present the matter and allow it to be debated so we agree as a country which way to go.” While not commenting on the legal details, he confirmed that “at this point we have to decide whether we’re going to fight Grynberg’s claims before the ICSID or whether both sides arrive at a more amicable resolution of the problem”.

According to a February report by the Denver Post: “An Arapahoe County jury determined Jack Grynberg never had a legitimate contract to run the companies he created, but had placed them in the names of

Will Kenny Anthony unleash his whirlwind or will the central figure in the Grynberg fiasco finally cooperate with the government’s efforts to amicably resolve the Colorado oilman’s US$500 million breach of contract lawsuit?

Is Ubaldus Raymond on his Way Back to the Fold?

J

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10th

ANNIVERSARY

his then wife and three children.

As a result, they can fire him if they want to.” And they have, a development that has not escaped the prime minister. “One of the big changes that has taken place is Jack Grynberg himself is no longer a part of the company,” he told this reporter this week. “He was ousted by his family who now have control of the businesses. So really we’re now talking about a new group of people on this long-running issue.

Since the ICSID’s ad hoc decision to permit the case to be heard on its merit, our attorney general has met with the government’s lawyers and briefed Cabinet. We’re in the process of looking at the next step, as I say. We’re considering all our options, then we’ll see what direction parliament wants to go. We hope soon to make an announcement.”

--DN

Prime Minister Allen Chastanet this week spoke highly of Dr Ubaldus Raymond’s (pictured) contributions while a government senator.

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ust when some were convinced they’d heard the last of Ubaldus Raymond, the former senator, who resigned in April, was this week resurrected when a reporter inquired of Prime Minister Allen Chastanet the status of the attorney general’s promised investigation into what had led to Raymond’s demise.

“I think it's very unfair to Dr. Raymond,” said the prime minister. “Allegations have been made against him and he has paid the heaviest price of all by the fact that he is no longer a member of my cabinet. He's a person in whom I have a tremendous amount of confidence and I would certainly like to be able to use his skillset. But I'm kind of stymied at this point. I can't proceed until I know that his name and the reputation of my government have been cleared.”

Did the prime minister hint at Raymond’s possible return to his Cabinet?

Said Chastanet: “Dr. Raymond has talent.

He made an impact in my government and I was very happy with the work he was doing.

I would certainly like to be able to use him,

if not back in my Cabinet, then somewhere else.” But not at this point, the prime minister added.

The former senator’s last public appearance was on April 25, on Rick Wayne’s TALK. Asked by the host about the possible effect of his leaked private phone conversation with a Trinidadian woman, he replied: “From day one I have dedicated myself to providing my service to this country through this administration. I have not faltered in any way when it comes to my work in government . . . I have given my full dedication to providing my services to the people of Saint Lucia in the various ministries where I have worked.”

Dr. Raymond turned down our request to comment on the prime minister’s most recent public reference to him.

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THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

august 10, 2019

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august 10, 2019 THE STAR

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In 2015 the United Nations General Assembly set 17 global goals as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The purpose of these goals is to forge a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all" via the facilitation of several best practices aiming to establish and maintain a good quality of life for the global population. The UN believes "sustainable economic growth will require societies to create the conditions that allow people to have quality jobs".

These thoughts on sustainable tourism practices permeated our work this week as the SLHTA focused our attention on Taxation, Village Tourism, Human Resources Development and hosting our 2019 Annual General Meeting.

Taxes serve as key revenue sources for small economies such as ours and aid in upgrading public infrastructure, supporting healthcare, funding education and nurturing community programmes. As important as they are, misapplication of taxes can kill the proverbial goose that lays the golden egg. A white paper published by the World Travel and Tourism Council titled Fairer and More Intelligent Tax Policies in Travel and Tourism, expertly summarizes our

discussion when it states that poorly conceived and implemented taxation can cause Travel and Tourism demand to fall sharply, resulting in job losses and a worsening economy.

Intelligent taxation, however, is a useful tool for generating revenue and stimulating economic activity.

In an effort to simplify the tax policy-making process, a WTTC study of taxation policy, originally prepared by the London School of Economics, has produced five basic economic principles that should be applied to the design of taxes and user charges for all industries, including Travel and Tourism.

These five principles are: 1. Equity 2. Fair revenue generation 3. Efficiency 4. Simplicity 5. Effective stimulus to growth

If followed when taxation policy is being determined, these principles will help dynamic industries to thrive. Thriving, dynamic industries generate skills development and employment opportunities.

A sitting of the Board of Trustees of the SLHTA’s Tourism Enhancement Fund brought human resources development

The SLHTA supports the Junior Minister of Tourism debating competition.

projects into the spotlight this week. Riding on last month’s euphoria from the medals and prizes brought home by our National Culinary Team, focus was on the preparation of our students for the coming academic year. To aid in this, the Trustees charged the Secretariat with designing a national programme aimed at providing bursaries to kids in need, to ensure their access to books and other supplies to start the upcoming school year.

After all, educated students today mean an empowered workforce tomorrow. We expect that an official launch of this initiative will

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The SLHTA meets with GIZ to discuss possibilities for collaboration with community projects.

be held after another two weeks.

We also challenged ourselves with getting more involved in the discussions to nurture village tourism through support for small enterprises. The SLHTA continued our discussions with key strategic partners to create our Enterprise Development Fund which, when established, will serve as a guarantor of loans for small businesses and community development groups seeking to encourage linkages with tourism.

As we continue to roll out notices of our upcoming Annual General Meeting set for August 30, 2019, we invite businesses interested in showcasing their goods and services at our AGM’s Linkages in Tourism tradeshow to contact the SLHTA Secretariat at 453-1811 to register.

The Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association is the principal tourism private sector agency in Saint Lucia with a membership of over 200 companies. As a private non-profit membership organisation, the SLHTA‘s main role is to facilitate tourism sector development and management in Saint Lucia.

MORE IMPRESSIVE GROWTH FOR SAINT LUCIA’S TOURISM SECTOR

T

ourism officials in Saint Lucia are optimistic over robust signs of a continued growth trajectory for the vital tourism industry. Figures for the halfway point of 2019 show continuing strong demand for Saint Lucia as the important sector again recorded significant growth.

Stay-over arrivals for June 2019 peaked at 34,040, up 9% from June of last year. This means year to date (YTD) growth has increased 6.5%; up from 6.1% last month. This figure also marked the fifth record-breaking month for the year.

Contributing to the growth for the month of June were

increases in the island’s main source market, the United States, which saw a 17% increase.

Germany showed a 31% increase, the rest of Europe 9%, the Caribbean 7%, and Canada had an increase of 20%.

The CEO of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Beverly Nicholson-Doty, says the growth can be attributed to multiple factors, among them increased airlift from the US, directly attributed to a second AA flight out of Miami that brought 5,264 additional seats. Seats were also added by JetBlue from JFK and Boston.

Airlift from Canada increased with 256 seats from West Jet and

Air Canada combined.

Other factors contributing to the increases were the series of events which attracted regional travellers, namely football competitions and a music concert featuring Jamaican reggae musician Sizzla Kalonji.

Decreases in visitor arrivals were recorded from the UK, down 15%, with a decrease of 21% from the rest of world.

Nicholson-Doty says given that there’s still a slew of exciting destination marketing initiatives to be rolled out for 2019, along with the ensuing winter season, Saint Lucia looks well poised to meet and indeed surpass the record 1.2 million visitors it welcomed in 2018.

THE STAR

august 10, 2019

www.stluciastar.com

BOOK REVIEW

13

Peter Josie’s ‘Reparations Conference’ who birthed the concept. She knows it would not sit well with Saint Lucians but she is bold nonetheless. Mary Morgan also reminds me of my mother, obviously because she too is a witty schoolteacher.

Flipping through the pages, the reader is not always burdened or angered by the brutality of slavery because throughout the entire conference the chairman keeps pushing the crowd to mediate a tangible plan for a way forward. However, a few characters are clearly bitter, some even insisting on a 'Marcus Garvey'

Claudia Mc Dowell

P

eter Josie’s latest title, Reparations Conference, is timely given the announcement last week by The UWI Vice Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles that the Universities of Glasgow and the West Indies have signed a reparations deal for the former to provide £200 million in cash and in kind for research.

Beckles has been spearheading dialogue about reparations justice for slavery in the Caribbean for a long time and in July 2014 proposed a reparations agreement to the British House of Commons. Beckles also divulged in February this year at a Caribbean Reparations Commission press conference that the British government only finished repaying the loan for slavery abolition in 2015. His role has been vital in any consideration of Caribbean reparations justice, despite the many naysayers on the matter.

Reparations Conference is what I believe Josie hopes will happen in Saint Lucia to at least launch productive consultations on reparations and perhaps lead us to where Beckles has now gone.

