SSU Assaults Reporter At Work - STAR Newspaper

E-reader

www. Pressreader.com

The Star (St.Lucia)

SATURDAY, JUly 21, 2018

www.stluciastar.com

$2.00

SSU ASSAULTS REPORTER AT WORK! See PAGE 10

Nothing Personal.

It’s Just Business.

ISSUE 205

SatUrday

THE STASRSWEEK A I C LU BUSINE OUR SAINT

INC

July, 2018 Issue 08 | 21

ress Report from Bi-monthly Prog

21 JULy 2018

the Government

of Saint Lucia

JULY 21, 2018

M CIASTAR.CO WWW.STLU

Local n t Ta c k le s G o v e rn mlee H o u si n g S h o rt a g e

www.gov t.lc

A ff o rd a b

s rejects claim Heathrow gle to fund it will strug ay £14bn runw has hit back at Heathrow airport it will struggle to fund accusations that new £14bn runway, after its controversial taxpayers will be called that s biggest allegations for one of Britain’ s. on to help pay projects in decade infrastructure

velopment

arked for De

11 Sites Earm

Page 3

IGH

FLYING H

n and disaster ism, conservatio nising Agriculture, tour technology is revolutio ne recovery - dro of life in the Caribbean boost crops ects ecosystems, asp y man lives, protect ty. Drones or Unmanned but can save beau take over robotic toys stunning They look like best of the Caribbean’s ing in popularity and, as they the the region. and highlight (UAVs) are rapidly grow application in Aerial Vehicles are finding they have a wide T the skies, users CORRESPONDEN SWEEK

, STAR BUSINES

INE MORRIS

BY CATHER Continued

the Spotlight on ration

Sambo Fede

r Sta r HE aPE IN tEWSP N

EE

FR

on page 4

Hig hli ghts of a Su cce ssf ul Ca rni val : the Th e Mu sic , , the Co mm un ity Re vel ry

SportS & HealtH

INC

STAR Businessweek:

altH SportS & He

ence

Building Resili

1

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

info@stluciastar.com

s Airbnb Brussels warn rights umer over cons it has until warned Airbnb terms Brussels has to change its face or the end of August protecting users and conditions legal action in the of the possibility European Union Page 7

02 LOCAL

A-M u s i n g s Musings are thoughts, the thoughtful kind. For the purpose of these articles, a-musings are thoughts that might amuse, entertain and even enlighten.

Presidential Idiocy

By Michael Walker “Would be or wouldn’t be?” That is the question.

President Donald Trump’s attempt at damage control isn’t going over so well.

Trump claimed a day or so after his debacle in Helsinki that he misspoke when he said he accepted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denial that the Kremlin had interfered with the 2016 US presidential election.

“President Putin just said it’s not Russia,” Trump said Monday at a press conference with the Russian leader. “I don’t see any reason why it would be.”

After political figures on both sides of the aisle severely criticized Trump for dismissing the US intelligence community’s assessment that Russia meddled in the election, the president claimed he hadn’t meant to say what he did. “I would like to clarify, in a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word ‘would’ instead of ‘wouldn’t,’” he said. “The sentence should have been: ‘I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia.’”

Now let’s analyze these two sentences a little more closely. What does the first utterance mean exactly? Surely, “President Putin just said it’s not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be,” would mean, as most of Trump’s critics have interpreted it to mean, that Trump could see no reason why it should have been Russia that had interfered with the 2016 elections in his favour; it could have been any other hacker, but not Russia, quite in contrast with the findings of the various agencies that make up the United States’ Intelligence Services. Naturally, this assertion caused an uproar among Trump’s detractors and supporters alike.

Now let’s take a look at the clumsily presented Alternate Reality: “President Putin just said it’s not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be.” Now, if you consider this statement closely, you will find that this is not an endorsement of the findings of the United States’ Intelligence Agencies. Instead, it means that Trump finds the fact that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential elections quite understandable, even acceptable. “Why it wouldn’t be Russia” can be taken to mean that Russia had every reason to hack the US elections, it was the most natural thing in the world, nothing to be surprised about; in fact there was every reason for any other hacker nation, anywhere

july 21, 2018 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

in the world, including a big, fat 400-pound guy sitting on his bed with his computer, stuffing a Big Mac and fries into his mouth— the favourite meal of President Trump—to try to influence the 2016 elections.

Putin himself gave Trump’s statement the lie. When asked if he wanted Trump to win the election and whether he had ordered those under him to work in Trump’s favour, he answered, “Yes, I did. Yes, I did,” to both. As yet, Putin has failed to change the script in the Alternate Truth to “No, I didn’t. No, I didn’t,” so his admission to meddling stands.

Vice President Pence defended his boss in the strongest of terms, which should surprise no one. He is the President’s official lap dog, which brings me to my next point: Trump has broken with yet another tradition— The Presidential Pet.

President Abraham Lincoln's son Tad had several horses. President Theodore Roosevelt's eldest son, Teddy Jr., had a macaw called Eli. President William Howard Taft had a pet cow called Pauline.

President Woodrow Wilson kept sheep on the South Lawn instead of using groundskeepers to cut the grass. President Warren G. Harding’s dog was called Laddie.

President Calvin Coolidge's wife, Grace, had Rebecca, a pet raccoon. President Herbert Hoover’s dog was named King Tut. Franklin D. Roosevelt was accompanied almost everywhere in his convertible by his dog Fala.

First lady Mamie Eisenhower loved her dog Heidi. The daughters of President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy had ponies called Macaroni and Tex. President Lyndon Johnson’s dog was called Yuki. Even Richard Nixon had a pet Cocker Spaniel named Checkers. Gerald Ford relaxed in the Oval Office with his dog Liberty. President Jimmy Carter's daughter, Amy, had a Siamese Cat who answered to the magnificent name of Misty Malarky Ying Yang. First lady Nancy Reagan received a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Rex as a Christmas Present in 1985. President George Bush the Elder was followed around by his dog Millie and her puppies. In 1989 Millie gave birth to a litter of six puppies, including Spot, who later returned to the White House with President George W. Bush. President Bill Clinton loved his pussy; the family one was called Socks. President Barack Obama shared the White House with his dogs Bo and Sunny. President Trump does not have a pet; he has Mike Pence instead.

King Arthur has the Hearts of Mothers across Saint Lucia

By David Venn

T

he Soca Monarch competition lit up on Sunday evening with exuberating performances, trancing the crowd into a near seven-hour long party.

The performances blended the gap between dusk and dawn, transferring attendees to J’ouvert. A theatrical performance from King Arthur that involved a featured appearance by his mother won him first place for a fifth consecutive year in the groovy soca competition. His song, ‘Mama’— a salute to all the mothers across Saint Lucia— charmed not only the crowd but also the judges. King Arthur managed to take first place with 415 points and second place followed closely behind with 398 points. Sedale’s performance of ‘Stick On You’ won him the silver medal, with Ezra D’Fun Machine coming in third for ‘Money Dance’.

The show, which started an hour late and had an unintentionally long

King Arthur salutes his queen on stage during his winning performance.

intermission, kicked off the power soca half after midnight.

And just around nearly three in the morning, the judges shared the results. Ricky T took home first place, with 402 points for his ‘Sha Leh Sho’. But the closest finish of the night went to the second and third place power soca winners. With 392 points, Ezra D’Fun Machine’s ‘Wine on Another Ma’, took home a second place award to accompany his third-place finish in groovy soca. Soca Psycho won the bronze by receiving a mere three points less for his song ‘Pitch Fork’.

The Soca Monarch competition was a precursor to Monday and Tuesday’s eclectic mix of costumes, dancing and vices for the Parade of the Bands—in Saint Lucia the pinnacle of the Carnival season.

The rest of the month will see different towns and villages staging their own carnivals.

Canaries Carnival is tomorrow, sunday July 22; Anse La Raye Carnival on Saturday 28th.

Babonneau and Micoud Carnivals are both slated for Sunday 29th.

Gros Islet will all but close out the season with their Parade of the Bands on Wednesday August 1!

CASTRIES MAYOR HIGHLIGHTS NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS IN EDUCATION AT NYC FUNDRAISER

M

ayor of Castries, His Worship Peterson D. Francis, has expressed the government’s commitment to a revolutionary upgrade in the island’s education system.

Mayor Francis delivered the keynote address at the New York City-based Project Education’s Breakfast for Education, on Sunday, July 8, 2018, under the theme 'A Celebration of our Commitment to the Education of our St. Lucian Children'.

Speaking at the activity, which catered to over five hundred persons, Mayor Francis highlighted the many achievements of the government in education, but also applauded the Saint Lucian diaspora for hosting the annual event, which raises resources for hundreds of underprivileged students and families in Saint Lucia who are beneficiaries of the educational supplies.

“When we reflect, our education system is not as bad as we think. Simply because, if

it was, we would never see the likes of Sir Arthur Lewis, Sir Derek Walcott, Dame Pearlette Louisy, George Odlum . . . and the list goes on. Yes, you may argue that they also did schooling out of the island but, critically and most importantly, the foundation was set by the education system in Saint Lucia.

That’s where they all started.

Thanks to your intervention and kind assistance, younger generations of Saint Lucians can benefit from an education, in part because of people like you.”

Mayor Francis proudly conveyed: “It would be remiss of me not to highlight the many educational successes since our new government was sworn into office.

These successes include the opening of the Dennery Infant School, introduction of Computer Coding and Robotics in schools, development of a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate schools, initial introduction of the Safe Schools

Programme, launch of Educate Saint Lucia, island-wide school bag and educational supplies distribution, introduction of the Digital Literacy Programme in Schools, introduction of DELF – French Diploma for access to French Universities, signing of MOU with Republic of Cuba signalling the collaboration of the two countries in the area of mathematics in particular, advanced plans for the transition of Sir Arthur [College] into a university, the introduction of ACT for access to higher learning in North America and the introduction of Education for Democratic Citizenship. I want to thank you, on behalf of the government, Ministry of Education and people of Saint Lucia, especially the parents and children, for all your efforts."

Mayor Francis encouraged other Saint Lucians abroad to follow suit as the initiative, according to him, is in keeping with the Ministry of Education’s own pledge to ensuring that “No child will be left behind”.

THE STAR

Mercury Fest officially launched F

ollowing a successful launch in Martinique on July 10, Mercury Fest 2018 was officially launched in Saint Lucia eight days later at Harbor Club.

Epic Events is the organiser of the event; director Sheldon Michel explained how the collaboration started. “When I realized Mercury Beach would not be happening in Saint Lucia this year, I approached Mr. Pinkley Francis, the local agent for Mercury engines. I made the case to have Epic Events host Mercury Fest. I am truly grateful for the support he has given us.”

Working in tandem with the organiser will be Events Company of Saint Lucia. CEO Mr. Thomas Leonce is convinced of the importance of the event to Saint Lucia, having worked with Mercury Beach in 2017.

“Our support is very concrete,” he said, “and will range from assisting in attracting publicity, providing staging equipment, and producing tickets in-house.

ECSL will also assist in getting work permits for the foreign

T

L-R: Mr. Pinkley Francis, local Mercury agent; Siobhan Lloyd of Epic Events; Tourism Minister Mr. Dominic Fedee, and Mr. Sheldon Michel, Director of Epic Events.

artists who are scheduled to perform.”

Also at the launching was Savonik Destang, President of the Saint Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association. He confessed he had been very concerned that an event that had such an impact had left the island but now is “very impressed by the turnaround we’ve had with regards to this event”. The icing

on the cake for him was that “local entrepreneurs will be responsible for the new event.

It is really impressive.”

Destang disclosed that the local hotel chain, Bay Gardens Resorts, and a number of other small hotels are now benefitting from an increase in room bookings. "If someone is looking for availabilities at the Bay Gardens Hotel & Inn,” he

Grow Well Through Golf, The Sandals Way

hink summer and the first things that usually come to mind are beach, ice cream and the outdoors. Add a new item to that list, however, as Sandals launches its first ever three-week long Summer Kids Golf Camp which begins July 24th 2018.

Simone Skinner, Golf Club Manager, says, “We are very excited about this camp. It is a first for us and is designed with safety as a priority, and therefore all of the activities will be confined within the grounds of the golf course.

During the first week, morning sessions are specifically geared to the beginner golfer.

Children must wear golf attire.

Afternoon sessions, however, are expanded to include yoga, tie-dye and a nature collage”.

