Can Chastanet Change 'Culture Of Corruption?'

www.stluciastar.com

$2.00

Can Chastanet Change ‘Culture of Corruption?’

Nothing Personal.

It’s Just Business.

R R A THE STA HealtH T S E k H E & T SportS SSwE E n i S u B nt ernmen et Gov io

INC

STAR Businessweek:

See Centre Pages in this

MAY 18,

2019

www.st

n l ChastCaates $20 mils allo oCal sport lling y and swe the econom tegy can ripple For l , boosting stra t

esponden

week Corr

Business

star big al sports e Morris, education health and ll-structured nation ent was one of the ng a e, improving elopm declari of a we Cutting crim e — the benefits y sports dev r Allen Chastanet That’s wh e Ministe ion and training. national pridsectors of society. cat get, with Prim through all on this year’s bud facilities, events, edu s ticket item windfall for sports n EC$ 20.6m

By Catherin

Continued

on page 4

edition

of

SatUrday

9

18 may 201

estern t Valley: W

ISSUE 248

SBW

Ar.coM luciAst

THE STAR wEEk BuSinESS

s

ne champ

Football Zo

and ies Housing Public ed Communit Unplann nations y Caribbean In 2019 man g growth in their y stron are seeing This is unquestionabl economies. overall, but presents a good thing . new problems page 3

Low income

Cresslands housing in

e Privy Law: Th Caribbean Caribbean l v. The Counci Justice Court of s the Caribbean has s le case profi In recent year ber of high seen a num lution far from reso find a final UK’s Privy Council (PC). home in the the rise in the past t However, withof the Caribbean Courto des alternative two deca about (CCJ) as an of Justice ’s renewed debate the PC, there teness of a Londonon the appropriahaving the final say t based cour ers. legal matt Caribbean

second for First and rs lliams s gby playe Serena Wiin Rome Alfred qualifie female ru s ps aw dr am th Ch wi e will be for World sh ys sa but ch Open fit for Fren

page 7

See US FIrSt The Best

In Athletic

Footwear 63

: 451-63 IES | TEL

BRIDGE

, CASTR STREET

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

info@stluciastar.com

SportS &

INC

SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2019

HealtH

1

02 LOCAL

MAY 18, 2019 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

REFLECTIONS

Financial Action Task Force

(An over-my-shoulder look at life)

Reliance on Third Parties

The Book Fair

By Michael Walker

L

ast week I think it was, that I wrote about my earliest days of writing books, and mentioned my Swedish publisher.

Meeting the head of my first publishing house was an immensely opportune break. His name was Carl-David, and he was a much older, much more experienced publisher than any I was to meet in my future career. He was also a fine gentleman who had “a nose” for a good book. It was early November and he was on his way back from the Frankfurt Book Fair. His publishing house was in the north of Sweden but he stopped to have dinner with me and my friend Lars. Lars was around eleven years older than me and was well known in educational circles. I was just an enthusiastic kid who had put together dozens and dozens, if not hundreds of pages of teaching matter that I used in my classes because the other teachers were afraid to let me use their textbooks. Lars had forwarded some of my pages to Carl-David for review and he was kind enough to put aside some time so we could have dinner. I did not realize at the time that the meal was a job interview of sorts.

At the end of the meal Carl-David took a paper serviette and wrote out the shortest contract I have ever seen. It basically said that he agreed to publish our textbooks—I say “our” because it was apparent that Lars and I were to become writing partners for the foreseeable future—and that a formal contract would be signed as soon as possible.

Within two weeks we took the night train from Gothenburg to Gävle where we signed our very first contract. Carl-David had, in the meantime, already put together, from scratch, an editorial team under the leadership of a man named Jan-Olov, a specialist in German who had no publishing experience whatsoever. It was one hell-of-a gamble! By the spring of the following year, just a few short months after out initial meeting, our first books began to appear. A sales force that had previously only sold Maths books underwent our re-education course and became adept at explaining the advantages of the 'This Way' series that was about to revolutionize the teaching of English not only in Sweden but also in the wider world. These were heady times indeed!

The Swedish Basic School 9-year system was divided into three levels: the Lower level encompassing grades 1-3, the Middle level covering grades 4-6, and the Upper level completing grades 7-9. English was now to be taught from grade 3 onwards.

The teachers of the Lower level had never taught English before so we were faced with a massive training need. Lars and I helped create and lead the JET programme (Junior English Teaching) for this purpose. In those days teachers ‘followed’ their classes (1,2,3 and 4,5,6, etc.) in their respective levels but never crossed the line between levels (Low, Middle, Upper). We collaborated with Carl-David to plan a marketing strategy that dictated that we target grade 7 first. It turned out to be a masterstroke, a stroke of genius.

Our sales reps had indicated that schools were ripe for change and that the Upper level would dictate which books the rest of the system would adopt.

In those days there were about 100,000 pupils at each level. Before the start of the new school term in September of that year more than 80% of all schools had purchased a textbook and a workbook for each pupil, guides for every teacher, and tapes for both textbooks and workbooks. Somehow I had also found time to write a number of ‘extra readers’ (detective stories, etc.) for each grade using appropriate language and grammar. In just a few short months our sales jumped from zero to over 250,000 copies, a quarter of a million books, just for one grade!

Because our publisher, Skolförlaget, which simply means School Publisher, was so small, we had to participate in every step of the production line from manuscript preparation and illustrator briefing to the printing process, marketing and public relations, which was a tremendous strain on our time and energy, but somehow we managed. In the end, it turned out that I, much more than Lars, became totally immersed in the business of educational publishing and eventually bought up printer and publisher using the income from my royalties.

The other Scandinavian countries jumped on the 'This Way' bandwagon and we were soon repeating our successes in Norway, Denmark and Finland. Even Holland, another very progressive country when it comes to education, adopted us. Moving from country to country within Scandinavia, because of the similarity of our languages, was easy. Holland was quite different. Not only was Dutch quite different from Swedish, but the school system was totally the opposite of ours. Adapting our books and methodology to this foreign environment was arduous but rewarding. It prepared us well for the future as our books began to spread to other continents through the intervention of our American publishers, which reminds me that I still have not got round to telling you about the Frankfurt Book Fair—next week, maybe!

Recommendation 17: By: The Attorney General’s Chambers and the National Anti-Money Laundering Oversight Committee (NAMLOC)

U

nder the Financial Action Task Force Forty Recommendations, a country may permit financial institutions and Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs), such as those identified in Schedule 2 of the Money Laundering (Prevention) Act, to engage the services of a third party to conduct customer due diligence (CDD). These CDD measures, which were discussed under Recommendation 10, include: (i) the ability to identify the customer and being able to verify the identity using reliable and independent sources of information, (ii) taking all reasonable steps to identify the beneficial owner, (iii) understanding and obtaining information on the purpose of the business and the business relationship, (iv) conducting ongoing due diligence throughout the life of the business relationship, to ensure that the business being

O

undertaken is consistent with the institution’s knowledge of the client and the risk profile.

This third party may be another regulated financial institution or DNFBP, which is not involved in the impending business relationship.

The financial institution or DNFBP should satisfy itself that the following criteria are met when engaging a third party.

It should seek to immediately obtain from the third party, information on the measures identified in Recommendation 10 such as the true identity of the customer. Additionally, the financial institution or DNFBP should be able to retrieve from the third party all relevant documentation on the customer, without delay (in a matter of hours). The third party must be a regulated, supervised and monitored entity with established compliance measures and finally, consideration has to be given to the money laundering/ terrorist financing risks of the country in which the third party is located.

It should be noted that this Recommendation is not applicable to outsourcing.

There is usually an existing

relationship between the client and the third party provider, which is independent of the relationship to be formed by the financial institution and DNFBP, therefore the third party entity would apply its own CDD measures. By contrast, when outsourcing occurs, the outsourced entity would apply CDD measures on behalf of the institution which engaged it, in accordance with the institution’s procedures. The financial institution or DNFBP therefore has control over the process.

During the 4th Round Mutual Evaluation, this Recommendation will be examined by the assessors from the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) to determine if laws are in existence to deal with the subject matter, and the effectiveness of such laws.

They will seek to ascertain this information whilst conducting the on-site visit from September 1627, 2019. Financial institutions and DNFBPs are encouraged to have written policies on this area.

Information on this and the other Recommendations can be sourced from the CFATF website at https://www.cfatf-gafic.org.

SAINT LUCIA AND MEXICO COMMEMORATE 40th ANNIVERSARY OF BILATERAL RELATIONS

n May 17, 1979, Mexico and Saint Lucia established diplomatic relations, soon after the Helen of the West attained its independence.

The 40th anniversary of the beginning of that friendship is an opportunity which allows us to recognize the achievements accomplished from a relation based on dialogue and co-operation.

Today Saint Lucia is one of Mexico’s main partners in the Caribbean. Both countries, as Caribbean nations, share a common geography, democratic convictions, and development aspirations, as well as similar challenges. The past forty years has allowed the countries

to strengthen relations, particularly in terms of positive political dialogue, and to find coincidences in regional and international forums, as well as promoting development co-operation.

This historic milestone of diplomatic relations is a testament of the continued closeness and solidarity that have existed between the two nations, particularly in various areas of development co-operation, such as the fields of education, agriculture, personal development and infrastructure. Mexico’s commitment to the strengthening of the bilateral relations and our common values is evidenced in the

recent donation of funds by the Government of Mexico for the construction of the Dennery North Water Supply Project, the granting of scholarships to Saint Lucian students to pursue Masters and Doctoral degrees in Mexican academic institutions and the execution of technical workshops geared towards the further enhancement of the agricultural sector.

On this important occasion, Mexico expresses its willingness to further enhance its collaboration with Saint Lucia, to promote the closely shared values and interests between the two countries, and wishes prosperity and success to the people of Saint Lucia.

THE STAR

LOCAL

www.stluciastar.com

MAY 18, 2019

03

STAR Publisher talks Grynberg with Timothy Poleon

R

ick Wayne has always expressed the view that the so-called Grynberg matter was not for public debate by individuals with little or no useful knowledge of the circumstances that in 2012 resulted in a US$500 million lawsuit by oilman Jack Grynberg against the government of Saint Lucia.

As Wayne tells it, “This is a serious matter to be dealt with judicially, with the principals sworn to tell the truth.” But he has never been averse to being interviewed about what his 10-year Grynberg crusade has uncovered. Last week he accepted Real FM’s Timothy Poleon’s invitation to do just that. ---Editor Poleon: How did you stumble upon this Grynberg issue that has become an obsession for you?

RW: I didn’t stumble upon it. Jack Grynberg was first mentioned in parliament of this country by Richard Frederick and two other government MPs back, I think, in 2006 or so.

Little did anyone know at the time that the MPs had glimpsed barely the tip of the Grynberg iceberg. Much of what they said back in the day centered on their concerns about the payment of related royalties.

Then opposition leader Kenny Anthony was present but never uttered a clarifying account.

Later, he took to the airwaves to announce a chilling lawsuit against Frederick. He also threatened Frederick’s friend Angel Brouet and anyone else who dared to speak openly on the contract he signed on behalf of the people of Saint Lucia that remained a secret for about nine years. On that occasion he assured the country via HTS that everything we needed to know about Grynberg had been published

by Earl Huntley in the Voice.

According to Huntley, a well placed friend had years earlier headhunted Jack Grynberg at Huntley’s behest, unknown to the government. Meanwhile Grynberg was in litigation with the Grenada government over an oil contract. All over the Internet there were (and are) stories about Grynberg’s history as a speculator in oil, nearly

all scary. So, from the very beginning I’ve wondered why the leader of our government would tango with such an individual. The secrecy surrounding the affair was also disturbing to me. As you well know, to this day there has been no accounting by Kenny Anthony on the Grynberg matter. Not even the fact that his company has sued the government for breach of contract has been enough to move Kenny Anthony to offer some clarification. I find it fascinating, not to say curious, that one or two of his surrogates have lately been talking about the issue, but evidently have never considered getting the main man to speak up for himself. They carry on as if Rick Wayne, not Kenny Anthony, had secretly leased to Jack Grynberg over eight million acres of Saint Lucia’s seabed.

After all, I’ve merely been doing my job as best I can.

believe he was on the button.” How often have we looked on in horror as parliamentarians on both sides refer to one another as thieves, money launderers, renegades and so on? Countless times.

STAR publisher Rick Wayne (left) was recently interviewed

by Newsspin host Timothy Poleon (right).

Poleon: But it appears Dr. Kenny Anthony will not cooperate, for whatever reason. He’s suggested in the past it is before a tribunal and to speak out would be sub judice.

