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Happy th Independence Anniversary Saint Lucia • Tel: (758) 450-0021 / 31 / 728 1000 • Fax: (758) 450-0092 • Email: info@bluewatersslu.com • Website: www.bluewatersslu.com

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REFLECTIONS (An over-my-shoulder look at life)

One of a kind

By Michael Walker

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ne hundred and three years old she was when she died and she remained bright, cheerful and positive to the very end.

Fortunately for her, in the waning years of her life she lived in an old folk’s home in Sweden.

Sweden, for any ‘Trumpian’ readers of this column, is the socialist paradise that knows how to take care of its people.

I first met her when I was just twentythree years old. I think it was love at first sight despite the age difference. She was special in so many different ways. Her wardrobe comprised a few, perhaps four or five, thin cotton dresses that she wore, come rain come shine, in summer and in winter.

On her feet she wore wooden clogs the whole year through. She never wore socks or stockings.

The house where she lived with her husband was situated on a corner close to the outskirts of the village. Her garden was large, every inch cultivated to perfection without a blade of grass. Part of the land was dedicated to vegetables, another part to berry bushes of every kind. When they were in season, she would spend hours each day patiently picking the berries that she later used to make the most delicious jams, pies and juices. The fruit from the trees in the orchard that occupied the space to the left of the driveway as you entered the property, suffered the same fate.

Nothing was wasted. Every bit of the garden was cultivated to contribute its fair share to the household’s larder.

Her day in the garden started before dawn even during the darkest of winter months. Occasionally, but only occasionally, she would wear a thin woollen cardigan to protect her from the keenest of winds and the biting frost. Her first duty of a morning was to take the garden rubbish in her wheelbarrow to the village dump a couple of kilometers outside the village. She was the village eccentric; everyone knew Ingeborg, and they all loved and admired her, even though they most certainly found her ‘a little odd’. She belonged to another time, a generation that had passed long ago; even her name was classic Scandinavian.

Ingeborg wasn’t perfect. She had her pet peeves. She hated the Social Democrats with a passion, as did her husband. The two of them even went so far as to refuse to accept their rightful benefits under Sweden’s

excellent welfare system until they were more or less compelled to grudgingly accept the money the State insisted on giving them. Her other hate, besides the Socialists, was crows, which she considered to be scavengers and a threat to the smaller birds that she loved so much. The garden was always full of tiny birds that enjoyed a peaceful, protected existence under Ingeborg’s guardianship; her air pistol saw to that! In her youth Ingeborg had been a crack shot and had won numerous awards for her shooting skills, as the crows discovered to their peril.

Ingeborg loved to read; she was an avid reader, a fact that caused friction between her and her husband, so much so that she usually resorted to retiring to her room for privacy. She didn’t buy many books even though the house had a good library with many fine leatherbound volumes on the shelves. No, she visited the local library once a week and returned home with a week’s supply of books to last her until the following visit. Once, during a particularly cold and freezing spell, she slipped on a patch of ice and broke her leg, which made her husband quite vexed because he did not approve of her reading habits.

On that occasion she still managed to walk home, books in her basket, with her broken leg trailing behind her. Her other hobby was painting—she did not consider gardening a hobby; it was her way of life—and she created the most beautiful landscapes, flowers and birds that decorate our walls even today. For her eightieth birthday, we bought her a bike that she proudly rode to and from the shop in the village for a decade before she gave up cycling after an accident that she never told us about but we suspected something was wrong and I made a surprise round-trip of 150 miles to check on her. When I got there I was horrified to find a broken bone sticking out of her arm. I immediately took her to the local hospital where the doctors and nurses all gathered around in amazement to view their odd, new patient. As far as she was concerned it was nothing to make a fuss about.

Ingeborg was a good cook though she herself never participated in meals, preferring to sit on a three-legged stool in the corner of the dining room waiting on the rest of us. Her own meals were comprised of boiled, mixed vegetables that she ate when no one else was around.

My mother-in-law was born in 1900 and died in 2003. She was one of a kind. They don’t make them like her any more. I wish she were still alive today.

MARCH 23, 2019 THE STAR

HRH Prince Charles' Address at Welcome Ceremony Your Excellencies, Prime Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It could hardly give me greater pleasure to be with all of you here in Saint Lucia this evening and to play my part, however small, in helping you celebrate this fortieth anniversary of Saint Lucia’s Independence.

Her Majesty The Queen specifically asked me to bring you her warmest greetings and congratulations. I realise, of course, that I am slightly late for the big day itself but I have to admit that I am rather glad to have given you all an excuse to continue the party!

Above all, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to return to Saint Lucia and to have this opportunity to see so many of you once again.

My wife and I have particularly fondly memories of our last visit here, in 2008, as indeed I have from my time on the West Indies Station when I was serving in the Royal Navy back in 1973.

On this occasion, I am so pleased to be here, at Vieux Fort, and to have this opportunity to join the people of the South of the island for this special celebration.

Ladies and Gentlemen, if I may say so, for a small island, Saint Lucia has a big history, and the road that Saint Lucia travelled to Independence in 1979 was long and took many turns. Four decades on, as you look back at the journey you have taken and look ahead to the future you are building, the people of Saint Lucia have so much of which they can be proud.

Today, the name of this land—the only country in the world to bear the name of a woman—is known the world

over. 1.2 million international visitors flock to these shores each year; your sportsmen and women, and your musicians, are making a name for themselves internationally; as are young entrepreneurs such as Johanan Dujon, whom I met recently in London and whose company, making organic fertiliser from toxic sargussum seaweed, the Caribbean’s first indigenous agriculture biotech company, is just one example of Saint Lucia’s abundant talent and creativity. Famously, of course, Saint Lucia has more Nobel Laureates, per capita, than any other country on the planet.

Above all, Ladies and Gentlemen, it gives me particular pride that Saint Lucia today is such a vital member of our Commonwealth family, which binds together 2.4 billion of us, across fifty-three countries on six continents, through our shared experience and common values.

This year we celebrate the Commonwealth’s seventieth birthday, making it, therefore, just a few months younger than I am myself. The Commonwealth has been a cornerstone of my life for as long as I can remember and, through all the unprecedented global change of these past seven decades, it seems to me that the Commonwealth remains as vital today as it has ever been.

Importantly, the Commonwealth brings us together, and gives us the means to harness shared opportunities as well as to address common challenges.

There no greater challenge facing all of us, in my view, and indeed in that of the Prime Minister as we heard, than that of climate change, which I know poses nothing short

of an existential threat to this island as it does to every part of this region. I saw for myself the devastation that Hurricanes Maria and Irma wrought in Dominica, Barbuda and the British Virgin Islands when I visited those communities in November 2017. Tackling the truly alarming threat of climate change, and finding some ways of mitigating the risk it presents, is, and must continue to be, a top priority for the Commonwealth. I am particularly pleased to know, therefore, that through the Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme, the mapping of Saint Lucia’s seabed will not only inform our understanding of the effects of climate change, but has the potential to help develop Saint Lucia’s vital Blue Economy in significant and sustainable ways.

For this, and so many other reasons, I have great hope for the future of Saint Lucia and her people.

This is a strong society, I know, and one which places special emphasis on family and community. As you celebrate, this year, everything that Saint Lucia has achieved over these four decades of her Independence, I know that you also take pride in committing yourselves to building the strongest, brightest future for this country. For my part, I can only pray that Saint Lucia and her people continue to thrive and to flourish, and that prosperity, security and wellbeing might be the inheritance of many generations of Saint Lucians to come.

Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen and Happy Independence Day!

New Treatment in Saint Lucia for Varicose Veins

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n March 14, 2019 surgeons carried out a procedure which up to this time had never been performed in Saint Lucia. The procedure is called “radiofrequency ablation of the saphenous vein” and is used in the treatment of varicose veins. Many people are familiar with varicose veins and the fact that venous disease can cause significant symptoms including pain, swelling and ulceration.

Treatment of this condition often includes dealing with the saphenous vein. The usual method is called stripping. This requires a cutting operation

performed under general anesthetic with at least one night spent in hospital and several days to a few weeks of recuperation.

However, radiofrequency ablation, a more modern technique, allows the procedure to be carried out under local anesthetic and is performed as a day case. The technology uses a simple injection and the passage of a wire which can then deal with the saphenous vein.

As the process is less invasive, the pain and swelling are less, and recovery is much quicker. The procedure was

performed as part of a training workshop at St. Jude Hospital

by Dr. Dave Harnanan and Nurse Azyadeth Contreras with support from Medtronic and Bryden Pi out of Trinidad. Surgeons from Saint Lucia and other islands of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States participated in the training workshop.

There was also a lecture for the all-medical health professionals at Tapion Hospital conference room on Friday March 15, and a television programme geared towards educating the public on the subject on Thursday evening on Healthwise on HTS.

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Felix claims Successive Administrations have ignored Firefighters’ Pleas!

Dean Nestor

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ver since March 13 when Shane Felix was a guest on Newsspin, the industrial action taken by the Saint Lucia Fire Service Association has been at the forefront of public discourse. This political carrion predictably had the usual vultures circling it, hoping to capitalise on the public’s notoriosly short memory. But the issues brought up by the SLFSA president are not new, as he has stated on numerous occasions.

The political reactions are indicative of the reasons the problems persist. An example of this can be seen in the circumstances surrounding the commencement of the most recent round of talks with the government. As Felix said in a sit-down with me: “As soon as I walked out of the Newsspin interview with Timothy, I got the call. The labour minister was on the line.”

Since then, the SLFSA has had two meetings with government officials; one with the Labour Minister Stephenson King, the other with the Government Negotiating Team.

King came out of last Friday’s meeting admitting the issues needed to be resolved, but also ominously stating his suspicion that the SLFSA’s industrial action is illegal.

At a March 18 press conference, King declared that “the Association has violated

SLFSA President Shane Felix says politicians on both sides of the divide have contributed to the department’s problems.

the collective agreement”. He cited article 32: “When any grievance arises, there shall be no interruption of work or other violation of this agreement of any kind on account thereof but the same shall be settled as promptly as possible.” King added: “It is to be determined whether the officers have indeed violated the agreement, which I believe they have.”

No surprise that the opposition party jumped in.

At the SLP’s press conference on Wednesday, Philip J Pierre stated: “When the Fire Service

went on strike for 14 days [in 2014], no minister in the Labour Party ever threatened them.

This strike, as I understand, has been on for seven days and already you’ve heard the threats.”

Pierre also took the opportunity, to blame the current government for what is happening with the SLFSA. “I understand that there are issues with the Fire Service, but it’s this government’s incompetence, and this government’s haste, to condemn and reject anything

that has been started by the Labour Party, that has put them in that position with the Fire Service.”

On the other hand, Felix told the STAR: “Some persons are trying to make this look political. However, this has spanned several administrations: Mr. King, Dr. Anthony, Dr. Vaughan Lewis and even our current prime minister. This has spanned over four decades and nothing has happened.”

On Wednesday, the opposition leader listed a number of measures he claimed the SLP administration had taken to improve working conditions for the fire service, including the transfer of the then fire chief after a 2013 Commission of Inquiry and the construction of a number of fire stations, most notably the one in Babonneau which Pierre claimed was abandoned for two years by the current government.

On Monday, Labour Minister King also referenced the Commission of Inquiry: “That report which was concluded in 2013 addressed a number of issues which certainly the past and present administrations have attempted to deal with.”

He added, "In 2017 Cabinet again dealt with some aspects of the report, in which the department drew to the attention of Cabinet some issues to be cleared off.”