The camp targets two groups of children: those aged five to nine and from nine to fourteen. Older children who would like to participate may be asked to assist the younger children in activities as this will help to develop their leadership and communication skills.

LOCAL

www.stluciastar.com

july 21, 2018

said, “sorry, we have none. We’ve just about sold out!”

Destang gave the assurance that the SLHTA, through its Tourism Enhancement Fund will be providing support.

The parliamentary representative for Gros Islet, Lenard Montoute, gave his full backing to the initiative and is hopeful that the event becomes a permanent staple for years to come.

Mr. Montoute said: “Hopefully, with better planning and collaboration, we can space Mercury Fest a little further from the carnival because we do attract our neighbours from Martinique for that. We want to ensure that we maximize the benefits from both events.

But I fully understand what has taken place this year in terms of the last-minute rush to save the event.”

He added; “In past years, I have had reason to be unhappy but I can tell already that we’re going to benefit as a community, given the involvement of our vendors and so on.”

The event which takes place the weekend commencing Friday 10th August will kick-off with the popular Gros Islet Friday Night street party. On Saturday it moves to Pigeon Island beach and will be headlined

by French performer Kalash. The final day at Pigeon Point will star Jamaican singer Popcaan and other acts,0 local and regional.

---J.S.A

F

PINL WAS IGNITED LAST FRIDAY!

or years, Carnival Friday was linked to the long-surviving fete “Sexy in Black”. But this year Tribe Carnival and The Wave St. Lucia switched things up by introducing the party Tribe Ignite.

It was dubbed the biggest event last Friday and was hosted at Pigeon Island National Landmark. That wasn’t only due to the impressive track record of The Wave and Tribe Carnival to produce exceptional shows and concerts, but the performance line-up for last Friday’s party brought all Saint Lucia’s Carnival junkies out.

Artists from Saint Lucia and Trinidad included Shal Marshall, Voice, Erphaan Alves, Teddyson John, Ricky T and Surbance & Mighty.

Catchy songs and infectious beats kept the energy for the night and deejays Private Ryan, Hollywood HP and Selector Twist were consistent Grow Well Junior Golf Campers 2018. and offered a balance of our national Dennery Children who wish to participate community.

Segment and every other sound important to should wear polo shirts or Tees, Colleen Newman, Grow Well Carnival. shorts and sneakers. Sandals Secretary and Founding Member, Tribe Ignite featured laser lights and multiple will provide golfing equipment says this two-week programme bright screens, adding to the party atmosphere. such as clubs and balls for all is executed for the benefit of From the regular section to the V.I.P. section, children. the children who are committed patrons were entertained from start to finish by

The camp builds on to playing the sport seriously, Patrick, the Hype Man who was engaging the Sandals' ongoing partnership and sees the relationship with crowd with humour and wit. Great food and a with the Grow Well organisation Sandals Golf and Country Club wide selection of drinks topped things off. which is currently conducting as critical for the development of As the Carnival setting grows wider and a two-week camp of its own the children. This year, six junior more extravagant with each year The Wave and as part of the Junior Golf golfers participated in the four- Tribe Carnival set the bar for future Carnival Programme involving over 20 day Caribbean Junior Golf Open Friday events. Next year we expect nothing short children from the Gros Islet in Trinidad in April. of an even better, greater Tribe Ignite party.

03

11TH ANNUAL SAINT LUCIATAIWAN PARTNERSHIP TRADE SHOW

T

he Department of Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs, in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan), will host the 11th Annual Saint LuciaTaiwan Partnership Trade Show at the Golden Palm Events Centre, Rodney Heights, from November 23rd to 25th, 2018.

The trade show will highlight a wide range of quality goods and services from Saint Lucia and Taiwan. In addition, businesses from both countries will profit the opportunity to develop strategic trading and networking alliances. The Taiwanese contingent is keenly interested in seeking agents for the retail of that country's products.

To this end, the Department of Commerce wishes to invite manufacturers and service providers interested in participating in the trade show, to collect registration forms from the Department or download from the website www.commerce.gov.lc. Completed application forms should be submitted to the Department on or before August 31st, 2018.

For further information, please contact the Department of Commerce, email candi@govt.lc or telephone 468-4238/468-4216.

APPLY NOW FOR SEPTEMBER 2018 INTAKE

No. 1 in the UK for Value-added (The Guardian, 2017) Top 10 UK University (Graduate Employability)

BSc Nursing Studies (Top-up) • Final year completion degree for registered nurses.

Minimum 12 months.

• ENU is the largest provider of healthcare education in Scotland.

• Over 2,000 students on ENU programmes across the Caribbean.

• US$500 bursary for September intake.

• US$4,800 (less bursary) payable on a modular basis.

100% FLEXIBLE 100% ONLINE 100% RELEVANT

Edinburgh Napier University Online programmes are endorsed by the St Lucia Department of Education

www.seidegrees.com

Regional Office: 27499 Riverview Center Blvd., Suite 223, Bonita Springs, Florida 34134, USA • Tel +1 239 444 4399 • Fax +1 239 444 4398 • info@SEIdegrees.com

04 LOCAL

JUly 21, 2018 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

Education Ministry Has No Further Answers for Beanefield

By David Venn

A

When it comes to the Beanefield Comprehensive Secondary, has education minister Gale Rigobert (pictured) chosen to keep her head buried in the sand?

fter a week of dysfunction from the Ministry of Education and backlash from communities in the south, the 60 students previously accepted to Beanefield Comprehensive Secondary School will now be granted entry, come the new school year. The Department of Education faced scrutiny from government officials, parents and teachers over the course of the past few months when the department said that Beanefield would not be accepting any Form One students in September 2018. This was due to a belated construction process that sought new classrooms in order to manage incoming students.

Under the intense pressure from stakeholders, education minister Gale Rigobert announced that the students would be compensated come September. “We are committed to ensuring that the students have a place to pursue their education,” Rigobert said.

One of the more outspoken critics of the conundrum was opposition senator Guibion Ferdinand. In a press release back in May, he stated his displeasure with the handling

WATER AND SEWERAGE COMPANY INC. (WASCO) Request for Expression of Interest (REOI) Consultancy Services to prepare a Communication and Awareness Plan Submissions are invited from suitable qualified persons for “Consultancy Services to prepare a Communication and Awareness Plan”.

Deadline date for the receipt for Expression of Interest (EOI) is not later than 12:00 Noon on 15th August, 2018.

Interested persons are requested to visit the following: The Government of Saint Lucia Website The National Printing Corporation (NPC) Website The Water and Sewerage Company Inc. Website and Facebook page for a detailed description of the Expression of Interest (EOI).

of the situation and added: “There is still time to provide the Beanefield Comprehensive Secondary School with the additional classroom spaces that can adequately house their Form One classes this September.”

For the 60 students who will happily saunter through Beanefield’s front doors in September, the news of their acceptance is a joy. But the public still requires answers from the ministry since the problem remains unresolved.

Originally, the reason these students were voided an application to the institute was because the facilities were not adequate for efficient learning and educational purposes. That problem remains. Currently, everyone is jaded by the bandaid offered by the ministry.

There has been no clear answer as to how Beanefield and the ministry will be able to house the students, considering there is still a shortage of available space.

The STAR requested more

information on sustainable solutions for the construction process of the school but, though given multiple opportunities to comment, Minister Gale Rigobert chose not to respond.

Before the ministry’s acceptance announcement, Vieux Fort North MP Moses Jn Baptiste said that he had also been inquiring about information on solutions to the problems but had not received any information on planned procedures for the school.

A.M. Best upgrades Credit Ratings of M&C General Insurance Company Limited A

.M. Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating to A- (Excellent) from B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to “a-” from “bbb+” of M&C General Insurance Company Limited (M&C General) (Castries, St. Lucia). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) has been revised to stable from positive.

The ratings reflect M&C General’s balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorizes as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

The rating upgrades reflect continuation of surplus growth in recent years, which is attributable to its favorable underwriting results and consistent levels of investment income. In addition, the ratings recognize M&C General’s affiliation with its ultimate parent, Goddard Enterprises Limited, one of the largest Barbados-domiciled conglomerates. M&C General

benefits from access to the group’s resources, including financial and investment management and information technology.

M&C General’s balance sheet strength is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalization being assessed at the strongest level, consistent positive operating earnings and comprehensive reinsurance program, as well as an ERM program that identifies and effectively manages its underwriting, investment and operational risk. M&C General’s management team has extensive knowledge of the St. Lucia insurance market and continues to maintain effective risk management strategies.

Furthermore, catastrophe risk is mitigated by M&C General’s conservative reinsurance program, which protects the company’s capital from the frequency and severity of events.

Partially offsetting these positive rating strengths are the geographic concentration of M&C General’s business in an increasingly competitive domestic market, its strong

reliance on reinsurance as a catastrophe risk mitigation strategy and local regulatory risk. Despite these concerns, A.M. Best anticipates that M&C General will continue to generate favorable earnings and maintain risk-adjusted capitalization at the strongest level.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on A.M. Best’s website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see A.M. Best’s Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Understanding Best’s Credit Ratings.

A.M. Best is the world’s oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest. com.

---A.M. Best Press Release

THE STAR

july 21, 2018

www.stluciastar.com

05

06 COMMENT

july 21, 2018 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

Time for Agriculture to lead the Economic Recovery!

Peter Josie

F

or as long as I can recall, I’ve believed that no government leader or minister “talks too much”, as some would say. The test is to speak truthfully and sensibly when doing so in an official capacity. Ministers of the government in developing countries like Saint Lucia must regularly share important information in their voice with citizens. Information is power!

A minister should assign to himself (or herself) the role of educating the public on the benefits to be derived from the work of their ministry.

Take the case of agriculture: to feed the nation and its visitors demands constant updating on local food availability, while encouraging consumers to eat what we produce.

No one can fault the minister of tourism for constantly repeating the value of tourism to the economy.

It’s obvious that the government has a bias towards tourism as it relates to job creation and economic growth. The PM has selected a minister of tourism who is determined to publicize and grow the industry. To that end, the Minister and his personnel have spent much time travelling and attending seminars in order to promote the growth of the industry. They deserve our encouragement.

What about an equal thrust and promotion for the production of fruits and vegetables—and bananas for export? Agriculture needs an equal or greater push if Saint Lucia is not to be reduced to a one-commodity economy. We can begin with the more easily measurable revitalization of the banana industry. There is need for more regular publicized updated figures in the industry, along with regular reports on pests and disease management.

Crucially, citizens ought to be made aware of the efforts which farmers are pursuing to increase per acre yield of exportable bananas, and assistance available to them.

In the absence of regular news on agriculture and bananas, too much room is left

for speculation. As information on tourism continues to dominate, a fresh and dynamic reboot is urgently needed if agriculture is to supply the demand created by increased tourist arrivals. We need to fully revive the banana industry if the national economy is to fire on more than one cylinder.

No one realistically expects the banana industry to return to the glory days of “green gold”. The world market for the fruit has changed but we can set ourselves realistic export targets. We need to revisit the ways in which better banana farmers were appreciated and recognized. There is need to incentivize the more qualityconscious farmers. At the moment, leaders in the industry appear reluctant to advertise progress, to avoid attracting the wrong people back. The island has turned a new page as far as bananas are concerned.

Heightened interest in soil and water conservation, and the tough conditions laid down

by Fairtrade, ensure a new paradigm. To seal the new deal, we need to closely monitor banana growers and assist them to reach peak production by next summer.

About twenty or so years ago, it was predicted that the number of registered banana farmers would fall from 15,000, to around 500. Today, that number is reportedly around 300. If the economy is to fully benefit from banana exports, each farmer must be assisted to reach yields of 20 to 25 tons per acre per year. A farmer with ten acres of pure stand bananas who harvests 20 tons per acre per year should produce 200 tons of bananas annually.

Another farmer with ten acres, who produces 25 tons per acre per year, ought to total 250 tons per year. There is no magic or obeah to these statistics. To achieve this target would require at least 15 extension/banana officers, each working full-time with at least 20 banana farmers.

These officers would apply simple technology to ensure timely agronomic practices and harvesting to achieve the optimum targeted monthly tonnages and to co-ordinate their field work.