The book is a work of fiction describing the anticipation and excitement of the country leading up to the first ever communal discussion about reasons why past colonizers should redress Caribbean slavery and its after-effects. Josie outlines the details of the conference and the reasons behind the choice of location, the audience invited, the selected panel and how the idea came into public consciousness. The reparations conference was planned for months and promoted through all media, its final hurdle being a rainy morning on the scheduled date.

All in all, apart from the CARICOM Reparations Commission activities in Saint Lucia, including a Youth Rally in 2016, there has not been an event quite like what Josie proposes in his book. He sets a tone of overall inclusion and non-discrimination by bringing both common and unorthodox perspectives of reparations justice into his characters’ speech and conversation.

The central figures in Josie’s imaginary conference are Toney Grant, the reparations committee’s chairman, Mary Morgan who represents teachers past and present, John Sandy who speaks for trade unionists, Andy Charles or Ras Lion, the Rasatafarian population’s assignee, and Anna Leon for the country’s students. My personal favourite is Mary Morgan who secretly has a more rational idea for a case for reparations justice than the Rastafarians

approach to justice.

The conference is a day long and gets more and more crowded as it progresses and people hear about it over the radio. Some come in at the eleventh hour, hoping to voice their contribution.

It is everything the organisers hoped for, and more. In the end, Toney Grant has a solid case to deliver to the government encompassing everything the

island deserves from reparations justice, and it is plausibly what would happen if Josie’s idea came to life.

Of course—like anyone else who reads something they did not write—there were parts I enjoyed and others that I just did not fancy. I wished that there was more Lucian broken-English and a small fight, but Josie covered all his bases with effective security

measures and an authoritative chairman. Josie does describe the novel as an amateur attempt but his experiences in politics and with other leaders in the island’s social affairs inform this book and the possibilities if such a conference was ever a reality.

All in all, I believe Josie has the blueprint for a local reparations catalyst right in the pages of his book.

14 COMMENT

www.stluciastar.com

august 10, 2019 THE STAR

At what cost to the nation entertaining political und T

he more I listen to our social commentators, well-intentioned and otherwise, the more I am convinced that those who can do, while those who can’t rant.

Then there are those whose sole purpose for sounding off like stridulating crickets is to land by whatever means the only job opportunities seemingly accessible to them: public sector contracts, to be paid for by barely surviving taxpayers oblivious of their employees’ qualifications, neither their police record.

Then there are the politicians, in and out of office.

Actually, little separates them: soon after they’re elected to office the majority side assumes the idiosyncrasies of the previous government, now the House opposition.

That is to say, the first category spend their time tossing at those they replaced the most serious allegations with threats of investigations, attributing to them all that’s wrong with life in Saint Lucia, as if they had themselves never been part of the parliament that had sanctioned or endorsed with their silence and their ignorance the cited egregious betrayals of the public trust—and therefore not complicit!

To illustrate: During a House session a year or so ago the Castries Southeast MP, Mr. Guy Joseph, had reason to cite Section 41 of the Finance (Administration) Act. An earlier version of the law had permitted the 1997 prime minister lawfully to guarantee a bank loan on behalf of the two foreign owners of Rochamel Development some US$41 million dollars—without

first seeking House approval.

Different aspects of the matter had finally landed it in court and before a judicial inquiry.

Ostensibly in an attempt to prevent a repetition of the costly fiasco, the Stephenson King administration had in February 2011 amended Section 41 of the Finance Act, so that it now read as follows: 1) “A guarantee involving any financial liability is not binding upon government unless the minister grants the guarantee in accordance with an enactment or with the prior approval of parliament by a resolution of parliament.

2) A resolution of parliament under subsection one must give full details of the amount guaranteed, the terms and conditions of the guarantee, the person or legal entity in whose name the guarantee is intended, and the object and reasons for the giving of the guarantee.

3) The minister may grant a guarantee on such terms and conditions as he or she may think fit.”

Any fool could’ve concluded after a quick first reading of the revised law that Section 3 effectively returned it to its original state that in the first place had permitted a finance minister to have his way with loan guarantees for friendly foreigners. Almost immediately following the cockeyed revision, I approached some of the MPs and Senators who had been involved in the process, perchance they might agree to revisit what they had done and correct it. They all agreed the amended law made no sense at all, thanks to the superfluous Clause 3. To date it remains unremedied.

On the remembered occasion when Guy Joseph referenced the official faux pas, another MP who was the House opposition leader when the amendment to the Finance Act was debated in 2011, therefore complicit, took the opportunity to wake up the peacock in his psyche. Not even bothering to lift himself out of his upholstered perch, he spat out his response: “I sat there and listened in silence as ya’ll made the law worse than it was.” His reaction was hardly surprising. He was the prime minister and minister of finance in 1998, when the Rochamel loan was guaranteed without House approval!

For those who might conjecture such dishonorable behavior on the part of our elected honorable MPs is unusual, think twice. A month or so ago, when the day’s topic centered on the status of oilman Jack Grynberg’s US$500 million lawsuit against this country’s government, Philip J. Pierre, leader of the House opposition, was asked at a press conference whether he would revisit the route of the problem. Without the slightest stutter, he let it be known far and wide that should his party be returned to office following the next general elections “there will be no probe in Grynberg.”

Again, no surprise. In the close to 20 years since countless acres of Saint Lucia’s sea bed were secretly leased to “a con artist” (according to worldly MP Richard Frederick) all official efforts at persuading Kenny Anthony to provide information that might possibly

Saint Lucia’s House of Assembly: They say pictures speak volumes. But pictures can genuine and which are just gr

assist the government of Saint Lucia in countering Grynberg’s claims have proved futile. The man who secretly contracted the controversial American oil speculator in the first place has stubbornly refused to cooperate with the government’s lawyers.

Why then should it come as a surprise that his second

in command at the time of the surreptitious signing has himself also refused to cooperate with the government?

Conceivably, to tell what he knows about the Grynberg issue—or to initiate a related judicial investigation—could prove detrimental to his own political future. Better to let the

dead bury their dead, regardless of possible cost!

On the other hand, when Allen Chastanet’s party was seeking to replace the Kenny Anthony government in 2016, the two most repeated promises of his campaign centered on the fall-out from the prime minister’s bungling of the IMPACS investigation and his

THE STAR

august 10, 2019

COMMENT

www.stluciastar.com

on do we keep ndesirables?

15

Chief Steward To assist the Executive Chef in maintaining a clean & sanitized kitchen by directing & coordinating the activities of the stewarding personnel and simultaneously maximizing the department’s Operating Efficiency & Cost. Also, orchestrating all Banquet/ Catering functions ensuring proper execution of all events.

Requirements/duties of the position include but are not limited to: •

• •

•

•

• •

• •

•

Works closely with Executive Chef and F&B Manager concerning Banqueting Events & special arrangements.

To implement and meet all regulations regarding the HACCP program.

Ensures all food items from the storeroom areas and for functions etc., are delivered to the appropriate venues as scheduled.

Monitors the supply of China, Glassware, Silverware, Pots & Pans and Serving Utensils to ensure the Kitchens, Restaurants and the Banqueting Department have the required supplies.

Ensures Weekly & End of Month Circulating Inventories are done on a timely basis with significant variances being thoroughly investigated & explained.

Creates weekly special cleaning projects and deep cleaning of all areas.

Ensures proper staffing & controls payroll expenses by preparing schedules based on forecasted business.

Prepare team member appraisals, evaluations and incentive programs as necessary.

Utilizes Leadership Skills and Motivation techniques in order to maximize employee productivity and Trains team members on proper and safe utilization of cleaning equipment & dishwashing equipment.

Assists with the creation of attractive buffet presentations and displays.

Qualifications and Experience: •

• • • • • •

Five years minimal management experience in similar multi outlet operation and ability to maintain the highest level of standards.

Extensive knowledge of kitchen equipment and chemical usage.

Passionate about cleanliness and follows HACCP thoroughly.

Demonstrate the ability to lead & motivate others.

Even-tempered and able to manage stress and long working hours.

The ability to plan and set realistic short & long term goals.

Effective written & verbal communication skills.

If successful, a clean Police Record will be required. Interested persons should submit their applications by Monday August 19, 2019 with curriculum vitae via email to : The Recruitment and Compliance Specialist – Sandals Regency La Toc Email: SMcAnuff@grp.sandals.com

tures can also be deceiving. Who can tell for certain which of the smiles featured are re just grimaces in disguise?

stubborn refusal to divulge the secrets of Grynberg.

The campaigning Chastanet convinced voters he could rescue them from the results of Kenny Anthony’s handling of both matters.

Three years later, IMPACS is no closer to a useful resolution, with increasingly worse consequences overtaking the nation’s justice

system.

Meanwhile, it appears Grynberg has the government butt-naked over a barrel.