King concluded: “Some

kind of movement seemed to have taken place since the Commission of Inquiry, which addressed issues from 1996 to 2012/13, issues addressed by the Department of the Public Service.”

Despite all the work done to alleviate the SLFSA’s problems after the 2012/2013 Commission of Inquiry, as both King and Pierre would have you know, there was a two-week strike by the SLFSA in 2014.

Recalling that industrial action, Felix declared: “The only thing that came out of that was the then Chief Fire Officer was retired in the public interest.

But that did not solve the issues of the fire service. The truth is the gentleman was sent home for violations he committed. The actual issues complained of, what senior officers can and cannot do, remain.”

As for the “abandoned” Babonneau fire station, Felix lamented that though it “was constructed and completed, the authorites were unable to staff it because we simply didn’t have the numbers. It’s like people are interested in political mileage.

You hear them saying, 'They gave us a fire station so we should vote for them.' But that station was unmanned for almost a year. Even when we were able to man it, it wasn’t with the requisite staff. We were able only to replace staff that had left the department.

That had no positive effect

on the required numbers. We opened the station but without adequate staff.”

The SLFSA president told the STAR that the main issue fire officers want addressed is the promotions process: an issue highlighted both in a 1996 Management Audit Committee Report and in a 2016 Strategic Assessment Report on the Saint Lucia Fire Service presented

by Local Partnerships LLP. On Monday, King acknowledged: “There seems to be quite a number of matters to be resolved, including a number of disciplinary actions and other shortcomings within the Department. My position is that we need to resolve them once and for all.”

On the other hand, he said that while some of the resolutions “can be initiated immediately, we cannot have a determination made in the short term. Some of them may call for consultation, some call for policy changes, some call for legal changes. For example, the matter to do with review of existing legislation— that takes a little time.”

It doesn’t appear that the promotion process issue, the SLFSA’s main bone of contention, is going to be resolved any time soon!

Shane Felix has for nearly two weeks, enunciated the concerns of SLFSA officers; and all and sundry, including the politicians, have heard and responded. But clearly, they have not listened.

MINISTRY OF COMMERCE CONGRATULATES 2019 COMMONWEALTH YOUTH AWARDEE - JOHANAN DUJON

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he management and staff of the Ministry of Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs would like to congratulate Saint Lucia’s Mr. Johanan Dujon, owner of Algas Organics, for receiving the 2019 Commonwealth Youth Award. Mr. Dujon was among four young entrepreneurs, and the only Caribbean National, who obtained the coveted award on March 13, 2019.

Mr. Dujon’s company converts argassum seaweed into bio-fertilizers and

household chemicals, abating the detrimental effect of the seaweed’s hydrogen sulphide emissions. The products are sold to commercial farmers and households. He won in the category'Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, meeting Sustainable Development Goal No. 9 (SDG 9)'.

We are particularly proud of Mr. Dujon as a client of the Small Enterprise Development Unit (SEDU), a department within the Ministry of Commerce. During his engagements with the SEDU, he won the Young Entrepreneur

of the Year at the Saint Lucia Business Awards in January 2017. He also served as a resource person, sharing his experiences with other startups and hopefuls, with a view to encouraging them to start a business, or understand the challenges and constraints and strategies to minimize disruptions in their operations, and improve profitability.

Mr. Dujon is also a client of Export Saint Lucia and has received assistance in research and market penetration from the agency, an affiliate under the Department of Commerce.

Commerce agreed to explore the use of his fertilizer on a number of their baseball fields and golf courses. Mr. Dujon has been very passionate about having his product adorn the shelves of international stores.

His vision, his product and the positive impact of his fertilizer on the environment should be lauded by all Saint Lucians and environmentalist the world over.

The Ministry wishes Guy Mayers (left) and Johanan Dujon at the 2019 CYA. Mr. Dujon continued success,

During the last few markets. Most recently, on an and encourage our youth to be Export Saint Lucia-led visit to months his “Plant Tonic” has inspired by his achievements garnered heightened interest the United States, members and remain committed to in regional and international from the Miami Chamber of realizing their vision.

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March 23, 2019 THE STAR

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Cannabis movement wants national address

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n an interview with the STAR last week, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet disclosed his government had reached a decision to decriminalize cannabis and ultimately explore commercial opportunities in the medical industry. On Wednesday, chairman of the Cannabis Movement, Mr. Andre De Caires, expressed his support but not without some reservations. “It’s incumbent on the leader of the country to make a formal announcement with an issue like that,” he said.

“That’s just proper protocol and respect for the nation. We’re hoping for a national address, so that everybody knows the rules and regulations. That’s the correct and best way to roll out a policy covering an issue so contentious.”

De Caires said there were a number of components the address should feature, including a moratorium on incarceration and eradication, and an amnesty for prisoners.

On the other hand, Aaron Alexander of the Iyanola

Mr. Andre De Caires, Chairman of the Cannabis Movement. His support was not without reservations.

Council for the Advancement of Rastafari has continued ICAR’s call for an apology to the Rastafarian community, similar to that by Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne last year. During Browne’s presentation of his Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill he offered an apology to Antigua’s Rastafarian community for their suffered “brutalization”.

Alexander believes that an

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apology must form part of the many steps to be taken before decriminalization.

“We all know who has suffered the brunt of persecution for cannabis,” said Alexander, “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out. So if the prime minister is genuine, and he’s looking forward to decriminalization and legalization for Saint Lucia to realize some benefits, I think it’s

New Technology and Equipment for Local Extension Officers in Banana Industry

only fair that he should address the human casualties in this so-called war on drugs.”

He added: “They must look at ways and means of having some sort of reparations for the damage that was done to the Rastafari community.”

Alexander is sceptical of the decriminalization announcement by the prime minister. “Never trust a politician,” he said. “Never take the word of a politician unless you see something actually happening.”

The STAR caught up with both advocates at a meeting this week, in advance of the registration of a proposed cannabis cooperative. Rock Jean, who said that the focus was on understanding the principles of a cooperative, facilitated the meeting. An interim committee has been established and will undergo a series of training sessions from the ministry of agriculture’s cooperative department.

---JSA

Extension officers received kits to perform soil testing procedures that they learnt on Wednesday.

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ocal Extension Officers engaged in the banana industry are now empowered and able to conduct on-farm diagnoses and determine the pH and nutrient status of the soil.

The new technology was introduced and taught to extension officers employed with the Banana Productivity Improvement Project at a special training session conducted by Taiwanese Banana expert Tsung-Hsien Wu. The officers, who also received soil-testing kits, were taught the general principles of soil sampling, application of the

various reagents and diagnosing and testing for soil acidity level and major elements.

The ability to conduct onfarm tests means that farmers no longer have to wait for weeks for results after samples have been collected and sent to a laboratory for testing.

On-farm diagnosis allows farmers to take prompt action to address nutrient deficiencies by applying the correct fertilizer formula and in the right quantity, thereby increasing productivity and returns on investment.

The training took place on March 20, 2019 at La Caye, Dennery.

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MARCH 23, 2019

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March 23, 2019 THE STAR

Why the SLP Educator awarded Government didn’t 2019 Canadian Implement its own HIA Francophonie Program Redevelopment Project!

Scholarship

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f you are among the many STAR readers who’ve wondered why the opposition party did not put into effect its own plans for a much improved new Hewanorra International Airport when it was in a position to do so, and “at no cost to taxpayers”, Philip J. Pierre recently provided the answer.

“It wasn’t completed because we were going through an international procurement process that necessitated we give bidders time to tender. Also we needed time to answer their questions.”

In a February 26 letter addressed to Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority general manager Daren Cenac, Pierre wrote that when in government between 2011 and 2016 his party had taken “positive verifiable steps” to complete the HIA project, by which the SLP leader referred to a 30-year PPP financing arrangement.

In his letter to SLASPA, Pierre wrote: “We note that based on the timetable at the time, the financial closing would have been May 2017 and construction would commence soon after.”

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Opposition Leader Philip J Pierre says that the reason for the SLP’s protracted HIA project process was its being subject to bidders’ response.

Pierre told this reporter: “The international procurement process took a long time to be completed.” Meanwhile the electorate had replaced the SLP

with a new government with its own development plans for HIA. Not so complicated after all!

---DN

Chamber Hosts Free Colloquia for Emerging Executives

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s part of its contribution to the nation celebrating 40 years of independence, the Saint Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture has decided to host a free colloquia for emerging executives, on the subject of ‘The Evolving Role of Managers’.

This dialogue will be led by Mr. Francis Lewis of ResConsulting, an accomplished regional business executive who has had vast experience in numerous industries at the

highest level, from banking to manufacturing to aviation.

Additionally, he has lectured at the doctoral level at the Sir Arthur Lok Jack School of Business at St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago. Now consulting across the region and specifically conducting training in effective sales in Saint Lucia, Francis Lewis has agreed to deliver a very provocative lecture to the emerging executives.

ResConsulting is collaborating with the Saint

Lucia Chamber of Commerce on hosting two two–day training sessions next week: ‘Effective Sales Management’ for managers who oversee a sales team, and ‘Becoming a Sales Champion’ for salespersons who wish to make their targets and grow their commissions exponentially.

The colloquia will be followed by a ‘meet and greet’ session among attendees. The event is sponsored by Peter and Company Distribution, Carasco and Son and 1st National Bank.

mmanuella Louis is a diligent educator from Saint Lucia who is committed to serving her country and educating her students. It is this commitment that motivated her to apply for the Canadian Francophonie Scholarship Program, where she emerged as the awardee.

The Government of Canadafunded scholarship programme is offered to nationals of developing Francophonie member countries and is aimed at building stronger institutions through increasing the knowledge and skills of their employees.

The scholarship will allow her to pursue a twoyear Master’s programme in Educational Technology at Laval University in Quebec, Canada. She currently works as an Educator at the Bocage Secondary School, specializing in teaching French and Spanish.

Her dream has always been to make a significant contribution to her country, and this goal will be realised as she uses this training to fuse her love for technology with her current field of work.

Although the importance of ICT in the classroom has been recognized, she believes that many educators do not use it due to lack of training. This was one of the driving forces behind her application for the scholarship. On completion, she aspires to return to Saint Lucia armed with knowledge

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Bocage Secondary School foreign languages teacher Emmanuella Lewis plans to return home after completing her Master’s in Educational Technology.

and training to help reshape the educational sector, and advance student knowledge utilising technology.

A resident of the community of Gros Islet, Emmanuella Louis has a Bachelor’s degree in French and Spanish from the University of West Indies Cave Hill Campus and a Post-graduate Diploma in Education and a Diploma

in Advanced French (DALF C1) from the International Centre of Pedagogical Studies.

The applications for the 2019 award were evaluated by a local advisory committee comprising representatives of various ministries in their country with the accredited Canadian Diplomatic Mission acting as observer to ensure transparency of the selection process.

Airport bomb hoaxer charged!

n Thursday the police confirmed that the suspect in the eve of Independence bomb threat received by personnel at George F.L. Charles Airport had been charged on three counts, including attempted suicide. Moreover, that he had been granted bail in the sum of $5,000.

According to the Criminal Code of Saint Lucia, a person who attempts to commit suicide is liable to two years in prison. The crime of bomb threats carries a prison terms of two to five years.

Meanwhile police remain tight-lipped regarding details of the attempted suicide, for fear it negatively impacts their case.

THE STAR

MARCH 23, 2019

www.stluciastar.com

COURTS OPTICAL GIVES 250 FREE GLASSES TO STUDENTS IN ST. LUCIA!