The above figures indicate that 300 of the best banana farmers with an average acreage of ten to fifteen acres would produce for export about 60,000 tons of bananas per year. There is reason to believe that many people will return to more ready smiles, as more banana dollars circulate. The additional income would strengthen the rural folk who are used to working independently, free of government charity. Once success is achieved and money begins to flow in the rural communities, another 50 to 75 farmers will re-enter the banana business. Even at a lower average tonnage of 15 tons per acre per year, these new entrants should boost exports by another

7,500 to 11,250 tons per year, making a grand total of 67,500 to 71,250 tons of bananas exported each year. This higher production and export would far exceed what has been achieved in the past ten years. Who is there among us, who will quarrel with this vision or deny banana farmers a new lease of life? Should we encourage farmers to resume their place as the backbone of the economy, or should we leave it to the more fickle tourism or other foreign industry?

What would happen to the airport tax and to tourism, if the opposition were returned to office?

There is no gain repeating that there is need for constant encouragement and improvement from the government and banana services, for timely information on agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture should encourage more field trips highlighting successful farmers and others such as inland fishers

and vegetable producers, who harness the bounty of nature to earn an independent income. Every independent earner means one jobseeking-headache less for the government.

In conclusion, the work on village tourism and the marking of 40 years of independence in 2019 should leave a lasting legacy on seven or eight villages here.

Agriculture, cottage industries, art and beautification should form the nucleus of villages’ participation. The legacy should include a small botanic garden with medicinal herbs and plants, especially disappearing plant species. Each Ministry of the government should be encouraged to provide one idea to be implemented in each of these seven or eight villages for the observance of the island’s 40th Independence celebrations—and for posterity.

Editor’s Note: The author is an agronomist and former Minister of Agriculture.

Update on St. Jude Hospital’s Roofing T he Board of Directors and Management of the St. Jude Hospital have sought to reassure staff and clients of their commitment to ensure quality health and safety standards are maintained during the removal of the current fibreglass roof at the George Odlum Stadium.

One glance at the loose sheeting on the roof of the George Odlum Stadium emphasizes the potential hazard to staff and clients at the St. Jude Hospital. Government has contracted the services of Brice and Company to remove the fibreglass sheeting, guided by the British standard for demolition agreed to for the project.

CEO of Brice and Company, Eaton Jn Baptiste said the company has met all the requirements of government and St. Jude with reference to the works, including the method statement and insurance certificate. He said his company has the competence and track record to deal with the project, having been in the roofing business for the past 18 years.

Brice and Company claims to have completed nearly 80% of the work on the roof at the George Odlum Stadium.

“So we’ve been around that type of roofing system.

Fibreglass is a material that is used with various other materials. There is a percentage in the roof; it is basically a plastic roof. There is a percentage of fibreglass you would find in a regular shingle roof on a house that we remove every day. So we are equipped to deal with it.

We have dealt with it before in the past and our workers would always adhere to all the safety requirements where

that is concerned in terms of the safety gear, the necessary safety harnesses and so on. We adhere to the procedures where that is concerned, fully.”

Based on the work done thus far, the contractor is confident of completing the project in less than half the estimated time.

“We started this about a week ago. We have not had a complete five days of work on it. There have been some disruptions here and there but eighty percent of the work is

done. Initially the ministry and the government expected us to be there for about three months and we rather suspect we’re going to cut it in half or a little less,” said Jn Baptiste.

Verna Charles, CEO at St. Jude Hospital said there is ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the project by management of the hospital and the contractor.

“Within one week everything was going on fine but halfway during the course of the second week we experienced some challenges with our staff on compound and, as was reported in the first press release, that anything with the project that would compromise the health of our staff, our patients, visitors, we would go back to the drawing board and revisit the scope of work and implement new interventions to ensure the safety of all concerned. So this is what we have done thus far,” said Charles.

Chairman of the Board of Directors at the St. Jude Hospital, Wayne Harrow said the board remains concerned

and directly involved with works happening on the ground: “We wish to state also that the health and safety of all concerned is and remains our first priority.

The patients, the visitors and, of course, our professionals who deliver quality health services to our patients. We wish to say that their safety remains our first priority. We will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders to ensure that whatever decisions we take benefit every single person whether you’re staff, whether you’re a patient or visitor. This remains our first priority.”

Minister of Health and Wellness, Sen. Hon. Mary Isaac, Trade Union representatives, Officials from the Ministries of Planning and Labour met with management and staff of St. Jude Hospital on Thursday July 12th to discuss the project. A subsequent walkthrough was conducted of the entire facility. Management said they look forward to the report of the observations and recommendations from these stakeholders to ensure the safety of staff and clients of the hospital.

THE STAR

july 21, 2018

07

www.stluciastar.com

SHOP at COURTS and enjoy

SAME DAY WITHIN

24HRS

DELIVERY ASK FOR DETAILS

08 LOCAL

HaS Politics Killed Panorama?

Claudia Eleibox

R

ain poured in burdensome beads last Friday night as patrons of the annual Panorama competition made their way to the night’s performances. Apparently, the sogginess felt unbearable only by me, a newcomer loaded down with a huge umbrella and purse while trying to soak in music even as I sought to avoid the downpour. Diligent attendees and the usual Panorama competitors hardly noticed the weather. I was assured that “it always rains on the Friday before Carnival”.

If not the rain, then how to explain the almost-notthere, tiny audience? Why only six competing bands this year when, in previous years, twenty-something showed up to do battle? One patron had the answer: “Politics is what destroyed Panorama. Just like what happening with the calypso tents. The competition is a shate now, compared to what it used to be.”

His friend chimed in: “It’s no wonder they booed Allen Chastanet at the Calypso tents.

If he come here tonight they will boo him too.” This fellow said he had been coming to Panorama for over 25 years and this year’s was a serious disappointment. It seemed a bit absurd to place the blame on the current government but I soon discovered another truth.

One member of a competing

LUCELEC Pantime Steel Orchestra: Did they huddle to pray for a win or for the government to take Panorama more seriously?

steel-pan band felt the Sab venue is an official downgrade from the Beausejour Cricket Grounds, while other individuals I spoke with informed me that the planners of Carnival this year had set out deliberately to sabotage Panorama. They complained about the difficulty in attempting to manoeuvre pans and drums and to line up for performances on the short stretch of road provided without causing a melee.

Someone blamed the poor turn-out for Panorama on the several events held on the same night, a situation made worse by the rain. He wondered aloud why the National Steel Bands Association didn’t demand better conditions for “an event that contributes so much to Saint Lucia’s communities”.

I live close to where the LUCELEC Pantime Steel Orchestra practises and I know

how much the members put into their late night rehearsals.

It’s a shame that the reward for such Spartan effort is an audience that could easily fit into an office cubicle. This year marked my first time at Panorama but, after an encounter with a very rude security person, I had to force myself not to head for home before the first note rang out. I don’t regret staying, however.

I found that Panorama is really a gem sans the vulgar gyrating that dominates the other Carnival shows, parties and concerts.

Despite knowing exactly what Pantime’s rendition of Bachelor’s “Family Portrait” would sound like beforehand, I wasn’t prepared for the small bursts of fireworks—which generated genuine excitement from me and the audience—or for the striking uniformity of all

sixty-plus members. Neither was I expecting that young woman with a particularly rotund rear end who excitedly brandished the band’s banner.

Of the other bands, if they didn’t express equal creativity, they certainly were full of courage!

My personal favourite, Pantime, only placed third with 268 points, just two points less than the secondplace winner, Laborie Steel Orchestra. They played “No Code” by Teddyson John.

The victorious band, and the defending champion from 2017, was Courts Babonneau Steel Orchestra; they played Herb Black’s timeless “Suzette”. This band’s arrangement wasn’t confined to steel-pan; they also offered choreographed theatrics. They caught the championship title with 278 points.

CIBC FirstCaribbean wins “Most Innovative Bank” award

L

ess than two months after releasing enhancements to its mobile app and online banking, CIBC FirstCaribbean has been named the Most Innovative Bank in the region at the prestigious World Finance Banking Awards awarded

by UK-based World Finance magazine.

The bank is the only Caribbean-based bank to have been recognized at this year’s event.

“We are delighted to have won this prestigious award,” said Trevor Torzsas, the bank’s Managing Director, Cards and Customer Relationship Management.

“The award is a testament to

july , 2018 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

our commitment and relentless efforts at leveraging emerging technologies to make banking easier for our clients.”

Earlier this year, CIBC FirstCaribbean revamped its mobile banking app to include services that are built on Visa technology, namely mobile location confirmation and “Freeze My Card” service.

These features were the first of their kind to be introduced within the Caribbean by a bank.

Through the app, clients can also easily check their account balances, transfer funds between accounts or to other CIBC FirstCaribbean clients and pay bills, all from their mobile device.

More recently, the bank launched an upgraded online banking system that allows its clients to bank online with the highest level of reliability and security. For example, clients can now schedule domestic and international payments online with stronger security through two-step verification and realtime alert features.

According to Torzsas, new technologies play a vital role in allowing the bank to pursue its digital strategy.

“Our success could not have been possible without our investment in technology.

Technology remains one of our top priorities as a bank and it has allowed us to deliver on

our promise of ‘banking that fits your life’ by responding to client feedback and creating solutions that allow them to bank when and how they want.

“What is even more exciting is that our digital transformation has been well received by our clients who continue to engage with us more through these digital channels,” said Torzsas.

The World Finance Banking Award is one of the most respected accolades in the banking and financial services sector globally. World Finance magazine has been celebrating achievement, innovation and brilliance in banking and finance since 2007.

LOCAL CONSULTATION ON WOMEN’S AUTONOMY IN OUR CHANGING ECONOMIC CLIMATE

A

head of the 56th meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean to be held in Santiago, Chile from July 30 to July 31, 2018, the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development is hosting a consultation on the topic “Women’s Autonomy in Changing Economic Scenarios”, with specific emphasis on the Saint Lucian context.

The high-level event is expected to explore the opinions of key stakeholders on issues relating to equality and women’s autonomy.

Participants are expected to: 1. Discuss women’s autonomy in the current economic context as it relates to economic growth, the rate of employment, the quality of employment and the gender gaps that exist in that regard; 2. Examine the economic policies that hinder or enhance women’s employability and autonomy in Saint Lucia; and 3. Explore how international agreements such as the Montevideo strategy contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Montevideo Strategy, which will be a central focus of the consultation, serves as a roadmap to guide the implementation of the Regional Gender Agenda and ensure that countries are well poised to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the regional level, from the perspective

of gender equality, women’s autonomy and human rights.

The event is expected to attract men and women from regional agencies, academia, politics, business, the media and civil society and is scheduled for Thursday, July 26, 2018 at the Auberge Seraphine Conference Room from 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Minister with responsibility for Gender Relations Hon. Dr. Gale T C Rigobert says she is particularly excited about the consultation which has generated much crosssectoral interest. “I am very optimistic about the level of discourse which will ensue, and which I am confident will inform the country’s posture and thrust with respect to realizing the SDGs that pertain to women and girls in particular”, she said.

She continued, “Of increasing concern to us in the region, however, is the perceived ‘disappearance of our boys/males’ and the increasing trend of underperformance by boys, which now require urgent intervention.”

Dr. Rigobert has indicated that she and her team have raised the issue in several fora and, in her recent meetings with regional and international development and lending agencies, they flagged this as an area in which the Government of Saint Lucia is actively seeking technical and material assistance.

Should you have any further enquiries please call the Gender Relations Department at 453-0557 or email gender.relations@govt.lc

THE STAR

july 21, 2018

www.stluciastar.com

09

10

LOCAL

SSU Assaults Reporter At Work!

Joshua St. Aimee

T

his past Tuesday was the second and final day of the annual Carnival festival. Under the blistering hot sun, hundreds made their way from the Choc roundabout to Castries. As one of the bands approached the Vigie roundabout, a group of police officers and onlookers was gathered together near the pedestrian crossing. They surrounded a young boy, who looked to be around nine years old. The boy had accidentally gotten one of his legs stuck in a metal drain along the walkway.

As tears rolled down the distressed youngster’s cheeks, some people lent a helping hand, while others offered the child words of comfort. An ambulance had been called but, as time went by, with no sign of the vehicle, some in the gathering became quite impatient. One woman angrily shouted: “Since the time they cannot reach!” Actually only a few minutes had elapsed since the call for an ambulance but in the circumstances seconds seemed like hours. By the time the ambulance arrived, the little boy had been freed. He was handed over to the medical professionals aboard the ambulance.