Of course, neither side sees the need to unite against their common enemies, not when, whether by divisive propaganda and unconscionable prevarication, they can

persuade a largely uninformed polarized public to vote for perceived lesser evils. To which, the undiscerning reader might correctly say, Oh but we’ve been there before.

Sadly, that’s not the same as saying our politicians have learned the errors of their ways!

NB: Please enter “Chief Steward” in the subject field in the email for consideration.

We thank all applicants for their interest but only short listed candidates will be contacted.

16 LOCAL

august 10, 2019 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

SIXTY-NINE PLUS FIVE

connected to the machine which pumps air. I ended on the ground with the machine, my glasses, the hose and my phone but not in the can remember when the same spot. air was clean and sex was

The problem with the dirty. This is how far back my word “hose” is that it can be memory goes. In fact, until I went misinterpreted, especially by to an optician when I was eleven, doctors. Think of the reaction by life was a blur. Today, I am 74 an ER medic when I tell him that years old and if my longer-term some flexible hose got me down recall serves me right, and that is the night before my birthday. The much better since I started using best reaction I can expect is a a memory foam pillow, I’ve been knowing smile and the response, looking forward to this day for the “I hope you were not celebrating past five years. The night before with a bunch of old hose.” That is that birthday, I fell asleep just why, on what was my sixty-ninth after midnight from too little rest birthday, connected to a machine, and too much CPL cricket. Then flustered by a phone call and the phone rang with the noisy, requiring my glasses to find my irritating, insistent and close to glasses, I took the snide remarks deafening ringtone that I prefer of my friends about the sexual because while I might be deficient connotations of that particular in other areas, I am hard of number and the Sparrow tune hearing. This caused me to leap, about the number being sixtyfly and fall out of bed. I almost nine, with equanimity. I told them strangled myself because I had that I would feel better at 74 or, in forgotten that now, in my postother words, sixty-nine with five middle age, I have to use a CPAP people watching. machine with what is known as a I’ve actually taken the “flexible” hose, one end attached number up to about ninety to my face and head, covering my because, after a long time of nose with a mask like Bane in the keeping my birthday as a very Dark Knight Rises, and the other small family celebration only, I

By Tony Deyal

I

have invited about twenty-one of my friends, two of whom celebrated their birthdays this week, to join me. One of them, Professor Ken Ramchand, was eighty on Monday. Unlike me, he does not need memory foam.

His recall is excellent and his memory and love of people, prose and poetry are so incredible that I selected a piece by the American poet Samuel Ullman, that is perfect for him. I know Groucho Marx said that a man is as old as the woman he feels (which makes me about fifty-two), and that 'over the hill' means you’re gaining speed, but I like this one: “You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear, as young as your hope, as old as your despair. In the central place of your heart, there is a wireless station. So long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, grandeur, courage, and power from the earth, from men and from the Infinite—so long are you young. When the wires are all down and the central places of your heart are covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then are you

grown old, indeed!”

My other friend who will be with us on Saturday is Johnny Commansingh. He was sixtyseven years old yesterday and has another two years before he makes Sparrow’s Hall of Fame or infamy. Johnny is the author of six books, one of which, about his growing up in what was then a rural area of Trinidad, tells matterof-factly the story of a mother with nine children, all beaten almost daily by her husband who then absconded. Yet, despite the poverty and pressure, Johnny's mom was able to bring them up to become successful in whatever fields they chose. Johnny was a university professor in the US, a poet, writer, artist and he plays a mean “quatro”, banjo or ukelele and classical guitar. I mentioned Sparrow because later today Johnny plans to provide the music to my bits and pieces of calypso history, from the fifties to the early nineties, and we have invited Jean, Dinah, May-May, Theresa, Monica Doo-Doo and even Melda to be here, What is remarkable is that although we knew about one another for a long time, it is only within the

past two years at most we have become closer, Johnny through his contributions to an online literary magazine, My Trinidad: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (mytrinidad.net) which I started, and Ken because the time had come. We both love fishing, humour and appropriate quotes from Shakespeare, Keats and other English writers and never miss the opportunity to let one loose. Ken is also the world expert on West Indian Literature, especially Naipaul, or what I tell him is an area of darkness.

There are two other people I would have loved to invite. One is my friend, Kamal Abdool, the President of the Trinidad and Tobago Diaspora Association in Florida who was sixty-five on Monday. He is one of the best spontaneous humourists and quipsters around. The other is George Burns, the American comedian, actor, singer, and writer who died in 1996 at the age of just over 100. If George were here, he would hold his cigar in one hand and a scotch in the other and tell us everything that goes up must come down but that there comes a time when not

everything that's down can come up. With a smile he would say, first you forget names, then you forget faces, next you forget to pull your zipper up and finally, you forget to pull it down. He would warn us that sex at age ninety is like trying to shoot pool with a rope. But then he would say, “I'd rather be over the hill than under it.” He would end by sharing with us that grief, tragedy and hatred are only for a time but goodness, remembrance and love have no end. Enough. The party beckons.

Time to call that George.

Tony Deyal was last seen quoting George Burns: “People ask me what I'd most appreciate getting for my 87th birthday. I tell them a paternity suit.”

Tony Deyal is from Trinidad.

He now runs a column in the Jamaica Gleaner, NationNews Barbados and the St Lucia Star, and runs a free literary magazine on mytrinidad. net. Tony can be contacted at tdeyal@yahoo.co.uk or on 1-868-351-1000.

Toni Morrison, Trailblazing Author Of ‘Beloved,’ Dead At 88

T

he trailblazing author Toni Morrison, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, died Monday night at the age of 88, her publisher, Knopf, confirmed Tuesday.

She died at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, a spokeswoman for Knopf said in a statement. A cause of death was not specified.

Her family also confirmed her death Tuesday in a statement, issued through Princeton University, where she had taught since 1989.

“It is with profound sadness we share that, following a short illness, our adored mother and grandmother, Toni Morrison, passed away peacefully last night surrounded by family and friends. She was an extremely devoted mother, grandmother, and aunt who reveled in being with her family and friends.

The consummate writer who treasured the written word, whether her own, her students or others, she read voraciously and was most at home when writing.

Although her passing represents a tremendous loss, we are grateful she had a long, well lived life.

“While we would like to thank everyone who knew and loved her, personally or through

her work, for their support at this difficult time, we ask for privacy as we mourn this loss to our family. We will share information in the near future about how we will celebrate Toni’s incredible life.”

Morrison was best known for her 1987 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Beloved,” later adapted into a 1998 film starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover. In 1993, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first black woman to receive the honor.

The Nobel committee honored her career and dedication to centering the lives and histories of African Americans, writing in its citation that Morrison’s work is “characterized by visionary force and poetic import” and “gives life to an essential aspect of American reality.”

In 2012, then-President Barack Obama awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“I remember reading ‘Song of Solomon’ when I was a kid and not just trying to figure out how to write, but also how to be and how to think,” Obama said, referring to her 1977 novel.

Prior to becoming a legendary author, Morrison blazed

Toni Morrison receiving the Presidential Medal of Honor in 2012 from Barack Obama.

trails at Random House from 1967 to 1983, becoming the first black woman editor at the storied publisher. In that role, she championed the work of many writers of color, publishing the work of black luminaries including Gayl Jones, Toni Cade Bambara, Henry Dumas, Huey

P. Newton, Muhammad Ali and Angela Davis.

“Toni Morrison’s working life was spent in the service of literature: writing books, reading books, editing books, teaching books. I can think of few writers in American letters who wrote with more humanity or with more

love for language than Toni,” Knopf Chairman Sonny Mehta said in a statement to HuffPost Tuesday. “Her narratives and mesmerizing prose have made an indelible mark on our culture.

Her novels command and demand our attention. They are canonical works, and more importantly, they

are books that remain beloved by readers.”

Morrison was a graduate of Howard University, the historically black university in Washington, D.C., where she later taught while writing her debut novel, 1970s “The Bluest Eye.” She also held teaching positions at Yale, Bard College, Rutgers and the State University of New York at Albany.

Born Chloe Ardelia Wofford in Lorain, Ohio, on Feb. 18, 1931, Morrison was the second of four children to working-class parents George and Ramah Wofford, who left the South during the Great Migration.

Morrison had two sons, Harold and Slade, with exhusband Harold Morrison, whom she divorced in 1964.

In 2010, Slade died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 45. Reflecting on her son’s death in a 2012 interview with The Guardian, Morrison rejected the idea of “closure.”

“It’s such an American thing.

I want what I got. Memory. And work. And some more ibuprofen,” she said with a laugh.

“We die. That may be the meaning of life,” Morrison said in her 1993 Nobel Prize lecture. “But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.”

---Huffington Post

THE STAR

august 10, 2019

www.stluciastar.com

BACK TO SCHOOL

17

How to Face your Bully when you Go Back to School

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fter a long summer hiatus, heading back to school can be an exciting time.