Courts Optical Brighter View CSR initiative is aimed at delivering comprehensive eye care to young individuals facing vulnerable circumstances throughout the Caribbean at no cost

As part of this initiative, Courts Optical St. Lucia will provide 250 free frames to students between the ages of 5 – 18, who are faced with vision challenges during the course of 2019.

Here’s to bringing a Brighter View through Courts Optical.

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march 23, 2019 THE STAR

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St Lucia first to welcome Prince Charles on Caribbean tour

he Phillip Marcellin Grounds in Vieux Fort was filled to capacity this past Sunday with officials and students from all over the island who turned out to welcome Prince Charles on his latest visit to Saint Lucia. Sunday’s event began with a military parade on the field, during which Prince Charles, Governor General Neville Cenac and Prime Minister Allen Chastanet made their grand entrance at the field.

The prime minister later expressed gratitude that the visit coincided with the island’s 40th anniversary celebrations.

He also drew attention to the fact that this was the prince’s third visit.

“Saint Lucia continues to cherish and benefit from its longstanding relationship with the monarchy which has taken this island from colonialism through Associated Statehood, and now Independence,” he said. He referenced local entrepreneur Johanan Dujon,

who on March 13 won the 2019 Commonwealth Youth Award for the Caribbean and the Americas Region.

“Over the last few years,” said the prime minister, “the Commonwealth has had to come to terms with the changing landscape of the global community and has now entered into a new paradigm, especially with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals.”

He promised that Saint Lucia would take full advantage of the Commonwealth’s diverse membership to meet development objectives. He said that in the first forty years of Independence we have achieved much, despite being a small country with limited resources.

“The challenges we face are many,” he said. “Among them crime, unemployment and improving our social services.

But among greatest we face is the issue of climate change.

Prince Charles (front right) and Governor General Neville Cenac (rear right) being escorted by officers across the field.

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We’re not in this alone. Climate change does not discriminate.

Whether you are big or small, rich or poor, it affects us all!”

He said participation in the OECS, CARICIOM and the

Commonwealth is testimony to the adage that there is indeed strength in numbers.

Prince Charles shared similar sentiments. With the Commonwealth set to celebrate

its 70th anniversary in April, he said: “It seems to me that the Commonwealth remains as vital today as it has ever been.”

Like Chastanet, he acknowledged there is no

greater challenge than that of climate change, which “poses nothing short of an existential threat” to the island and region.

He added: “Tackling the truly alarming threat of climate change, and finding some ways of mitigating the risk it presents is, and must continue to be, a top priority for the Commonwealth . . . I know that you also take pride in committing yourselves to building the strongest, brightest future for this country.”

Prince Charles was not only the day’s featured speaker, but also awarded Saint Lucian Dorothy Phillip the Commonwealth Point of Light award. A cancer survivor, Ms. Phillip founded ‘Faces of Cancer’ in 2009. It provides support to local cancer patients.

A cultural presentation, courtesy the Helen Folk Dancers and the Eastern Folk Band, followed the Prince’s address. The Prince’s departure signalled the start of the ‘Best of Saint Lucia’ concert shortly thereafter. Spilt into two parts, it featured calypso followed

by Soca/Dennery Segment.

Making appearances were Ashanti, Invader, TC Brown, Mongstar, Teddyson John and Ezra. Their audience was most appreciative.

---Joshua St. Aimee

Courts Ready Cash Launches Microloans for Small Businesses

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he Unicomer Group reinforces its commitment to Saint Lucians with the launch of Microloans by Courts Ready Cash® for start-ups and small business owners.

Microloan is a unique product that offers not just a financial solution, but provides clients with well-needed support to build capacity and scale up.

Capacity building is necessary to increase the chances of success and it comes at no additional cost under Courts’ Broadening Horizons® initiative.

Microloans by Courts Ready Cash was launched on Thursday March 14, 2019 at a press conference with representatives from

the Ministry of Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs; the Chamber of Commerce, Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association, small business owners and members of the media.

The keynote speaker, Mrs. Taribba do Nascimento, spoke on her experience as an entrepreneur and expressed her appreciation to Unicomer for “spearheading this movement to support small and micro businesses, which will not only positively affect our economy, but also be an important means to an end for thousands of women in Saint Lucia.” The programme provides highly

concessionary rates to women entrepreneurs.

The Ready Cash Chain Manager, Mrs. Alexandra DuBoulay, stressed the company’s dedication to this project to help stimulate the Saint Lucian economy, which is especially timely given the high levels of youth unemployment.

She highlighted the fact that the aim of this product is to help create self-employment opportunities in areas of agriculture, craft and trade, among others.

Mrs. DuBoulay stated, “Microloans are designed to empower the entrepreneur to achieve their dreams of success through hassle-free financing, tailor-made training sessions,

and support. For us this is more than just financing, it is a partnership; a way to build their capacity and strengthen their abilities.”

Microloans by Courts Ready Cash provides a combination of extraordinary convenience, reliable service and ease of doing business within very competitive rates in the non-traditional financial sector.

Unicomer, primarily through its Courts Ready Cash and Courts Optical brands, continues to maintain true to its corporate mandate, enabling people and communities to have a positive impact on the economies within which it operates.

THE STAR

MARCH 23, 2019

www.stluciastar.com

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10 comment

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march 23, 2019 THE STAR

CONSULTATION: A HIGHLY ABUSED WORD Peter Josie

T

he word ‘consultation’ gained notoriety when political activists here attempted to make a case for general elections before Independence. It was considered a travesty that a great proponent of the process was unwilling to consult anyone once his mind was made up.

This hard-headedness has been held against that individual, even after his death. The truth is, there are personalities who defy accepted rules of public opinion (consultations?), even as they purport to serve the popular will. Only last week, a former prime minister of Saint Lucia, addressing the 40th anniversary of the botched Grenada revolution, mentioned George Odlum’s (Foreign Minister) inflexibility to compromise with his prime minister as partially responsible for the demise of the “left” in the region.

From my forty or so years

in politics, I can say with conviction that consultation is a much abused and misunderstood word. I did not keep a diary of the many times I called town hall meetings in an effort to consult constituents on important community and national issues. Only the curious came. I feel certain that little has changed. In any event I never set out to consult with every constituent, but merely to inform interested members of the current issue. My job as MP was to do what I thought was right and best for my constituency and to convince the more sceptical ones to support. I believe that a true leader has to be unafraid to do things that may be unpopular at a particular time, knowing that in future the people will see the wisdom of his deeds.

Still, there is a broader issue to the idea of consultation which some leaders may be afraid to confront. Who decides when consultations ought to be exercised, by whom, and to what extent? In a democracy such as is practised in Saint Lucia, political parties tend to consult and canvass supporters

and others for votes. Yet no one knows how they arrive at their manifestoes. Is this consultation? After elections the parties seldom return to consult anyone on any issue, no matter how important. In any event, if a government in power wishes to consult, shouldn’t it trust the views of those who voted it into office over those who want it out of office?

Incidentally, who do the heads of organisations consult before acting on an issue important to their members?

A wise leader will certainly wish to consult with people he believes can reasonably advise him on a more successful outcome of the issue at hand.

No leader, however, is bound to consult anyone except his most trusted and knowledgeable officials. He will be certain to keep himself free to accept or reject any advice proffered.

That is the essence of wise leadership.

After a wise leader has come to office he is no longer on a popularity contest. Such a leader, if a political one, would be better advised to be feared and respected than to

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Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence.

be loved and disrespected. This dilemma, I discovered first-hand over forty years ago, was the Achilles heel of the St. Lucia Labour Party. Perhaps its weak Christian faith, its poverty of spirit and the illiteracy of its rank and file militates against the discernment of the qualities best suited for a political leader, even today.

The truth is that many leaders exhibit at least two sides to their personalities. In office, some take themselves too seriously, behaving as if they alone understand the burden of allocating scarce resources to the many social and economic problems bequeathed to their citizens. Others treat too lightly and informally the significance of raising the thinking of their citizens, whose misfortune it is to be on the lowest rung of the social and economic ladder.

In either case a leader stands alone most of the time, in doing what he thinks is best for his people. He must be prepared to stand or fall by his decisions, no matter how important (and unpopular) they may be at the time. He learns quickly that those who shout “consultation” loudest do it in their narrow self-interest. A wise leader keeps in mind the rest of the population who may need a

hands-up.

The first duty of a political leader is the safety of the citizen, the leader and the state. No other comes close.

To love one’s people as one loves himself merely underpins the safety rule. In the present atmosphere of crime on the island, a leader must unleash without any fanfare or speech an order to capture and/or exterminate the criminals that have killed innocent citizens, wherever they are hiding.

IMPACS be damned! He who feels it knows it. Saint Lucia needs to exact revenge on anyone who kills—period.

In the present snail-pace atmosphere of the justice system our leaders must lead and stop hiding as a former prime minister used to.

We must stop searching for a perfect “gentleman/leader”.

They don’t make these. They never did. We can check the Old Testament for proof.

In an analysis of the books of Samuel and Kings in the Bible (Old Testament), we learn that Saul was a near to perfect man whom God asked Samuel to anoint king. Yet early Jewish history teaches us that a perfect leader is inherently flawed. The ego of such a flawless leader is bound to get the better of him.

On the other hand, David was not perfect. He was not even wholly Jewish. His great-grandmother was Ruth, whose Jewish lineage was questioned even after David was anointed king. It helped humble David. It helped him not to let power get to his head.

Saul, on the other hand ,saw himself differently. He had no chink in his armour. That is why he fell apart. There was no one to deflate his ego. There is therefore no more tragic biblical ruler than Saul. He represents what could have been but was not.

From a comparison of Saul and David, we can extrapolate lessons about the inherent challenges of leadership, both in our personal lives and in the lives of those granted the opportunity to lead a nation.

Since some of our former prime ministers are still fresh in our minds, we can compare them with the present prime minister and decide for ourselves which is more like Saul and which more like David.

Notwithstanding, it seems clear that consultations can be abused, misunderstood and sometimes even unjust. It is on this dilemma that the island’s current industrial climate balances.

SLTA Invites Saint Lucians to Get Involved in Newest Marketing Campaign

W

ith the arrival of 2019, and 40 years since the independence of our island, the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) is launching its newest marketing campaign.

In this latest campaign ‘Limitless Saint Lucia’, the Authority is aiming to reach and inspire a new audience of hundreds of thousands, organically, with stories of the island that will nurture into a future trip to our island. To do this, the organisation is calling on Saint Lucians in an effort to jointly raise awareness for the island.

The campaign promotes the destination as a true escape—with beautiful scenery, people and lush natural resources—and will utilize the images and stories submitted by everyday Saint Lucians to provide potential visitors with an intimate look into life on the island.

“As the intermediary between the travellers to our island and the locals who

USA Director of Marketing, Kelly Fontenelle-Clarke invites Saint Lucians to share their stories.

are the purveyors of these authentic experiences, the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority is aiming to bring innovative solutions that inspire travel,” remarked SLTA Director of Marketing for the USA, Kelly Fontenelle-Clarke. “The results of these partnerships and their substantial economic benefits bring significant impact to Saint Lucian communities and residents.”

Saint Lucians can get involved by sharing their images and videos online at:

stlucia.stories.travel/invite/ guest. The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority will help bring these stories to the world and by promoting the campaign through social channels, media placements and press releases.

As an additional thank you, favourite submissions will be able to unveil more secrets of the island with a $250 credit towards their own adventure.