Poleon: What is there for the RW: That’s the kind of response former Prime Minister to clear Poleon: What kind of that really makes me wonder up? safeguards do you think should what Kenny Anthony is holding RW: Well, he could start by back. There’s nothing, nothing be put in place to ensure our explaining before parliament leaders do not take such risks to stop Dr. Anthony or anybody the circumstances that led else from discussing the in our name? him to entrust over 8 million Grynberg issue that is being RW: The safeguards are acres of our supposedly oilheard in the United States. already there. That’s why it’s soaked seabed in the hands Besides, Dr. Anthony is a lawyer, so important that we discover of a man with Jack Grynberg’s a self-advertised expert in through the established reputation, and why he constitutional law, he would channels whether any laws instructed Earl Huntley—on his were infringed in this matter. know where to tread without own admission—to retain all consequences. In any event, I need add that I’ve never related documents that properly accused Kenny Anthony of what he might have to say should’ve been kept by the wouldn’t be shouted from the wrongdoing in this Grynberg government.

Castries market steps. He’d controversy. But our laws be talking privately with the demand accountability, Poleon: But why shouldn’t our government’s lawyers. Sub especially from those we elect government seek to utilize our to run the business of our judice does not automatically natural resources in the best mean you cannot talk about country. God forbid we should interests of the citizenry? Don’t have to pay to Grynberg even a matter before the courts. you think that’s what the Prime half of the demanded US$500 Any anyway, long before Minister was attempting to do? million in damages. Only an Grynberg sued the government, Exploit our natural resources a desperate Prime Minister idiot or the worst party hack for the benefit of all? would hope Jack Grynberg gets Stephenson King had pleaded RW: I don’t think I’ve said with Kenny Anthony to come his wish. US$500 million is anything that might suggest forward with information that about half of Saint Lucia’s GDP. I’m against exploiting our might be helpful in dealing We’d have to be incorrigible resources, such as they are, appropriately with Grynberg’s idiots to want Saint Lucia to in the people’s best interests. contract. Anthony has to this lose to Grynberg. I regret that But ours is also a country of day not responded. Then there’s we’ve spent on legal fees so laws. And no one is above Earl Huntley who, to my mind, far over $5 million, money that the law. Kenny Anthony has could’ve been far more usefully may know far more than Kenny shown scant interest in helping spent at home. Which is why Anthony about Grynberg. Why successive governments fight has the Chastanet government I’m saying to Kenny Anthony, if Jack Grynberg’s assertions. he truly loves this country as he done nothing to discover It’s costing taxpayers millions claims, to volunteer information what both men may know? in legal fees, and we’ve so To paraphrase Sir Louis helpful to the government in far been dealing only with Blom-Cooper, our addiction this matter. preliminaries. We’ve yet to to corruption is what’s got us get to the US 500 million dollar question, which has to do with whether we are in breach of a contract, including amendments, that Kenny Anthony inked in 2000, evidently on his own!

where we are.

Poleon: Now Rick, when the UWP got into office on 6 June 2016, you did come up with a list of priorities you thought the Prime Minister should deal with in the first 100 days of his administration. One of them was Grynberg. Any comment on that?

RW: I still have not come off that boat. Resolution of Grynberg and IMPACS are as important to Saint Lucia today as they were before the Chastanet government took office. We feel the fallout every passing day and will continue to suffer the consequences until both matters have been properly settled.

Poleon: What does that say about the ability of politicians to fulfill campaign promises?

RW: It speaks to our shortsightedness as a people.

We’ve been accommodating empty promises for a very long time. I assume that is part of the corruption that BlomCooper talked about. There has been no change in our attitude to corruption since he made his famous observation.

When Ubaldus Raymond indicated there were many stone throwers in the house of glass we call parliament, many took offence. But we know Ubaldus spoke nothing but truth. Someone said I would normally have stopped Ubaldus from making that sweeping statement. “Well,” I said, “why would I do that? I happen to

Poleon: Why do you think Grynberg has never received the public attention it deserves?

RW: Lack of knowledge, for one. Party loyalty, for another.

How concerned are we that the police have about 500 unresolved homicide cases on their books. We care only about things that directly affect us. Like when the police show up two hours after a call for help. Then we forget about the state of our justice system until it bites us in the ass another time.

Poleon: Do you have a timeline as to when you will shift your focus from Grynberg?

RW: Yeah, my focus now is gonna be on our current PM, Allen Chastanet. He promised that he would initiate an investigation. I should add that it’s a shame we may not see justice done because of the well-intentioned statute of limitations law recently enacted.

MPs should be prosecutable, even if they committed their abuses fifty years ago. We can prosecute killers regardless of when they committed their crimes. The Jews continue to hunt down Nazis of the Holocaust.

It’s not only future abusers of office who should be vulnerable.

Poleon: How do you convince SLP supporters you are doing something in the interest of the nation as opposed to you gunning for Kenny Anthony?

RW: I don’t give a damn what any politicians think. I can’t think of a story I wrote that was endorsed by all our politicians. It all depends on whether a red one or a yellow one is affected. I’ve never been motivated by mindless politicians who cannot deliver a speech in the House unless it’s written for them.

The law requires that politicians in parliament not read their speeches.

The Standing Orders insist that MPs not read their speeches. But instead of insisting that they obey the rules, the Speaker supplies the rule breakers with lecterns. I don’t care what politicians think, yellow or red. As for the rest of us, we have laws to protect us against our own stupidity but sadly they too are ignored, for reasons usually political!

04 JAZZ

T

MAY 18, 2019 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

Jazz Closing

o end a jazz-filled week, the 2019 Saint Lucia Jazz Festival’s final show was held at the Shangri La Estate in Gros Islet. This year’s festival saw some key changes introduced. It was held in collaboration with New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center; Pigeon Island was not used as a venue and the final performances were made at the first ever Gospel Jazz brunch.

Patrons filled the grounds of the Shangri La Estate with blankets in hand, in anticipation of the day’s acts. Performing first was Saint Lucian singer Shirleyann Cyril Mayers alongside God’s Anointed Music.

Her performance included a number of worship songs, some jazzed up superbly for the occasion.

After a short intermission, the stage was set for 2xGrammy nominated The Baylor Project of the United States. The husband and wife duo, Marcus and Jean Baylor, did not disappoint. At different points, their performance had audience members dancing around and lifting up their hands in worship.

Here are some of the best moments we captured on the Mother’s day finale!

ALL THAT JAZZ

M

eaningful change, by which I mean change that will benefit a majority of people, even those not expecting any good from such change, is never easy to design or implement. This is because people often fight to maintain the status quo. Indeed, on this island there are often barriers to innovative thinking and a clear possibility of opposition before new ideas are allowed to bear fruit. One is therefore not surprised at regurgitated verbiage from the mouths of the usual suspects regarding the changes wrought by Events Saint Lucia to this year’s jazz festival. Granted, it was a challenge to accept that the grand finale on Sunday May 12 (Mother’s Day) was not scheduled for Pigeon Island, with the usual fireworks display. Yet, considering the severe dry spell the island is experiencing, that change may have been a blessing.

For a long time, jazz purists have been suggesting that the annual festival be broken up into different music categories, keeping jazz music pure and separate. I loved what I saw and heard this year, particularly in the upscale ambience of the newly built, air-conditioned tents. At least once or twice a year even the so-called malaway ought to be encouraged to put their trays aside and dress up like everyone else (their children and loved ones can help if needed) and be accompanied to an upscale live concert—jazz or another—and enjoy themselves.

Some people would, of course, prefer to complain bitterly rather than find the means to up their game and enjoy themselves, and encourage others to do the same.

Perhaps someone who understands the culture of ‘forever complaining’ should explain why people often regret what they didn’t do instead of what they did. In the meantime, we await an impartial and comprehensive report for Jazz 2019, including its financials.

--Peter Josie.

Let’s talk growth Our experienced Business Banking team is here to discuss your best options for financial management and growth.

When it comes to business growth, we’re your trusted financial partner. No matter what stage you’re at, we can help you with sound financial management. ✔ Commercial Mortgage ✔ Business Loans ✔ Business Overdraft ✔ Bizline Visa Business Card Contact any of the Business Banking Managers below: Rodney Bay 456-1505/486-6864 seraphina.joseph@cibcfcib.com Bridge Street 456-1161/485-1206 zaccheus.joseph@cibcfcib.com 459-6808/484-3103 james.prospere@cibcfcib.com

*CIBC FirstCaribbean terms and conditions apply. All financing is subject to normal lending criteria.

The CIBC logo is a registered trademark of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, used by FirstCaribbean International Bank under license.

THE STAR

05

www.stluciastar.com

MAY 18, 2019

COURTS

NEVER BEFORE

DEAL DAYS MAY 23 - 25

SEEN PRICES

ON ALL DIGITAL PRODUCTS MOBILE PHONES

LAPTOPS

STARTING AT

STARTING AT

$50

$899

PRINTERS

STARTING AT

$99

TABLETS

STARTING AT

$99

INK

CARTRIDGES STARTING AT

$19.99 Prices are correct at the time of going to print. Courts reserves the right to subsequently change prices without notice. Offers available while stocks last. All finance terms are subject to credit approval.

Weekly prices are based on Gold 36 months repayment plan. 3 to 36 months credit plans available. See in-store for details.

NOTHING TO PAY

FOR 30 DAYS

06 LOCAL

MAY 18, 2019 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

Life for the Family of Murder Victim Stan Pistol has Changed Beyond Measure Dean Nestor

T

ears streamed down her face as Grandalene Pistol recalled her husband’s plan to build a new home for his family. Stan Pistol was fatally shot at his place of work on March 16. Two men have been arrested and charged with the crime.

“We were in the process of building,” Grandalene said this week. “We were already in the process of building when he died. Now he won’t be there to enjoy our new home with us.

He was a builder. He would design and build. He would draw a plan. That man was so talented. He was the best husband I could have ever dreamed of. To our two kids, he was the greatest dad.”

She recalled their last family outing. Her husband drove them to a restaurant in Gros Islet. Later they stopped at the beach where they happened upon a young couple. “They looked like they had just started dating,” said Grandalene, smiling at last. “Stan started making up stories about what young people do on their first outing together. The kids just burst out laughing. Then our daughter asked: ‘When you met my mummy, is that what you did?’ We all had a great time.”

Speaking of their children, Grandalene said life had turned for them into a rollercoaster ride of emotions as they try to cope with the loss of their father.

“We have our moments,” she said. “There are times when the pain is unbearable. I have to deal with their emotions, so I really don’t even have time to consider my own feelings.

I have to be strong for them.

But it’s not all sadness and tears. Sometimes, when reliving moments with their dad, the kids will laugh so hard that I can’t help breaking up myself. I think they comfort themselves with these memories.

Sometimes other people tell them stories about their dad, how generous and kind he was.

That helps a lot.”

Her daughter dreams of Stan almost every night. It’s like he didn’t die; that “he’s in surgery recovering”. “She gets a lot of support at school,” Grandalene told me. “Her friends have really pampered her. She is older, so she handles the situation better than her brother. Sometimes she has to comfort him, especially when another kid has said something bad about Stan. One time another boy told him, ‘That’s why they had to kill your father.’

Grandalene Pistol pictured in happier days with her husband Stan and their two children. Dealing with the loss of Stan, who was fatally shot at his mini mart, is no cake walk.

He came home and told me how much the boy’s remark had hurt him. He opted on his own to talk with a counsellor.”

It gets worse. “My son sometimes fears leaving me alone at home. He often says, ‘Mummy have a safe day.’ Then he’ll walk out the door, only to return seconds later to hug me.”

Grandalene had kind words for the police who’ve been checking on her quite often at her shop since her husband’s murder. Unfortunately, the mini mart has also suffered in the aftermath. “The business has been dealt a big blow.

The customers are trickling in right now. They’re taking it hard because every time they come, they remember their last moments with Stan.”

She added: “There are so many ‘what ifs’ and ‘I should haves’ that have been going on in my head. I should have left the restaurant earlier, and gotten here. Maybe I should not have taken the message. Maybe if they came and they saw us here together, they would have changed their minds. They would have not shot him that night. There are so many ifs. I ask myself, ‘What could I have

done to avoid that or prevent that from happening?’ It’s a scenario that keeps playing in my head.”

As for the ones who took away her husband, Grandalene says she has forgiven them.

“They have a chance to sit and examine their lives and ask God for forgiveness,” she said. “I cannot have all that anger. If I stay angry I won’t be able to move on. I would be a bitter person. I do not want my children to see me bitter all the time; angry all the time. I’m praying to God that justice will be served.”

INDEPENDENCE 40 FAMILY FUN DAY

T

he Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, in collaboration with the 40th Anniversary of Independence Committee, presents a Family Fun Day.

The activity, held in collaboration with the National Sporting Associations of Basketball,

Netball and Volleyball, will showcase the talent of veterans in the respective sports. All participants must be over the age of forty years, in keeping with the celebration of independence. There will also be a supervised play area equipped with activities for the kids: bouncy castle, trampoline,

face painting, etc.