But, for many, returning to school can also mean facing a bully—and dealing with the anxiety that comes from seeing and interacting with that person for yet another year.

From verbal and physical bullying to relational and cyberbullying, the effects of bullying on a young person’s mental health can have both immediate and long-lasting consequences.

“Bullying can lead to anxiety, self-esteem problems, depression, and feelings of shame,” psychotherapist and author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do, Amy Morin, told Teen Vogue. “It can affect your appetite, sleep, and even your school performance.

It may even take a toll on your relationships with your friends and family.”

If you are being bullied, remember that you are not alone, and there are people who can help you.

Here are some tips on how to cope.

Coping Mechanisms Are Vital

Seeing your bully around school can trigger a rise in cortisol levels. To help lower your stress levels when encountering your bully, Dr. Morin recommended taking deep breaths to calm your body and mind. She also suggested forming your own calming mantra to help you get through the uncomfortable encounter.

“Create a mantra that you can repeat in your head over and over, like ‘You’ve got this,’ or ‘Just keep walking,’” she said. “That can help drown out any negative thoughts you might have and give you the courage to keep doing what you need to do.”

Ignore Your Bully

While there’s no one tip that will prevent bullying from happening completely, Dr. Regine Galanti, a licensed psychologist with a focus on young children with behaviour problems, anxiety, and co-occurring disorders, said ignoring your bully can be a viable and successful option in some cases.

“It's a hard strategy, but bullies get power from the [reactions of the] people they pick

If you are being bullied, remember there are people who can help you.

on, so pretending that they don't exist can work well,” she said.

“To get good at this, practise— role play at home with an adult who you trust, and practice ignoring them again and again.

Run through different scenarios, and keep practising.”

Tell Someone You’re Being Bullied

While only 20 to 30% of bullied students report their abusers, Dr. Morin said telling an adult about your experiences can help alleviate some stress and find solutions to the problem.

“Ask for help as soon as possible. And if the person you tell can’t help you, find someone who can. Even if you just tell a friend, your parent or another trusted adult, sharing the issue might help you develop new strategies to deal with the issue—or to develop new coping strategies for dealing with the emotions that are being stirred up,” she said.

Dr. Galanti agreed, stressing the importance of talking to an adult you trust about your bully when you feel comfortable.

Together, she said you can help form a plan to address the bullying, create a support system, and form strategies to cope with the situation.

If you’re scared of potential repercussions from reporting a bully, Dr. Morin recommended bringing a friend along to support you or writing down your issues on paper, which can be easier than verbally expressing your victimization.

Rely on Your Friends

Bullying can take a toll on your mental health, but forming a strong support network with your friends can help you feel less isolated and more protected

against the potential abuse. To help mitigate new bullying, Dr. Morin recommended reaching out to your friends to help protect you.

“Enlist friends to help you,” Dr. Morin said. “Form a pact that says you’ll stand up for each other. Having a few bystanders who are willing to step in and say something can stop a bully in their tracks.”

Research has found that bystander intervention can have a powerful effect on bullying. In fact, 57% of the time, when a bystander intervenes, bullying stops within 10 seconds.

“Kids can provide support to kids who are being bullied, helping them feel safe, and making sure a trusted adult knows what's happening,” Dr. Galanti added. “[The] same is actually true of adults who witness bullying. The important thing is to take action to help a kid being bullied; let kids know it's okay to communicate what they feel, talk about it, and model getting what they want respectfully.”

---Teen Vogue

18 back to school

august 10, 2019 THE STAR

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Digicel Celebrates Five Years with Scholarship Holders

T

he 2019 Digicel scholarship programme is a milestone edition for nine students, their parents and the telecommunications provider.

Four years ago, instead of sticking to the previous method of filtering a new set of students annually, the company decided to commit to the education of twenty-two students for five academic years. This year Digicel celebrated with the remaining nine students that maintained

their end of the contract as they prepare to enter the final year of this commitment—fifth form and CXC year.

“We walked this journey five years with you and I am so happy that you have made it,” Digicel St Lucia CEO, Siobhan James-Alexander remarked.

“It is unfortunate that we don’t have the full twenty-two that we started with, but part of that support and commitment was that we asked one thing of the

students—it was grades. And it was important for us to do that because there is reward for good work.”

The scholarship contract demanded that students maintained an overall average of at least 65% in each school term for the $1,000 grant to be renewed the next year. However, marketing executive Jamisha Wright informed that this year, students who did not hit the 65% mark were still rewarded with a

Siobhan James-Alexander, Digicel St Lucia CEO (left) awarding Valine Louis a scholarship for the 2019/2020 academic year.

percentage of the grant once their average did not fall below 50%.

In her address at the scholarship ceremony, JamesAlexander continued: “You’re at that juncture, that crossroad: ‘What am I going to do with my life? What’s next?’ Let’s make sure we’re crossing that CXC mark with good grades for your parents and for yourselves. Let’s beat it, and let’s then determine what’s next. The only thing that somebody cannot take away from you is education.”

She further encouraged students to find a balance for this remarkable yet stressful period in their lives by continuing to engage in extra-curricular activities: “That’s part of your development.

It’s not all about academics. This year, put in a little more.”

Digicel also welcomed three newcomers to the staff complement of the scholarship programme. Addressing them, James-Alexander said: “You’ve crossed that big mountain that you call Common Entrance.

Welcome to the next part of your journey. It’s not the end, it’s the beginning. Honour what you’ve just done. The fact that you’re here with us today means you’ve

accomplished something.”

Finally James-Alexander said the scholarship programme is one of the ways by which Digicel thanks customers: “You supported us. We’re sixteen years here, almost seventeen, and it’s only because you’ve supported us. And how do we give back? We have to give back in kind and that sort of support.”

Coletta McDonald, head of Digicel St Lucia’s customer care operations, felt like “a proud parent”. She has spearheaded

the process and monitored the students’ progress over the past four years. She invited Chantee Frederick, Dannia Joseph, Darlan Simeon, Diane Thomas, Diego Largon, Gabrielle McGowan, Lu Ann Prosepere, Termika Alcindor and Valine Louis to collect their scholarships for the last time.

Children of the staff who earned scholarships are Shaz Nathan Lucien, Vivianne Calderon and Zaedyan Laurencin.

---CM

Digicel will be supporting twelve primary and secondary school students this year.

BRIDGE STREET, CASTRIES | TEL: 451-6363

THE STAR

august 10, 2019

New Plans for Morne Du Don Primary

19

Backpack Donations to Gros Islet Students who Excelled

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his is not the typical summer for the Morne Du Don Government Primary School, nor is it the typical summer for incoming kindergartners and their parents. Coming off the back of its strong Common Entrance results, the school and its principal, Jacinta Auguste, are happy to announce the revitalisation of the enrichment programme and a new kindergarten initiative.

Said Auguste about the new kindergarten programme: “One of our past teachers belongs to a group called Colours, an NGO. This year she has volunteered to give the kindergarten students all their stationery, so parents only have to focus on buying textbooks and sanitary things like hand sanitiser and soap; but in terms of notebooks, crayons, erasers, sharpeners, you name it, all the stationery, they’ll be getting those for free as long as they pay the registration fee.”

As for the enrichment programme revamp, the principal stated: “We are hoping to restart the programme. We have a few people on board for activities like Taekwondo, dance and drama; so I’m hoping this year, parents

BACK TO SCHOOL

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T

Principal Jacinta Auguste is happy about the positive trends being followed at the school.

will meet us halfway, and see the importance of the extra curricular activities and at least make a little sacrifice; because we’re not asking for much.”

Reflecting on the summer so far, the principal touched on registrations: “It’s been a bit hectic because we have been getting a lot of parents now coming in to register their children. It’s a norm for the Morne Du Don School to have parents coming in late but this year they might have set a record.”

Not that she’s complaining though: “I’m very pleased to take the latecomers. I’m very pleased

to accommodate them.”

She added: “I cannot complain about parental involvement because it has grown a lot compared to before and I hope this positive trend continues.”

She reminded everyone that, “Morne Du Don has always been a great school, so I’m hoping with the new kindergarten initiative and with the revamped extra curricular activities, that our children see that as an incentive to excel even more”.

he graduating class of 2019 from the Gros Islet Primary School was given special recognition from the Saint Lucia Toronto Creole Committee for the students' hard work.

More specifically, Gros Islet natives, John and Ruth Wiggins, together with Loyarl Leon, CEO of the Saint Lucia Toronto Creole Committee, have collectively donated some 26 backpacks and school supplies to the high-performing students of the class of 2019.