For more information about the island of Saint Lucia, visit stlucia.org

THE STAR

march 23, 2019

www.stluciastar.com

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12 COMMENT

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march 23, 2019 THE STAR

For how much we keep payin

G

oodness knows how many times a day I am reminded of V.S. Naipaul’s observation that the Caribbean is doomed precisely because its people have never learned the difference between reality and carnival. Small wonder that the late great writer was as much revered as despised for his bluntness, especially when referencing fellow West Indians.

Our own Derek Walcott on more than one occasion marked him “alarmingly venal” and racist.

“Frankness doesn’t absolve him of it,” wrote our own dearly departed Nobel laureate in a review of Naipaul’s The Garden Path, featured in What the Twilight Says. “If Naipaul’s attitude towards Negroes . . . was turned on Jews, for example, how many people would praise him for his frankness? Who would have exalted that ‘honesty’ for which he is praised as our only incorruptible writer from the Third World?”

If there is truth in Walcott’s assertions, still that does not mean his fellow departed genius was totally off base and all of the time prejudiced. In all events I dare to say Naipaul and Walcott saw eye to eye on aspects of West Indian life.

What separated them were their respective reactions to what they saw. For instance, Naipaul seems almost to take pleasure

from reminding his readers of Michael Swan’s conclusion, reproduced from The Marches of El Dorado: “Tropical people prefer a subsistence and little work to hard work and a higher standard of living.” (Written long before STEP!) Here is a young Walcott speaking for himself: “We recalled illiteracy for what it was, a defect, not the attribute it is now considered to be by revolutionaries. Language was earned, there was no self-contempt, no vision of revenge . . . Our melodramatic instincts demanded sudden upheavals, and found nothing in the Roman patience of legal reforms. We became infuriated at the banal demands of laborer and peasant. We romanticized the poor. But the last thing which the poor needed was the idealization of their poverty.

No play could be paced to the repetitive, untheatrical patience of hunger and unemployment.

Hunger produces enervation of will and knows one necessity . . . the empire of hunger includes work that is aimed only at necessities.”

And so we come to John Compton, in some quarters considered a revolutionary, largely because of his 1950s involvement in the local sugarcane plantation disputes.

We meet him now as the prime minister delivering his May 26,

1987 budget address before the parliament of Saint Lucia. He is especially concerned about what he describes as “the high cost of public administration” and the vampiric demands for pay increases by the public sector unions. “Since 1979,” he says, “the government of both parties have been attempting to buy industrial peace by borrowing ourselves into bankruptcy, the consequences of which all will suffer.”

In order to buy peace, says the prime minister, “government has met all claims for retroactive payment to all employees, whether monthly or daily paid.” Additionally: “I have discovered a trend which, if not halted, can result in the destruction of the impartiality of the public service as is provided for under the Constitution.”

From his perspective “a public servant enjoys a special and privileged position in our society. His or her appointment is made by an independent commission whose members, once appointed for a fixed term, cannot be removed except for grave misconduct and then, only by special procedures.

A public officer is guaranteed employment until retirement or death and can be dismissed only for grave misconduct and after due inquiry. His or her salary is the first charge on the Consolidated Fund. On

Public servants with their leaders discussing last week what the g

retirement he or she is entitled to substantial gratuity and to a pension for the rest of his or her life.”

Two years later the same prime minister was still singing the same old song about the

increasing cost of governance, including “paying for industrial peace.” His June 1995 budget address started on a familiar, if more desperate note: “The entire public service must also be the subject of an

in-depth examination to ensure its function of delivering efficiently the government services to the public, and without being such a burden that it is an impediment to the state. We must do this ourselves—rather than inviting the

THE STAR

march 23, 2019

COMMENT 13

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ch longer can ing for peace?

what the government will have to ‘pay for peace’ this time around!

assistance of the IMF and paying the enormous social costs of such invitation.”

He referenced Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield and Mr. Micawber, just released from debtors’ prison, who offers the

story’s hero a piece of advice: “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery. The blossom is blighted, the leaf is withered, the god of day goes down upon the dreary

scene and—and, in short, you are for ever floored. As I am.”

Compton breaks it down for local consumption: “To earn ten dollars and to spend nine, the result happiness. To earn ten and to spend eleven, the

result misery.” Continuing to ignore Mr. Micawber’s advice would create a debt trap, said the prime minister, “and it is hoped all will see this trap and work to avoid it.”

Alas, while every single prime minister after Compton recognized the debt deathtrap, not one has ever found the courage to take effective evasive action. Fast forward to 27 February, 2013. Kenny Anthony is addressing the nation on TV. His opening words: “Over the past two days our families and businesses have had to face a measure of disruption in their daily lives and routines. Our children have not been able to attend their schools because the vast majority of their teachers foretold—four days in advance—they would all fall ill on designated days: Monday and Tuesday of this week. So too did some civil servants, thus disrupting some of the services provided by the government.”

A former president of the teachers’ union, he well understood “the passions of the moment.” Nevertheless, Kenny Anthony could not resist laying blame on his predecessor Prime Minister Stephenson King who had “on the onset of turbulent times awarded public servants a 14.5 percent increase for his successor to emulate by agreeing to a similar increase in real terms.” But the issue was not about him or King, he reminded the nation in distress.

“The issue is about one thing: the best interests of the people of Saint Lucia.”

But has it ever been? I mean, really?

On the remembered occasion Kenny Anthony acknowledged “the situation

that confronts us is grave. But while I have spoken about these facts repeatedly there are some who choose to ignore our reality and create the illusion that things are better than we claim.”

And what exactly was that reality? By Anthony’s account: an unemployment rate of 24 percent; youth unemployment 45 percent; growth in the economy 0.6 percent. “By the end of March 2013,” the prime minister predicted, “our debt will increase to 78 percent of our GDP.” For the first time since 1979, he revealed, “the Caribbean Development Bank has included us among a list of seven Caribbean countries with a high and unsustainable debt. This is the environment, this is the economy in which public sector unions have demanded the government of Saint Lucia pay salary increases initially of 16 percent, then 12 percent, later 9.5 percent, and now 6 percent with stipulated conditions.”

This was how Kenny Anthony ended his address of 27 February, 2013: “I appreciate that all parties are tired of the negotiating process. Members of the public service unions are tired, and that is why they became ill. The private sector and our citizens who require government services on a daily basis are anxious for normalcy to return. Our country needs peace and stability at this time, not upheaval.”

The hot seat that Kenny Anthony vacated by popular demand on 6 June, 2016 is today occupied by Allen Chastanet, he having promised the electorate it would no longer be business as usual. It cannot be unreasonable to presume

the campaigning Chastanet knew well why “business as usual” could no longer be tolerated. But by all appearances he too has elephant-roomed what all of his predecessors acknowledged was for the taxpayers of Saint Lucia a burden too heavy to bear, even in the best of times: the cost of public administration and the archaic rules that render civil servants far more powerful than their employers and a cut above the private sector that sustains it, thanks to our politicians who are themselves too protective of their jobs to risk angering the public sector unions. And so we continue playing our Sisyphean stone game that we all know must end if we will survive. More and more each day the management of our destiny slips into the hands of the CSA membership—not those we elected for the particular purpose!

We may as well end as we began, with a word from Naipaul, this time as he recalls the Trinidad of his boyhood: “Though we knew that something was wrong with our society, we made no attempt to assess it. Trinidad was too unimportant and we could never be convinced of the value of reading the history of a place which was, as everyone said, only a dot on the map of the world. Our interest was all in the world outside, the remoter the better; Australia was more important than Venezuela, which we could see on a clear day. Our own past was buried and no one cared to dig it up.” But buried or not, inevitably our past will catch up with us.

The more discerning might say, it already has us paying through the nose for our muleheaded stupidity!

14

LOCAL

First Form Student Gets 2 in CSEC General Math

Timothy Dupre (centre), with siblings Ryn-Kyj King (right) and Bry-Ann King, may just revolutionise the country’s attitude toward maths.

O

f all the subjects found in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, mathematics is probably the most dreaded. But teacher Timothy Dupre of the St. Aloysius R.C. Boys’ Primary school, an expert mathematician, believes the subject has gotten a bum rap.

He remains confident that the method of teaching the subject is key to improving grades, and not without reason. In January of this year one of Dupre’s students, 12-year-old Bry-Ann King, a first former of the Saint Joseph’s Convent, attained a 2 Grade in general maths, after just four months of tutoring.

“I feel proud,” said King of the accomplishment, despite her admitted disappointment at not having attained a 1 Grade.

She continued: “It was hard work, but it really paid off.”

About Dupre, she said, “He’s a very great mathematician.

He really helped me. I was confused with a lot of the topics because they were new to me.

But with his and my maths teacher’s help at the Convent, I was able to do it. Once I learned the method, the work was easy.”

But King is not the only first form student to have accomplished this feat. Two years ago her brother Ryn-Kyj King also got a 2 in maths. He had undergone lessons for a year with Dupre and, at age 11, sat the exam. The Saint Mary’s College student joked that he had in fact outperformed his sister, the sibling rivalry more than evident. “With my 2 Grade I

march 23, 2019 THE STAR

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got B,B,C while she got B,C,C.”

He spoke about the advice he had given his little sister before she wrote the exam.

“I told her not to be nervous during the exam.” Recalling his own preparation, he said: “At first it was a very tough experience. I had to take two classes, which was very tiring since I had a lot of school work.”

About his accomplishment, he stated: “I was very excited because I never thought I’d be able to get such a grade.”

In a message to students who may not be optimistic about maths, the Samarian declared: “Believe in yourself.

Never give up because, once you do, you’ve already failed.”

He also chimed in on Dupre: “He is a great teacher.

He motivated me through those difficult moments and helped me to get that grade.”

Dupre told the STAR that after studying maths at university level he realised there was no reason why students should need five years to attain a pass grade in the subject at the CSEC exams. “After completing my first degree from the University of the West Indies in 2012, I compiled a thesis which focused on problemsolving and why students fail mathematics. Also, at teachers’ college, I focused on problemsolving and why students are not performing in the subject; and based on all the research I did when compiling my thesis, I realised that the real problem is not that students are out of practice; it’s that students have no reason for what they

are doing. And everything in the subject is about reasoning.

Everything in math makes sense to me. Given that this is the case, just getting the students to realise this, will go a long way in them getting a pass grade for it, very, very early.”

Dupre hopes he can get to spread the wealth in the future, saying: “I’m looking to get into a secondary school.

Even though I work with just a class or two of CXC students, if I’m at a secondary school then I can definitely work with a lot more students and they too can realise their true potential in mathematics and perhaps education as well.”

The R.C. Boys’ teacher recalled a conversation with a colleague who had asked how exactly he got a first form student to pass maths and understand the vectors topic: “With my extensive knowledge of vectors, I told him once the student can walk straight he or she can understand and complete any vector problem.

Vectors, even if it is a huge topic in the subject, can be understood very easily.”

When asked if he would welcome assisting the Education Department’s quest to improve the country’s annual CSEC grades, Dupre replied: “Definitely. Teachers will always be available for dialogue. I’m perfectly willing to share my techniques and strategies with any teacher. I believe that success in something like this does not belong to me only.”

T

Start-up Huddle Crew Bahrain-bound!

he Annual Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC), which gathers together thousands of entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, policymakers and other start-up champions from more than 170 countries, will take place on April 15-18 in Manana, Bahrain this year—and will include a Saint Lucian delegation.