Independence 40 Family Fun Day takes place on Sunday, May 26, 2019 at the Multi-Purpose Courts in Vieux Fort. The start time is 9:30am.

Come support the stars of the 70s, 80s, and 90s as they put on a brilliant display of sportsmanship and patriotism.

THE STAR

may 18, 2019

www.stluciastar.com

07

08 comment

may 18, 2019 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

ON BEING A FRIEND TO CUBA Peter Josie

T

he disciples came up to Jesus and asked him: “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”

“The reason I use parables in talking to them is that they look, and do not see, and they listen, but do not hear or understand.”

Some people, sadly, are genuinely ignorant; meaning they lack knowledge or awareness. Others merely pretend to lack knowledge and awareness. There are many among us today who fit into the aware group. This piece is meant for them; those who understand, but refuse to correctly instruct the ignorant and to lighten the burden of the poor.

There was a time in the Caribbean when words from political progressives paid tribute to visionary African leaders who drove out colonialism and supported

the Cuban revolution without reservation. In the 1960/70 era Fidel Castro was the talk of a generation of Caribbean thinkers and progressives.

These Caribbean bright sparks hailed Fidel Castro as the new light that emerged from the Caribbean darkness to rid the colonized peoples of their respective Fulgencio Batistas.

Around the 1960s and 70s, and with the influence of the United Nations, more colonized peoples gained political independence. Many supported Cuba in its path to socialism, and to rid itself of the crude capitalist corruption that had dominated its people.

Throughout the last sixty years or so the Cuban people have withstood the test of the vicious US blockade, even as a majority of UN member states vote each year against that evil blockade. Notwithstanding the harsh economic trials wrought by the blockade, Cuba has progressed and now stands as a beacon of hope for many third world developing countries.

Today, Cuba shares its

Fidel Castro (pictured) and the Cuban people were always there when Saint Lucia needed a helping hand. The author warns against turning our backs on Venezuela in favour of those who’ve never wanted Cuba to prosper and now threaten the Cuban people for standing by Venezuela in its own time of need.

medical expertise and training with several developing countries. In particular, Cuba has been a great friend to Saint Lucia and the rest of the Caribbean. It provides free medical eye-care to the people of the region. It trains and educates more Caribbean youth

PETRUS PRIVATE BANK LIMITED Has a vacancy for an

Operations Support Officer Responsibilities Include: • Account Opening and Maintenance (KYC updates, account closure etc.)

• Handling client enquiries and instructions • Transaction processing such as incoming and outgoing remittances, transfers, foreign

exchanges, trade orders and corporate actions • Preparation of SWIFT instructions • Ensure adherence to process and documentation standards • Reconciliation of cash and securities positions • Update and maintain securities prices and foreign exchange rates • Provide strong support to the Head of Operations and operations team • Work with service partners, custodians, counterparties to ensure prompt transaction

processing and settlement within established timelines • Investigate and actively address transaction related enquiries pre, during and post

transaction processing • Ensure that transactions occur within policy and in compliance with all internal, regulatory and

statutory requirements • Any ad hoc tasks or projects assigned by Head of Operations Requirements: • Associates Degree in Business Management or related discipline • Minimum of 3 years’ relevant experience in Banking/Financial Environment • Knowledge of SWIFT Messages is essential • Knowledge of CRS and FATCA • Proficient with use of banking platforms • Strong attention to detail • Excellent communication skills • AML training/knowledge • Strong computer skills • Ability to work effectively without supervision • Ability to prioritise work, meet deadlines and work in a dynamic environment • Ability to resolve problems with minimal guidance • Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills

Applications should be sent via email to hr@petrusbank.com Deadline is 31st May 2019 Only suitably qualified applications will be acknowledged

than most other countries.

Any attack on Cuba which will weaken its assistance to Saint Lucia and the region must therefore be viewed as an attack on the entire region.

For this reason, professionals who have been trained in Cuba and who know better must raise their voices in support of Cuba and against new economic pressures by Washington. Some in US political circles have little use for their president, but support him in pursuit of their own extreme right wing agendas. These racist rogues have reversed the gains of the Obama presidency, punishing

their own people in the process.

They have squashed the Iran nuclear deal and are planning to attack (and destroy) that country, as they did Iraq and others in the Middle East. They have all but killed the idea of a two-state solution in the Israel/ Palestine conflict. They now plan to install their handpicked man as president of Venezuela’s oil reserves.

The impartial observer is aware that Washington has cozied up to Russia, its cold-war enemy, as it distances itself from former friends and allies.

Today the world seems more unsafe, in comparison to the rise of Hitler. The calculation is that America can survive and prosper as a white country, perhaps driving the African/ American back onto the slave plantation. And who can say for certain that this is not the vision of the right-wing racists that now control politics in Washington?

In the Venezuela situation, it is good to see that CARICOM has at last spoken with one voice on the political crisis in that country. CARICOM leaders need to be strengthened by the Caribbean progressives that have not lost their souls.

Speaking as one united voice on the issue of the increasing pressure that the US is applying to that country and on Cuba is a good thing to do. The Cuban people have withstood sixty years of blockade and the

challenges that came with this heartless barrier to free trade.

It is therefore time to drop the pretence, stop the internal country political bickering and begin to make our voices known on the global stage. We are painfully aware that the Caribbean is classified as ‘shit-hole’ countries by some in Washington. It is therefore up to the Caribbean to rise up and speak out; to bring attention to the evil which is being planned against the people of this region by powerful forces pretending as allies. Caribbean countries with diplomatic representation in Russia and China must bring the looming danger to the attention of these capitals and see how we might work together to avert the hardships we see coming.

Surely, that blockade of Cuba by the US constitutes a violation of international law and can be considered an act of genocide against the Cuban people. The experienced can see through the flimsy foreign loincloth—a diversionary tactic—formulated against Cuba

by Washington.

In ending, I repeat that the Caribbean progressives must raise their voices against the escalation of economic pressure against the people of Cuba. We must stand with the people of Cuba in their hour of trial. Cuba has been a genuine friend. We must stand up and show we appreciate her friendship.

OPIC Acting President and CEO to Lead Delegation to the Caribbean

O

verseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) is the US Government’s development finance institution, Its Acting President and Chief Executive Officer David Bohigian will travel to Saint Lucia on Wednesday May 22.

Mr. Bohigian is leading a high-level OPIC delegation to the Caribbean to explore

investment opportunities in energy and other critical sectors as well as strengthen relationships with countries that are key partners in fostering stability and security in the Western Hemisphere. While in the region, the delegation will meet with senior government officials and business leaders.

At a meeting in March

with Caribbean leaders to discuss trade, energy investment, and security concerns, President Trump reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to working with its partners in the region to foster economic growth, counter predatory investment practices, and strengthen security co-operation.

OPEN TO EVERYONE | FREE ENTRY

THE STAR

MAY 18, 2019

www.stluciastar.com

THURSDAY, MAY 23RD, 2019 MARISULE COMPLEX 11:00AM - 5:00PM LEARN – PROMOTE – NETWORK – EVOLVE

Presented in partnership with the Small Enterprize Development Unit in the Ministry of Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs.

09

10 LOCAL

MAY 18, 2019 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

Let the Saturnalia Begin!

L

ast year’s Carnival season opened with a particularly “immoral” (which is how saturnalia is commonly defined) bang. Sprinkled with sexual assault accusations and intoxicated minors, trench digging on beaches, and unexplainable pictures of waste disposal, the beach event left some uncomfortable grains of sand on people’s skin. But almost a year later, the Saint Lucia National Conservation Authority confirms that the organisation has already received several applications for beach events this carnival season, and the approval process is going to be as it’s always been.

The party in question has been rebooted as something exclusive with an amped age limit and restrictive ticket purchase options. At press time, and with about three weeks to go, patrons are unsure whether the event will be at its previous venue. If it is, the NCA will give no pushback if it’s done in the same way this year.

“When people apply to us for the activity,” said the NCA’s

commercial services officer, Lydia Cox, “we do a site visit. In our approval letter there are a number of things they have to do and a number of agencies that they need to liaise with.”

Event organisers need additional approval from the National Emergency Management Organisation, Saint Lucia Fire Service, Solid Waste Management Authority, Royal Saint Lucia Police Force and the Saint Lucia Life Saving Association. The whole process is monitored by the NCA and, according to Cox, if all requirements are not met, the event is discontinued.

But that did not protect the beach from serious damage last year. “The information was false and I can tell you that,” said Cox. “I personally supervised, and can say what happened was blown out of proportion. It was so unnecessary and unfair to the organisers.”

A few days after last year’s party, there were pictures on Facebook of garbage improperly disposed of. The irate online publisher claimed his pictures were taken in the vicinity of the

THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SUPREME COURT IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE

SAINT LUCIA CLAIM NO. SLUHCV2006/0704 BETWEEN:

FIRSTCARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL BANK (BARBADOS) LIMITED Claimant and

1. MONA DONAVAN

2. LUCIUS GERMAIN GIRARD Defendants TO: (1) MONA DONOVAN whose last known address was Sans Souci, Castries (2) LUCIUS GERMAIN GIRARD whose last known address was Sans Souci, Castries

Saint Lucia Carnival season shows a face of feathers, glitter and fun that hides the illegal practices allowed by authorities.

event and accused the organisers of taking a lazy pass. Cox refuted that as well: “I got the police to come with me to ensure the place was cleaned, and by 7am it was done. We also called Deglos and

gave them the truck number. They confirmed that—so many trips to Deglos.”

According to Cox and the NCA’s general manager Jacintha Annius-Lee, once organised

events follow the established protocols, it’s easy to control and prevent damage to the island’s natural resources. But there’s no 100 per cent barrier.

Said Cox, “We do our best,

Allamanda Developments Ltd (In Liquidation) Company No. C169/2006 and Shirley Heights Ltd (In Liquidation) Company No. C441/2008 (together “the Companies”) Pursuant to Section 446 of the Companies Act Cap 13.01 of the Revised Edition of the Laws of Saint Lucia, the final meeting of the Companies will be held on the 1st Floor at Meridian Place, Choc Estate, Castries, Saint Lucia on Friday 21st June 2019 at 3:00p.m.

Business: 1. The approval and acceptance of the Liquidator’s account for the liquidation.

NOTICE

TAKE NOTICE that on the 16th day of April 2019, an order was granted against you in the High Court of Justice (Saint Lucia) in Claim No. SLUHCV2006/0704 in favour of the Claimant, FIRSTCARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL BANK (BARBADOS) LIMITED.

2. All of the books, accounts, papers and documents of the Companies and the Liquidators be retained for a period of five years after the dissolution of the Companies after which they shall be destroyed.

PURSUANT to the CPR Rule 5.13 service of the order in this action being effected on you by this advertisement in two (2) consecutive issues of a local newspaper circulating in Saint Lucia.

3. The Liquidator be granted a release and make a return of this meeting to the Registrar of Companies and request that it be struck from the Register.

A COPY of the order can be obtained at the High Court Office, La Place Carenage, Jeremie Street, Castries, Saint Lucia, Telephone Number 758 468-7500, Fax 758 468-7543 or Email: stluhco@eccourts.org. The office is open between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Mondays to Thursdays and between 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Fridays except public holidays.

Proxies: Any person who is entitled to attend and vote at this meeting may appoint a proxy to attend and vote in his stead. A proxy need not be a member or a creditor.

THE order can also be viewed and/or copies of same can be obtained from the offices of FOSTERS, Robin Kelton Building, Choc Bay, Castries, Saint Lucia, Telephone Number (758) 453-1100, Fax Number (758) 4524940 or E-mail: contact@fosters.law. The office is open between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays except public holidays.

Dated this 8th day of May, 2019 FOSTERS Ann-Alicia N. Fagan Legal Practitioners for the Claimant Presented for filing by: MESSRS. FOSTER, Legal Practitioners for the Claimant, whose address for service is: Chambers, Robin Kelton Bldg., Choc Bay, Castries, Saint Lucia or Suite #5, 1st Floor, 6 Bridge Street, Castries, Saint Lucia. Tel. No.: 758 453-1100, Fax No.: 758 452-4940, E-mail: contact@fosters.law The Court Office is at La Place, Carenage, Jeremie Street, Castries, Tel. No.758 4687500, Fax No. 758 453-2071, e-mail: stluhco@eccourts.org. The Court Office is open between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Monday to Thursday and between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Friday except public holidays.

Dated the 17th May 2019

By Order of the Liquidator Richard Surage Address for Service: P.O Box Choc 8245, 1st Floor Meridian Place, Choc Estate, Castries, Saint Lucia Telephone: (758) 450-7777 Fax: (758) 451-3079 Email: admin@pkf.lc

but you know, the beach is for recreation and we really have few places for activities. We have to work with the organisers to help them become more conscious of how they go about doing things. It’s not all going to happen at once but we are working with organisers to be conscious of the things they do and the effect it can have on the environment.”