John and Ruth attended the graduation for the special moment and describe themselves as “proud Saint Lucians who are motivated to encourage and positively support the future generation of our beautiful island”. The backpacks and the school supplies are only a small contribution as part of their ongoing commitment to the education and welfare of the students of Gros Islet and Saint Lucia.

The Wigginses hope that the donations will slightly ease the financial burden of transitioning into secondary school and help students organise the books, laptops and learning instruments fundamental to navigate today’s changing world.

They aim to help the youth in any way they can to be inspiring and to grasp their dreams and aim high academically.

There were other entities involved in bringing this donation from Canada. KLC Eastern Caribbean Freight Lines Limited generously offered to ship the backpacks and school supplies to Saint Lucia without cost.

The couple has also assisted their son, John Wiggins, with donating basketball attire

John and Ruth Wiggins savouring the experience of assisting local youth through acts of generosity.

to Saint Lucian athletes this summer. Wiggins is currently the Vice President at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Partnership for Raptors 905 and, like his parents, wants to find ways of helping young people in his homeland.

---Dean Nestor

An EZ Finance Loan from Bank of Saint Lucia offers: Personal loans up to $30,000 Competitive interest rates Payback period of 4 years

Let’s Talk!

Contact an agent at your nearest Bank of Saint Lucia location today.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY. Tel: 758-456-6000 Fax: 758-456-6720 info@bankofsaintlucia.com

20 back to school

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august 10, 2019 THE STAR

My hazy days at a countryside school in the 1960s state curriculum, while the other schools used the Royal Readers, a staple instrument of colonialism. y parents had nowhere Our school had exercise books; else to leave me, since my the others used slates. older siblings all attended When I was old enough to school and the adults were busy be put in a class, tuition hardly on the farm. So I started school mattered. We were mostly at four, even though there was no brooding lines for our daily accommodation for children my after-school duels. The Baptist age. Mainly I sat at the back of my school students would lie in sister’s class, clasping a packed wait for those from the Catholic meal of bread and cocoa tea that school and pretty soon the silly was supposed to sustain me till quarrels that started would turn classes were over. Everyone else into fights. When we tired of that, had breadfruit. we set out on the walk home.

During the two-mile walk Distant humming of any vehicle from our home in Marc to the was scary. We always walked in a Bexon Grace Baptist School we group, close to the roadside bush, scoped the fruit trees we’d raid our escape route in case the local on our way back. Actually, I didn’t bigwig drove up and grabbed walk; I was carried most of the one of us. The story was that he way, otherwise I couldn’t keep up. used children’s body parts for his Our school was privately run by obeah rituals.

American Baptist missionaries.

We walked past the lone The Catholic and Adventist standpipe in Crownance because churches ran their own in Bexon we didn’t like the water that and L’Abayee. flowed from it. There were nice

There were no “qualified” people along the way who’d let us teachers then. Just folks who drink from the drums of collected could read and write better than rain water. We didn’t have to be their pupils. But our American thirsty. We just enjoyed the idea of teachers brought with them their drinking water from homes other

By Rose-Marie Rampal

M

In September, you can’t complain when your ripe fruits overhanging the roadside go missing.

than ours. We’d beg Lapo for bits of copra to eat even though we weren’t hungry. We got a kick from eating Lapo’s offerings, even though most of us helped our parents make copra at home.

Sometimes, we would seek springs and catch the cold water in large dasheen leaves that we turned into cups. We had to be careful not to be seen by the owners of the dasheen gardens.

Anything hanging over the road was ours for the taking. Quite often we could not avoid staining our clothes with mango and guava juices. We’d then have to launder them so we could wear

them again the next day. Most of us had just one school uniform.

Nothing was worse than the teasing you got for showing up at school in a uniform stained with mango juice!

The best time of year was rainy season. After-school shenanigans were turned up several notches. When there were floods and the bridges were either submerged or washed away, we were forced to take safer routes home, which meant more adventures and the opportunity to stop at other people’s houses. No matter the weather, however, our excursions had to end by 4pm. School ended at 2:30pm and we were permitted no more than an hour and a half to find our way home—or else!

Fifty-something years later, I think back to those good old school days when the community considered us a nuisance, to be tolerated like fruit flies, noisy hens and stray goats. Which is why I barely complain when I return home on a September afternoon to find just one fatpoke left on a tree that was laden only a few hours earlier!

Injecting Technology into Education M

ost students know all too well the daily challenge of carrying heavy bagloads of textbooks to and from school everyday. Meanwhile, parents take issue with the high prices of these books. What adds to the chagrin is that in many cases, after paying exhorbitant prices, some of the textbooks are hardly used during the semester, save for a few pages. In the digital age, e-books are touted as the replacement for hard copies.

Downloaded from the Internet, e-books can be accessed on devices like phones, tablets, computers and kindles. While e-textbooks are advertised as the more accessible and less

The prime minister says that students will begin to experience 21st century learning like their counterparts in more developed countries.

expensive option, there are arguments that they can have negative effects on health. And

there is the constant threat of a faulty device or tech glitches.

Come the new school term,

the Saint Lucian government will begin a pilot project to introduce e-textbooks at schools. Prime Minister Allen Chastanet made the announcement on July 18 at the launch of phase two of the Taiwanese-funded Government Island-wide Network Project (GINet). The pilot project will be introduced at the form three level.

"There will be software programmes to assist teachers in enhancing their ability to communicate to the students," Chastanet explained, "so teachers and students will be in constant communication with each other.

Teachers will also benefit from a statistical package, which will show how much time kids are

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actually spending in reading their work."

He bemoaned that one of his pet peeves is the amount of money that families spend yearly to purchase textbooks. This, he promised, will soon be a thing of the past as all the books will be downloaded for a substantially lesser fee than that which currently obtains. An official from the education ministry told the STAR that consultations are still ongoing and a final list of the chosen schools will be published in the near future.

The prime minister also revealed that with Taiwan's assistance, the government is embarking on a programme

of introducing technology into education. The project's aim is to retrofit existing learning environments into smart classrooms. He indicated that he was happy to see the technology on display at the recently refurbished Choiseul Secondary School, and that other schools are in the pipeline.

"The dream is that, over time, all schools will be equipped with smart classrooms so that our children can begin to experience 21st century learning and teaching like their counterparts in developed countries," said the prime minister.

---JSA

THE STAR august 10, 2019

www.stluciastar.com

back to school

21

22 health

www.stluciastar.com

august 10, 2019 THE STAR

KIM’S KORNER W

The Hazards of Kneeling

hen we think of knee injuries and pain, we often visualize people who play sports or older people who have arthritis, but you don’t have to play sports or be of an age to suffer from knee pain. There are those few who develop knee pain through the activities they do as part of their everyday life, one of them kneeling. It is so common among certain groups that conditions have been named after them. So, kneelers beware.

The knee is made up of an articulation between the femur, tibia, fibular and patella (kneecap) and is surrounded by muscles, ligaments and four bursae (fluid-filled sacs) that reduce the friction between muscles, bones and the skin.

The anatomy of the knee means that when we kneel and pressure is applied to the patella, the bursae play a part in reducing friction and pressure.

However, repetitive movements, prolonged kneeling or falling onto your knee can cause them to become inflamed.

The most common

conditions that can affect people who kneel are known as housemaid’s knee, carpenter’s knee and clergyman’s knee, but don’t be fooled by their names. You don’t actually have to be a housemaid, clergyman or carpenter to develop one of these painful conditions.

Housemaid’s knee: The technical name for this condition is prepatellar bursitis.

It is caused by inflammation of the bursa that sits in front of the kneecap. Its job is to reduce friction and protect the kneecap. It is usually caused by spending long periods of time in kneeling and was commonly seen in housemaids who spent time on their knees, scrubbing floors. However, kneeling isn’t the only way this bursa can be injured; a direct fall onto the knee can cause the bursa to become inflamed, or an infection of the bursa can arise from a cut or scratch, as commonly seen in children.

The first signs of housemaid’s knee are pain and swelling which kneeling and walking exacerbate. The knee may be red and tender to touch and,

if caused by an infection, you may even have a temperature.

But take care as it is not only conscientious housewives who can be affected by this; even children and men are at risk.

Believe it or not, the condition is more common in men than women. Men whose work depends on them spending a lot of time kneeling down— carpenters, mechanics and carpet layers, among others— can also develop this condition, although in these cases it is often referred to as carpenter’s knee.

Clergyman’s knee: Also known as infrapatellar bursitis (the bursa that sits just below the kneecap). It is caused by kneeling in an upright position (as in praying—hence the name) and pain and tenderness can be felt just above the knee, and in some cases can radiate down to the calf. But do not think praying on your feet will save you from this condition.

It can also be caused by squatting, running and jumping, or by an infection through a cut or open wound. Once the bursa is inflamed, it no longer reduces

Knee pain is not something that happens to only old people!

friction but instead causes pain when going up stairs and bending and straightening the knee.