Michelle N. Samuel, founder of SLUDTERA Social Enterprise and host of the Startup Huddle St. Lucia programme, was overjoyed at being invited to GEC by the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) President, Jonathan Ortmans. She will be a presenter during the Startup Huddle Information Sessions there, as well as an Informal Startup Huddle Ambassador to GEN.

“I’m still a bit lost for words,” she said. “I was not expecting them to reach out to me and make this offer.

But I’m extremely honoured and humbled that they would recognise the amount of work it takes to put into organising a team, and to put together such an event on a monthly basis. It shows they have singled out and identified the work my organisation has done since Startup Huddle St.

D

The Saint Lucian delegation set to travel to Bahrain next month (left to right): Samuel Lubin, Lisa Yarde, Vernon Jean and Michelle Samuel.

Lucia has launched.”

But Samuel won’t be the only one going to this year’s GEC. Team Startup Huddle St. Lucia will send four other individuals to accompany her: Samuel Lubin, CEO of KL Productions and Marketing Manager of Startup Huddle St. Lucia; Vernon Jean, Managing Director of Easy Clicks Solutions; Lisa Yarde, Volunteer Project Manager of Startup Huddle St. Lucia; and Jessica

Alexander, Founder of Sa Nou St Lucia.

The group will be raising funds for their trip. Samuel said: “We have an event slated for March 31 called Jazz in the Gardens, in Dennery at Chateau Heritage, from 3-8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased from the team members and online at easyclicktickets.com.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children.”

---DN

Dr. Tanya DestangBeaubrun to speak at Sagicor and Chamber of Commerce Seminar

r. Tanya DestangBeaubrun, well-known family physician and certified wellness and lifestyle empowerment coach, is the feature speaker at an upcoming seminar on the impact of wellness in the workplace on productivity and profit. The seminar is being presented by Sagicor Life Inc and the Saint Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, and will take place on Wednesday March 27, 2019.

---Dean Nestor The focus of the seminar

is to examine how the lifestyles of executives and workers can positively or negatively affect a company’s bottom line.

The seminar will also provide options on how companies can support their teams, by offering a variety of health benefits in cost-effective ways.

In addition to the feature presentation delivered by Dr. Destang-Beaubrun, executives from Sagicor Life Inc will participate in the discussion.

The seminar will take place at the Bay Gardens

Hotel in Rodney Bay, Gros Islet starting at 9:00am and is open to members of the Chamber of Commerce.

If you are a business owner who is interested in attending, please call Stacy Maurille, Chamber of Commerce’s Program Officer on 452-3165.

If you wish to learn more about employee benefits, call Laurencia Cadette, Employee Benefits Business Development Officer for the Eastern Caribbean and Belize at Sagicor Life Inc on 456-1703.

THE STAR

LOCAL 15

www.stluciastar.com

march 23, 2019

Blood Money!

MAYOR PREDICTS GREAT BENEFITS FOR CASTRIES FROM ISLANDWIDE ROADS SAFETY ASSESSMENT PROJECT

Claudia Eleibox Mc Dowell

L

ast December this newspaper featured an item that centred on the operations of Phlebotomy Learning Center, located at the time on Peynier Street in Castries. The education ministry had cautioned against registering for courses there, while the chief medical officer acknowledged there had been complaints about the company.

It turned out that the “learning centre” was not appropriately accredited.

Although accreditation was never mentioned on the Phlebotomy Learning Center’s flyer circulated via WhatsApp, it did contain promises of students qualifying to sit the ASCP (American Society for Clinical Pathology) exam.

In its December 8, 2018 issue this newspaper reported: “The American organisation All Allied Health Schools says that to take the ASCP exam, students are offered seven prerequisite options. Most include high school diplomas or equivalent, in addition to a combination of three or more of the following: minimum of 100 successful skin punctures and venipunctures; 40 hours of classroom training; 100 hours of clinical training at an accredited lab; one year’s experience in an accredited lab or participation in an accredited phlebotomy programme with about 100 hours of practical training.”

By all this reporter was told by the “manager” during a visit to the Phlebotomy Learning Center, the six-week course satisfied none of the stated requirements. At the time, the centre had already been operating for several months.

Now, the Phlebotomy Learning Center is no more (at least not in Castries). The police have confirmed there is an on-going investigation into the matter. Following our earlier mentioned story, the STAR was threatened with legal action.

But Saint Lucians were not the only victims, it turns out. The manager claimed the company operated a phlebotomy lab in Dominica, and also administered courses

M

The Phlebotomy Learning Center is no longer operational in Castries, but while investigations are ongoing in Saint Lucia, other Caribbean people are still paying for unaccredited courses.

there. The young woman said that Phlebotomy Learning Center students could get work at the Dominican lab and that the owner, a Dominican native, would soon be opening one in Saint Lucia.

But this week I spoke to Veronica (not her real name) who did the course with the Phlebotomy Learning Center’s sister school, Newage Wellness Centre in Dominica. She said that there is no such lab.

“The lab operator advertised on Dominican News Online for the phlebotomy course,” she said. “It says anyone could qualify as a phlebotomy technician. He promised me and others, jobs in Antigua.”

Veronica said she also sent out several job applications as a PBT (phlebotomy technician), only to find out that her course was neither accredited nor recognized anywhere.

“The worst of all this is that after spending this money we have not met the qualified standards to sit the ASCP exam,” said Veronica. The advertiser previously said that they would sit the ASCP exam at the Business Training Center in Dominica. “He’s now saying that we’ll have to travel to Barbados to do it,” Veronica added.

Further questioned, Veronica said the Dominica operation was conducted on lines similar to what we earlier reported: people on the street were paid $7 per arm or

offered free HIV testing for phlebotomy students to practise on. Veronica said: “He makes students perform each venipuncture technique on a grapefruit for one day and the following day on an actual person. Six weeks is definitely not enough time. His wife volunteers as well; she always does both arms.”

The classes each had about eight students in Saint Lucia and last December the cost was $2,900, which was set to increase by $400 every new term.

According to the information on Dominica News Online, there is similar pricing for the Dominican lab..

Newage Wellness Center is still operational but students are beginning to ask for refunds for the faux certification.

“He’s saying it’s nonrefundable now,” said Veronica, “He doesn’t practise medicine and doesn’t have an office or patients.”

Last December this reporter learned the owner got his medical schooling at All Saints University in Dominica.

Veronica showed me some pages of the Operations Manual given to students at the Newage Wellness Center. It includes a list of sponsors, exam requirements, the centre’s chain of command and instructions for practical classes, among other information. However, there is no mention of licenses, accreditation or procedures for sending blood samples to labs.

Other Dominican disgruntled students have confirmed to this reporter that they are considering taking legal action.

ayor of Castries, His Worship Peterson D. Francis has praised the islandwide Roads Safety Assessment Project, declaring that it has his full support.

Mayor Francis attended the formal launch of the project on Thursday March 14, 2019 at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ports, Energy and Labour in Union.

The project is aimed at determining what interventions are necessary to deliver safer roads for all road users across Saint Lucia. It has seen the installation of more traffic and directional signs around the island, a road markings programme and the installation of more vehicle guardrails.

Mayor Francis believes the

International Road Assessment Programme will not only provide safer roads and save lives, but will also benefit the City of Castries.

He lamented the loss of lives annually due to road accidents.

“I am very pleased that the government has invested in the evidence-based approach that would eventually save lives. When productive citizens are injured in road accidents it places a burden on our healthcare sector and is anti-development. I am looking forward to a lot more interventions to guide and protect our motorists, particularly within Castries,” said Mayor Francis.

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

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

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MARCH 23, 2019 THE STAR

THE FUNNIES! Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Saint Lucia is currently seeking applications for a

Security Advisor Consultant (SA) The SA will advise and counsel the Representatives and staff of JICA Saint Lucia on safety and security matters in Saint Lucia especially on matters concerning JICA affairs.

• Ensure dispatched JICA and JOCV personnel receive security briefings on arrival and

are kept informed and updated on matters concerning their security.

• Conducts security survey and provides security input on workplaces, and living areas of

JICA-related personnel and JOCV volunteers living in Saint Lucia. Makes

recommendations concerning physical security.

• Undertakes security risk assessment for locations in the country area where JICA

activities are conducted.

• Identify, monitor and advise on current and potential security risks to JICA personnel

and JICA activities/projects.

• Implements all aspects of security management, crisis readiness and preparedness.

Prepares and maintains and updates security plans, contingency plans and listings of

JOCV and JICA-related persons in Saint Lucia.

• Follow up on arrests and/or detentions of JICA personnel, JOCV volunteers and their dependents.

• Make a formal report of all activities, findings, assessments, briefings, recommendations

and proposals to the JICA Saint Lucia Office, every month. Also make a monthly report

on crime and security climate in Saint Lucia. The report shall include information on

and analysis of political, social and economic situation in Saint Lucia, any credible

threats to the country and neighboring islands and information on natural disasters.

• Maintain regular communication with JICA St. Lucia and as directed.

• Perform any other duties in accordance with JICA stipulations.

Requirements • Ability to handle situations with tact and patience.

• Ability to work in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic environment and to manage

problems and communication issues arising from this type of environment.

• Military or police background is required:

o A minimum of twenty years in the position of Superintendent of Police or higher.

• Candidates must be knowledgeable about JICA schemes and the JOCV program.

• Candidates must have comprehensive knowledge of St. Lucia: geography and history.

An extensive human network is required for this position.

Compensation Successful applicants will be awarded a one year contract as a contracted Security Advisor to JICA St. Lucia, with a three month probationary period. The position will be considered as an independent consulting position, and not as a permanent staff. JICA will not be responsible for payment of taxes or benefits, however, expenses including domestic travel expenses and phone expense will be included in remuneration.

Application • Kindly email a copy of your resume, a consultancy estimate (including estimated domestic travel expense and communications expense) and cover letter to LatoyafulchereVsc.SC@ jica.go.jp with ‘SLU Security Advisor’ in the ‘Subject’ line of the email. All attachments must be in Microsoft Word format or PDF. Deadline is 26th of March, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. (-4:00GMT).

Applications received after this time will not be considered.

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

Cine Qua Non Lab launches call for applicants for 2019 Script Revision Lab in English

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he Embassy of Mexico to the Eastern Caribbean States is pleased to announce the call by Cine Qua Non Lab for applicants for its 2019 Script Revision Lab in English for narrative feature films.

The Script Revision Lab in English is a residential workshop that gives independent filmmakers from around the world the opportunity to work intensively on their featurelength narrative scripts in an environment structured to foster professional collaboration and high-quality script development.

The Script Revision Lab in English will take place in Tzintzuntzan, a small town in the State of Michoacán, Mexico, approximately 50 km from the city of Morelia. The workshop, writing and living spaces are tucked amidst the beauty of the Sierra Madre Mountains, overlooking

Lake Pátzcuaro, a quiet natural retreat.

The lab will be held from Friday, August 2 through to Saturday, August 17, 2019.

Writers or writer/directors from around the world developing a narrative feature film are eligible to apply. Applications will only be accepted for completed scripts that are ready for the revision process. The lab will be held in English.

This year, as a way of celebrating the tenth anniversary of the organisation, Cine Qua Non Lab is bringing two facilitators to the Script Revision Lab in English and extending its duration.

Films developed in past editions of the lab have been selected for prestigious film festivals worldwide, such as Cannes, Toronto, Berlin, Tribeca and Sundance, among many others, and have garnered

numerous awards and recognition.

Cine Qua Non Lab is a non-profit organisation based in Morelia, Mexico, and New York City, founded in 2010 with the mission of supporting independent cinema by providing a space for filmmakers to envision and develop their work.