But beaches need human protection from other humans.

The less controllable issues for the police during last year’s Carnival season were the alleged partygoers who were minors, the under-age drinkers and assault victims.

The NCA confirms that from its list of requirements, organisers are responsible for a level of security and acquiring a liquor licence, while the role of the police is to ensure that the event is law-abiding. According to the Saint Lucia Liquor Licence Act in Section 37 (1): “The holder of a licence shall not sell or dispose of, or allow any person to sell or dispose of, to be consumed on the licenced premises, any liquor to any person apparently under the age of 16 years.”

And in subsection (5), “Any person who acts in contravention of the foregoing subsections of this section commits an offence.”

But the police point out that they do not determine the penalties for selling alcohol to minors. Earlier this year, the Windward & Leeward Brewery and St. Lucia Distillers launched the iPledge to Drink Right Campaign. Referencing underage drinking, the acting police commissioner Milton Desir said at the time: “In terms of ID, the entities have to be responsible; especially the clubs. No one on the premises should be under 18.”

Last year the STAR reported in reference to the previously mentioned event, that a seventeen-year-old claimed she had been sexually assaulted but refused to co-operate with the police after her mother accompanied her to the hospital.

Parties advertised as 21-and-over affairs this year have so far been met with criticism and threats of minors being smuggled in anyway.

Now that Saint Lucia Jazz has drawn the curtains, it is only a matter of time before Saint Lucia sees what else is permitted this Carnival under the noses of the NCA and police, even with government endorsed events!

---Claudia Eleibox Mc Dowell

Accountants & business advisers

THE STAR

MAY 18, 2019

LOCAL

www.stluciastar.com

11

Cannabis Chairman: Government is Stalling!

Additionally: “Current farmers of illegal marijuana who believe that if or when our laws change they will automatically be licensed to cultivate in the new situation . . . Well, I want to warn them that it’s very costly.”

De Caires says the answer to protecting farmers lies in the establishment of a cannabis co-

Joshua St. Aimee

T

he number of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) members that have passed cannabis-related legislation is set to increase. With Antigua, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines having already done so, St. Kitts and Nevis is positioning itself to be next. On May 9 the island’s prime minister, Dr. Timothy Harris, introduced the Cannabis Bill during a sitting of the national assembly. The Bill seeks to regulate the use of cannabis for medicinal, religious and recreational purposes.

Harris said that his government’s intention is to place the island among the most advanced and forward-looking countries in the world.

“Today my government will advance for the first reading the Cannabis Bill, 2019,” he said. “In the not-too-distant future, the smallest country in the Western Hemisphere will provide a legal framework that represents a most modern and comprehensive response to the issues relating to the cultivation and use of marijuana.”

Harris promised non-nationals would not be allowed, “to secure advantages over nationals” as they build the country’s marijuana industry. However, he cautioned that until the Bill becomes law, the status quo will stand.

Although still in its infancy stage, St. Kitts’ cannabis industry has not been without controversy. On May 10, St. Kitts police announced that businessman Alkiviades David had been arrested and charged with possession with intent to supply, possession of controlled drugs and importation of a controlled drug into the island. David, a Greek billionaire, had previously announced plans to develop cannabis industries in the Eastern Caribbean.

He has since posted bail of $300,000.

Meanwhile in an interview with the STAR in March, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet announced that his government had agreed marijuana would be decriminalized, and commercial opportunities looked into. No timelines were given, and Chastanet played down suggestions that opportunities were passing them by.

This week, the chairman of the Cannabis Movement, Mr. Andre De Caires reacted angrily to the moves in neighbouring St. Kitts and described the Bill as "the way to go" since it covers three important areas: religious rights, personal use and medicinal purposes.

"Hats off to Prime Minister Harris,” said DeCaires. “They're going in the right direction.”

DeCaires also stated that Alkiviades David is not one of the potential investors in the Cannabis Movement. He said it appears the government is stalling and promises have not been lived up to, three years after they were given by the current administration.

The latest statement by the government on cannabis came on April 17, courtesy Agriculture Minister Ezechiel Joseph. Speaking during his contribution to the Appropriation Bill, Joseph said that his ministry was “not opposed to any legal crop that will provide a livelihood for our farmers . . . But the reality is, we’re not the ones to change any legal framework to allow us to start the cultivation of cannabis; we’re waiting.”

He promised that “when the time was right”, the ministry will provide technical support to encourage and provide opportunities for individuals to capitalize from the cultivation of the crop. Joseph also issued a warning to advocates and farmers that cultivation does not come cheap. He advised that interested

operative. He says that the Iyanola Council for the Advancement of Rastafari (ICAR) and the Cannabis Movement realised years ago that “greedy Joes” would attempt to capitalize on the industry.

"A co-operative would protect local growers and ensure the necessary infrastructure and finances are in place to provide

support,” he said. “There are many farmers presently growing cannabis, but on lands they don’t own. The co-operative will be providing lands for these farmers,” DeCaires promised. As for those now growing ganja on their own land: “They will just continue to do what they’re doing right now.”

Former CEO of Fannie Mae to Address Chamber Luncheon

T Chairman of the Cannabis Movement Mr. Andre De Caires describes the government’s handling of cannabis as “embarrassing”.

farmers should begin putting project proposals to the commercial banks.

“I’m hearing a lot of figures being bounced around,” he added. “None of us in Saint Lucia has the experience of cultivating marijuana to be able to verify the production information being talked about. Where it is being cultivated and where people are talking about thousands of dollars being realized, marijuana is grown under what’s described as ‘high-tech technology’. And that’s very costly.”

For Sale Two-storey building at Vieux Fort Industrial Estate suitable for warehousing or commercial activity.

Land 10,018 sq feet Ground floor: 6,124sq feet Top Floor: 6,495 sq feet Paved area for parking 5 washrooms Priced for Immediate Sale For serious enquires, please contact:

1758-487-9640

he grand finale to the upcoming Chamber Investment Symposium “Alternative and Innovative Investment and Financing Options”, will be delivered by Mr. Egbert Perry, former Chairman and CEO of Fannie Mae on Wednesday May 22, 2019 from 1:30 p.m. at Harbor Club in Rodney Bay.

Fannie Mae is the Federal National Mortgage Association, sponsored by US Government and founded in 1938 by Congress. It was established to stimulate the housing market by making more mortgages available to moderateto-low income borrowers. The corporation has as its purpose expanding the secondary mortgage market by securitizing mortgage loans in the form of

mortgage-backed securities, allowing lenders to reinvest their assets into more lending and in effect increasing the number of lenders in the mortgage market.

Mr. Perry is an Antiguan by birth and now heads the Atlantabased firm, the Integral Group executing one of the largest development projects in Atlanta currently.

Mr. Perry will speak on the subject of “Challenging Conventional Wisdom on Economic Development”, exploring his views on the importance of developing the economy using differential thinking but based on sound economic business principles and investment, financing instruments with nationals playing a leading role.

The Chamber invites the business community to join in an engaging and thoughtprovoking day, which will conclude with a powerful presentation by Mr. Egbert Perry.

If one is challenged to spend the entire day, one can join the Executive Luncheon Presentation and be part of a riveting informative and eye-opening appearance by Mr. Perry.

Bank of Saint Lucia Investment Services, Invest St. Lucia and First Citizens Investment Services are cosponsors of this event.

The Chamber encourages Saint Lucians to take advantage of this informative presentation.

To register, please contact the Chamber Secretariat at 452-3165 or email info@stluciachamber.

NOTICE CPJ FRESH MARKET

wishes to inform its patrons that the supermarket will be closed from Thursday May 23rd through Friday May 24th, 2019 to facilitate stock taking.

We will resume our usual operations on Saturday 25th May from 8:00 a.m.

The Management of CPJ Fresh Market deeply regrets any inconvenience caused and wishes to thank our valued customers for their patience and understanding.

12 COMMENT

www.stluciastar.com

may 18, 2019 THE STAR

Can Chastanet find t to attack St. Lucia’s Studied Indifference to I

t started, as usual, with words. Words! Words! Words!

Words that hinted haughtily at superior intellect previously absent from the corridors of power. Words from honorable gentlemen to fellow university decorated men of high repute, at least one of whom would later be exposed as a selfobsessed fake. But just then no one cared if the near illiterate majority of the House audience failed to understand what was being spoken in our name. Our faith was strong, and faith was not faith if it accommodated questions or harbored doubt, however small. So, on the remembered day in 1997 we listened in respectful silence to the governor general as he lip-serviced the prime minister’s words, awed by what we had wrought at the ballot box with our barely legible scribbles and our inartistic crosses: a new and brighter day for ourselves and for generations yet unborn.

“My government is committed to extending democracy by making existing institutions more accountable and creating new mechanisms for stimulating greater public participation in the processes of government. Of necessity

this will involve my government in new modalities of governance, in redesigning and relocating political authority within the parameters of our Constitution.”

Ultimately it was about making parliament “more accessible to the people, creating new possibilities for self-representation.” The new government, through its appointed mouthpiece, promised to commence work on the “restitution of community government.” It would also “initiate a thorough consultative process to engage the communities in dialogue on the parameters of these structures” and examine “the possibility of allowing in parliament the use of our native Creole. Kweyol say langue ek lam pep-la! Kweyol is the language and the soul of the people and parliament, as the supreme expression of the sovereign will of the people, must accommodate itself to that reality . . .”

If only we could’ve known then what we know now: Even as Sir George Mallet was mouthing the words of the newly elected clueless prime minister, Kenny Anthony (a history maker, having won

report: “From the limited but not unrevealing perspective of the Commission of Inquiry I have discerned a culture in St. Lucia of studied or, at the very least, inattention to the practice, even the concept of public accountability; a cultural climate in which administrative torpor is often the consequence, and malpractices in government (including corruption) can thrive, unhampered by detection or, if and when uncovered, by disciplinary action . . .

The suspicion in the public’s mind that the machinery of just a few days earlier sixteen course of action because the of the seventeen seats in people have cried out for justice, government is not working and consequently that parliament—and whom the and once a blind eye is turned corruption is rife, is almost underrated Robert Lee had in to corruption the institution as damaging to the public a lengthy panegyric costumed is created for its unchecked weal as individual corruption as the hero of Derek Walcott’s proliferation.” itself. Good governance, Ti Jean and His Brothers)

For 40 years Sir George which can be sustained only was dragging us unresisting Mallet had been the nation’s into the hell of Rochamel and deputy prime minister—until he by training and education in public administration, is the Grynberg. So much for “making resigned and donated his seat key to the future stability and institutions more accountable; in the name of party loyalty to development in the territories of so much for stimulating greater a wholly undeserving younger the Caribbean.” public participation in the candidate shortly before the

Blom-Cooper’s words processes of governance.”

1997 general elections. And obviously fell on deaf ears.

Of course an audience now, still in the name of duty, less drunk on anticipation and he read out the bad news about In 2009 the governor general more trusting of its own natural what was to befall the legendary had cause to appoint another commission of inquiry into instincts might have seen individual with whom he had “certain matters concerning the through the cheap cosmetics. stood side by side through the public service of Saint Lucia,” We blindly applauded when the sugarcane and “green gold” among them “the financial monster flashed us a glimpse of wars. involvement of Saint Lucia its true nature: “Corruption has In April 1998 the Kenny in relation to the payment of been identified as the number Anthony government initiated US$17,092,350 to the Royal one issue on the minds of Saint a commission of inquiry, Merchant Bank of Trinidad Lucians,” read Sir George, like a conducted by Sir Louis Blomand Tobago to satisfy debts man entranced. “The extent of Cooper, into “a trio of events owed by Frenwell Limited” and the public sentiment has found in public administration in related losses suffered by the expression in popular culture St Lucia in the 1990s.” Sir government of Saint Lucia. The . . . My government will, in John Compton and his 1995 three-man commission went conformity with the promises replacement prime minister to work on 29 January 2009 made during the election, Vaughan Lewis were among establish a commission to those required to eat the fallout and reported on 19 October of the same year. Among its investigate all cases of alleged from embarrassing, hurriedly findings: “Our inquiry into corruption and to establish manufactured allegations the formation of Frenwell which cases warrant further that finally were marked “not Limited shows it was allegedly legal action and prosecution. upheld.” The following is formed at the request of the We are resolute to pursue this taken from the Blom-Cooper

government of St. Lucia as a device to deal with payment of the sum of US$12,750,000 which was the total amount the government of Saint Lucia agreed to guarantee under the development and concession agreement of 17 December 1997. The Deed of Guarantee and Indemnity executed in favor of the Royal Merchant Bank on 13 February 1998 did not mention the provision in the development and concession agreement of 17 December 1997 that in the event the government of Saint Lucia was called upon to pay under the guarantee it was entitled to an equity of corresponding value in Pigeon Point Limited.