Treatment for bursitis of the knee will vary, depending on whether it is caused by an infection, overuse or injury. Most times treatment will include RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) to reduce the swelling and speed up recovery. In cases where pain does not lessen and there is reduced range of movement and weakness, physiotherapy can help to regain full function. After a full assessment a physiotherapist will use a range of modalities to ease the pain and increase the range and provide a stretching and strengthening exercise programme to help you get back on your feet.

If an infection has been diagnosed, then the first line of treatment is antibiotics.

However, if they prove

Miss Understood The 90-Day Rule

permanent and then after, you would receive the benefits of being a full-time employee.

Like an employer, you should any will argue that be using the first few months the 90-day rule is not effective in relationships to allow someone interested in while others say that it is. Well, you to court you and see if they in my opinion, it isn’t just about are worthy of any benefits. And don’t act like you don’t know it working or not but about what I’m talking about when ensuring you set a standard I say benefits: sex! Yup, in the for yourself. I heard this three months you are getting comparison being made about to know this guy, you need to the 90-day rule and I think it figure out many things about is the best yet. It specifically him. While you may think it shows why it is important to have a 90-day rule or something might scare a man off to be upfront about what you want, similar. Take, for instance, you I’ve realized that this is one just got a job. At my place of of the ways you can weed out work you are considered to be most of the bad ones before on probation for three months which would equal to just about even investing much time and energy into them.

90 days. During probation you So what should you be are to work hard and prove that doing in those three months? you are worthy of being made

By Allana Maximin

M

Getting to know someone fully will obviously take a lot longer than three months. However, in that space of time you could easily decide if this is someone you would like to continue into something exclusive with. Here are a few tips for this period of hardship:

Find out things that you both like to do and go on dates where you could share in each other’s likes. In a relationship it is important to be able to at least tolerate the other person’s hobbies. That is one way to figure out if you can.

Use that time to figure out how he relates to the women in his life, especially his mother.

The way a man treats his mom gives clear indication of his values and how he will initially treat you.

Dip into each other’s social circle, meet friends, some family members and eventually your kids if you feel it is time.

While you can’t be too quick to introduce your kids to a man who you are not sure will continue to be present, it is also equally important to observe how he reacts to your kids and others before you decide if he is a keeper. If your man is meeting your kids after the fact, that’s a problem.

Ask questions. Find out what his short- and long-term goals are. If he doesn’t have any and is just rolling with the wind, this isn’t someone you might wanna keep. It’s a sports fish, throw it back! If his long-term goals are the same as his shortterm, then sportsfish, back you go! Find out what he thinks

ineffective then it may be necessary to drain the infected fluid out of the bursa. Draining the fluid is usually achieved through a simple process called aspiration, where a needle is inserted into the bursa and the fluid drawn out. In some cases where pain is not resolving a steroid injection can help but in extreme chronic cases surgery may be indicated to remove the bursa.

Of course, as always, prevention is better than cure.

So if you spend a lot of time

kneeling it is best to use a cushion or other knee pad to protect the bursa and reduce the risk of developing this painful condition (or prevent it coming back). It is also important to exercise regularly to ensure that you have strong muscles and good range of movement. We tend to spend much more time sitting and relaxing so finding time to add a little exercise to your daily routine can help you not only stay fit but prevent many avoidable problems.

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

about relationships at this point in his life. And what he thinks about you.

Figure out his character. A man who is genuinely interested in your well-being and being with you will definitely show out in that area. For example, if you are encountering an issue with your sink and you let him know, he will help with a solution.

Whether he goes out there and finds you a good plumber or gets under that sink himself, he will try his best to ensure that you are comfortable.

Let your requirements be known so that you are both on the same page about what you are getting into and also it’ll teach him to respect you since he knows you are not about the games. A real man will be blown away by the fact that you know what you are about and that you are strong and brave enough to voice it. They can guess what we want. So if you go out with this guy, never setting boundaries, requirements or anything, you can’t blame him if he decides to tell you after the

fact that he was just “kickin’ it” with you and now wants to move on to the next one. You left the option open.

What I am saying is that the concept of the 90-day rule is to essentially allow an investment to be made into what could potentially become an exclusive relationship. It’s about getting to know one another and confirming compatibility before going all the way. Sounds reasonable, right?

For many of us it is reasonable, but for others, not so much.

Some men will lose interest if you make them wait; some men will lose interest if you give it up too quickly; and some men will fall somewhere in between.

However, you shouldn’t conform your sex life to how you think a man will react to your decision to wait or not to wait. It’s your body and if you aren’t ready to have sex with someone, then wait and don’t be convinced otherwise.

Remember, if he respects you and you respect yourself, then your body should not be up for negotiation.

THE STAR

august 10, 2019

HEALTH

www.stluciastar.com

23

BUILDING CORE SLABBFA Bodybuilding STRENGTH WITH YOGA Workshop and

Nationals

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Yoga can improve the physical condition as well as the emotional.

M

any people in our society have a weak core due to inactivity. They sit for long periods of time at their computers, at their workplace and in their vehicles. Their busy lives don’t easily permit them to find the time for exercise or any kind of activity which would strengthen the core or any other part of their body.

What is core strength?

This is the strength of the underlying muscles of the torso which help determine posture.

The core includes several muscles deep within the torso which attach to the spine and pelvis.

What are the major muscles involved in core stability?

They are the pelvic floor muscles; the abs (also known as the rectus abdominis); the obliques which have three sets of muscles (internal, transverse and external), erector spinae, transverse abdominis and the quadratus lumborum.

Why do we need core strength?

With a weak core we could have poor posture, a weak back, back pain, fatigue and less endurance. Also, our balance can be affected due to weakness and pain in the legs; this lack of balance can cause injuries.

A strong core helps us to stand up straighter, which helps us to look and feel better physically as well as emotionally.

When we have poor posture, our backs often begin to round which can close off

the chest. This can also affect the heart and lungs, and create neck and shoulder pain.

left leg in similar fashion.

Some of the poses which strengthen the core and create stability: Pari Puna Navasana (Full boat pose): Sit on the floor, legs straight, hands by the sides.

Take the trunk slightly back and raise the legs from the floor, keeping the legs firm like a staff. Bring the arms up and stretch them straight, parallel to the floor, palms facing each other.

Jathara Parivartanasana (Stomach turning pose): Reclined on the back, bend the knees so that the thighs are perpendicular and the shins are parallel to the floor. Stretch the arms straight out in line with the shoulders, press both shoulders to the floor, take the legs to the side without lifting the opposite shoulder off the floor.

Urdhva Prasarita Padasana: Reclined on the back, extend What can I do to strengthen my the legs to 90%, stretch the core? arms straight over the head.

Yoga has several postures On an exhalation, take the legs which strengthen the core as to 60% then to 30% and then we use the breath, and calm the bend the knees and come back mind at the same time. to 90%.

Supta Padangstasana: Lie on the floor with the legs stretched, arms by the side. Bend the right knee up toward the chest and catch the big toe of the right foot with the right hand.

Straighten the right leg to be perpendicular to the floor. Keep the toe, knee and thigh in line; press the thigh back. Ensure the left leg thigh does not lift up from the floor. Repeat for the

Come to one of our classes at Yoga St Lucia to build strength and flexibility in the body, as well as the mind.

Learn how to become aware of the breath and the energy of the breath to become healthier, happier and more at peace.

Sources: Yoga in Action, Preliminary Course by Geeta S. Iyengar; Collins English Dictionary.

Jill Hagar is a certified instructor of Iyengar Yoga and a certified International Yoga Therapist.

She holds regular Yoga classes at Harmony Suites in Rodney Bay. For more information about classes please contact Jill by phone or WhatsApp on (758) 718 1297 or by email on yogastlucia@gmail.com

n August 4, 2019, athletes of the St. Lucia Amateur Bodybuilding and Body Fitness Association (SLABBFA) took advantage of an allday Athlete’s Development Workshop. This was the second of its kind in a series of athletic development programmes designed towards the overall improvement of bodybuilding athletes and preparing them for the upcoming nationals competition.

It was a long but purposeful day as the athletes received posing routine training, nutritional and supplementing advice, training advice, tips on becoming successful as a competing athlete and preparation guidelines for a competitive event, local or abroad.

The workshop was facilitated by IFBB Elite Figure

Pro Mrs. Ramona Morgan and renowned bodybuilding champion Mr. Roger Boyce out of Barbados. Together, they brought and shared over 20 years’ wealth of bodybuilding knowledge and experience.

This workshop was appreciated by all athletes, especially first-time competitors ready to make their debuts on the national stage. Most importantly, each competing athlete received a one-onone session with the trained facilitators who, just maybe, gave them enough ammunition to blow the crowd away on August 24.