Cine Qua Non Lab focuses on storytelling and holds residential workshops in English and Spanish in Tzintzuntzan, Mexico, giving independent filmmakers the opportunity to work intensively on their feature-length narrative scripts.

For more information, please visit https://cinequanonlab.org/ or email info@cqnl.org

The Embassy of Mexico in Saint Lucia can also be contacted via telephone: 1 (758) 451 4254 or email: mexicanembassy@ candw.lc.

THE STAR

march 23, 2019

Police, Brewery and Distillery Launch ‘iPledge To Drink Right’ Campaign

S

aint Lucia has for a long time been ranked as a country with one of the highest rates of alcohol consumption per capita. But the island has also been recognized for producing a plethora of fine rums and award-winning alcoholic beverages. The centripetal force for arguably the best-attended and longest event of the year—Saint Lucia Carnival—is scores of nights filled with alcohol-influenced partygoers.

While it is unlikely alcohol consumption in Saint Lucia is stoppable, major alcohol companies have chosen to promote healthier, safer drinking habits over the years.

Messaging such as WLBL’s “Enjoy Heineken Responsibly” has been used in the past, but this time the island’s major alcohol producers have combined efforts to endorse responsible drinking. St Lucia Distillers Group of Companies and Windward and Leeward Brewery have collaborated with the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force and on Thursday March 14, 2019 they launched the iPledge to Drink Right campaign. Their slogan: 'Right Age. Right Amount. Right Way.'

Said Margaret Monplaisir, SLD’s managing director: “We cannot ignore the negative impact on our societies caused by excessive consumption. A thriving, healthy Saint Lucia is essential to our survival as a company. Recent statistics painted an alarming picture of many Caribbean islands on the consumption of alcohol so we think the time is right to launch this campaign. We prefer to have customers who consume our products in moderation rather than people who binge and become sick or addicted and have to stay away from our drinks for the rest of their lives or even worse—have their lives cut short due to illness or accidents.”

Through marketing strategies, branded material and continuous messaging, the mandate of the iPledge to Drink Right campaign will be to “support responsible consumption of alcoholic drinks and strongly condemn alcohol abuse.” However, although the campaign seeks to encourage

LOCAL

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17

GOVERNMENT OF SAINT LUCIA

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING, URBAN RENEWAL AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENGAGEMENT OF CONTRACTORS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INFRASTRUCTURE UNDER NATIONAL SITES AND SERVICES PROGRAMME INVITATION TO TENDER

Sergin John Baptiste explains why St Lucia Distillers and Windward and Leeward Brewery collaborated on this campaign.

healthy drinking habits, it has no control over those who sell alcohol to minors or drive while under the influence.

“Whatever’s being proposed, we have pledged our support for it,” said Milton Desir, acting police commissioner.

“With our traffic department in conjunction with the ministry of transport, we would be promoting road safety. One of the aspects of road safety is responsible drinking.”

While he did not identify any new measures to be undertaken by the police, he stressed the need to respect Saint Lucian laws. About under-age drinking he said, “In terms of ID, the entities have to be responsible, especially the clubs and so on, to ensure that persons who enter are of legal age. No one in the club should be under 18.”

He added: “In most instances, parties for example, we are not present. These sessions are in private and even at a disco or a nightclub.

There we encourage organisers, producers, to just stick to selling drinks to persons of a particular age. I would implore persons that, even if you’re not providing it, at least say something to the police.”

Still, the campaign is contradictory to social norms of partying, excessive drinking and 24 hour kabawé culture.

The irony is that too many Saint Lucians enjoy being drunk, taking pride in the quantity of liquor they can consume.

Fayola Ferdinand, corporate communications manager for WLBL: “We live in a more social and digital

world, so we definitely have social media and digital media as part of the campaign. We did collaborate at carnival time and used a lot of social media cut-outs, not to say the latest and greatest things within that last year. We’re going forward with that this year as well.”

An important aspect of the iPledge To Drink Right campaign are the “influencers”.

Daren Sammy, YouTuber and biker Daran Rosemond, comedian Kiedel Sonny, and former National Carnival Queen Tyler Theophane were handpicked with respective fans in mind.

Sergin John Baptiste, marketing manager for SLD: “At its events WLBL has been asking that water breaks be included and that’s going to continue. We are asking that our ads and messaging also be included in the events we sponsor.”

John Baptiste told this reporter that this initiative began partly because of general research in the Caribbean. She said: “We’re part of the West Indies Rum & Spirits Producers’ Association, which is a wider body, and for the past eighteen months there has been discussion of this research, seeing the effects of alcohol and what we as manufacturers can do to change the society’s attitude in relation to alcohol consumption.

We wanted to collaborate with WLBL because we understand what is happening in the wider society.”

---Claudia Eleibox Mc Dowell

Preamble The Loan Agreement (23/SFR-OR-STL) between the Government of Saint Lucia (GOSL) and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), established the Sites and Services Revolving Fund (SSRF) under the Shelter Development Project (SDP).

In this regard, the GOSL and the CDB agreed to the utilization of the revolving fund for the implementation of future sites and services projects. The National Sites and Services Programme (NSSP) was established to make new serviced lots available to first-time homeowners. This initiative was design to support the longer term goals of improving the living conditions of the citizens of Saint Lucia, especially those in the lower income quintiles of the population.

The Department of Housing, Urban Renewal and Telecommunications wishes to engage qualified competent and reputable civil work contractors to execute the construction component of this project. Accordingly, the GOSL hereby invites interested and eligible contracting firms/ consortiums with the requisite experience and capacity to tender for the execution of the works at:

i.

La Fargue, Choiseul

OR

ii.

Piaye, Laborie,

OR

iii.

Monier, Gros Islet Scope of Work:

The assignment comes as three (3) separate packages and involves the following:

Package I The Works consist of the construction of approximately 409m length of 5m-wide double-lane concrete access roadway and associated reinforced concrete drains, culverts, installation of water supply network; and the installation of the electrical supply network on Block 0222B Parcels 318 to 333 located at La Fargue, Choiseul.

Package II The Works consist of the construction of approximately 432m length of 5m-wide double-lane concrete access roadway and associated reinforced concrete drains, culverts, installation of water supply network; and the installation of the electrical supply network on Block 0420B Parcel 328 located at Piaye, Laborie.

Package III The Works consist of the construction of approximately 310m length of 5m-wide double-lane concrete access roadway and associated reinforced concrete drains, culverts, installation of water supply network; and the installation of the electrical supply network on Block 1450B Parcel 83 located at Monier, Gros Islet.

Bid Purchase Qualified, competent and reputable firms/consortiums are invited to submit BIDS for the execution of the said works.

Interested Bidders are invited to collect the Bid Document at the Department of Housing, Urban Renewal and Telecommunications which is located in the 7th Level of the Conway Business Centre, Jn Baptiste Street, Castries. Bid Documents shall be available from March 19, 2019 at a cost of two hundred Eastern Caribbean dollars (XCD200.00) per package. The submission of the bid shall include a Bid Security in the amount of ten thousand Eastern Caribbean dollars (XCD 10,000.00) in the form stated in the Bid Document.

Submission of Bids The completed Bid Document must be delivered in a sealed envelope clearly marked “Tender for the Implementation of Infrastructural Work under the National Sites and Services Programme (NSSP)” and delivered to the address below on or before 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 to: The Secretary Central Tenders Board Department of Finance Administrative Financial Centre Point Seraphine, Castries, SAINT LUCIA Bids which are incomplete shall be deemed non-responsible and shall be rejected.

18 HEALTH

www.stluciastar.com

MARCH 23, 2019 THE STAR

KIM’S KORNER A DISEASE NAMED AFTER A BASEBALL STAR!

This neurodegenerative disease was named after baseballer Lou Gehrig.

He contracted it in 1939.

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LS, correct terminology Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a debilitating, progressive neurodegenerative disease that often leads to a shortened life expectancy. ALS is part of the group of conditions known as Motor Neurone Diseases. Motor neurones are the cells that control voluntary muscle activity such as speaking, walking, breathing, and swallowing.

The upper motor neurones (UMN) originate in the cortex and brain stem and are responsible for sending signals to the lower motor neurones (LMN) to initiate voluntary movement of the muscles. The damage to the neurones, in ALS, affects both the UMN and LMN, disrupting the signals from the brain to the muscles resulting in weakness, muscle wasting (atrophy) and in some cases stiffness (spasticity) and twitching (fasciculation).

Although not a common disease, it is named after the legendary American baseball player Lou Gehrig, who contracted the disease in 1939 and had to retire from the New York Yankees. The late Stephen Hawking lived with the disease for over 50 years.

Initially the symptoms may not be obvious, and are often dismissed as nothing serious, such as muscle cramps, twitching and stiffness but as the disease progresses, weakness in the upper

or lower limbs, difficulty with chewing and swallowing, and slurred speech may become apparent; even simple tasks like doing up buttons, writing and even walking may become difficult. The speed at which the symptoms progress can vary, but eventually muscle weakness will be so pronounced that even getting out of bed will be hard; and once swallowing is affected it can lead to eating less, weight loss and malnourishment. Over time the respiratory muscles will weaken, making breathing difficult.

Despite the loss of physical function, the higher centres in the brain remain intact which means tasks like reasoning, remembering and understanding are not affected. This awareness can often lead to depression as function decreases and dependency on others increases and impending death looms ever closer. In a small percentage of people with ALS, cognitive function may be affected with difficulties in word-finding and decision making, and in some cases a form of dementia.

ALS affects around one in 50,000 people worldwide and is more common in men than women. There are various forms of the disease and symptoms typically begin between 40-60 years of age. However, it may be present at birth and in some cases symptoms can manifest earlier than age 40, even in childhood. ALS can run in families but there are as many cases, if not more, that do not seem to have any connection to genetics or the environment.

Diagnosis can be difficult as there are no tests that can provide a definitive diagnosis of ALS and confirmation is based on a detailed client history, presenting symptoms and the elimination of other conditions with similar symptoms.

There is no cure for ALS and treatment focuses on managing symptoms, improving quality of life and slowing down the progression. Spasticity can make moving around very difficult and may even make the simplest of tasks, like dressing, impossible.

To relieve the symptoms of muscle stiffness, medications—known as muscle relaxants— may be prescribed. Strong opioids and anti-inflammatories are also recommended to deal with pain and inflammation. If swallowing or choking are problematic then a diet of liquids may be suggested with

feeding through a tube inserted directly to the abdomen to bypass the muscles in the throat.

Another inevitable consequence, as the disease progresses, is difficulty breathing due to the weakening of the respiratory muscles. At this stage the best treatment option is mechanical ventilation to ease discomfort and effort on the respiratory muscles.

Respiratory failure is the most common cause of death and usually happens between 3 to 5 years after the first symptoms appear. However, as in the case of Stephen Hawking, some people survive for 10 years or more.

Occupational therapy and physiotherapy are often beneficial and assist to improve posture, prevent joint contractures and slow down muscle weakness and atrophy.

Treatment will include advice on safe manual handling and transfer techniques, stretching and strengthening exercises, and respiratory physiotherapy to improve breathing techniques and keep the chest free of secretions. Because of the associated weakness of the muscles around the ribs and diaphragm, coughing can be affected and makes clearing secretions from the chest difficult.