The Royal Merchant Bank was not a party to the development and concession agreement. Its recourse for payment of the sum of US$12,750,000 was to the Deed of Guarantee and Indemnity and the Put Option Agreements— which were all executed by Dr. Kenny Anthony.”

Moreover: “The guarantees in the development and concession agreement, the Deed of Guarantee and Indemnity and the Put Option Agreements were never put before parliament by resolution.

As a result there was no direct authority for money payable under the guarantees or any of them to be taken out of the Consolidated Fund, as is contemplated by sections 41 and 42 of the Finance (Administration) Act. In December 2002 the government of St Lucia wanted to borrow US$41 million from the Royal Merchant Bank to meet capital expenditure and to pay the debts incurred by Frenwell Limited. A motion to enable the money to be borrowed was put before Parliament. It was approved by the House on the motion of Dr. Kenny Anthony the prime minister and minister of finance on 17

THE STAR

may 18, 2019

d the courage ’s ‘Culture of to Corruption?’

December 2002 . . . The motion presented to parliament invoked as its authority the provisions of section 39 of the Finance (Administration) Act, subsection 1 (a). The reason for invoking 39 (1) (a) was because a part of the US$41 million was intended to meet expenditure on capital works which the government of Saint Lucia had undertaken but it was also intended that the other part should be used to refinance government’s obligations in respect of the former Hyatt Hotel. The truth was that the obligations the government intended to meet were the loan monies which Frenwell Limited had borrowed and the interest which the government was obliged to pay the Royal Merchant bank under the Deed of Guarantee and Indemnity and the Put Option Agreements.”

Then there is this: “We did not discern any attempt to protect the government and people from the loss. The prime minister and minister of finance had responsibility for this transaction whereby the money was lost. There was no supervision or control by the government over the construction, equipping and management of the resort . . . We consider the government was obliged to protect itself by ensuring that it had an equity in a viable concern in the event it was called upon to meet debts of the hotel company.”

The report also underscores the lack of involvement of St. Lucian public servants in the decision making process concerning the transaction. Much of what has been underscored here is repeated in the transaction commonly known as “the Grynberg matter.” As doubtless Sir Louis Blom-Cooper knew back in 1999, leopards really cannot change their spots. But we will come to that.

We certainly will!

COMMENT 13

www.stluciastar.com

VACANCY JOB TITLE : REPORTS TO :

Corporate Secretary Board Chair

JOB PURPOSE The Corporate Secretary is charged with the preparation and planning of board meetings, committee meetings, extraordinary general meetings and annual general meetings. He/she attends the meetings and ensures minutes are recorded.

The Corporate Secretary is responsible for ensuring that board members have the proper advice and resources for discharging their fiduciary duties to the societies’ members under state law and in accordance with the organization’s bye-laws.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES 1. Board meetings (planning & executing) 2. Record Keeping 3. Advisor Knowledge, Education & Experience • At least 3 years of experience as an Administrative

Assistant, Paralegal, Supervisor or Manager • Bachelor’s degree in one or more of the following: Business Administration, Business Law, Communications Studies, Political Science,

Public Administration or Economics • Experience as a Corporate Secretary or Certification in Corporate Governance would be

an asset • Strong understanding of general management best practices and performance management principles • Strong grasp of collective management society practices • Strong writing, typing and computer skills • Extensive software knowledge such as Microsoft

Word, Excel and PowerPoint Core competencies • Ability to quickly understand the business of

Collective Management Organizations • Demonstrating an “executive presence,” highly professional and backed up with solid communication skills whether interaction is with office staff, directors, company lawyer, CEO

or Chairperson • Being able to read signals on the horizon and provide early warning to management and the board • Being detail-oriented • Being flexible and creative • Maintaining the appropriate perspective, no

matter how pressured a situation • Analytic and decisive individual • Ability to work independently, think critically and

effectively carry out research • Excellent time management skills • Strong skills in diplomacy and ethics

Prime Minister Allen Chastanet: He has promised to expose the mysteries of the Jack Grynberg controversy. On the other hand his immediate predecessor has himself sworn in parliament to “make sure [Chastanet] reaps the whirlwind” should he carry out his promised investigation into what led the Kenny Anthony government to enter into a secret agreement with Grynberg’s RSM Production Company in 2000. The matter is currently pending before the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes.

Working hours This is a part time position and it will require an estimated investment of ten hours per month. The concentration of those hours will be before, during and after board meetings.

Email your cover letter and curriculum vitae to djoseph@eccorights.com and copy ecco@eccorights.org Direct email to: Davis R Joseph, Chief Executive Officer, ECCO Inc., Castries, St Lucia Deadline date 31 May, 2019.

14 local

MAY 18, 2019 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

SAINT LUCIA SAINT LUCIA HEALTH SYSTEM STRENGTHENING PROJECT Credit No.: IDA Credit # 63160-LC

Saint Lucians Show Up to Reconnect with Sir Mike

Assignment Title: ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Reference No. 004/ICS/HSSP/18

By Andrew St. Ange

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

The Government of Saint Lucia (GOSL) has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Health System Strengthening Project, and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.

The consulting services (“the Services”) include • Providing secretarial support to the PIU and to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the project.

• Administration of all the operations of the Project to include support to the Project Manager Procurement Specialist and Financial Management Specialist.

• Providing liaison services to the stakeholder, consultants, and the PIU to ensure effective communication.

• Creating and maintaining a Fixed Assets Register, Contracts Register and Leave Record for the Project Implementation Unit.

• Provide administrative and secretarial services/support during World Bank Missions and other project related meetings.

• Respond to emails and other correspondence when and where necessary on Project related matters.

• Provide general secretarial, administrative duties such as typing, filing and basic data entry in order to improve the quality of internal controls within the PIU. The consultancy is full time and substantially will be performed on site at the Department of Health and Wellness.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be found at the following website; www.finance.gov.lc or can be obtained at the address given below The Department of Health and Wellness now invites eligible Individual Consultants (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services; (Curriculum Vitae, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, clients’ references etc.).

The shortlisting criteria are: QUALIFICATION Minimum required education and experience Academic: - An Associate Degree or equivalent qualification in Business Administration, Secretarial Services or related subject.

Experience: - A minimum of 3 years of professional experience in administration or related functions.

Professional Experience: - Overall organizational skills for maximizing results -

Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, PowerPoint

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” July 2016, revised November 2017 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Individual Consultants Selection method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

(0800 to 1630 hours).

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by e-mail) by May 21, 2019.

Project Coordination Unit Department of Economic Development, Transport and Civil Aviation Attn: Project Coordinator 2nd Floor, Finance Administrative Centre Pointe Seraphine, Castries, Saint Lucia Tel: 1-758-468-2413 E-mail: slupcu@gosl.gov.lc

O

n Thursday this week, following two days of sunshine, Londoners were in a feel-good mood. Earlier in the day, the father of Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister, Mr. Michael Chastanet, had visited Buckingham Palace to kneel before the Queen and stand up again as a knight. Some nine years earlier, in November 2010, when Kenny Anthony was the island’s PM, Mr. Chastanet had made the same journey to receive CMG, the Order of St. Michael and St. George, in recognition of his contributions to commerce.

On this most recent occasion the island’s High Commissioner to the UK, Mr. Guy Mayers, organised a reception at his office to which Saint Lucians in the UK were invited. If Mr. Mayers worried some might not receive their invitation in time, his fears proved unwarranted. The Chastanet family was also represented. In conspicuous attendance were Mrs Judy Chastanet (now Lady Judy!), their daughter Feola and assorted cousins resident in the UK. Also on hand was Sir Mike’s son, Allen, the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia who, with agriculture minister Ezichiel Joseph, was in London for meetings with Winfresh at Stanstead, Waltrose & Partners, among others.

Following an altogether unnecessary introduction, the well-known entrepreneurturned-knight was invited to say a few words. He took the opportunity to thank various individuals who had assisted him when he needed a helping hand, including some relatives no longer with us. “To succeed in business,” he said, “you need a combination of drive, passion, discipline and dedication.”

At the end of his short speech, Sir Mike was presented with a booklet authored by the late Winville King, called “125 Not out—the M&C Story 1864 to 1989”, printed by STAR Publishing Company.

As the freshly minted knight of the realm flicked the pages, a photograph caught his attention. “This was my grandfather Charles Chastanet,” he said. “He became the sole owner of M&C after the death of

Saint Lucia’s High Commissioner in London, Mr. Guy Mayers (right) congratulates Sir Michael Chastanet (left) shortly after he was knighted by the Queen of England.

his partner Henry Minvielle. This man came to Saint Lucia with nothing. When he and his wife broke up he went on to have children with a local woman, one of whom was my father.”

He chuckled at the memory: “He never supported his family.” As for the neglected

son of the moment, he was the only one of his mother’s children who never earned a university degree. Nevertheless, there he stood among wellwishing fellow Saint Lucians, having been knighted mere hours earlier by the Queen of England. Rise, Sir Mike.

BUSINESSES CAUTIONED ABOUT OBSTRUCTING PEDESTRIANS WITH SIDEWALK SIGNS

B

usinesses within the City of Castries are being advised against placing signs on sidewalks. While these signs are placed daily by business houses to attract customers, the City Council has received numerous complaints regarding the placement of business signs on the sidewalks in the public right of way.

The Criminal Code, Chapter 3.01 of the revised Laws of Saint Lucia 2013 states in Section 493: “A person who places, hangs up, or exposes for sale in any city or town any goods, wares, merchandise, matter or thing whatsoever, so that the same project or projects into or over any footway, or beyond the line of any house, shop, or building at which the same is or are so exposed so as to obstruct or inconvenience the passage of

any person over or along any footway is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $1,000.”

Castries Mayor Peterson Francis says that the signs are not simply an aesthetic concern, but also create an obstruction.

Said the mayor: “We continue to see signs placed to the centre of the sidewalks, hindering pedestrians. I have had complaints from persons with disabilities and concerned citizens. I have also seen persons with disabilities and wheelchairs having difficulty trying to manoeuvre on the sidewalk. It is of the utmost importance that all pedestrians have full and unobstructed use of the sidewalk available to them."

The Mayor says businesses should desist from the practice of placing signs on the sidewalks.

THE STAR

HEALTH 15

www.stluciastar.com

MAY 18, 2019

KIM’S KORNER

Managing Parkinson’s Disease

P

arkinson’s is a neurological disorder first known as Shaking Palsy but which later took its name from the English doctor who identified it in 1817: James Parkinson. Its symptoms appear slowly and it is often difficult to diagnose in the early stages. It usually affects people over 60 but it is not unheard of in younger people.

Famous sufferers of Parkinson’s include Muhammad Ali and Michael J. Fox.

One of the characteristic signs of Parkinson’s is a tremor in any limb but usually the hand or arm. It can be seen when the hand is relaxed and is often noticeable as a movement between the thumb and forefinger, known as pill-rolling.

Other early signs are stiffness and the slowing of movements plus difficulty in walking, with the loss of arm swing, accompanied by shuffling and shorter steps. People often find they freeze on the spot, unable to take a step forward.

Increasing muscle stiffness, particularly trunk rotation, can also make it difficult to move.

Even simple tasks like rolling over and getting out of bed or getting in and out of the car become difficult. Stiffness and muscle imbalance can also affect

but its cause remains unknown.

Most of the symptoms are caused by loss of neurons that produce dopamine, a neural chemical messenger. The decrease in dopamine causes abnormal brain activity and the result is the symptoms that combine to identify the disease.

posture. Many people with Parkinson’s begin to stoop, which further complicates balance and walking.

Another distinguishable feature is loss of facial expression, with reduced blinking and smiling due to changes in muscle function and stiffness; the face can take on a mask-like appearance.

People with Parkinson’s may find problems not only with movement but also with speech, which can become soft and/or slurred; it is not uncommon for hesitation before speaking and the loss of inflection in the tone: everything

is said at one level, with no expression. This can make talking to people problematic as tone and facial expression are two things that we use when trying to gauge a person’s mood and intention. We often say one thing but our tone and expression indicate something completely different. As the disease progresses, changes in a person’s thinking processes can be noticed and, in the advanced stages, dementia is common.

What causes Parkinson’s?

Parkinson’s is a neural disease that affects the brain

What are the risk factors?

Age is one of the most common risk factors; it usually affects people over the age of 60 and is more common in men than women. It is not thought to run in families but there is some evidence that if there are several people in a family suffering from Parkinson’s, the risk of developing the disease increases. Also, exposure to pesticides and toxins may increase the risk. Recent research has also started to look at the link between head trauma and Parkinson’s; several boxers and footballers have developed the disease but more research is needed.

How is it treated?

There is no cure so treatment focuses on managing the symptoms with medication.

Because of the varying symptoms and presentation of the disease, finding the right medication

Miss Understood

By Allana Maximin

T

here are a number of issues that human beings face on a daily basis. I mean, it's tough just surviving in this world.