The national championships will be held 7:00pm on Saturday August 24, 2019, at the National Cultural Centre. Athletes will represent gyms from across the island namely MangoMoon Fitness,

Voltage Fitness, SouthSide Gym, Sidone’s Gym, Vel’s Gym, Fitness Freaks, La Borde’s Gym and Keep Fit Gym, to name a few. The categories are Women’s Bikini Fitness, Men’s Physique, Women’s Body Fitness and Men’s Bodybuilding –Novice, Intermediate and Senior classes.

There will be guest posers

by Saint Lucian-born women’s physique pro Natasha Samuel and pro bodybuilder Raylison Antonio Maria from Holland.

This is a show you do not want to miss. Tickets are $30 in advance and more at the door but are selling out quickly. They are available at gyms across Saint Lucia and Steve’s Barber shop. Follow at @SLABBFA on Instagram and Facebook for more information on ticket locations and to show your support to our athletes.

CLOSED FOR STOCK TAKING House of Wines & Spirits Rodney Bay Marina will be closed at 12:00 noon for stock taking on Monday August 12th, 2019.

House of Wines & Spirits – JQ Mall will be opened from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm to serve you.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

House of Wines & Spirits Rodney Bay Marina Tel: 457- 7085 House of Wines & Spirits , JQ Mall Tel: 457- 7083

Cul De Sac, Castries, St. Lucia Tel: 457-7000 Fax: 457-7059 Email:pcdcustomerservice@thegelgroup.com Website: www.peterandcompanydistribution.com

24 SPORTS

www.stluciastar.com

Football Association News and Highlights M

The St Lucia National Under-15 Football Team.

By Michael “Midget” Pierre

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he Saint Lucia National Under-15 Football Team continued their impressive run in the CONCACAF Under-15 Football Qualifiers with yet another outstanding display against French Guyana.

Once again it was a clinical performance, although it was not reflected by the scoreline as the margin of victory could have been much wider.

Saint Lucia opened the scoring with an orchestrated build-up on the left flank, which involved the ever-attacking play of Jahlil Evans, resulting in an exquisite finish by Keegan Caul in the 5th minute of play. Saint Lucia continued pressing forward relentlessly and were sometimes thwarted by overzealous poor finishing

and dogged defending. The half ended 1–0 in favour of Saint Lucia.

Following the resumption, Saint Lucia continued in their attacking vein and still encountered difficulty in finding the back of the net. However, their perseverance prevailed with captain Shaquan Nelson sealing the initiative with a strike in the 66th minute of play to give Team Saint Lucia a commanding 2–0 victory.

The victory has them on course to top the Group.

The starting line up for Saint Lucia was as follows: Miller Alcee – goal keeper; Keanu Felicien – defender; Joaquim Johnson, Donnell Braville, Dante Fitz, Gilles Aurelien, Shaquan Nelson (captain) – midfield; Claude St Ange, Keegan Caul, Jahlil Evans – forward; Steven Octave.

Saint Lucia made four changes in the second half. In the 48th minute Hosea Mathurin and Dahmanii Berthier came in for Donnell Braville and Gilles Aurelien respectively; Donavan Phillip replaced Claude St Ange in the 55th minute, and Donavan Perpie saw two minutes of added-on time at the expense of Steven Octave.

Keegan Caul has now taken his tally of goals to three in two matches.

By all indications Team Saint Lucia had a much more impressive outing in comparison to their first game.

They are yet to receive a caution or a yellow or red card.

The Saint Lucia Football Association (SLFA) Inc has now taken the decision to allow a variety of leagues to have the honour of hosting matches in the 2019 Island Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo match no-show: South Korean police raid marketing agency

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outh Korean police have raided a marketing agency at the centre of a fraud investigation after Cristiano Ronaldo failed to make an appearance at a match he was advertised to appear in.

The international football star had been contractually obligated to play at least 45 minutes in the friendly between his club Juventus and the K-League All Stars in Seoul.

Disgruntled fans issued lawsuits after Ronaldo remained on the bench for the entirety of the game, despite many paying up to £270 for tickets to see the star. More than 65,000 tickets were sold for the match in

July, which was organised by marketing agency, The Fasta.

Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri said after the match that Ronaldo had sat out due to “muscle fatigue”. The Fasta said in a statement it will “fully cooperate with the police in their investigation, so that we can clear any concerns and suspicions”.

It also said it had filed a complaint with Juventus over an alleged breach of contract.

The K-League also sent a complaint to the Italian club, accusing it of delaying kick-off after arriving late at the stadium and cancelling pre-game signing sessions with fans.

In a letter from Juventus,

chairman Andrea Agnelli rejected accusations of wrongdoing and disrespect.

Kang Joon-woo, a spokesperson for legal firm Oh Kims Sports, one of a number of companies representing fans, said The Fasta should be held responsible.

“The host secured ticket revenues even though the game was not implemented as advertised,” he said. “It was the organiser’s fault that it did not prepare for the situation. It caused the soccer fans to take all the damages. The Fasta . . . should be legally liable.”

---Sky News

AUGUST 10, 2019 THE STAR

Season ender for Motocross

otocross is on again tomorrow at the track in Cul-de-Sac from 1.30 pm, August 11 being the final race for the season.

Sunday is expected to be a grand and fun-filled day with lots of entertainment and surprises. All riders are in victory mood, especially the first-place finishers from previous races, who must be at the top of their game if they are to maintain their positions. The same rule applies to the other riders who must give of their best by making better podium finishes to improve on their points standing.

The French will be on-island, which is always a plus, adding to the existing competitiveness among the local riders. The executive and club members are working feverishly to ensure that Sunday’s race will live up to everyone’s expectation.

All is in place: drinks, eats, music and a surprise wheeling exhibition during the intermission. Come support your favourite team, be it Team 100, Team Red, Team Purple or Team Prick Them. Be part of the continued carnival atmosphere this Sunday, motocross style.

Remember to check out the club on Facebook and Instagram for updates and events. Admission is free but donations are welcomed.

Current points standing are as follows. Pee-wee 1: (1) Yaris Agat – bike # 93 – 268 points (pts); (2) Rajani MarajMalaykhan – bike # 78 – 237 pts; (3) Diego Maraj-Stranghn

The final motocross race of the season takes place tomorrow at Cul-de-Sac.

– bike # 238 – 168 pts; (4) Olson Francois Jr – bike # 8 – 112 pts.

Pee-wee 2: (1) Alpha Burt – bike # 332 – 243 pts; (2) Christian Eudoxie – bike # 110 – 236 pts; (3) Kareem Louis – bike # 3 – 182 pts; (4) Rollier Ayton – bike # 11 – 102 pts; (5) Martial Mathew – bike # 02 – 52 pts; (6) Veii Livio – bike # 7 – 46 pts; (7) Shaan Cooper – bike # 105 – 44 pts.

Class B: (1) Jah-Mallen Alcindor – bike # 100 – 288 pts; (2) Liska Louconi – bike # 99 – 268 pts; (3) Darren Auguste bike # 777 – 249 pts; (4) Antonia

Maynard – bike # 85 – 171 pts; (5) Noel Mark – bike # 144 – 135 pts; (6) Travis Emmanuel – bike # 20 – 75 pts; (7) Frederic Labamar – bike # 6 – 54 pts; (8) Amir Surage – bike # 88 – 20 pts.

Class A: (1) Julien Augustin – bike # 99 – 269 pts; (2) Brian Leonce – bike # 2 – 242 pts; (3) Arrkim Griffth – bike # 101 – 241 pts; (4) Olson Francois Sr – bike # 10 – 209 pts; (5) Kelvin Henry – bike # 472 – 98 pts; (6) Davidson Belizaire – bike # 18 – 95 pts; (7) Alan Labamar – bike # 105 – 75 pts.

St Lucia Basketball Federation National League is back

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asketball in Saint Lucia remains vibrant. The Saint Lucia Basketball Federation (SLBF) is pleased to announce the commencement of the highly anticipated National Basketball League.

The tournament’s curtain raiser on Wednesday, August 7 at the Beausejour Indoor Facility saw the police take on Bonneterre. Matches continue every Friday, Saturday and Wednesday in August at the same venue.

This season is poised to

be the most competitive as there have been several key player movements, which many basketball insiders believe will shift the balance of power in the National League.

This year teams such as The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF), VBCC, Dennery, Windward Island Combined, The Morne Gladiators, Basketball for the Future (BFTF) and Bonneterre are looking to de-throne reigning champions Courts Jets.

This year’s National

League would not be possible without the support of partners such as Blue Waters, the St Lucia Olympic Committe Inc, FLOW and KFC.

The Saint Lucia Basketball Federation is an affiliate of FlBA, the world governing body of basketball since 1997, with full rights and duties as stipulated in the General Statutes of FIBA. The Saint Lucia Basketball Federation has been assigned to the FlBA Zone of Americas as per the Annex to the General Statutes of FlBA.