During the rescue, this reporter arrived at the scene

L

Carnival 2018 Was All About the Tribe of Twel (Almost)

Section of the year winner: “Which Witch is Which” of Tribe of Twel was also a favourite among spectators.

and began to photograph the incident but a member of the Special Services Unit of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) demanded that I quit taking pictures of the rescue.

“Take pictures of the revellers instead!” he ordered. I informed him that I was only doing my job, which involved more than taking pictures of the merrymakers. At that, the officer roughly shoved me aside.

When I attempted to photograph the scene the officer again jammed me in the chest and threatened to arrest me. Several more times the officer assaulted me. He was soon joined by

Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and of the European Union (Celac-EU) is taking place, where he has asked for respectful relations and constructive cooperation between both blocks.

For Arreaza, the EU responds to the guidelines established by the government of the United States against the people and the legitimate government of Venezuela, a format that is also being applied against Nicaragua to propitiate destabilizing actions.

"It is the same format applied to Venezuela, it has been applied in other parts of our America, it can be applied today in Nicaragua, yesterday in Venezuela and tomorrow in any other country where there is a government with a progressive sign," he added.

T

he purest expressions of joy can be witnessed at the nation’s two-day a fellow police officer. They when the host of TALK (and Carnival parade. It’s easy to see ignored revellers who appealed publisher of this newspaper) why people count down to this to them to permit me to do my announced that former police like a sort of second Christmas: job. I finally decided to move on, commissioner Vernon Francois colourful feathers, limitless thoroughly depressed, with little had written about his time in booze, pumping rhythms.

I appetite for the rest of Carnival. the force. The publisher read a reckon during the extravaganza

I’ve been doing a lot of few lines from the book’s some rise so many levels above rethinking since the incident. preface that touched on unadulterated joy that they Before I became a reporter Operation Restore Confidence. behave like animals and no, I’m for this newspaper I was Considering what I suffered not talking about the dog and disinclined to believe reports of at the hands of our supposed cat references that cynics tend police brutality. Not anymore. protectors at Carnival-time— to make about revellers whose I’ve also been questioning what while doing my job—I can attempts to “get low” end with I’ve heard about Operation hardly wait to read what Mr. them on their hands and knees.

Restore Confidence. On Francois has to say about the

I am referring to cases like Thursday evening, while I police killings of 2010-11, still this one man, his hair bright was completing this story for unresolved. I pray I can read his red, who was literally bent publication with my TV on in the “Restored Confidence” with an over eating grass like a goat background, I was distracted open mind! on someone’s lawn along the Choc highway. As a somewhat repressed spectator, don’t you ever wonder how it must feel to be that, er, liberated? But that’s neither here nor there. Really what we’re here to talk about is the costumes!

"Some countries, without

Depending on how saddled having foreseen it in the you are to your moral high meetings of the Celac, without horse you probably expect this having proposed topics on to be another thong-bashing Venezuela and Nicaragua in the feature.

It is not.

But what I will dialogue with the EU, began to say is that anyone who watched introduce this subject following carnival Monday’s stage the script of the United States presentations, live or televised, to facilitate the conditions would hold no questions as to for interventions in America. why the band ‘Tribe of Twel’ Latina", he denounced. has won consecutively for the

The second ministerial last four years. When the Adrian meeting between Celac Augier-led group appeared and the European Union in the distance, I listened as Jorge Arreaza expresses will end on Tuesday. In the spectators wondered out loud disappointment in meeting ministers and senior heads of government representatives of the 33 Celac whether they were a foreign for discussions about band. The indirect notion left countries and the 28 of the EU Venezuela. lingering: anything grand, will centre the debate on the unless featuring the label

Therefore, he criticized the construction of bridges and the “resort”, cannot possibly be strengthening of the association diplomatic behaviour of some local. (See Adrian Augier's member countries of the Celac, between these nations to face article on page 22.) the global challenges. for incorporating the topic of

The towering pieces, Venezuela in the discussions of inspired

by Shakespeare’s --- Source: AVN the ministerial meeting.

Macbeth, glistened under the

The young boy being led by a first responder to the ambulance.

Chancellor Arreaza urges the EU to desist from interventionist policy against Venezuela eaving aside the policy of intervention in the affairs of Venezuela and joining a constructive dialogue with Latin America and the Caribbean, was the call made to the European Union (EU) by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jorge Arreaza."We have asked the EU to have a different approach, the EU Council cannot be set up in court because it is not, and it has no competence to do so.

These sanctions, when you see the motivation, would not support any kind of analysis preliminary legal," he said in an interview with the Agence France-Presse (AFP), which was cited in a press release.

The chancellor is in Brussels, Belgium, where the II Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the

july 21, 2018 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

sun and made a statement even before the pre-recorded, descriptive audio came on.

The hours of hard work that went into those pieces was evident. Surely, more than a few practice sessions must’ve been held if only to guarantee that costume-bearers did not break a leg in the worst way while strutting in character onstage. It was a beautiful spectacle—like theatre—that defied spectators to look away even for a second, especially with the accompanying soundtrack filling up the Castries waterfront. None of the members, though carrying triple the amount of cloth as revellers from preceding and subsequent bands, looked bored or tired despite not treating hypnotized spectators to toe touches and impossible splits.

It was no surprise when on Wednesday it was announced that the band had walked away with first place finishes in all categories: Band of the Year, Section of the Year, Mas on the Move, Best Designed Band, Best Portrayed Theme, Individual of the Year (also winning 2nd, 3rd and 4th places) and Mas on the Move.

Later, on social media, someone, presumably from Mars, questioned whether a Carnival band win would ever be awarded to a “young people band". Understandably, not many considered the question worthy of a response. Other Carnival Parade of the Bands winners included: Ole Mas winner Cuthbert Modeste; Road March winners Nassis & Chrome with their song 'Bend Down For De Hmmm' and J'ouvert band winners Back in Time.

--- Keryn Nelson

THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

july 21, 2018

COMMENT 11

Has Trinidad Gone Mad?

By Wayne Kublalsingh

L

ennox Sankersingh is a kind lawyer who defends me and my colleagues in matters before the magistracy.

He has a small grandson who lives in Milton Keynes, Britain, the model town that was created from scratch in the 1960s using state-of-the-art planning principles. On a trip to Trinidad the child candidly concluded: “Trinidad is Mad.” Hmmm. I understand how Trinidad might feel. Here are five personal instances.

My last published article, was entitled “Five Fake Russian Goals”. From Facebook, and from various other sources, the reaction was: “What an idiot!”

“He gone off his rocker.” "He mad." How could he say these Russian World Cup goals, all so beautifully executed, were fake?”

From these comments I deduce that many Trinidadians, particularly the “bright” ones, are ill-read, misinformed,

or illiterate. The article uses parody, humour and exaggeration to attack the Russophobic mania in the Western capitals. Illiteracy cannot distinguish between fake and real, has no capacity to interpret tone, intention and therefore meaning. No wonder such persons fall prey to fake mainstream Western media, vogue gobbledegook in Western academia, and bogus local bureaucrats and technocrats.

The article gave certain clear cues which were blithely disregarded.

In 2002 government disregarded a proposal for economic diversification of 77,000 acres of Caroni Lands, one I wrote after consulting with over forty scientists and other experts. Government opted for its mad-cap Master Gas Plan. Community groups in the South West Peninsula and the West Coast rebelled. The plan, fourteen heavy gas-based industries, five large industrial estates, ports and roads and

pipelines etc, was bound to fail. It was a neo-Liberalization plan hatched in Washington and London and sold to us as 'monetization', 'diversification' and 'development'.

There was no gas for this.

A global recession was on the rise. The economic maths, econometrics, did not add up.

Over and over I called for a Cost Benefit analysis. By 2010 the entire plan, including smelter, its crown-jewel, collapsed.

For advocating a hard-nosed approach for real economic development against bogus development, I was labelled an environmentalist: the airyfairy zany lover of swamps, trees and mangroves. “I am not an environmentalist,” I always plead. Look the environmentalist, they cry!

When I was in primary school in Claxton Bay I took up middle distance running. In Form Three at Naparima College I contracted tuberculosis. I was extremely ill and took tetracycline and

visited the Old Hospital in San Fernando every school day and holiday for over a year for long-needled buttock injections.

I never gave up running. I ran everywhere, at school middle distances and marathon. There was a hill leading up to our house in Claxton Bay which I hated to stand in my way. “Why Barry [home name] running up the hill, Aunty?” my cousin asked my mother. “He crazy?”

I ran all the way to UWI, Columbia University, Oxford University and the British Officer Training Corps there.

Why was this man running through the snow with weights in his webbing (knapsacklike) and boots? One Trini was disturbed. Why has he joined the imperialist British Army?

Has he gone bonkers? I ran all the way to Sandhurst and came back armed with my officer pip. In early 1990, the US/UK invasion of Iraq was on the rise.

This genocidal war was being marketed to young officers as just one more safari trip in the

illustrious history of British overseas adventures. I told my HQ Lieutenant Colonel CO that this war was ignoble and sickly one-sided, like shooting rabbits in foxholes. This was open terrain, desert, not Vietnam. He was civil. He invited me to leave the army. I did. I visited our local Chief of Defence at Teteron. I was told to formally resign my UK commission before seeking enlistment here. After I did, the chiefs entertained no serious consideration of my possibilities in the Defence Force. Bonkers!

When I was eighteen I trained at the Raja Yoga Centre in St James Street, San Fernando. Ten years later, while at the Oxford Union Debating Hall, a picture flashed in my brain: a cow in extraordinary distress. I stopped eating meat and began a programme of extreme fasting. Three days at a stretch I would go without food or water. I also fasted on Thursdays. When the time came, in the Debe to Mon Desir imbroglio, I was ready.

The government was breaking undertakings given and had precipitously smashed our Debe camp. We resumed camp in front of the PM’s office in St Clair, staying there for over two hundred and fifty days.

One day the government sent an ambulance for me. The health minister had insisted. I cussed. The plan was to get me into St Ann’s mental hospital, after forcing a bogus imprimatur from the Medical Association’s head. Debe to Mon Desir collapsed in early 2016, before the general elections; and the government was changed in November. St Ann’s failed in its quest to afford me its hospitality. What I assume little child Sankersingh meant was that things appear topsy-turvy in Trinidad, and by the norms of Milton Keynes, back-to-front, disorderly, haphazard. Why am I facing eleven charges before the courts again, while so many scheming bureaucrats, drug lords and gun runners are sitting free and breezy?

APPLY NOW FOR SEPTEMBER 2018 INTAKE Edinburgh Napier University Online Programmes are endorsed by the St Lucia Department of Education

MBA/MBM

Exceptional value — earn an accredited UK MBA or MBM for under US$10,000 • Can be completed in 18 months • Specialisations: Banking,

100% FLEXIBLE

Entrepreneurship, Events, Finance, Health

100% ONLINE

Management, Hospitality & Tourism, HRM, Info.

100% RELEVANT

No. 1 in the UK for Value-added Top 10 UK University

MBA and MBM in 24 months

(Graduate Employability)

(RICS and

ICE accredited)

MSc Transport Planning and Engineering MSc Health and Social Care

Systems, Leadership & Innovation, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Marketing & Sales,

(The Guardian, 2017)

MSc HRM (SHRM Recognised) MSc Data Science MSc Construction Project Management

Project Management • Option to earn both an

www.seidegrees.com

Free Apple iPad Mini 4 (Conditions apply)

BA Business Management (Top-up) Final Year Entry to holders of Associate Degree and/or Diploma Specialisms: Finance, Hospitality, HRM and Marketing BA Business & Enterprise (Top-up) BA Sales Management (Top-up) BSc Nursing Studies (Top-up) PG Cert. Learning and Teaching

Regional Office: 27499 Riverview Center Blvd., Suite 223, Bonita Springs, Florida 34134, USA • Tel +1 239 444 4399 • Fax +1 239 444 4398 • info@SEIdegrees.com

12 comment

JUly 21, 2018 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

Did DPP Gag Local R Are We In Need Of A L S

ome three years ago, maybe a bit longer, then Director of Public Prosecutions Victoria CharlesClarke advised local journalists to be careful how they went about reporting court and police matters. She reminded media representatives that it was one thing to suspect someone of unlawful behavior and altogether something else to prove the charge. The Director of Public Prosecutions emphasized that suspects were, under our laws, innocent until proven guilty. She warned, too, against featuring in media reports the names and images of people, in particular those charged with serious crime, such as murder and rape.