Not to downplay the issues men are faced with, this column was created especially to educate everyone on the day to day issues that women face and how they can be conquered.

Today, we look at a common situation among women ranging in age from 15 to 44, some of them unaware of their condition. That increasingly common issue is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), an annoyance that I've personally had to deal with for the past two years. This condition has been said to be present in at least 10% of women within that age group around the world.

PCOS made itself known to me by causing me to have

long, irregular periods lasting weeks or short periods lasting 2-3 days. Additionally, I started gaining a ton of weight and developing facial hair, amongst other symptoms. After consulting a doctor and having an ultrasound, I was told that I suffered with PCOS. As this illness is tricky, it may not pose any threats or symptoms to some women but might create a series of complications for others, including infertility.

So what exactly is PCOS? According to my research, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a common health problem caused by an imbalance of reproductive hormones . The common symptoms of this problem are irregular menstrual cycle, unwanted body/facial hair, acne, thinning hair, weight gain, darkening of skin, skin tags, trouble sleeping, infertility and headaches, among others.

It is not wrong to say that this is a rapidly growing issue

among our Saint Lucian women. I feel like one in every three women I know has this problem. But if you are one of those suffering with PCOS, do not be alarmed as you can live a pretty normal life.

Here are a few tips to help you prevent and reduce PCOS:

• If you are overweight, lose some pounds. Eating healthily and exercising regularly can help relieve some of your PCOS symptoms. Speaking from experience, I have found that my diet change and including exercise in my daily routine has helped to eliminate my headaches and trouble with sleeping. If it worked for me, there is no telling what it can do for you. Not to mention, these changes benefit you in other ways. It is proven that losing weight may help to lower your blood glucose levels, improve the way your body uses insulin, and help your hormones reach normal levels.

• Removing hair. I know how annoying facial hair can be for

women, and I have had my few strands of beard pointed out by colleagues. Unfortunately, my best advice for this one is simply using hair removal cream, wax or laser hair removal.

• Slowing hair growth. To slow down the rate at which the unwanted hair grows, talk to your dermatologist about a prescription skin treatment (eflornithine HCl cream) which helps slow down the growth rate of new hair in unwanted places.

• Birth Control. As a form of regulating your period, your doctor might suggest putting you on birth control. This is a great option to ensure periods are on time and normal.

If you are suffering from this illness, I hope that I have helped you in one way or another and you find comfort in knowing that you are definitely not alone in your struggle to overcome it. Do your research, and you might find ways to get you living a normal life with PCOS.

regime can often be trial and error and, even when the right combination is found, it can stop being effective, virtually overnight.

Exercise is important but, like medication, one size does not fit all. Introducing exercise during the early stages of the disease has been shown to be effective in slowing its progression.

The best and often under-utilized therapies are speech therapy and physiotherapy.

Physiotherapists are trained in the art of movement and function. They assess posture

and movement and design programmes that cater for individual needs, based on symptoms and presentation.

If you suspect that you or somebody close to you has signs of Parkinson’s, the first step would be to consult your primary healthcare provider. Remember, even if symptoms are mild, ask about physiotherapy; the earlier one receives intervention and exercise advice, the greater the chance of slowing down the deterioration of movement and function.

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 EASTERN CARIBBEAN SUPREME COURT SAINT LUCIA

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE

CLAIM NO. SLUHCV2009/0581 BETWEEN: FIRSTCARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL BANK (BARBADOS) LIMITED Claimant and

1.

2.

GUILLAUME LAURENCIN ANN MARIE LAURENCIN

Defendants NOTICE OF HEARING TAKE NOTICE that the Application to Vary Upset Price filed in this matter has been scheduled for Chambers Hearing at the High Court of Justice, La Place Carenage, Jeremie Street in the city of Castries on Thursday, the 23rd day of May, 2019 at 9 o’clock in the forenoon before Justice Cadie St. Rose-Albertini.

DATED: this 24th day of April, 2019 (Sgd.) L. Soomer-James for REGISTRAR OF THE HIGH COURT To:

Fosters Legal Practitioner for the Claimant Robin Kelton Bldg, Choc Bay, Castries

Guillaume Laurencin Anne Marie Laurencin Defendant in Person Defendant in Person 19431 Stonebrook Street 19431 Stonebrook Street Weston Florida Weston Florida USA USA The Court Office is at La Place Carenage, Jeremie Street, Castries, telephone Number (758) 468-7500, fax number (758) 468-7543, Email: stluhco@eccourts.org The Office is open between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Monday to Thursday and between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Friday except public holidays.

16

www.stluciastar.com

MAY 18, 2019 THE STAR

THE STAR may 18, 2019

P

Saint Lucians thrill to ‘Soul beat Korea’

atrons who filled the National Cultural Centre on Wednesday evening for the ‘Soul Beat Korea’ cultural event witnessed nothing short of a masterpiece production.

The event was hosted by The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in celebration of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Saint Lucia and the East Asian nation.

Special guests included Republic of Korea Ambassador Sung Moonup, Senate President Jeannine Giraudy-McIntyre, Dame Pearlette Louisy and Senator Fortuna Belrose.

The show featured the performing arts group Gongmyoung, the b-boy dance crew Gorilla Crew, musician Ji Hyun Lee and dancer Su Ji Jang. The night began with Su Ji Jang, spectacularly attired in a white hooded robe and longsleeves over a black garment.

She performed the Korean dance ‘Seungmu’, moving majestically across the stage.

Members of Gongmyoung: Sun Il Kang, Seung Won Park, Kyong Keun Song and Yong Ju Lim then took the floor, performing a number of traditional Korean songs, with touches of modern sounds. The group showed versatility in using a number of instruments, ranging from standard guitar and drums, to bamboo flutes in all shapes and sizes. Noddy Woo on the bass and Soo Hyun Jang on violin accompanied them.

Ji Hyun Lee made her way on stage to play the Gayageum, a 25-string uniquely Korean instrument. Her performance transitioned seamlessly to the Gorilla Crew, made up of Il Ho Shin, Hyun Moon Kim, Tae Jin Oh Yosup Park, Seokbong Lee, Ho Chan Cha and Il Hwan Kim. They wowed the audience with their acrobatic and jawdropping moves. From one dancer front flipping off the stage to another spinning on his head for at least 10 seconds, there was plenty of action to be seen.

The audience applause on Wednesday evening several times threatened the ceiling. Towards the end of the performance, Gongmyoung members made their way through the audience. One played a flute he had minutes earlier constructed onstage; another used a five-gallon water bottle as a drum, while the other two used a tambourine and a

www.stluciastar.com

LOCAL

17

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST SAINT LUCIA CARIBBEAN REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM (CARCIP) IDA Credit # 5117 Assignment Title: Impact Assessment of the Unified Communications System Reference No. : SLU-CARCIP- CS-IC-TSUCS-01-19 Saint Lucia has received funding from the International Development Association (World Bank) towards the cost of the Caribbean Communications Infrastructure Program (CARCIP) towards consulting services.

The consulting services (“the Services”) include conducting an Impact Assessment of the Unified Communications System recently installed in Government Departments to determine operational efficiency, quality of the system installed in terms of using the system, receiving and making calls, cost derived and ease of use of the Unified Communications System. The Consultant will assess the UCS from a) Technical, b) Financial, c) Functional and d) Quality of the equipment / services delivered, Inspect and test various Hardware aspects of the implementation such as but not limited to; Fibre runs and Equipment Installations to determine Its efficiency and impact / effect on the overall system, Review services and strategies such as but not limited to Data Recovery and Business Continuity (DRBC), Incident reporting and escalation, Independent Monitoring of Services proposed or in use by the Client in and use of enhanced Telephony Services, Evaluate the impact / effect that the implementation of system as it relates to Operational Efficiency of Government agencies such as but not limited to improvements in the storage and manipulation of data, faster delivery of services and improved reporting on the use of Telecommunications services, Conduct a comprehensive evaluation of Cost Savings in Telecommunications expenditure realised by the Government as a result of the implementation of the UCS and Evaluate the effectiveness of End User Training to assess the effective use of the available UCS services. Identify gaps and or deficiencies and areas where training may be required and Evaluate the effectiveness of Communications Strategy, where available and make recommendations for sensitization and orientation of the GOSL users that can be used for the development of a Change Management plan. The consultancy is to be undertaken over a period of six (6) months.

One girl got into the action on stage with Gongmyoung.

Ji Hyun Lee plays the impressive looking Gayageum.

disk-like drum. One lucky young lady was invited onstage, where she showed off her impressive dance moves, cheered on by the audience and Gongmyoung.

She was gifted with the flute and smiled her way back to her seat. Although it was announced that “this will be our last song” the crowd was having none of it. Their appeals of “Encore!” brought Gongmyoung back to the stage. Finally they were given a standing ovation from the obviously most appreciative audience.

The STAR caught up with some patrons as they made their way out of the Centre. One woman said: “Everything about the performance was just so professionally delivered. There was finesse to everything that they did. It spoke a lot for their discipline.”

The Cultural Development Foundation’s Director of Events Ms. Drenia Frederick gave the show a thumbs-up. “It should serve as a teaching moment for Saint Lucians,” she said.

“You felt a sense of a strong traditional base that was mixed with modern genres. Using their template of traditional rhythms, juxtaposing that with hip-hop, I think that was fantastic. You could still see and feel their essence; themselves; their

identity; who they are.”

Culture Minister Fortuna Belrose had nothing but praise for the performers. “I thought it was really exhilarating. They were excellent in their delivery of the various aspects of their music, drama and theatre. We got a chance to really savour that. What was especially interesting was their use of all these tools as instruments. It proved you can make music out of anything.”

Referring to the packed National Cultural Centre, she said that it shows there is interest in the arts, therefore society must continue to create more opportunities to learn about other cultures.

“I was just discussing with the Korean ambassador the possibility of a return visit,” Belrose confided. “We are also considering the possibility of Saint Lucians going to South Korea to showcase our own music and culture.”

At a reception prior to the show, Ambassador Sung Moonup announced that the Korean government will be contributing US$120,000 to the Saint Lucia Fire Service, to be used for purchasing a vehicle and safety equipment.

---JSA

The Terms of reference may be obtained on the website of the Government of Saint Lucia (www.govt.lc/consultancy) or at the address below.

The Department of the Public Service now invites eligible individual consultants (“Consultant”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information (Curriculum Vitae, including employment records, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills, etc.) demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services.

The Shortlisting Criteria are: The minimum required qualifications and experience of the Consultant: Msc / Bsc in Information Systems, Statistics, Research Methods or equivalent professional qualification.

At least five (5) years of experience in carrying out impact assessments in ICT; evidence should be provided of the completion of at least one assignment within the last three years.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Bank’s Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers January 2011 Revised July 2014 (“Consultant Guidelines”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Individual Consultants (IC) method set out in Consultant Guidelines.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours [9:00a.m – 3:00p.m (0900 to 1500 hours).

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by e-mail) by May 21, 2019.

Project Coordination Unit Department of Economic Development, Transport and Civil Aviation Attn: Project Coordinator 2nd Floor, Finance Administrative Centre Trou Garnier, Pointe Seraphine Castries, Saint Lucia Tel: 758-468-2413 • E-mail: slupcu@gosl.gov.lc Website: www.finance.gov.lc

18

may 18, 2019 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

FREE

49” FHD SMART TV

PS4 GAME

W/PURCHASE 134004

108099

WKLY

CASH DISCOUNT

2,599

CASH

SAVE

2,999

26

$

400

$

$

$

ANDROID BOX 6.0 4K BASIC WITH REMOTE CONTROL R1507D

CASH DISCOUNT

269

$

WKLY

3

$

CASH

349

$

PS4 1TB DAYS OF PLAY

SAVE

131025

80

$

CASH DISCOUNT

WKLY

999

FREE

ACTION CAM W/PURCHASE R1600A

JVC 43" ANDROID SMART TV 107079

CASH DISCOUNT

1,999

$

WKLY

19

$

TV MOUNT WITH TILT FROM 26” TO 55”

TV CEILING MOUNT FROM 32"- 65"

CASH DISCOUNT

CASH DISCOUNT

R1600C

CASH

2,249

CASH DISCOUNT

WIRELESS SOUND BAR WITH SUBWOOFER

499

$

WKLY

$

R4006A

5

599

$

849

WKLY

9

$

999

$

R15080

15

$

CASH DISCOUNT

WKLY

399

$

$

4

FREE

CASH DISCOUNT

799

$

WKLY

8

$

CASH

899

$

499

$

MAGNETIC EARPHONES W/PURCHASE

R33025

BASSOOKA STYLE BT SPEAKER

CASH

FREE

SPORT HOOK EARPHONES W/PURCHASE

R40031 CASH

CASH DISCOUNT

R40069

R4004A

$

CASH DISCOUNT

OPTICAL SOUND BAR

CASH

COMBO BT PA SPEAKER 10” 2 TRIPOD - 1 MIC CASH DISCOUNT

AC UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL

12

$

$

$

4 IN 1 UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL $

159

89

$

1,149

$

R15002

R16018

CASH

10

$

R3302A

5.1 SPEAKER R40034

CASH DISCOUNT

349

$

WKLY

4

$

CASH

449

$

FINANCING SERVICES AVAILABLE

PAY NOTHING FOR 30 DAYS VISIT US at the Courts Marisule Complex • CALL US AT 457-8100

THE STAR

LOCAL

www.stluciastar.com

MAY 18, 2019

19

MAD DOGS AND GRAMMAR NAZIS

By Tony Deyal

E

ngland is a crazy place and the English language is even crazier.