Current research is focusing on drugs to slow down the progression of the disease. Scientists have also had success, in mice, with gene therapy and stem cell for halting and repairing nerves, respectively. However, until a cure is found, the take-home message for people with ALS is to keep as fit and agile as possible, with emphasis on treatments and interventions that make life more comfortable.

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

THE STAR

march 23, 2019

LOCAL

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19

Venezuela, China in focus for Trump Ministry of Finance Says Economy meeting with Caribbean leaders Growth Slowed Down in 2018 but is Expected to Pick Up in 2019/2020 U .S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with five Caribbean leaders on Friday who have sided with the United States and most Western countries in backing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as head of state. Trump will meet with leaders from the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Saint Lucia at his private club in Palm Beach, Florida.

The response to OPECmember Venezuela’s political crisis has split the members of the Caribbean Community, known as CARICOM. The organization has officially advocated for talks between Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Guaido. Most of its members have rejected resolutions by the Organization of American States supporting Guaido.

Guaido, who heads Venezuela’s national assembly, invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency in January, saying Maduro’s election last year was not legitimate. Maduro, who still has the support of Venezuela’s military, has clung to power with the support of Russia, China and Cuba.

The Caribbean region has long relied on oil and gas from Venezuela, which offered cheap financing through a program called Petrocaribe,

E

conomists in the Ministry of Finance advised the business community that preliminary data reveal that while the local economy grew in 2018, the pace of growth has slowed down with construction showing the greatest decline.

Hotels and restaurants, President Trump met with five Caribbean prime manufacturing and agriculture ministers on Friday. also grew in 2018. though shipments have declined this week that Trump wants to

Just a few areas were in recent years because work with leaders to “counter discussed at the luncheon, of production problems at China’s predatory economic ‘Chew on It’ hosted by the Saint Venezuela’s state-owned oil practices.” The meeting is also Lucia Chamber of Commerce, company PDVSA. an opportunity for Trump to try Industry and Agriculture on

The tensions put at to turn the page on derogatory Friday March 15, 2019 when the risk regional efforts to try comments about Haiti that he Ministry of Finance addressed to capitalize on deepwater was reported to have made. At the performance of Saint Lucia’s oil and gas exploration, said a January 2018 White House economy in 2018 and prospects Anthony Bryan, a Caribbean meeting about immigration, for 2019/2020. energy expert and associate Trump referred to Haiti and

Among other things to with the Center for Strategic African nations as “shithole “chew on” was information on and International Studies in countries,” according to a inflation. Inflation levels rose Washington. “CARICOM is the Democratic senator who was from 0.1% in 2017 to 1.9% in body that speaks for energy there.

2018 due primarily to increases sustainability in the region. But Trump on Twitter later in the price of fuel, according to if you start dividing the states— denied saying “anything ministry officials. as apparently an attempt is derogatory about Haitians other Another variable of being made to do—then you, in than Haiti is, obviously, a very great interest shared with a sense, almost sabotage from poor and troubled country.” the business community the very beginning that unity ---Thomas Reuters Foundation is the government’s fiscal that is necessary,” Bryan said in News performance. The ministry an interview.

Editor’s note: This article reported an improvement

The region has also was first published on Friday in the fiscal performance been the recipient of a flood morning. At press time there as the current balance, as a of investment from China. had been no updates on the percentage of GDP, declined The White House said earlier meeting.

1.6% to 0.9%, while the deficit,

as a percentage of GDP, moved from -2.2% to debt -3.4%.

Meanwhile the ministry advised that the debt to GDP ratio moved from 64.9% of GDP in 2017 to 63.8% still above the ECCB target rate of 60%.

The ministry highlighted what was described as “game changers” of its Medium Term Development Strategy. These seek to address the slow rate of project implementation in the public sector and have resulted in the establishment of a Delivery Unit located in the Prime Minister’s Office which has a strong monitoring and evaluation role as well as a catalytic role to support and build project execution capacity in the relevant line ministries.

Chamber members questioned the lack of results in successive governments’ thrust in “making it easier to do business” and expressed frustrations faced by the business community to start a business and get a trade license and other required permits, even in “opening a banking account”.

Also raised was the stymieing of development efforts when governments change and project plans are stopped no matter how far they

have already been advanced, delaying not just the project but also the delivery of its benefits socially and economically.

Attendees enquired about what the technocrats could and are doing to minimize this issue.

Halting projects negatively affects the pace of development and, many times, wastes resources.

The Chamber luncheon was welcomed by its membership as it provided critical information that firms utilize for their own planning.

The low implementation rate of development initiatives is a serious problem for the private sector. The Chamber thus plans on keeping a close monitoring eye on the many initiatives that have been proposed and highlighted, with the intention of working with the government, to ensure successful and timely implementation.

The Chamber was also anxious to hear more about other issues raised by the Ministry of Finance including the tax reform, government’s approach to addressing the OECD and EU blacklisting matter as well as the timely and considered implementation of the various social programmes discussed.

Tourism Minister Shares the Island’s Hottest News

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he Village Tourism project and the upcoming 2019 Saint Lucia Jazz Festival were among the hot topics addressed on Tuesday night by Dominic Fedee, Saint Lucia’s tourism minister, during a media event in New York City.

Here’s what Fedee had to say about those topics and other news coming out of Saint Lucia from the air to the land, to the sea: “We are not just a warm-weather destination, we are not just a winter destination, we are not just a beach destination; there is so much.”

Fedee, as he has done a lot lately, again addressed the unique Village Tourism project, a concept that perhaps represents the minister’s most passionate ongoing initiative. It involves using the island’s sharing economy to create cultural and experiential offerings for tourists looking to live like a local during their vacation in

Saint Lucia.

The Saint Lucia’s tourism department has earmarked eight communities nationally for the development of the Village Tourism programme with the aim of promoting linkages between onshore businesses and other sectors of the economy. The idea is to convert each of the communities into a tourism destination, highlighting its unique culture, cuisine, heritage and history.

Fedee said the programme will be overseen by a company called Village Tourism, Inc. which will be established at the end of November. He likened the company to that of a resort management company. It will oversee the programme’s room stock, interior decorating, safety issues, security, marketing issues and general standards, Fedee said.

Ahead of the launch of the programme, Fedee said

efforts are being made to further improve the island’s infrastructure, including the investment of $200 million to improve Saint Lucia’s roadways.

“We need to offer the world more than just hotel rooms,” Fedee told attendees. But that doesn’t mean improving the quality of the island’s hotels has gone ignored. In fact, Fedee said efforts are being undertaken to expand the island’s dam with the goal of improving the water systems at Saint Lucia’s many resorts.

Fedee said the redevelopment of the island’s Hewanorra International Airport will get underway in the weeks ahead. This announcement follows the official sod-turning ceremony held at the grounds of the proposed airport site on February 24 in Beanefield Vieux Fort. The Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA) formally introduced the project

masterplan estimated at $175 million, which will significantly improve airside and airfield operations. Fedee said this will give Saint Lucia the opportunity to host about one million passengers at Hewanorra.

Currently, that airport can accommodate about 300,000 passengers, he said.

The project also includes a new air traffic control tower elevating more than 100 feet, five new parking aprons with connecting air bridges to a 337,000 square-foot terminal building and a new road infrastructure, and traffic management system.

March is expected to be a record-breaking period in Saint Lucia’s cruise sector, according to Saint Lucia tourism representatives.

Between Friday, March 1, and Sunday, March 3, twelve cruise vessels, including the inaugural call of Crystal Esprit,

brought an estimated combined capacity of 19,052 travellers to the destination. An additional 125,434 travellers are expected to cruise to the island by March 31, according to tourism representatives.

With Saint Lucia’s capacity to welcome Vista, Quantum and Freedom Class vessels, cruise numbers increased by 13.6 per cent in 2018. “We are at real high right now in Saint Lucia,” said Fedee. “And we have everything in place to keep that going for a long time.”

Tickets are now on sale for the 2019 Saint Lucia Jazz Festival produced in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center, which will showcase more than a dozen performances from Saturday, May 4 through Sunday, May 12. Through a first-time collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center, the week-long festival features five artists-

in-residence, and some of the finest names in modern jazz performing in intimate venues and public settings throughout Saint Lucia.

“We started attracting investors [to the island] roughly 30 years ago, but then we realized we had a problem, and that problem was no one knew about Saint Lucia,” said Fedee, “and we figured how do we make people hear about the island. We thought, ‘Well, let’s create a Jazz festival,’ and so here we are 32 years later, the Caribbean’s best jazz festival.”

Ticket prices begin at US$40 per person and guests will receive a 20 per cent discount if purchased before March 31.

To purchase tickets, learn more about performances and find out about travel packages, visit www.stlucia.org/ jazzfestival ---Travel Pulse

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MARCH 23, 2019 THE STAR

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THE STAR

march 23, 2019

Haiti President names Acting Prime Minister

Unrest in Haiti has prompted the resignation of the prime minister and the naming of an interim replacement, Jean-Michel Lapin. AFP

H

T

the target of deadly street protests. In February, thousands of people took to the streets across the country—one of the world’s poorest—to demand better living conditions and the departure of the head of state.

For about 11 days, all activities ground to a halt in Port-au-Prince and across most of the Caribbean country’s cities. Lawmakers, by an overwhelming majority, voted on Monday for Ceant’s resignation, saying he had failed to improve

conditions in the six months since he took over at the head of government.

“To avoid a constitutional embroglio in the country, which needs peace so much, I give you my resignation,” Ceant said earlier on Thursday in a letter to Moise.

In the coming days, Moise will consult with lawmakers about who to ask to form a new government.

---France 24

he World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a US$27 million project to support the construction of a 7MW small geothermal power plant in the Commonwealth of Dominica, which aims to increase the share of renewables, diversify the country’s energy matrix, and identify a clear road map for private sector investment in geothermal development.

Dominica has a small power system that relies heavily on diesel to produce electricity. The average price of electricity on the island is amongst the highest in the world, around US$ 33 cents/ kWh as of December 2016 and customers are exposed to the volatility of international oil prices. Geothermal is more cost-efficient, climate resilient and greener.

Following Hurricane Maria, 75 per cent of the power network was damaged, leaving the island with no electricity.

In response, the government adopted the National Resilient Development Strategy, which sets Dominica’s vision to become “the first climateresilient country in the world”.

Diversifying the energy mix is a

New ECLAC Policy Brief prepares Caribbean Countries for Natural Disasters

hrough the publication of a new policy brief, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) subregional headquarters for the Caribbean has identified strengths and weaknesses in the DRM strategies of member states and how these can be mainstreamed in development plans and policies.

The brief, which is entitled “Mainstreaming disaster risk

management (DRM) strategies in development instruments”, focuses on Barbados, Guyana, Saint Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. It presents policy recommendations to strengthen the role of DRM and to improve the use of resources through multisectoral projects aimed at building resilience to disasters and climate change.

It also outlines the five pillars of DRM, namely risk identification, risk reduction,

preparedness, financial protection, and resilient recovery, and their applications to disaster assessments.

Additionally, given the susceptibility of Caribbean countries to climate change, the brief also considers possible linkages between climate change and disasters.

It further highlights the urgency for countries to update their climate change adaptation and mitigation frameworks.

21

First World Bank Geothermal Investment in the Caribbean for a Greener and Climate-Resilient Future

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aiti’s President Jovenel Moise on Thursday named a new acting prime minister, Jean-Michel Lapin, after lawmakers voted to censure his predecessor’s sixmonth-old government. Lapin, the culture and communications minister, was charged with running Haiti’s day-to-day affairs pending the formation of a new government.

