Fishermen, Drivers, Car Rentals Protest Gas Dealers Action

by: Earl Bousquet

Petroleum dealers came under more pressure this week, this time from fishermen who say they are being affected by the decision of petrol dealers to close stations after 6pm daily and on Sundays.

The fishermen, who took to the airwaves Monday evening, complained that those returning to shore after 6pm cannot get to purchase fuel in time for going back out to sea early the following morning. They say they want the gas station at Sans Souci owned by the Castries Fishermen’s Cooperative to remain open to serve them just as is the case with that owned by minibus operators in Ciceron.

The petroleum dealers insist they will not budge from their position. They turned down a request by the Prime Minister to call of the action for one month while government considers the implications of the request. They are demanding a 13 cents per gallon hike in their commissions, a moratorium on the issuing of licenses for new gas stations and an end to the rebate paid to minibus owners who purchase gas from their own cooperative. The gas dealers said if the government does not meet their demands they would step up their action and government would have to take responsibility for the results.

However, drivers, car rental dealers and now fishermen have been criticizing the action of the gas dealers, while most motorists have been adapting to the changed operating hours by filling their tanks on Fridays or early on Saturdays. Minibus drivers, for their part, have been flocking in great numbers to gas stations in Castries and Vieux Fort operated by minibus and taxi associations, which continue to operate until late every evening.

Prime Minister Dr Kenny D. Anthony announced Monday he was scheduling a series of meetings with Government’s social partners – the private sector and the trade unions – as a prelude to his major statement to parliament on the economy planned for September 21. It is expected that meetings with these bodies, as well as with local commercial banks, will take place for mutual discussion on economic and financial issue relating to a national response to the effects of the global recession.

It was back to school on Monday for thousands of students across the country, with the Ministry of Education reporting lowers costs for schoolbooks this year as a result of government passing the savings from production of CAMDU school books to consumers. Almost 2,500 students entered secondary school for the first time, but many more also left school. The island also recorded the best performance in CXC across the region and among those making the country proud were two blind students

Followers of the national flower festivals gathered at Desruisseaux last Thursday for this year’s La Woz celebrations, which were confined mainly to the south of the island. The usual revelry prevailed, while the Ministry of Culture also took the opportunity to present Dame Sesenne Descartes with furniture for the recently acquired home donated by Government to St. Lucia’s traditional folk queen.

The Folk Research Center on Monday announced it has a new Executive Director in the person of Kennedy “Boots” Samuels, a founder member of the 28-year-old non-governmental cultural body. Mr. Samuels recently returned home after successfully studying abroad for a Masters in Arts Administration.

The media fraternity lost two radio and TV newscasters in the past week. Radio St. Lucia said goodbye for now Janella Prescius, who is pursuing studies in Jamaica and HTS/Radio 100 lost Aloysius Chandler, who is also said to have proceeded to America. Earlier, Micah George of the Voice also left the country for the United States amid reports that he had resigned from the newspaper he served for many years. There have also been other earlier media movements, including a switch by Tesa St. Ange from GIS to RSL, while former Tourist Board PRO Cletus Springer and former Voice columnist Frank Girard threw in their lot with DBS TV and Vernette St Omer returned from abroad and is at HTS/Radio 100.

A fire in Anse la Raye last Sunday morning destroyed one house and underlined the need for a fire outpost in the West Coast village. The fire threatened several homes that were saved -- thanks to a bucket brigade that filled the gap for a missing fire tenders dispatched from Castries. MP for the village Cyprian Lansiquot was full of praise for the community spirit of the villagers, without whose efforts the damage could have been much worse.

It was announced on HTS/Radio 100 that Mr. Earl Huntley is St. Lucia’s new Ambassador to the United Nations. Mr. Huntley, a long-standing Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, replaces Mr. Julian R. Hunte, who is Foreign Affairs Minister. The appointment is from September 1.

MP for Gros Islet Mario Michel announced Monday that the sod turning ceremony for the Bay Street redevelopment project will take place next week.

The Prime Minister expressed condolences over the death of Mr. Louis Boriel of Vieux Fort, who died at age 87. He said Mr. Boreil was one of the early pioneers of the South, who contributed to the development of a St. Lucian business and entrepreneurial class.

In the politics of the past week, the Prime Minister responded to former Prime Minister Sir John Compton’s demand for the resignation of Felix Finisterre from the Public Service Commission (PSC) by calling for the resignation of two Alliance candidates campaigning for seats while still holding government jobs at the Department of Youth & Sports.

Agriculture Minister Cass Elias heaped criticism on UWP Leader and Alliance Vice President Dr Morella Joseph, over her suggestion that government should have diverted approved Japanese funds from fishing projects to construction of schools.

Mr. Elias also called a meeting Monday night at Belle Vue in Vieux Fort North with farmers for the area, to discuss current developments affecting the banana industry. However, the Alliance soon announced it too was holding a meeting in the same area at the same time, a move seen by observers as being calculated to piggy back on the presence of farmers in the area -- much akin to the way in which the Alliance’s launching in Vieux Fort.

At the same time, there were reports of infighting within the Alliance over candidacy for Mr. Elias’ Micoud South seat. The two contenders – as in the last general elections – are Mrs. Leila Harracksingh and Mr. Arsene James and they are both campaigning feverishly while Alliance Leader George Odlum says he is pondering what to do to get them to work together.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony on Monday called on Alliance President Sir John Compton to state his position regarding the Alliance Leader’s close relations with Libya, “bearing in mind that Sir John was a leading actor in efforts to establish Libya as a pariah state.”

September 4, 2001

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