An Englishman on a horse with a big shotgun in his hand was riding through the forest when he came upon a beautiful, totally naked redhead.

“What you doing?” she asked coquettishly.

“I’m looking for game,” replied the Englishman. She smiled, posed seductively: “Well, I’m game!” So the man shot her.

A Jamaican, accustomed to his cold Red Stripe, was asked about his thoughts on warm English beer. He replied:

“I think they should just pour it back into the horse.” And that’s why the Jamaican country boy was thrown out of the spelling bee, when he failed to spell “auspice” correctly.

Three foreign doctors on contract in Trinidad were discussing the case of a woman who could not bear children. The first doctor, from India, said: “The woman is inconceivable.” The second, from the Philippines, corrected her colleague, pointing out, “Inconceivable really means unbelievable; or unimaginable.

Really, the woman is impregnable.”

“No, no, no, my dear,” said the third doctor, a Nigerian.

“Impregnable is like a fortress that cannot be conquered or penetrated. The fact is the woman is unbearable.”

A comedian once mused: “There is no egg in eggplant, no ham in hamburger. There’s neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins were not invented in England or French fries in France.

Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write, but

Was DBL just Another Musical Prophet in his Own Town?

A

ll media and advertising options had been exploited, and all news stations had featured the story about a Saint Lucian returning home reincarnated as a self-made stage performer.

His relationship with his aunt Sandra Lord (popular in her time as little Miss Blue, for songs like St Lucians Unite) was underscored; his mentorship by Jackie Jackson of the legendary Jackson 5 was repeated everywhere.

In our own interview with DBL, we described him as jolly, pleasant, exuding contagious excitement as he rehearsed for his upcoming show appropriately dubbed “Son of the Soil”. He spoke about his visit to Dame Pearlette Louisy Primary School and how hundreds of children flocked toward him, requesting autographs and dance samples.

His social media account featured him in snippets from TV interviews and articles published in popular magazines, pictures with Jackie Jackson and his family, and videos of DBL dancing up a storm. His followers on social media posts seemed to love DBL to bits.

But the hype did not impact positively on DBL’s fellow countrymen. Those who actually took the time to search for him on YouTube were not impressed by his two music videos. Some announced that they’d never heard of him before and were not about to invest $105 or $135 since they had no way of knowing what he’d be like live on stage.

At Sandals Grande St. Lucian on Saturday May 4 at the scheduled 8 pm show time the audience numbered less than forty. It was a good thing the 6-8 pm cocktail reception that cost an extra $30 was extended by 90 minutes.

It was a relief to see several local musicians and singers mingling in support of DBL, but it turned out they were the opening acts. By around 10 pm there were about twenty more people seated and singing along to Shayne Ross and Michael Robinson’s songs.

“Boo” Hinkson played his jazz tunes old, new and unreleased; four or five other local singers performed. The stage, lights and live band kept the crowd looking to the front of the nearly empty William Clinton Ballroom.

It seemed a good show was in the offing after all, and those who missed out this time would show up for the planned followup DBL performance. Finally, at a few minutes to 11, a recording of Sandra Lord apologizing for not being present. Her recorded voice also introduced her “extremely talented” nephew to the audience.

DBL bounced out wearing a red and gold T-shirt, with regular white jeans, spewing occasional phrases of his song Another Round.

He seemed unbothered by the size of the audience.

But while he appeared to be enjoying himself, his audience were like wax images: silent and still. Who knows why?

Could it be because his songs were unfamiliar to them? Or

did the cold reception have something to do with his get-up? He had on artificial braids—reserved in Saint Lucia for women. DBL kept singing regardless. He did a lot of spinning around and shook his braids with gay abandon.

No matter what he did, he did not reach his audience. The only sign of life among them were their sighs and eye rolls.

At one point DBL belted out: “There’s a natural mystic blowing through the air!” Loud, clear, strong and eerily like Bob Marley. His talent that Jackie Jackson and Sandra Lord spoke about now pushed through, as did his vocal skills.

Still his audience remained frozen. “Many more will have to suffer/Many more will have to die/Don’t ask me why,” he wailed, to Michael Jackson motions.

Around 11:30 some people started leaving. They never got to hear DBL’s promised new songs. The night was young and Guinness’ Amplify show was just seconds away at Gaiety car park, featuring hours of dancehall, soca and Saint Lucia’s favourite deejays.

Truth be told, DBL performed his heart out on what looked like an expensive stage, but he never connected with his audience. Perhaps he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then again, lessons were learned that might serve DBL on his promised next visit!

fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham?

If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural of booth, beeth?”

There are many such ambiguities and inconsistencies in English. One wit pointed out that a renowned national sprinter should be housed in the Hilton Hotel in Trinidad, which is famous for having its first floor at the top and its highest numbered floor at the bottom.

He said that, like the hotel, the sprinter has to be upside down because his mouth runs and his feet smell. This can only happen in English. It is not the only product of happenstance.

Crazier than the language and worse than the Great London Plague of 1665, is the modern phenomenon of the “Grammar Nazi”, essentially someone who corrects another person’s grammar in a way the accused feels is overly harsh.

A sign that you are a Grammar Nazi is that you get really angry when people mix up “you’re” with “your” or “they’re”, “their” and “there” (which is what you murmur when you’re comforting a

Grammar Nazi who someone just threatened to ban from Facebook) and, worst of all, “to” and “too”.

As Richard Lederer, English teacher, or (as he puts it) “unrepentant inmate in the house of correction of composition”, but not a Grammar Nazi, rightly says: “The English language is the most widely spoken in the history of our planet. The English language boasts the largest of all vocabularies and one of the most impressive bodies of literature. But let’s face it. The English language is a killer to spell correctly.”

One student who had worked in Venezuela consistently misspelled the word “burro” as “burrow”. His teacher wrote: “My dear sir: It is apparent to me from your spelling that you do not know your ass from a hole in the ground.”

Now with the influx of Venezuelans in Guyana, Trinidad and other English-speaking Caribbean countries, you have to remember that “pan” is not a musical instrument but “bread”; “pie” is “foot” and if a lady tells

you she is “embarazada”, she might be embarrassed but she is definitely pregnant.

The Washington Post has an annual contest asking readers for alternate meanings for various words and phrases. For example, “willy-nilly” converts into “impotence”. “Circumvent” is “the opening in the front of boxer shorts” and “flatulence” is “the emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller”. “Rectitude” is “the formal, dignified demeanour assumed by a proctologist after he examines you” and “Pokemon” is a Jamaican proctologist. This is why the belief that English is a major cause of mortality cannot be refuted or repudiated. The evidence is overwhelming. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British, Americans or Caribbean people. So do the French—lots of fat but few heart attacks. Italians drink lots of wine and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the rest of us. The conclusion is obvious.

Eat and drink what you like. It’s speaking English that kills you.

Tony Deyal was last seen asking if there is another word for “synonym”.

Sale of Bank-owned Vehicle We advise that the bank has the following vehicle for sale: • • •

2011 Toyota Hilux Pick Up Registration Number PJ 4446 Vehicle can be viewed on William Peter Boulevard, Castries.

Interested person can email bns.stlucia@scotiabank.com with their bids.

Condition of Sale • Vehicle to be sold “as is where is” • The mortgagee/Bank does not bind itself to accept the highest or any offer.

• Unacceptable bids would not be acknowledged.

Bids closes May 20th 2019.

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

20 INTERNATIONAL

L

MAY 18, 2019 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage in historic first for Asia

awmakers in Taiwan have approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, a landmark decision that makes the self-ruled island the first place in Asia to pass gay marriage legislation.

The vote came almost two years after the island’s Constitutional Court ruled that the existing law—which said marriage was between

a man and a woman—was unconstitutional. The panel of judges gave the island’s parliament two years to amend or enact new laws.

On Friday—only a week off the two-year deadline— lawmakers in Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan passed a bill making same-sex marriage a reality. It will go into effect on May 24.

Although the island has a large gay community and its annual gay pride parade is the biggest in Asia, the issue of marriage equality has bitterly divided Taiwanese society. In a controversial referendum in November last year, 67% voted to reject same-sex marriage.

In recent months conservative groups have campaigned against same-sex marriage

The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide.

Theme: Bridging the standardization gap

Contact Number and Locations Bois D Orange Tel: 4584551/2 Fax 4580496 Email: infor@computer worldslu.com Castries, TEl: 4511010 FAX: 4511212 Vieux fort Tel: 4543338 Fax: 4543337 Established in 2001, Computer World is a St. Lucia based company committed to enabling the people of St. Lucia and the region to access cutting edge computer technology in order to develop and take advantage of the many technology driven opportunities in this increasingly advanced technological age.

As one of the leading Information Technology companies on the island, Computer World is committed to providing the highest quality products and services to meet the needs of its clientele and exceed their expectations. The company prides itself on exceptional after sale service and support to complement the range of product and service offerings. They endeavour to carry the latest products released in the marketplace and strive to cater to the needs of various age groups including children.

Same-sex marriage supporters during yesterday’s vote.

(Photo: Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

reform, pushing for a law that would see gay marriages redefined as something closer to same-sex unions.

Tens of thousands of people braved pouring rain on Friday to demonstrate in favour of same-sex marriage outside the parliament, as lawmakers began voting on three draft bills, one tabled by the island’s Cabinet—which would ultimately prove successful— and two watered-down rival bills tabled by conservative groups.

The successful Cabinet bill was the only one to use the word “marriage”. It was backed

by LGBTQ groups, despite the fact it could see same-sex couples denied rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples, such as adoption and cross-national marriage.

Wu Tzu-an, a 33-year-old gay artist from Taipei, was among the crowds outside the parliament celebrating on Friday. “Today the result was the best we got for this stage,” said Wu. “It’s also a sign to

show that Taiwan was different from China,” he added, referring to mainland China where samesex marriage has not been legalized. “Personally I don’t have plans to get married, but I think it’s a sign for equality.”

Xiaogang Wei, who heads the Beijing Gender Health Education Institute, called the bill’s passing a historic moment, not only for Asia but for the global LGBTQ rights movement.

“It will have a very positive impact on China’s LGBT community, offering us a lot of hope,” he told CNN.

“The Chinese government has pointed to cultural tradition as a reason for same-sex marriage being unsuitable in China. But the decision in Taiwan, which shares a cultural tradition with us, proves that Chinese culture can be open, diverse and progressive.”

After the vote, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen tweeted: “We took a big step towards true equality, and made Taiwan a better country.”

Taiwan’s vote sets it apart

from other parts of Asia where LGBTQ rights have regressed.

In mainland China, where homosexuality is legal but prejudices and discrimination against LGBT people persist under Communist Party rule, an author of same-sex erotic fiction was sent to jail for 10 years in November.

In April, the ruler of the tiny, oil-rich kingdom of Brunei announced he would introduce death by stoning for those convicted of gay sex. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has since said the death penalty will not be imposed, although he did not repeal the law.

In Indonesia, declining secularism has led to deepening discrimination against the country’s gay, lesbian and transgender communities.

Last year, two men accused of being gay received 87 lashes for gay sex in the country’s conservative Aceh province.

More than two dozen countries around the world allow gay marriage, according to Pew Research.

---CNN

THE STAR

MAY 18, 2019

www.stluciastar.com

Attempting to Teach with Technology in a Country where Smart Schools are to be “Implemented in the Near Future” an extension cord. I went back upstairs to search for one. By now it was a race with time.

Class was supposed to start in fifteen minutes!

I plugged in the projector then realized that this particular extension cord was not compatible with the laptop charger, so I needed another one. So I had to go back upstairs to get one and race back down again. Everything looked like it was plugged in just fine but the projector Other places in the world have moved on from white wouldn’t turn on! boards, monitors and projectors to smart boards.