The Chamber of Deputies voted on Monday to censure the government led by JeanHenry Ceant, which had been

regional

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While climate change policies do not necessarily address DRM, the measures proposed, which are aimed at adaptation and mitigation of climate change impacts, could have positive effects on DRM.

This is the second publication of ECLAC on the mainstreaming of DRM strategies. In 2017, a similar document focused on The Bahamas, Belize, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica.

key element of this strategy.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for Dominica to reach its energy and climate goals by investing in geothermal, and to build a greener and more resilient future. The country has huge potential to provide reliable, low-cost renewable and high-quality energy in support of climate resilient growth,” said Tahseen Sayed, World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean.

The Geothermal Risk Mitigation Project is expected to significantly lower electricity costs in Dominica and increase the share of renewable energy in the country’s energy mix from 25 to 51 per cent, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG)

emissions by 38,223 tons of CO2 per year. It will also assess the potential to export homegrown geothermal energy to its neighbours.

The project will be implemented by the Dominica Geothermal Development Company Ltd and is financed by a US$17.2 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA), US$9.95 million from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF), as well as grants from the UK’s Department for International Development—US$10 million from DFID and US$2 million the Small Island Developing States DOCK Initiative—and technical assistance from the Government of New Zealand and the Agence Française de Développement.

vacancy The British High Commission is looking for an organized and self-motivated Political Officer, Castries to join our team.

Please apply on our website at https://fco.tal.net/ candidate!

22

international

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march 23, 2019 THE STAR

Daily or high-potency cannabis increases risk of psychotic disorder, study finds

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egalization of marijuana, both for medical and recreational use, continues to spread across the globe even as the possible health risks (or benefits) are not fully known.

Case in point, according to new research, people who use cannabis daily, as well as those who use high-potency weed, may be three times more likely to develop psychotic disorder than never-users.

Published Tuesday in the journal the Lancet Psychiatry, the new evidence is consistent with previous experiments that suggest heavy use and high THC concentration cannabis—a 10% concentration of THC (the psychoactive substance within cannabis) or higher—can be harmful to mental health.

"Psychotic disorder," precisely, is what was studied, said Dr. Marta Di Forti, lead author and a clinician scientist at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London. "We are talking about people who meet diagnostic criteria [and] come to the attention of mental health services to receive treatment for psychosis. So they have to have symptoms of psychosis across the spectrum—so hallucination, delusion—that have lasted at least for a week."

Currently, medical cannabis is legal in most European countries, though recreational use is only legal in the Netherlands, Spain (under certain conditions), and the Czech Republic.

Many countries, though, are discussing legalization. In the United States, 10 states and the District of Columbia allow recreational sales of marijuana, while 34 states allow medical marijuana use.

To understand whether there's a connection between cannabis and psychosis, Di Forti and her co-authors looked at data from five countries in Europe—the UK, the Netherlands, France, Spain and Italy—and Brazil, where cannabis is illegal. They found 901 patients with a first-time episode of psychosis over a five-year period and compared them to 1,237 matched nonpatients.

Daily use of cannabis was more common among patients with psychosis compared to the controls, they found. About 30% of patients reported using cannabis daily compared to just 7% of non-patient controls. And use of high potency cannabis was also more common among

While marijuana might cause psychotic disorder, there are still many unaswered questions, like: Why?

patients than controls: 37% compared to 19%.

Overall, people who used marijuana on a daily basis were three times more likely to have a first episode psychosis compared with people who never used weed, the researchers estimated. And this increased to five times more likely for those who daily used high-potency cannabis.

"High-potency cannabis contributes to incidence of psychotic disorder but doesn't explain it completely," explained Di Forti, noting that only some users develop a psychotic disorder and the reasons why not all cannabis users are equally susceptible is unclear.

Still, the new study may be helpful with regard to medicinal cannabis, since some of those products may include small amounts of THC. For example, maybe psychosis should be listed among the potential side effects, she said.

Di Forti and her co-authors estimated that one in five new cases of psychosis may be linked to daily cannabis use, and one in 10 cases linked to use of high potency cannabis.

Dr. Robin Murray, senior author of the study and a professor of psychiatric research at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London, said that "15 years ago nobody thought cannabis increased the risk for psychosis". Only gradually has evidence come out and shown that to be true, he said.

Gradually, too, other explanations have been chipped away, he said: For example, some people might say that perhaps a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia led some people to use cannabis and this is the reason for higher rates of psychosis. But a study from Finland rules this out, said Murray: "There may be some genetic component but it's not the major reason."

In light of the new results, is legalized cannabis a good idea? "Personally, I think it's much more important that people are educated," said Murray. "Tobacco is legal, but we've seen the consumption plummet because there's been a sustained educational campaign."

Dr. Philip McGuire, a professor of Psychiatry & Cognitive Neuroscience at King's College London, told CNN that the study's finding that cannabis use is higher among patients with psychosis is "not itself new". Still, the study "involves relatively large numbers of subjects and has controlled for other risk factors that might have accounted for the results" and in that way adds to what is known about marijuana, said McGuire, who played no part in the new research.

Cannabis contains two ingredients that have opposite effects on psychosis: THC induces psychotic symptoms and cannabidiol, known as CBD, reduces them, McGuire explained. His own research has shown that "if healthy volunteers are given THC this induces transient psychotic symptoms like paranoia.

However, if volunteers are given CBD beforehand, this blocks the induction of psychotic symptoms by THC."

McGuire continued: "The net effect of cannabis that contains both THC and CBD depends on the relative amounts of each. The cannabis that was available in the 1960s was relatively low in THC and high in CBD. However, these days illicit cannabis is often 'high potency,' with a high THC content and a low CBD content.

We are currently conducting research to define the ratio of CBD:THC in cannabis that is optimal for minimizing its psychotic effects."

---CNN

THE STAR

MARCH 23, 2019

COLORECTAL CANCER AWARENESS B

owel or colon cancer is cancer of the large intestine, including the rectum. The colon is a long tube which starts on the right side of the body, has a few folds in it and ends at the rectum, joined to the anus where your stool exits the body. The main functions of the large intestine are to carry the waste (mostly undigested) products of the food we eat, and to extract water and some salts from the food we eat.

Bowel cancer increases in frequency as with age. It is most common in people in their 60s and older but can occur in people as young as in their 20s.

Some groups of people are more likely to have bowel cancer than others: • People with chronic inflammation of the bowel called Ulcerative Colitis, and with Crohn’s Disease; • People with family members who have already had bowel

as a screening tool to find and remove polyps.

A stool test (called a faecal occult blood) is also available which tests for traces of blood in the stool. If it is positive, a colonoscopy should be performed. A negative test, however, does not exclude bowel cancer because cancers

The symptoms are different do not bleed all the time. depending on which part of

Like most cancers, colon the colon is affected. Cancer cancer is curable if diagnosed of the right colon is very often at an early stage. The success silent, and sometimes has no rate (survival) is also dependent symptoms except anaemia on the stage. Treatment usually because of loss of small requires surgery and some amounts of blood from the people may need chemotherapy surface of the cancer. On the and radiotherapy depending on left side it may cause symptoms the stage of the cancer. such as blood in the stool, pain

The key to good outcomes in the abdomen, constipation for bowel cancer is prevention and diarrhoea. by removing known risk factors

Bowel cancer is diagnosed such as smoking, poor diet and by colonoscopy where a flexible obesity as well as colonoscopy March is Colon Cancer instrument with a camera to remove polyps and diagnose Awareness Month. on the end is inserted into cancers early. the bowel via the anus and a

Colonoscopy is the key to cancer, especially if any were biopsy sample taken of any early diagnosis and prevention young (less than 45 years abnormalities. We now know if polyps are removed. old) when diagnosed, and if that colon cancer usually starts it occurred in more than one in benign growths, called generation of family members; polyps, on the surface of the Editor’s note: Submitted by • Those who have already had bowel. These can be removed Consultant General Surgeon & colon cancer or polyps removed. if found early and therefore Colorectal Surgeon Dr. Arlette

Other risk factors include prevented from progressing to Charles to the St Lucia Cancer excess alcohol intake, cigarette cancer. It is now recommended Society’s monthly newsletter. smoking, obesity and a diet that people 50 years of age and without enough fibre. older should have colonoscopy

NOTICE OF MEETING

NOTICE is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Castries Fishermens’ Co-operative Society Ltd. will be held at the Department of Fisheries Conference Room, Pointe Seraphine on Sunday, March 31st, 2019 commencing at 4:00 p.m.

AGENDA OPENING SESSION 1. Prayers/Invocation 2. Welcome Address – President 3. Greetings from Fraternal Organizations 4. Vote of thanks CLOSED SESSION 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Call to Order Ascertainment of Quorum Apologies for Absences Reading and approval of the Minutes of the 2018 AGM Adoption/Confirmation of Reports: (i) Board of Directors (ii) Treasurer (iii) Auditor (iv) Supervisory Committee

6.

7.

Election to: (i) Board of Directors (ii) Supervisory Committee Appointment of Auditors for the ensuing year

8. Resolutions if any 9. New Business 10. Adjournment

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD

local 23

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VACANCY – PROJECT COORDINATOR Lewis Industries is St Lucia’s leader in quality cleaning, floor care and maintenance services for 30 years Lewis Industries Ltd is seeking to fill the position of Project Coordinator to complement its team of Assessors and Quality Control professionals at its Head Office in Marisule, St. Lucia Summary of Duties To maintain the quality assurance standards in the delivery of building maintenance, floor care and cleaning services that results in an efficiently clean and healthy environment.

The successful candidate will be required to perform the following duties: • Lead and coordinate special projects • Coordinates jobs and resources needed to complete projects and contracts • Maintains inventory on tools, equipment, equipment and supplies • Completes and submit daily reports at the end of each job, project assigned.

• Submits monthly reports • Ensure teams comply with the corporate operating procedures protocols per scope of work.

• Maintains compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety regulations and standards.

• Ensures ongoing compliance with quality • Maintains high producing work teams in accordance with corporate processes, procedures and job performance as stated in the Employee Handbook • Maintains the highest standards of customer service and relations between the internal and external customers and any other duties that may be assigned by Executive Management.

Qualifications and Experience • A minimum of an Associate Degree, in a business administration or management; project management, Building Technology, or Related disciplines • A minimum of three years’ experience in the Building Maintenance, Floor care or Cleaning Industry

• A strong work ethic • Honest and integrity • Disciplined discrimination• Proficiency in Microsoft office suite Knowledge Skills and Qualities • Excellent Human Relations Skills • Excellent Customer Service Skills • Leadership Qualities • Ability to work flexible hours • Excellent l and written and oral communication skills A team player and assist in maintaining a positive atmosphere between teams • Acute attention to detail • Strong Analytical skills and solve problems creatively and independently • Sound Judgement • Initiative and results driven • Decision Maker and the ability to resolve problems and conflict • Excellent time management skills • A valid driver’s License and the ability to drive manual utility vehicles.

• Confidential • Ability to thrive in a deadline driven environment and handle different tasks in an organized and efficient manner • Ability to carry out assessments for request for cleaning projects • Ability to understand product uses for varying building maintenance projects • Ability to understand use of tools, equipment and personal protective equipment for job execution Other requirements: Applications along with detailed curriculum Vitae, certified copies of qualification and two references, should be submitted no later than April 8, 2019: The Human Resource Manager Position of Site Manager or Project Coordinator Lewis Industries Ltd Corinth Industrial Estate Marisule, St. Lucia Applications are also accepted via email – lewis@candw.lc

SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2019

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