Additionally, that being in possession of the particulars did not give journalists the right to publicize them until the matter in question had been properly adjudicated.

The then president of the local media association was less than grateful for the DPP’s free legal advice.

Indeed, it seemed he was highly offended. He publicly stated, during interviews, televised and otherwise, that on the remembered occasion the Director of Public Prosecutions had set out to gag the press, an outrageous declaration that caught the attention of the producer of Untold Stories. In an episode centered on the local media, he asked a former judge whether the DPP had the authority to tell journalists what to publish and was correctly informed that only the

courts had the power to issue such directives. I suspect the producer might’ve elicited a totally different reaction had he worded more precisely his question to the ex-judge. In all events, it has long been the policy of this particular newspaper not to identify police suspects. Even when they have been declared guilty as charged, we exercise great caution in our reporting of court details—as much for our own sake as for that of the convicted party.

Reporters who carelessly feature images of individuals under arrest leave themselves vulnerable to several consequences. Even when the suspect has been declared guilty in one court, there is still a chance another court might reverse the decision, leaving him free to pursue charges against reckless scoop-hungry reporters and their employers.

The safest policy, we long ago decided, is not to identify such individuals until they have made their final court appearances.

Can a reporter safely name a man taken into custody by the police? Yes, depending on what’s written in relation to the arrest. We long ago made it STAR policy to inform our readers only that a man has been taken into custody in connection with a certain incident. For several years now, even when we’ve taken pictures of an arrest in progress, or of an individual under police escort on his way to court, we are careful how we use the images.

Under no circumstances would we publish photographs of rape victims, regardless of age or gender. As for the images of underage children, whether crime suspects or victims, it has always been our policy at the STAR never to publish them—if indeed we took them in the first place.

Experienced journalists and informed, not to say careful, publishers know how to write and disseminate stories (even those that might be considered sensational) without the risk of being accused of defamation or contempt of court or invasion of privacy. To have been the first to publish may have its cheap thrills but such excitements can be costly.

Good writing full of pertinent details, will never be trumped by haphazard hasty reporting bereft of verifiable facts, with little regard for privacy laws.

Which brings us the British rock icon Cliff Richard, whose home was raided by the Southeast Yorkshire police while the singer was in Portugal, with a tipped off BBC helicopter crew recording the raid.

I first met Cliff Richard at a youth club in Hackney, East London. The club was operated by an organization of priests and Cliff was one of the star judges of a rock ‘n’ roll competition in which I had participated—and taken first place. Among my prizes, which included cash, was the opportunity to audition for an independent record producer named Joe Meek that led to my first recording contract with

Rick Wayne (right) with the late Jimmy Saville at a BBC studio in London At the time Saville was one of the UK’s

Pye Records. Already they had signed a fellow Saint Lucian named Emile Forde.

Four years ago, when the legendary showbiz personality Jimmy Saville was making posthumous headlines in the UK and elsewhere for allegedly molesting scores of underage girls, I picked up a newspaper that prominently featured “exclusive coverage” of the police raid on one of Cliff’s residences, allegedly

precipitated by a grown man’s allegation that when he was still a child the singer had molested him.

To say I was absolutely flummoxed by what I’d read is to understate my immediate reaction. It had been shattering enough to read the allegations against Jimmy Saville. He had been widely celebrated in his time as a top-tier TV personality, a radio deejay, a sometime comedian and as a

most generous philanthropist. But my respect for Jimmy stemmed from the assistance he afforded me after I had cut my first record “Hot Chickaroo,” including the important industry people to whom he introduced me. To this day I have difficulty believing he actually did what so many accused him of having done to them, but only after he was long dead and buried and in no position to defend himself.

Perhaps I’m in denial. That’s

THE STAR

COMMENT

www.stluciastar.com

JUly 21, 2018

Reporters Or A Law Lecture? T

13

External Affairs Department and UK High Commission Continue to Assist Windrush Generation

in London shortly after the release of his debut record "Hot Chickaroo!" the UK’s leading showbiz personalities.

what those who remain convinced Michael Jackson was a pedophile say about his loyal fans, many of whom insist their idol had always been asexual, never mind his daughter Paris and her two siblings Prince and Blanket; never mind Michael’s short-lived marriage to Elvis’ only offspring Lisa Marie.

Cliff Richard’s personal life, his sexual preferences, in particular, had always been a much discussed subject; almost from the moment

he released his pulsating debut recording “Move It.” In short, Cliff Richard’s sex life had always been for journalists the showbiz holy grail. By all the evidence, Cliff lived for his music: he was never the subject of scandals; was never associated with drugs, which is more than can be said about Elvis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones—until 2014, when the police invited the BBC to cover their raid on his mansion.

After a long battle to clear his name that cost him an estimated £4 million, a UK high court awarded the singer £210,000 in damages for the BBC’s invasion of his privacy.

The police, who were given the opportunity to settle out of court but refused, were also ordered to pay the singer damages in the sum of £400,000. Cliff is likely to receive a further award, depending on the success

of his claim that he has been unable to work since the scandal broke in 2014.

By the way, the singer was never arrested or charged.

His accuser disappeared into thin air, as did four other men who also claimed Cliff had abused them as children. Some are already saying the Cliff Richard case will change how celebrities in trouble are treated by the press, that had Harvey Weinstein been a UK citizen and not American he might not now be facing numerous charges of sexual harassment and rape.

A former newspaper editor disagrees. The privacy law is as it has always been, she insists. Referencing the Cliff Richard judgment, she wrote online: “I can’t see how a police raid on an unoccupied luxury flat owned by a wealthy pensioner who just happens to sell millions of records, and refuses to discuss his sex life with journalists, is worth sticking at the top of a news bulletin. How was my life made more safe or in any way enriched by knowing that the man in question was Cliff Richard? Since the Jimmy Saville scandal, which has resulted in hundreds of sexual abuse cases coming to light, journalists argue that naming suspects (even when evidence has not been tested and may turn out to be tittle-tattle or lies) is worth it because the glare of publicity encourages other victims to come forward.”

“The contrary argument,” the former editor offered, “is that innocent people get dragged into the spotlight, their lives are turned upside down in the name of free speech and freedom of the press, while false accusers are protected by their anonymity.”

Seems to me the cited advice served the local media was pretty sound after all!

he Department of External Affairs and the UK High Commission Office in London are continuing to assist persons from the Windrush generation and their relatives.

Minister with responsibility for External Affairs, Honourable Sarah Flood-Beaubrun, and Saint Lucia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Guy Mayers, recently updated the public on the Windrush issue explaining that a number of persons had already been facilitated and assisted through the process.

The Windrush Generation comprises Commonwealth citizens who went to the UK following the Second World War. Earlier this year the UK Government faced an onslaught of criticism over the Windrush scandal, which has seen citizens wrongly detained and deported and others denied access to healthcare, work, housing benefits and pensions.

In April, Heads of Government from the OECS including Prime Minister Honourable Allen Chastanet, met with the UK Government to discuss the treatment of Caribbean people from the Windrush Generation and demand action.

As the work continues to put things right, there has been a renewed call for Saint Lucians who may have been part of the Windrush Generation to seek help from the Department of External Affairs and the High Commission Office in London.

Said Minister FloodBeaubrun: “We believe that it was such a travesty what happened and the unfortunate thing is that this whole matter of the Windrush situation and how the British Government dealt with it went on for so long.

A lot of people were suffering silently and didn’t know or have the strength to deal with it on their own.”

Minister Flood-Beaubrun commended the High Commissioners of the region for championing this issue. The

Minister also thanked the British Government for recognizing that there was a problem and taking the necessary steps to put it right.

“What we want to ensure from our point of view in terms of our citizens is that every single person who has been affected by this has an opportunity to put it right,” said the Minister. “We want to make sure that we are there for our citizens and they know they can come to us and explain what their situation is and once they fall within that category of the so-called Windrush Generation we will work them through the process.”

A special desk has been set up to facilitate persons enquiring about the Windrush issue at the External Affairs Department.

H.E. Guy Mayers, who has been intricately involved in the process along with other High Commissioners of the OECS, allayed the fears of persons from the Windrush generation.

“They do not have to be afraid to come out and seek assistance from the High Commission or from Foreign Affairs here. We are there to protect their rights, to ensure that whatever privileges they are entitled to that they get it and their rights will not be trampled on,” he reassured.

Mr. Mayers made another plea to persons to come forward: “If you have family members who you feel are victims of Windrush or children of Windrush come to the High Commission, come to ministry, make your case, give us whatever information you can and we will make appropriate representation on your behalf.”

Enquiries should be made to: Saint Lucia High Commission in London at telephone: +(44) 207 370-7123 or Email: enquiries@stluciahcuk.org or Contact the Department of External Affairs at telephone: (758) 468-4519 /468-4516 Email: foreign@candw.lc or external@gosl.gov.lc

14 HEALTH

KIM’S KORNER E

xercise in the 21st century has become the norm rather than a discipline reserved for athletes or an activity for those wanting to lose weight or get all buffed up. Life has become stressful and sedentary; phones are mobile, TVs have 100+channels and come with fancy remote controls, and work can be accessed 24 hours a day.

Everything is now at our fingertips, we can even shop without leaving the comfort of our armchairs. Advancements in technology and changing lifestyles come with disadvantages, and research has shown that exercise has many positive effects that can offset these: • Lowering blood pressure • Lowering and maintaining a healthy weight • Strengthening bones and muscles • Reducing stress and relieving tension • Improving brain function and helping to fight dementia • Reducing the risk of diabetes, heart disease and

july 21, 2018 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

stroke • Slowing down the effects of ageing

That’s great but there are some people who do not want to go to the gym or attend aerobics classes; feeling selfconscious or having two left feet can keep you glued to that armchair. But there is a solution, and it’s called walking. Walking has many health benefits and advantages. it’s inexpensive, requires little or no equipment and can be when it suits you.

First let us look at the difference between regular walking and walking for exercise. Yes, all walking is beneficial but there is a difference. Walking for exercise must be brisk and, to get the full benefits, our heart rate should increase. So, let’s look at how we can turn something learned as a toddler into a positive lifestyle change: STEP 1 – Wear suitable footwear. This does not mean you have to go out and buy the latest trainers, but choose something that will provide support and comfort.

STEP 2 – Walk at a suitable

time of day. Whether you prefer morning, afternoon or evening, remember to avoid the midday sun. Exposure to the sun and heat can actually be detrimental, causing sunburn, dehydration and heat exhaustion. Remember to carry a bottle of water and stay hydrated.

STEP 3 – Learn the art of walking. 'But I know how to walk!' I hear you say. Well, getting the most out of walking for exercise requires a few changes. You need to take longer strides at a faster pace and let those arms swing.

Adding arm movements can help get your heart pumping and will also activate muscles, adding tone and definition to your upper body.

STEP 4 – Remember to warm-up and stretch. Start and end your walk slowly, take five minutes to warm up and cool down and don’t forget to stretch. Stretching at the start can prepare your body, whilst stretching at the end can help to reduce that ache you feel after exercise. Find a routine that

Hit the Road Jack makes YOU feel good.

STEP 5 – Plan your routine and add variety. Exercising 2-3 times a week is recommended but even one day is better than none. Now to choose a route. Pick one with good pathways and lighting if walking later in the day. Begin with shorter routes that are flat and, whenever possible, consider your scenery. Being able to enjoy the beauty of your surroundings can help boost mood as well. As you get fitter, and braver, start to add in some hills, this will give your legs and your heart an added challenge.

STEP 6 – Stay safe. When walking on the road, wherever possible face the traffic. Wear bright clothes and always be alert. Many people wear

headphones to break the monotony and boost motivation.

Those who’ve seen Rocky can’t help feeling the adrenaline surge whenever we hear the theme music from the movie.

However, when walking outdoors it is not advisable to completely block out your surroundings and lose yourself in the moment.

So, equipped with this advice, you can now join the huge population that has already discovered the benefits of walking. For those who want something more challenging, be sure to tune in next week when we will discuss the pros and cons of weight-training and how to get the most out of your gym workouts.

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

ANNUAL MEETING OF REGIONAL CARDIOLOGISTS DECLARED OPEN

O

n Wednesday cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and allied cardiovascular professionals converged on the Royalton St. Lucia for the opening of the 33rd Annual Caribbean Cardiology Conference which has been held this week, July 18 – 21. The conference’s roll call, read by Dr. Jeanice Stanley-Jean, welcomed professionals from Dutch-, English-, French-, and Spanishspeaking Caribbean territories as well as visiting faculty from South America and the US.