I prodded and poked Meanwhile schools in Saint Lucia struggle to have a everything I could until I functioning extension cord. realized that there was a problem with the extension somewhere in the office. Then

By Carmelita Ladiv cord. So I had to go back I had to get a laptop. I headed upstairs to change it. By then to the IT room—one that has I had lost count of how many been without air conditioning was enthusiastic about my for months now. We are worried times I’d been up and down. I lesson that morning. It would that soon none of the computers got a new one. Voila! be a deviation from the

Finally everything was ordinary chalk, talk and horribly will work. working, and there went the

The IT teacher attempted stained blackboard which was bell; just in time. to find a laptop that was already probably more discouraging to

As I awaited the arrival of me than my students. I actually charged but there weren’t my students I was overcome any. So I got a laptop and a admire my pupils’ resilience by a temporary wave of charger, signed a form (some for sitting through classes, depression. It was once my teacher after teacher, year after sort of procedure to ensure dream to study Educational that laptops aren’t stolen) and year, presented with the same Technology and to implement left.

I carried the projector and obsolete teaching methods and what I learnt on my little island. the laptop downstairs to the techniques.

More and more it seems vacant classroom. I placed the

We were going to have a projector on a desk and pointed unlikely that we’ll even upgrade colourful lesson with sounds, to white boards within the next it at a wall. But then I realized animations and pictures.

20 years, while the US already

My school does not have a that I had to get a screen. So, I considers them to be a thing of went back upstairs to another functioning Learning Resource the past (most classrooms are office to ask for permission Centre and our computer lab equipped with Smart Boards). to use the screen. I never is always booked for classes.

In this technological age imagined that it was so heavy Space is limited since every our students are at a severe and I carried it downstairs other room is occupied during disadvantage and our teachers hoping I wouldn’t trip because the day. However, the fifth who are trying to change this I am accident-prone and this formers had had their final are mostly helpless. would probably be a horrible assembly last week and they

My students arrived and I fall.

I set it up then went back would not be returning. That faked a smile because teaching to connect the projector to the meant there were three free is acting and I can’t let them laptop. classrooms. What a luxury!

The outlet was too far from know that I believe we’re all

First I had to get the the projector so I needed to get doomed. projector which was locked

I

telecom day

21

Bridging the Standardisation Gap

Telecommunications: the lifeblood of our societies since the invention of the telephone back in 1876.

W

orld Telecommunication Day (WTD), celebrated annually on 17 May, marks the anniversary of the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on 17 May, 1865. On the day, the International Telegraph Convention was signed.

Later, the growing importance of information technology demanded attention alongside telecommunications.

In 2005 the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) called upon the United Nations General Assembly to declare 17 May as World Information Society Day (WISD) with the aim of focusing on the importance of technology and its social and economic implications.

In 2006, the UN General Assembly declared the day as World Information Society Day (WISD).

Later that year, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya, Turkey decided to combine both celebrations as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

(WTISD).

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day aims to raise awareness about the social and economic possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring about. It also works to bridge the digital divide between the developed, developing and underdeveloped countries.

Every year WTISD is celebrated around a particular theme. The 2019 theme is ‘Bridging the Standardisation Gap’.

Bridging the Standardisation Gap (BSG) is a fundamental part of ITU’s mission to connect the world. It is also one of the five strategic objectives of ITU’s standardisation sector (ITU-T).

The BSG programme mainly addresses the disparities in the ability of developing countries to access, implement and influence ITU’s international standards in comparison to that of the developed countries.

The programme aims to ensure proper participation of developing countries in ITU’s standards-making process.

It also works to disseminate information about existing standards and assist developing countries in the implementation of standards.

ITU is the specialised agency of the United Nations for information and communication technologies (ICTs). Setting standards is a fundamental pillar of its work. ITU standards help accelerate ICTs for all Sustainable Development Goals. The 2019 theme will allow ITU membership and other key stakeholders to focus on the participation of developing countries in ITU’s standards-making process; empowering local experts in the standardisation process at the national, regional and international levels; and promoting the implementation of international standards in developing countries.

--- The Daily Star (Bangladesh)

The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide.

This Year’s Theme: Bridging the standardization gap

Would like to wish all A Happy Telecommunication Day 2019 VIDE BOUTEILLE, CASTRIES TEL: 1-758-456-6500 | EMAIL:INFO@JEBERGASSE.COM

22

international

Alyssa Milano talks about sex strike

Alyssa Milano says sex strike tweet was aimed at raising awareness about “ridiculous” abortion bans.

D

espite the mixed reaction to her call for a sex strike to protest restrictive abortion laws, Alyssa Milano says it has definitely helped raise awareness.

"My purpose for sending out that tweet was simply, I felt like these bills were being ignored and sending out that tweet, look at me now, I'm on your show and we're talking about women's rights and how they're being rolled back," she told CNN's Chris Cuomo on Tuesday night.

Three days after Georgia's governor signed the controversial "heartbeat bill"—banning abortions if a foetal heartbeat can be detected, which can be as early as six weeks—the actress went on Twitter to call for a sex strike until "we get bodily autonomy back".

Many women were critical of the strike, saying that it assumed sex is enjoyed only by men and that women's bodies are commodities that can be denied to men as punishment. Some people also pointed out that the sex strike ignored LGBTQ people and didn't consider the possibility of sexual violence.

Following the response, Milano later tweeted: "The #SexStrike tweet has reminded people of the Republican war against women...

These oppressive, regressive, forced-pregnancy

Commercial Building

For SALE / LEASE or Joint Venture Use In Vieux-Fort near Police Station 4000 Sq ft Ground Floor + 4000 Sq ft Concrete upper Deck, Small Office Spaces Starting at EC $600/ Month Free Internet, Cable Etc Large Yard with Parking for 100 Vehicles.

Ready for Immediate Occupancy Best Offer will be accepted Call or WhatsApp 758-7192318 with an Offer, or further Details or Discussion

MAY 18, 2019 THE STAR

www.stluciastar.com

bills are now being discussed in a serious manner on our national news cycle."

On Tuesday, Milano told Cuomo the issue needs to be taken "incredibly seriously".

"These bills are ridiculous," she said.

"In Georgia, the heartbeat bill, basically criminalizing abortion after six weeks. Most women don't know they're pregnant before eight weeks. I was eight weeks before I found out."

Milano said on Tuesday sometimes an abortion is inevitable.

"I don't think there's a human on the planet that is not pro-life. Nobody wants to get an abortion," she said. "But there are circumstances that we cannot avoid. There's the mother's health, there's just not being ready . . . And what that means financially. Just because there are women that don't believe in abortion doesn't take away someone else's right."

When Cuomo asked whether it is time for women to come together, Milano said the "key is to communicate, to figure out what the best thing to do is".

"Meaning there are many people on the ground, these grassroots organisations like Sister Song that are fighting these bills in the South. We have to come together as a collective voice. We have to turn this fear that we're feeling right now into power and into votes in 2020," she said. As Milano spoke, the Republican-led Alabama Senate was debating the most restrictive abortion bill in the country—which later passed 25-6. The bill now heading to the governor's desk would give doctors up to 99 years in prison for performing an abortion. It does not include exemptions for cases of rape or incest.

Such bills, Milano said, will affect communities of colour more than any others.

"Any woman of privilege that lives in one of these states, if this goes through, they're going to be able to travel to a state to get a safe reproductive healthcare," she told Cuomo. "But for the women of colour, for the women that are marginalized, for the women that are [in] lowincome communities . . . these bills are going to be catastrophic."

In Alabama, lawmakers have pushed the abortion ban forth with the ultimate goal of overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case legalizing abortion. "These are serious bills, although absurd, and the reason why they're absurd is because they're going to end up in court and why is that important? Because eventually one of these cases will end up in the Supreme Court," she said.

American Civil Rights Union of Alabama Executive Director Randall Marshall said that his organisation would join with the national ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and Planned Parenthood of Southeast to challenge the bill in court within "a few weeks" should it become law.

"These bills make sex and getting pregnant extremely dangerous for women," Milano said. "So at some point, we have to really consider what it means."

Bungling Blind Date producers send bisexual men to island where homosexuality is illegal

B

lind Date certainly upped the adrenaline factor in a recent match by sending two male bisexual contestants off on a holiday together to a destination where same-sex relations are illegal.

Romantic hopefuls Jordan Shannon and Jesse Drew were excited to find each other on the Paul O’Grady-fronted Channel 5 show. And they were seen beaming when show host Paul, 63, announced they would be getting to know each other in glamorous Saint Lucia in the West Indies. However, same-sex acts are illegal on the Caribbean island, with offenders risking 10 years in jail if caught.

“I didn’t know this until I was told on the way to the hotel. I thought: ‘What the f**k?’” Jordan told the Daily Star following his appearance on the long-running dating show. His date, Jesse, said he was anxious while spending time on the island.

The boys were dispatched to Saint Lucia - where homosexual acts can end in a 10 year jail sentence.

“The hotel security woman told me how most gay men were in the closet there as homosexuality is illegal. It’s 10 years in prison if caught,” he said. Meanwhile, a Channel 5 spokesperson has said: “We didn’t know and are taking this up with the production company.”

The lads have since returned to the UK without incident.

The current iteration of Blind Date is in its fourth series after returning to the air in 2017 with Paul replacing the late Cilla Black.

There have so far been 375 episodes of the show since it first began back in 1985, while the recent episode featuring Jordan and Jesse was the first ever to feature bisexual contestants.

---Mirror.co.uk

Human rights lawyers: Britain shouldn't be sending convicted criminals home to Jamaica after five deported men are murdered

H

uman rights lawyers say convicted criminals should not be sent back to Jamaica after at least five men deported from Britain were murdered when they returned.

The men, who have convictions for violence and drug-related offences, have been killed over the past year.

The Home Office has been accused of “breaching human rights” over the deportations, because their lives “may be in danger”. Legal experts say the government is flouting strict rules which ban deportations to countries with a high level of violent crime.

Jamaica currently has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Last year there were 1,287 murders in the country, about 47 per 100,000 population. In the UK there were 726 homicides in the UK—12 per million of the population.

The Guardian reports that they have “verified” the deaths of five men and have been told of other returnees who also fear for their lives.

Naga Kandiah, a public law solicitor at MTC & Co which deals with many Jamaican deportation cases said the government's human rights ---CNN obligations were not dependent

on past behaviour. He told The Guardian: “The Home Office's own guidance recognises the high level of crime there due to organised gangs. Nobody is saying that these men had not committed crimes, but it is a clear breach of human rights legislation to send them back to a country where their life could be in serious danger.”

Gracie Bradley, the policy and campaigns manager at the human rights organisation Liberty, told the newspaper: “It is incredibly disturbing that the government continues to pursue deportations at the expense of its human rights obligations. These worrying incidents further highlight why the practice of deportation postconviction is a discriminatory form of double punishment that should be scrapped.”

The claims could increase pressure on the government to justify why it resumed deportation flights to Jamaica in February. They were suspended at the height of the Windrush scandal, when thousands who had arrived in the UK from the Caribbean as part of the “Windrush generation” were told they were here illegally, despite having lived and worked here for decades.

The men identified by the Guardian include Owen Clarke, 62, who was shot and killed by armed men on February 23. He had been convicted of dealing drugs in Britain. Dewayne Robinson, 37, known as Little Wicked, was murdered on March 4, 2018 and Alphonso Harriott, 56, was murdered on March 29. Paul Mitchell, 50, was fatally stabbed on December 31 and Hugh Bennett, 48, a shopkeeper, was stabbed to death on December 31.

The Home Office said in a report last year that the Jamaica constabulary force is “underpaid, poorly trained, understaffed and lacking in resources”.

A Home Office spokesman said: “We only return those with no legal right to remain in the UK, including foreign national offenders. Individuals are only returned to their country of origin when the Home Office and courts deem it is safe to do so. Should the Home Office receive any specific allegations that a returnee has experienced ill-treatment on return to their country of origin, these would be investigated in partnership with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.”

---The Guardian

THE STAR

MAY 18, 2019

www.stluciastar.com

23

SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2019

www.stluciastar.com

$2.00

Photo by Bill Mortley

No Milk of Human Kindness Today!

S&S

LAYAWAY NOW AVAILABLE AT S&S THE PRICEBUSTERS

POLICEMAN COSTUMES

$13.50

Come and apply for your S & S Loyalty Card

BEN 10 COSTUMES

$17.00

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

FIREMAN COSTUMES MINION COSTUMES

$13.50

$10.00

PAW PATROL PJ MASKS COSTUMES $50.00 COSTUMES $52

Also on special: PHOTO ALBUMS $4.25, BAMBOO BASKETS FROM $6, JEWELED CANDLE HOLDERS $20, CERAMIC BATHROOM DISPENSER SETS FROM $15, DOCUMENT FRAMES FROM $6.75, FRAMED PICTURES FROM $3.75, PLASTIC ORNAMENTAL FRUIT $5.50, LADIES WATCHES FROM $12, WOODEN MIRRORS FROM $15, DECORATIVE FLOWER PETALS FROM $2, CERAMIC VASES FROM $5, GLASS VASES FROM $5.50

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