THE STAR

AUGUST 10, 2019

sports

www.stluciastar.com

25

Carl Lewis - Harsh Words Cricketers Disciplined for for Trump at Pan American Games Bad Behaviour T

By David R Pascal, reporting from Lima, Peru

I

think there are bigger issues we should be having discussions about. We are in a time in our world right now; here in America we have a tremendous challenge. There are a lot of issues going on. We have a racist President; he is prejudiced and misogynistic, who does not value anyone outside of himself. So we have a greater challenge in our own country to deal with as well. But that does not mean we cannot fight for what is right for people and look for others where they have missed an opportunity or may have been marginalized in their lifetime.”

The opening quotation came from nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis. He and teammate/rival Leroy Burrell, a former world record holder in the 100 metres, are special guests at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, following an invitation by Pan Am Sports.

Both sprinters attended a press conference at the Lima Convention Centre on Monday where Lewis, clearly being the more outspoken of the two, made the opening remarks while answering the following question by a media person:

Olympic legend Carl Lewis (left) with former 100 metre record holder Leroy Burrell and the Games mascot.

“We are living in the 21st century and still, women around the world are asking for equal pay . . . Do you support women in this case, especially women athletes who ask for equal pay?”

Lewis replied: “First of all, for me, if I did not have a strong woman in my life, I would not be sitting here today. We want to thank all the people who are coming out and supporting our event.”

He referred to his mother as a pioneer who feels girls should have the same opportunity to compete.

Of course, the question concerning equal pay for

women athletes fell in line with the stance of the United States Women’s Football team. Players feel they have been treated unfairly and want to be paid in similar fashion to the men’s national football team.

Lewis agreed, saying, “Yes, I support that.”

Another question asked was why the United States no longer dominates the 100 metres. Lewis replied: “I think athletics in general is more competitive but, at the same time, there is a lot of depth.

The US happens to have quite a bit of depth. I think we went through a period where obviously Jamaica

and the Caribbean were quite dominant in the sport. That just happened to be because we had a gentleman called Usain Bolt who happened to break a couple of world records during that time frame.”

He went on to say: “Everyone seems to expect the US is supposed to be the best.

We’ve had a great history, but I think we have also had a great advantage and I think things have been normalized a bit.”

During their stay in Lima, Lewis and Burrell will watch the athletics competition, which got underway on Tuesday, and also take part in the medal presentations.

he South Castries Cricket Association Disciplinary Committee met on Tuesday to preside over a report regarding three Forestiere players and a spectator during the match Millet vs Forestiere on Saturday July 28.

Following just under 45 minutes of discussion and cross-examination, the Committee returned with the verdict that the three players acted in a manner unbecoming of cricketers, hence bringing the game into disrepute.

As a result: (1) Travis John and Ron Goolaman shall be fined $100 each to be paid within 60 days. The two players shall also serve a two-match ban. (2) Stephen Naitram shall be fined $150 to be paid within 60 days and serve a two-match ban. (3) A letter of caution be written to the Management of the Forestiere Cricket Team regarding the behaviour of their players during matches played in the ongoing South Castries Cricket Association T20 competition. (4) The Management of the Forestiere Cricket Team should explore the possibility of seeking

counselling for the three players involved in the incident and, by extension, the balance of the team.

in other news, the St Lucia National Cricket Association (SLNCA) continued with its programme of activities for 2019 with a first aid course for local cricket coaches interested in participating in the CWI Foundation Coaching Course later this month. The course was facilitated by Garry Wilson of the St John’s First Aid Organisation.

For the one-day Emergency First Aid Course, attendees were taught a mixture of both practical and theory. Participants learned how to examine a casualty, use a defibrillator, familiarize themselves with basic life support and how to control bleeding and trauma. Other essential first aid skills taught were treating burns and scalds as well as assisting a choking individual. Recording and reporting is another area covered which is especially important for those in the working environment.

Participants will receive a certification valid for three years.

Serena again tops Forbes List of Highest-paid Sportswomen U

nited States tennis superstar Serena Williams has topped Forbes magazine’s list of the highest paid women in sports, for the fourth straight year. The business publication calculated that the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion earned US$29.2 million in the 12-month period ending June 1, with just $4.2 million of that coming from

prize money.

Forbes included in the figures prize money, salaries, bonuses, endorsements and appearance fees between June 1, 2018, and June 1, 2019.

Japan’s Naomi Osaka, who burst to international stardom with a stunning upset of Williams in the 2018 US Open final and went on to win the Australian Open in January,

became just the fourth woman to earn more than $20 million in a year, after Williams and tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Li Na. Forbes pegged Osaka’s earnings at $24.3 million, putting her second on a list dominated by tennis players.

Former Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber was third on the list with earnings of $11.8 million, followed by this

year’s Wimbledon champion Simona Halep.

The highest placed athlete from a different sport was US footballer Alex Morgan who clocked in at 12th. Morgan earned $5.8 million, most of it in endorsements.

Indian badminton star PV Sindhu and Thai golfer Ariya Jutanugarn were the other nontennis players in the top 15.

Tennis star Serena Williams.

26

sports

august 10, 2019 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

Spencer is good as gold at Pan American Games

By David R Pascal, reporting from Lima, Peru

H

igh jumper Levern Spencer shut out the cold and captured gold on Thursday, in the ladies' high jump competition at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

Spencer cleared 1.87 metres (m) to finish ahead of Priscilla Frederick of Antigua and Barbuda on countback.

Spencer had a clean slate up until the 1.90 mark.

Frederick had an opportunity to de-throne the defending champ but failed on her final attempt at 1.90m.

Saint Lucians everywhere must have been holding their breath awaiting the outcome of this exciting competition.

Jamaica's Kimberly Williams placed third with Jeanelle Scheper finishing fourth. Both ladies cleared 1.84m.

A few days before the competition, Spencer, along with teammates Sandisha Antoine, Scheper, Jean Luc Zephir and Albert Reynolds, was concerned about not having the proper attire for the weather, which was unusually cold for this time of year in Lima.

In an exclusive interview following the medal presentation, where she was congratulated by IOC Member and Past President of St Lucia Olympic Committee Inc., Richard Peterkin, Spencer said: "It's a great feeling to defend my Pan American title. That was one of my main goals coming into the Pan Am Games. I knew there would be some great

Triple jumper Sandisha Antoine witnessed the high jump competition.

IOC Member Richard Peterkin congratulates Levern Spencer waves to the crowd Levern Spencer during the medal following her final jump. presentation.

competition out there."

How did Spencer combat the cold weather on her way to victory? She told me: "A lot of people are complaining out there. The weather is not the best but I came out with the mindset of staying positive and tried getting all the negativity out of my mind, so I came prepared knowing that it's cold. I tried to stay warm between every jump and I think that really helped in the competition. I am just thankful to God that I was able to win another gold medal for Saint Lucia."

When asked what expectations she had when it came to clearing a certain height to be in contention for a medal, Spencer replied: "I really wanted to try for a season best or at least jump 1.90 or over. That didn't happen, but a win is a win

and I am happy for the gold."

On Frederick's final jump that decided who got gold or silver, one would have thought Spencer would zero in on her opponent's final attempt.

No way! In fact, she did not even look towards the bar.

Spencer was more interested in protecting herself from the cold and had a blanket draped around her. Even after Frederick missed her final attempt, Spencer, who looked extremely confident throughout the competition, showed little emotion.

Chef de Mission, David "Shakes" Christopher, who greeted the gold medalist with the Saint Lucian flag, congratulated Spencer and Scheper.

Addressing the Saint Lucian media in his usual flair

Left to right: Kimberly Williams (Jamaica), Levern Spencer (Saint Lucia) and Priscilla Frederick (Antigua Barbuda) proudly display their nation's flag.

Chef de Mission David "Shakes" Christopher was first to greet Levern Spencer following her victory.

Jean Luc Zephir following the 100 metre freestyle.

he said: "All in all I am really proud of these young ladies.

They represented us [St Lucia] with vigour and valour."

What's next for Saint Lucian athletes? Zephir was back in the pool yesterday after competing in the 100 metre freestyle on Thursday.

He finished fifth in his heat in a time of 51.77. Antoine competed in triple jump yesterday. while Albert Reynolds throws the javelin today (Saturday) at 4:45 pm (Saint Lucian time).

When it comes to sailing, both Stephanie Devaux-Lovell and Luc Chevrier are competing in Paragus where condtions have not been favourable.

Results have been difficult to come by but, to the best of our knowledge, as of Thursday Chevrier was in contention for a medal. Here's hoping!

Sailors Luc Chevrier and Stephanie Devaux-Lovell.

Jeanelle Scheper just missed out on winning a medal.

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AUGUST 10, 2019

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