In his remarks, Conference Chairman, Dr. Martin Didier, welcomed his colleagues and encouraged them to share ideas and knowledge while enjoying all Saint Lucia has to offer. The society’s president, Dr. Richard Ishmael, in highlighting the conference theme, 'Meeting the Challenges of Cardiac Care in an Ever-Changing Caribbean', spoke of the society’s vision of a regional network to manage acute myocardial infarctions (heart attacks).

Senator Mary Isaac, Minister responsible for Health, welcomed the Cardiac Society and lauded its efforts to combat Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCDs), stating that they “impose a large burden on human health in Saint Lucia and worldwide”. The minister noted that CNCDs were the cause of 8

The 33rd Annual Caribbean Cardiology Conference commenced with much encouragement from the Saint Lucian Government.

out of every 10 deaths in Saint Lucia in 2012 and pose a real and significant threat to this country's national development.

The ceremony also included remarks from Dr. Michael Valentine, president of the American College of Cardiology, one of the largest cardiovascular professional associations in the world. Dr. Valentine challenged members of the Caribbean Cardiac Society (CCS) to renew their commitment to working towards providing their patients with the best possible care.

The evening’s keynote speaker Dr. Duane Sands, Minister of Health of the Bahamas, gave a riveting perspective on his journey from clinician to policy maker.

Drawing on his experience

as a member of the CCS, as a cardiovascular surgeon and now as a minister, Dr. Sands discussed the resource challenges that face health systems across the region.

Taken with the high levels of trauma, poor dietary habits and disparate access to treatment, he suggested that the solutions to healthcare problems could not just be treatment and intervention. Dr. Sands suggested solutions could be found in improved education and access to social justice.

The Caribbean Cardiology Conference is held in a different Caribbean territory each year and includes the Charles Denbow Clinical Case Competition for young physicians doing post-graduate training.

THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

july 21, 2018

Some feasts are meant only for the eyes!

Four local women braved the crowd of hundreds to show off their moves at a local concert.

Keryn Nelson

U

npopular opinions sprout in the strangest of places, like while you’re standing front and centre at a local concert or on the grass of the Vigie roundabout during day two of Carnival's Parade of the Bands. I hear this a lot from men but also from women: that a person's behaviour is often to be blamed when they are harrassed; that you can't prevent a man from becoming aroused by a scantily dressed woman. However, now coming down from the Carnival season, I challenge that notion.

One of the areas we make abosolutely no progress in . . . hell, we hardly even address in the Caribbean . . . is how inappropriately hypersexualized we are and the enabling environment we foster for sexual misconduct by sweeping concerning behaviour under the rug. If anything, we all need to answer the following: Why would anyone feel entititled to touch another whom they do not know? And how does a person's dress excuse another’s intrusion

into their personal space?

Last week, at Machel Montano's Soca Kingdom, I watched from the crowd as four women were lined up on stage to put their moves on display.

One of the women, while the singer was directing everyone to stand in place, eagerly moved around.

“You!” Montano called out to her. “Stand one place. That one doesn't listen, you know,” he added, then proceeded to smack her on the butt.

Unmistakable was the shock that registered on her face.

With her mouth shaping the letter O, she looked back in total disbelief at her friends in the audience before swallowing whatever words had stuck in her throat, even as she complied. Some might reason that the girl had volunteered to shake what her mama gave her on stage, therefore it was up to her to deal with the possible repercussions. But couldn't it be this girl just wanted to have fun? Just wanted to boogie?

Ironically, as the dance intermission went on, one of the ladies on stage got a little more carried away than the others and, of course, caught the singer’s attention. She took it

all the way while the audience cheered her on, even eventually dancing with the great Montano himself. At the end, just before she exited the stage, the singer held her hand up, declared her the winner, then added: “Your first prize is the whole night with Machel!”

Later, on her social media page—which has quite a following—the girl posted videos of her presumed ordeal with the captions: “So I don't consider myself a dancer . . .

BUT I LOVEEEEE to dance & I LOVEEEE soca. It was an honor being on @machelmontano stage last night... but sorry @ machelmontano I don't want that prize lmaooo.”

It's not a stretch for a woman, or anyone for that matter, to simply want to dance; no touching, no sex no strings untied. Believe it or not, during later discussions with male counterparts it emerged that they, too, are put off by the stage shenanigans, even more so when female performers induce males from the audience to step up on stage for impromptu demonstrations.

To add, contrary to this rhetoric, that a woman does not value herself if she shows some skin—or God forbid does things that men can do freely—I can attest personally that the opposite can also be just as true. Women are not monolithic, we can enjoy a good book as much as we enjoy a wine. The notion that you can judge someone else by their dress or the way they choose to let their hair down is not only archaic but downright silly.

2018 List of Licensed Eating Establishments and Bakeries approved by the Public Health Board

T

he Public Health Board, via the Department of Environmental Health, has published the list of licensed and approved eating establishments and bakeries for 2018.

The public is being called upon to peruse this list which provides the name and location of the approved establishments.

The Public Health Board’s primary function is to improve and protect the health of the public.

Ag. Senior Environmental Health Officer, Karen Joseph said the Department of Environmental Health will continue to work with

establishments that have not made the list to get up to the required standard.

“This list would represent food establishments that have met our standards, they have complied and they have registered. The establishments that would comprise that list would include general food handling establishments, bakeries, bakery outlets and so on. We are actually aware of the fact that there are food establishments that do not meet our standards. We are trying hard to work with them so that they could actually be on that list and become approved.”

The Public Health Board

has the authority to shut down any food handling establishment that consistently fails to meet the established standard and so defaulters are encouraged to get up to par. The Senior Environmental Health Officer stated that there is an ongoing surveillance programme at the department that would pick up new and existing establishments that meet all requirements and are approved.

The list of licensed eating establishments and bakeries has been gazetted, published in the weekend newspapers (see page 17 of last Saturday's STAR) and placed online.

LOCAL 15

VACANCY NOTICE EASTERN CARIBBEAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AUTHORITY (ECTEL)

POST OF LEGAL OFFICER Applications are invited from suitably qualified and experienced persons for appointment to the post of LEGAL OFFICER with the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) at its regional office located in Saint Lucia.

Under the general direction of the General Counsel, the LEGAL OFFICER shall be expected to, among other things: • Provide legal advice, interpretation and opinions on matters relating to effective Telecommunications regulation.

• Prepare legal opinions on administrative and contract matters.

• Advise the ECTEL Member States on Telecommunication matters.

• Assist in the evaluation of all applications, customer complaints, access and interconnection agreements, offences and infractions of licenses and regulations, and other regulatory submissions under theTelecommunications Act and regulations.

• Advise on licensing and tender procedures.

• Advise on the appointment of mediators and arbitrators.

• Draft model telecommunications legislation as required.

• Review draft treaties, national, regional and international agreements.

• Advise on matters requiring arbitration or alternative dispute resolution.

• Perform functions of Secretary to the ECTEL Board when required.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE • First degree in law, preferably from a university in the English Commonwealth • Certificate in Legal Education or equivalent • Experience or post-graduate qualifications in legal drafting and/or telecommunications regulation would be an asset • Experience in a regulatory agency and/or public law would be an asset • Strong written and oral communication skills • Ability to work as part of a team and independently COMPENSATION PACKAGE An attractive compensation package is being offered, which includes, vehicle, and housing allowances free of Income Tax. DUTY STATION The officer will be based at the Authority’s Headquarters in Saint Lucia, and will be entitled to a relocation grant and baggage allowance (including transfer of a vehicle) if recruited outside of the duty station.

Applications should be clearly marked “Application for Post of Legal Officer” and sent to hr@ectel.int or in sealed envelopes addressed to: The Managing Director (Ag)

Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority P O Box 1886 Castries Saint Lucia

Applications should be accompanied by curriculum vitae and the names and contact information of two referees, along with certified copies of relevant certificates.

The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 3rd August 2018.

16 ENTERTAINMENT

july 21, 2018 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

Carnival 2018

We can't even begin to think how one gets dressed in this.

There's no Carnival without music.

How did he manage to get eaten by a tiger?

Isn't this a move that should take place in the bedroom?!

Twanche battle!

Is he going to war against the carnival drunkards?

Carnival costumes on perfect display!

Say "vaval" for the camera.

We need everyone's hips to be moving!

Extreme height calls for extrme limbo.

Would anyone fight this guy?

Sure beats the backpack in last

Just dance!

Keep up with me, boy!

Stilts and stripes; a tall man's code.

Feathers, costume, carnival, oh my!

T.C. Brown the king!

THE STAR

ENTERTAINMENT

www.stluciastar.com

july 21, 2018

She took the word “monarch” to a new level.

Straight out of a muscle magazine.

The acceptable Carnival pose.

17

We bet he feels “Justified”!

And the mourning continues.

We wine to the beat of the drum.

We may not have Massy’s plastic bags, but their umbrellas come to good use.

A special visit from the man himself.

Pissing in your eye and calling it rain?

Some Cenac he is.

What’s next, split in de middle?

Well, he’s really enjoying his view.

We’re definitely enjoying our culture.

If you stoosh, go in bush.

No two-piece for me, thanks.

Papa Invader never fails!

Well, she’s having fun.

Will Saint Lucia have a national cat soon?

Ever seen the church at Carnival?

Ready, set . . .

Minister Extraordinaire!

“Wine up yuh body girl”!

How revellers look when they realize Carnival ended.

18

www.stluciastar.com

july 21, 2018 THE STAR

THE STAR

july 21, 2018

www.stluciastar.com

Beware of the red peddlers of ignorance and fear for their own gain!

By Toni Nicholas

T

he fear-mongering continues. Last week, following some televised comments from a couple of hardly surprising sources about a leaked Cabinet conclusion that, in effect, waived visa requirements for Chinese citizens, the usual Facebook predictions started making the rounds. The baseless story was repeated around the more exclusive watering holes, always with additional predictions of gloom and doom: before long millions of Chinese would flood Saint Lucia; they would take over the private sector, the smaller business in particular. Suddenly “Dat man must go!” was the mantra of the moment.

Of course, those of us still living in real Saint Lucia, not the fake version, recall that as far back as 2011, maybe 2001, Chinese citizens have been pouring into Saint Lucia. There were regular complaints in Newsspin about their inconspicuous presence. From all I’ve gathered, these Chinese citizens continue to live here without reported problems. The unproven word is that a number of local business people serve as fronts “for Kenny Anthony’s Chinese”.

Speaking of Kenny Anthony, as far back as August 1997, following an SLP victory at the polls in May of that year, he addressed the nation on establishing diplomatic ties with China: “In our election manifesto, the Saint Lucia Labour Party promised to sharpen the focus of its foreign policy on the objectives of the economic and social development of our country.”

Additionally: “The international context has changed . . . the majority of countries in the world today have full diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. From the point of view of international law, the recognition of the administration on Taiwan as the Government of all China is not tenable. This is why countries ranging from the USA to Barbados have recognized the administration in Beijing as the legitimate government of China . . . Locally, our priorities have also changed from what the UWP Government was hoping for in 1984. Building a garment industry with Hong Kong capital is no longer the great objective that it appeared to be. Our commercial sector is now seeking new trading opportunities and new frontiers. Hong Kong is now the gateway to mainland China, with the vast trade possibilities which lie there.”

Dr. Anthony advised: “We must vigorously pursue a course of action which will bring maximum benefit to our country. By concluding diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, Saint Lucia will only be modernizing its foreign policy, and proceeding in a direction which the majority of the world’s states have already trod.”

I can recall that so enamoured was the SLP with the Chinese that then press secretary Earl Bousquet formed the Saint Lucia/China Association. In a Voice article I poked fun at the once-upon-a-time Rastafarian Bousquet’s switch from dashiki to “Mao suit”, to which he did not take too kindly. It should be noted that during the SLP’s first ten-year reign, there was no influx of Chinese investments here, save for a few Chinese restaurants here and there—one of which was Bousquet’s favourite meeting place.

The reality is that presently Chinese citizens

This leaked Cabinet conclusion is the latest propaganda tool for the Let’s Declare War on China advocates. But several Caribbean territories, other than Saint Lucia, including St Kitts and Barbados, welcome Chinese visitors for stated periods, without need of a visa.

can visit seven Caribbean countries, visa-free, for various periods: Antigua and Barbuda (30 days); St Kitts and Nevis (90 days); Dominica (21 days); Barbados (30 days); Grenada (30 days); Jamaica (30 days) and now Saint Lucia.

Chinese citizens who wish to stay in our country must first satisfy local immigration authorities by answering the usual put to visitors, with or without visas. According to Henley Visa Restrictions Index 2017, Chinese are permitted visa-free access to 51 countries in the world.

None of the named Caribbean islands has seen any mass invasion by the Chinese. In places like Trinidad & Tobago, where the Chinese represent 3% of the approximately 1.3 million population, Trinis eat no less doubles, roti, pelau or even KFC than they do Chinese food.

A June 2011 Times article observed: “It’s hard to argue that the rise of China, taken on the whole, is anything but good for the global economy. New wealth for China’s 1.3 billion people means 1.3 billion more people who can buy stuff from the rest of the world, creating jobs from American research labs to Japanese industrial zones to Brazilian mines. A global economy no longer solely dependent on the US consumer for growth is potentially more stable and prosperous.”

The onus is on us to teach our children to see the new reality and the opportunities that these so-called global superpowers like China possess. The fear that some of us are selfishly seeking to create is obviously counterproductive and an only stagnate our efforts at becoming a progressive society.

The question begs: as business people and educators, what are we doing to empower our citizens and our youth to become more marketable and begin to see the world as our access markets beyond our 238-square-mile rock which, by design, will forever be limited in resources? The choice is clear: we can remain in our state of xenophobia and hate-mongering or embrace the new reality of a global open space.

And like Karl Augustus Menninger once said: “Fears are educated into us, and can, if we wish, be educated out.”

local

19

20 LOCAL

july 21, 2018 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

FRANCE CELEBRATES!

By Doretta Francois

T the

4-Day SuPer Sale July 20 – 23

40

% Off

*

PaintS & StainS incluDing KOOl Seal® rOOf cOatingS

30% O ff P S

*

ainting uPPlieS

Your neighborhood Sherwin-Williams store is right around the corner Rodney Bay Bella Rosa Rd I 758.458.4887 *Valid on retail sales of retail products only. Discount taken off of our list price. Sale pricing or other offers that result in greater savings will supersede this offer. Offer excludes previous purchases, and purchases of gift cards, Multi-Purpose primers, HGTV HOME™ by Sherwin-Williams Ovation® Paint, Sketch Pad® Dry Erase Coating, ladders, spray equipment and accessories. Other exclusions may apply, see store for details. Valid at Sherwin-Williams retail paint stores only. Offer valid July 20-23, 2018. ©2018 The Sherwin-Williams Company

he French had good reason to celebrate last weekend; not only did the French team beat Croatia 4-2 in the FIFA World Cup on Sunday 15th July but it was the country’s National Day on Saturday 14th.

His Excellency M. Philippe Ardanaz, the Ambassador of France to the OECS Member States and Barbados, invited guests, including Governor General Neville Cenac, to join him at his official Saint Lucian residence on the Saturday afternoon to celebrate what is known in the English-speaking world as Bastille Day.

The ambassador commenced his speech by clarifying, “14th July was not chosen because of the uprising and capture of the prison called Bastille by the people of Paris on July 14th, 1789 but because of the “Fête de la Fédération” (Federation Day) a year later, on July 14th, 1790, and the idea to celebrate, during this day, the different French territories which took part in the Revolution. But we consider both events—the take-over of the Bastille and the Federation day—especially symbolic because they paved the way to French democracy, characterized and known by the motto “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity”.

M. Ardanaz spoke of the historic relationship between France and Saint Lucia and of working towards a common future, mentioning education and regional integration and emphasizing the importance of climate change and security.

Particularly pleasing was the ambassador’s news about the plethora of plastic bottles that are thrown away in Saint Lucia: “I am glad to tell you that we are now in a position to propose a crucial partnership on that matter. We actually work with the OECS commission, the Ministry of Sustainable Development, the Saint Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority and various supportive bodies, to make all used plastic bottles disappear from Saint Lucia.

“A factory in Martinique, namely SIDREP, is the only one in the Caribbean able to transform 100% of used plastic bottles into recycled plastic that can be safely reutilized in agro industry. And its capacity is huge. Actually it can absorb

The French Ambassador’s residence was decked out in red, white and blue on Bastille Day.

French Ambassador Philippe Ardanaz (left) and Governor General Neville Cenac raise a glass to French and Saint Lucian friendship.

all the plastics bottles from the OECS. “To deal with this plastic pestilence, the question now in Saint Lucia is how to find the way to collect the bottles. Here is the key issue and I sincerely hope that next year, on this same auspicious occasion, I will be able to tell you: ‘Yes we have started it!’”

On the issue of security His Excellency declared: “I’m also glad to announce that the French Parliament has authorized the approbation of the Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement in Criminal Matters and the Extradition Agreement that were signed last year

by France and Saint Lucia.

Once ratified, and this should be done quickly, these two agreements will provide that France and Saint Lucia grant legal assistance in key areas, in respect of their constitutional principles. These agreements constitute a strong and dissuasive signal that Saint Lucia and France send to criminals and terrorists.”

Talking on the matter of peace, M. Ardanaz revealed: “I’m also proud to announce that on the occasion of the

commemoration of the end of the First World War, 100 years ago, and because peace is currently losing ground every day in the world, France has decided to organise a Peace Forum that will be held in Paris on 11th, 12th and 13th November, 2018 and will bring together heads of state and government, leaders of international organisations, NGOs, intellectuals, stakeholders, all those who want to think, take action, drive modern multilateralism, build peace, because peace is in danger.

“The risk of division, nationalism, inward-looking attitudes, the great fears which can cause democracy to doubt itself, the lack of international co-operation; this is what our world might currently be going through. Consequently, the Paris Peace Forum has one goal: think together, propose concrete initiatives, reinvent multilateralism and all modern forms of co-operation to ensure peace gains ground every day.”

The ambassador concluded with a heartfelt toast that was echoed by the guests: “Long live Sainte Lucie! Vive la France! And long live French and Saint Lucian friendship!”

THE STAR

THE RURAL UNKNOWN from the islands to the United Kingdom but was also the main marketing partner (only for the or millennials like myself, small cost of paying farmers ‘Green Gold’ doesn’t mean retroactively). Add in the much. I would hear my protectionist policies set in the parents casually talk about it Lomé Convention and you had or see my grandfather swell the recipe for a perfect “neowith pride when it came up colonial economy”. but, for all I knew, it was a

For forty years bananas place in Babonneau where thrived, until lobbying efforts to there was a green house dismantle protectionist policies (forgive my naïveté). So, what by American multinational really is this whole Green Gold corporations like Chiquita, phenomenon? Well, I finally Dole and Del Monte ultimately understood. Banana farming Saint Lucia’s golden days led to Green Gold losing to brought in so much money of making plenty green dollar bananas (Latin American that it was equated to trading dollars from bananas may bananas). Nineteen years later, gold hence the name ‘Green need some revisiting. farming has never recovered; Gold’. To be precise it provided after all, the daily cost of a bananas, now carrying gallons employment for about 10,000 Saint Lucian banana farmer is Saint Lucian farmers and at one of water from standpipes to the monthly salary of a Latin their homes or loading up point earned up to $87.6M for our local economy. This industry produce on minibuses hoping to American farm worker.

We could blame our make enough to cover the cost transformed rural, low-income farmers for their over-reliance of transport, I began to wonder families into thriving middleon one commodity, but what what really happened to ‘Green income households and played are our roles in their demise?

Gold’. a huge role in the development One could be our complete Let’s be honest, “Green of political parties, trade unions insensitivity to the fact and our eventual independence. Gold” was born out of neothat about one-tenth of our colonial need. Essentially our

At first, I admit, even population’s financial stability economy was shaped to suit though I was raised in a rural changed overnight and we still community and I am the product the requirements of a colonial have not found a way out of power and what resulted was of farmers (my grandparents it. It’s a hard pill to swallow a highly specialized economy on both sides), I complained when the most successful that focused on just one export that these farmers were not arrangement in our economy commodity: bananas. It’s innovative and they were that benefitted the lower, rural simple: British housewives harbouring the past. But when class was purely neo-colonial in loved bananas and Saint I got older and saw former nature. The question is: are we Lucia could produce them. farmers from the Green Gold ever going to come up with an Furthermore, Geest, a British era, who boasted of buying firm, agreed to not only provide economic arrangement that can their first house or paying top Green Gold? transportation for our product for university tuition all from

By Keithlin Caroo

F

First ever Dental Clinic at St. Lucia National Mental Wellness Centre

T

free of charge to clients.

Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr. Naomi Jn Baptiste said, “Somebody who has mental health problems it’s not just mental health, it’s the person. So they have physical, they have mental and they also have other needs including dental needs, so we think it is very, very important that we have this service.”

The dental clinic will be manned by highly trained staff and will offer a range of services to clients including, cleanings, extractions and fillings. Senior Dental Surgeon with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr. Sherry Ephraim Le Compté, said the opening of this

clinic represents a significant among of work and planning.

Cyrillia, a visitor to the Wellness Centre was present during the launch of the dental service and expressed her view on the initiative.

“Oh I am very, very excited about it. Believe you me, I know dental is very expensive in St. Lucia and it’s a blast knowing that there is a dental service offered here so patients and those who are not able to afford can come here and have their dental done.”

The dental clinic will serve the inpatients of the Wellness Centre and would later extend the services to its outpatients.

21

St. Lucian CHTA Scholarship Recipient Champions Environmental Protection

The Days of Green Gold

here is a close connection between the health of the body and that of the mind. Evidence further suggests that those who experience mental illness also suffer with poor oral health. This was the thrust behind the establishment of a dental clinic for clients of the St. Lucia National Mental Wellness Centre. The Executive Director, Jennifer Forester said the dental service is a welcomed addition to the clinical services offered at the institution.

As with the other services offered at the Wellness Centre, dental services will also be offered

LOCAL

www.stluciastar.com

JUly 21, 2018

J

oanne Felix is a Saint Lucian environmental management specialist stationed on the frontlines of the growing regional movement to protect the Caribbean’s natural environment.

Currently based in Jamaica, she‘s employed with the Jamaican government as Director of Environment and Risk Management. Back in 2011 when Joanne made the decision to further her education, she’d actually had her eye on a career in Saint Lucia’s tourism and hospitality industry. She applied for a scholarship from the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association but she did not succeed. She tried again the following year but, once again, she was unsuccessful. Overcome with disappointment, Joanne began to feel despondent.

However, what she didn’t realize was that those disappointments would turn out to be a valuable learning experience for her and change her outlook on life, ultimately catapulting her on a journey that would help her find her true calling.

“Above all, [not getting] the scholarship taught me the value of perseverance. I felt pretty hopeless. I couldn’t figure out why others couldn’t see my passion, determination and commitment,” said Joanne.

“But eventually I realized that I was no more special than anyone else and I wasn’t owed a scholarship just because I felt I deserved it. So I took a risk and wrote to the CHTA and asked if they would be nice enough to review my two previous applications and tell me what I was doing wrong.

They were kind enough to respond and outlined how my essay submissions weren’t responding to the questions effectively. I implemented everything they said, changed my approach the next year and it worked!

“Since then, I’ve been much more receptive and appreciative of criticism. Today it’s very important to me not to internalize criticism in the workplace but to see the value behind it and the genuine concern,” said Joanne.

With her CHTA scholarship she went off to do a course in hospitality studies at Morgan

This woman’s inspirational story all stemmed from her relationship with CHTA.

State University in Baltimore, USA.

“The experience while studying was a blast! I participated in a number of internships that helped to hone my interest in the hospitality industry. Initially, I was interested primarily in customer service and meeting guest needs, then I ended up falling in love with the concept of sustainability and eco-resorts,” said Joanne.

“I moved back to Baltimore, Maryland and immediately got a job as an executive housekeeper at Hyatt Place Hotel Inner Harbor.

“I stayed with the hotel until my one-year work permit expired. By that time, I had decided to pursue an MSc in Natural Resource & Environmental Management at CERMES, UWI, Cavehill. My experience with sustainability and eco-tourism made me realize that our hospitality industry [in the Caribbean] is entirely dependent on the health of our environment, and yet we had so many examples of the industry negatively impacting the very environment it depends on.”

Although she could have continued her studies in the USA or Europe, Joanne opted to do her degree at UWI instead because she wanted her studies to be grounded in the Caribbean way of life and experience.

When it came time to do

her thesis, Joanne decided she wanted to focus on an area that revolved around the environment and the hospitality industry.

“My thesis was titled ‘An Analysis of the Factors Hindering Commercial Supply of Lionfish (Pterois volitans) in Saint Lucia and Implications for the Market’. Developing this kicked my butt. It was hard work as I had to go around to almost every fishing port, interview all dive shops on the island, interview visitors and locals, restaurant owners, key fisheries sector personnel, etc.”

Meanwhile, Joanne applied for jobs throughout Saint Lucia and in Jamaica.

“Not one of the jobs I applied for in Saint Lucia panned out, which was extremely disappointing because I was desperate to find a meaningful way to give back to my island and implement all what I had learned.”

One of her dreams was to work at the UN. “I had learned a lot about the United Nations during my master’s degree programme and it was my dream to work with them because of all the amazing work they’re doing for the environment globally.

I now live in Jamaica under the CSME Skills Certificate programme. I’ve been working as Director, Environment and Risk Management with the government,” said Joanne.

22 LOCAL

july 21, 2018 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

O’ Victory, Where is Your Mirth? devil take the hindmost.

There is also the temptation to justify outcomes; to explain the validity of a ome say winning is judging process which is everything. And it does entirely beyond your control, feel good. Especially for and from which you maintain a those few ecstatic minutes deliberate and dogged distance. when the unbelievable news

Unfortunately, when that is officially confirmed. Then, system rewards you with every an awesome reality sets in.

Winning everything is definitely possible accolade, mirth mixes with misery; as if your father not everything. Sweeping died, willed everything to you success has setbacks. and nothing to your siblings.

First, there are sceptics It may be legal, fair, even who will shout foul, eroding just; but it is not natural. That your elation and putting you unnaturalness is what I wish to needlessly on the defensive. address.

All manner of unfair advantage

Truth be told, this bizarre will be concocted: money, outcome - TWEL TAKES ALL power, influence, as opposed to creativity, hard work, dedication, was long predicted and brought to the attention of all relevant passion. authorities. The point was

Then, there is your own empathy for fellow competitors. properly made, verbally and in writing, that when a single band These are your peers, old repeatedly wins, especially with friends and foes of long widening margins, something standing. They deserve your is deeply wrong; not with respect and a fair shot at the the winner, but within the prize. Without them, there is competitive environment where no fraternity, no field to fight all should thrive and be viable. on. You did your best and they That is not where we are now, hopefully did theirs, but a sense of honour keeps you from nor where we are heading.

Let it also be said that the saying: victor take the spoils,

By Adrian Augier

S

Carnival Bands Association has consistently proposed solutions and provided leadership. CBA designed the Stakeholder Committee structure and provided institutional support in a period of deep crisis. Inside its own house, a peace was brokered among competing members, rules of engagement were agreed, constitutions updated, and a transparent system of sanctions, rewards and incentives implemented.

Quality controls became the norm, alongside high standards of accountability for public funds.

For a short while, this combination of institutional and financial support generated remarkable results, enhancing the quantum and quality of the carnival band product. Alas, after three years, the system was summarily abandoned, quite possibly at the peak of its success. CBA has since consistently presented facts and figures, arguing passionately for a resumption of support in the interest of equity.

Little surprise then, that some energies have moved

CASTRIES FISHERMEN’S CO-OP RUBIS SERVICE STATION

TEMPORARY CLOSING NOTICE We wish to inform the public that the Castries Fishermen’s Co-Op RUBIS Service Station, is temporarily closed.

However, our Convenience Store will remain open during renovations, Monday to Saturday 8am - 5pm.

Please visit one of our other Rubis stations for your Ultra Tec and Rubigas needs.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Tribe of Twel's victories over the years, and the clean-sweep in 2018, may derive from lack of creative competition rather than biased judging.

conspicuously ahead of the pack, not just among bands, but elsewhere in the carnival kingdom. Witness: with the cleanest lyrics in the competition, Arthur wins Groovy Soca for the fifth year running.

Ricky-T adds yet another accolade to his twenty-odd titles. Babonneau Steel takes Panorama again, miles ahead of the competition.

So, judging is not the problem. It is the fact that excellence is hard work.

Production costs have soared.

Quality has faltered, and skills and material resources are increasingly scarce.

Moreover, we have not studied our successes, nor trained successors. And worse, we have not incentivized newcomers, but left them to forage on the forest floor.

Survival of the fittest may be fine in the jungle, but if we learn anything from nature, it is the need for balance. No system long endures if it is permanently lopsided.

In the same way that our economic system concentrates benefits at the top, burdens at the bottom, and less and less of anything in the middle, our creative talent has become concentrated in a few conspicuous places.

TWEL is not so different from the unbeatable combination of

valuable model. For the sake of the artform and the festival, its success deserves to be studied and reproduced; not just because it's lonely at the top, but because TWEL is an aging demographic and will eventually be gone, burying the old formulas of its success.

For now, TWEL is certainly doing its part: offering workshops, internships and an open-door mas’ camp.

Its governance structure is deliberately flat, with a strong democratic core. The band operates by consensus, like a non-profit co-operative, distributing annual dividends back to revellers after bills are paid. TWEL routinely helps resource-strapped community bands with raw materials and finished goods. These are important features of a formula that clearly works.

With hundreds of years of collective wisdom within its ranks, TWEL clearly understands the need to be part of a dynamic carnival community where success is widely shared. From that perspective, TWEL is not only concerned with what shines above, but what lurks below. All healthy ecosystems must maintain balance, and a passion for self-renewal. We dream of a carnival kingdom where winnertake-all is not an inevitable strategy.

Sustainability requires critical mass: a viable core of carnival bands, designers, builders, and producers who endure, and from whom excellence emerges, not by aberration or accident, but as a matter of course.

It is not often that those at the top call so loudly for a revision of the status quo.

Fortunately, TWEL boasts a fine tradition of leadership and fair play. Like the carnival results, the evidence is clear, the judgement, incontrovertible. We remain able and eager for change. All we need now is for the appointed authorities to listen, and allow us to be part of a sensible solution.

Teddyson John and Ricky-T, or Allison Marquis and Babonneau Steel.

In culture as in commerce, there must be enlightened intervention. If not, a few winners will continue to soar while others stagnate or regress. This is not good, for carnival or country.

Novices will not be inspired. Worthy contenders will become jaded. Everyone becomes doomed by disenchantment. If nothing is done, the gaps will widen, the middle will weaken, and the bottom will remain deeply endangered. Then, when old masters withdraw, mediocrity will continue on its merry way down to hell.

It was not good for democracy when the SLP won 16 to 1. The numbers eventually rebalanced, but the underlying malady festers, in a dangerous psychosis of mood swings and

Adrian Augier is a regime changes which retards development economist and national development. The Saint Lucia’s 2010 Entrepreneur BLP’s one-sided election victory of the Year. He is a Caribbean speaks of a similar malaise in Laureate of Arts and Letters, the Barbados body politic. Many and an award-winning poet, of our systems are broken, producer and mas’ man. but instead of fixing them, we He recently received an become deaf and intolerant. In honorary doctorate from the that scenario everybody reaps University of the West Indies the whirlwind. for his contribution to regional

If TWEL is some unbeatable development and culture. combination of creativity, skill, For more information visit and dedication, it must also be a adrianaugier.blogspot.com

THE STAR

Invitation for Bids (IFB) Government of Saint Lucia Supply of Photovoltaic Systems The Government of Saint Lucia has announced its intention to reduce energy consumption in the public sector by 20% by the year 2020. To assist in this regard, funding has been received from the Japan Caribbean Climate Change Project (JCCCP) under the Green Architecture Promotion Pilot toward Building Resilience to the Adverse Effects of Climate Change. A key component of this project is the installation of photovoltaic systems on suitable public buildings.

The Department of Economic Development invites sealed bids from eligible bidders for the procurement and installation of three solar photovoltaic (PV) systems (6,7and 25 kWp) as part of a strategy to incorporate sustainable energy into the public sector. Bidding will be conducted through the National Competitive Bidding (NCB) procedures according to the Government of Saint Lucia’s procurement rules.

Details about all requirements for the hardware and services to be delivered can be obtained from the bidding documents.

Persons interested in bidding should register with the Department by accessing the registration forms on the Government of Saint Lucia website www.govt.lc/tenders and emailing completed forms to est@govt.lc and copy to kurt.prospere@undp.org.

Please note that the bidding documents will be provided upon registration as well as other necessary instructions for submitting bids.

Deadline for submission of bid is Wednesday 29th August, 2018.

For further information please send an email to est@govt.lc and copy to kurt.prospere@undp.org.

VACANCY EXISTS FOR: Divers/Rescue Divers/Dive Master QUALIFICATIONS • 5 CXC’s including Maths and English Padi Training in Rescue Diver and Dive Master OTHER REQUIREMENTS • Must be a mature individual • Must be able to swim • Must be able to work flexible/long hours • Must have excellent Customer Service skills • Must have a dynamic personality • Must be willing to work hard • Must be able to work under pressure Send your applications to Dive/Rescue Divers P.O. Box 88 Castries St. Lucia Email us at: teentin@hotmail.com

CLASSIFIED 23

www.stluciastar.com

july 21, 2018

Seeking experienced sales associate / secretary for our St Kitts location jewelry store.

• Candidate must be willing to travel to St. Kitts.

• Excellent Salary and commission for the right candidate.

• Must have excellent English speaking skills, high energy, and be people friendly.

• Serious inquiries only.

FOR RENT 2 Bedrooms one bath fully furnished house with laundry room downstairs and storage situated in Phase one, Beausejour, Gros Islet.

Lovely view of the stadium. $2,000.00 water included

Please email resume and picture ID to

vinnieroyalgems@gmail.com for followup interview.

Call: 520-1444

VEHICLE FOR SALE

FOR SALE

Silver Honda CRV, 1996 model good condition.

2012 Kia Sorrento CRDI 2.2 Turbo AWD, Leather interior, Automatic/ Sport 6 speed

Best price! Best offer!

For Sale

Please call Mobile: 730 1844 or 720 5046 For viewing

2013 Ford Ranger Limited 3.2, Automatic 6 speed Leather interior

Call: 519-0590

Call: 519-0590

FOR RENT 3 Rooms Bathroom with bathtub Hot and Cold $450 Monthly

Short term Consultancy with Caribbean Aqua-Terrestrial Solutions

7242888

Experienced Videographer

Position of

VACANCY

The purpose of this short term consultancy is to produce a high

SALES REPRESENTATIVE

impact quality video documentary on beach and shoreline erosion

TRADEVIN LIMITED HEALTH CARE DISTRIBUTION COMPANY INVITES APPLICATION WITH RESUME FROM SUITABLE CANDIDATES. • BUSINESS GRADURATE OR MINIMUM “A” LEVEL WITH (COMPUTER LITERACY) • SALES EXPERIENCE WITH REFERRAL WILL BE PREFERRED ALL APPLICATIONS ALONG WITH RESUME AND RECENT PHOTO TO BE SENT TO tvinmedicals@gmail.com BEFORE AUGUST 31ST 2018

in St Lucia. All eligible individuals and/or firms are invited to apply.

To obtain the TOR for the above position, kindly send an email request to the following address: karibik2@giz.de titled “Request for TOR to produce high impact video documentary”.

The deadline for receipt of all applications and complete set of annexes is Tuesday July 24th , 2018th at 4 pm.

SATURDAY, JUly 21, 2018

www.stluciastar.com

$2.00

If They Only Knew What Only New PM Knew!

S&S

LAYAWAY NOW AVAILABLE AT S&S THE PRICEBUSTERS

school folders for

$1.25

Come and apply for your S & S Loyalty Card

poster art sets

for $5.50

Bois D Orange • Castries • Vieux Fort www.facebook.com/the.pricebusters

bracelet charms

for $25.00

notebooks

for $3.25

4 emoji erasers 12 hb pencils

for $0.75

for $3.75

Also on special : cartoon lunch bags from $12, plain colour lunch bags $10, cartoon printed plastic containers $6, cartoon printed cushions $15, puzzle books from $3.50, story books from $3.25, kindergarten workbooks $4.50, 8gb thumbdrives $36, yoga mats from $24, shoe laces from $2.50, children aprons $7

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