Labour Cancels Babonneau, Alliance Goes Flambeau

by Earl Bousquet

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) said St. Lucia was weathering the current economic storm facing the OECS a little better than its neighbours, Government rebuffed victimization claims by B&D Constriction, the island braced for a hurricane, Venezuela opened a manufacturers showcase in Vieux Fort, over 400 banana farmers received government credit assistance, St. Lucia produced its first apple and the political parties offered yet another week of interesting pre-election fare.

The government, in a press release, referred to the ECCB’s recent assessment of the economies of the OECS member-states, which shed light on St. Lucia’s performance vis-à-vis its neighbours. The report pointed out that while the problems facing St. Lucia were also being faced by other territories, the St. Lucian economy was faring a little better, especially when it comes to paying off the country’s debts. According to the Bank, the problems affecting the economies of the OECS at the moment stemmed mainly from the current recession in the US economy, the loss of visitors from Europe and low prices for bananas. But the Bank also said it was satisfied the government was taking steps that would arrest the decline agriculture and tourism and help improve the country’s economic standing.

Commerce Minister Philip J. Pierre last week called on St. Lucians to be prepared to change and adapt their lifestyles in certain respects, if we are to survive in the age of globalization. Speaking on RSL’s Vizion programme last Wednesday, the Minister also called on citizens to be more frugal in expenditure of their hard-earned dollars. He suggested they should spend less on entertainment and more on the things that mattered to survival. The minister also urged small local businesses to reorient themselves and reposition their businesses for the new economic times.

There was mixed news from the tourism sector this past week. The SLHTA reported a continuing decline in visitor arrivals at hotels and airports, in keeping with the regional trend. However, the St. Lucia Tourism Board reported cruise ship arrivals were up by 27%, with St. Lucia still showing the highest annual growth in the region at 17%. The Board said this growth was expected to continue next year with the weekly calling here of the “Adventure of the Seas, which is the largest cruise ship in the world, with 3,100 passengers and 2,400 crew. The St. Lucia Port Authority is expected to dredge the harbour entrance to facilitate the ship, while other arrangements are also being put in place a year ahead of the ship’s maiden trip to St. Lucia.

The Ministry of Communications over the weekend published an advertisement in the major newspapers in which it indicated that B&D had been paid over $32M in the past four years for government-related contracts in the construction and road building industry. NIPDEC, which had been accused by the company of paying it with a bounced cheque, denied the charge and said it would refrain on commenting on the quality of B&D’s work. NIS Director Emma Hippolyte also confirmed the government’s claim that B&D could not have employed so many persons when it claimed to have laid-off 500 to 600 workers. She said at the time of the company’s announcement, it paid NIS contributions for 92 workers. She also said the parent holding company had been seeing some hard times, in that of the 9 of the 11 subsidiaries had folded up.

There was mixed news on the agricultural front, with the Windward Islands registering an expected decrease in banana production in the last quarter, on account of the extended drought and other factors. Overall banana production was down from over 70,000 tons to just over 50,000 tons, with St., Lucia producing just over 21,000 tons, down from 45,000 last year. St. Lucia, as the largest Windwards producer, lost 47% of its earnings. However, government continued to assist in the farmers’ recovery effort by disbursing another $1.6M in price support for farmers’ recovery efforts. Agriculture Minister Cass Elias said so far $2.2M has been disbursed through the Banana Industry trust (BIT), with the latest tranche going to 400 farmers with the capacity to produce 12 tons and over, with the total package covering over 2,000 acres of land.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture Minister also announced government was continuing to seek overseas assistance in the search for alternatives that would advance the process of agricultural diversification. He said a Japanese professor is due here soon to lecture on how to make fibre out of banana leaves and a Cuban company is also expected top send officials here to discuss purchase of excess bananas produced in St. Lucia. There was also some good news for coconut farmers, as the Coconut Growers Association had resumed purchase of copra. This follows recent news that the government had also guaranteed a loan for the CML group in Soufriere, which produces oil, butter and other products from coconut oil.

But perhaps the best news coming out of the agricultural belt this past week was the amazing story of how a Babonneau woman has produced an apple on St. Lucian soil. The lady, Isabella Anthony Wood, of Plateaux, planted apple seeds as an experiment and last week Agriculture Ministry officials confirmed she had produced an apple. She said she saw it as a message from God and that’s why she named her garden in the Plateau area of Babonneau, as The Garden of Eden.

Not only has she broken the myth that apples can only grow in cold climates, but she may also have provided one more alternative crop for consideration of our farmers as they seek to diversify out of bananas into more lucrative or greener fields.

With school about to reopen, there was good news from the Ministry of Education about schoolbooks. The Ministry indicated that as a result of consultations with teachers and parents, a new book list had been developed and approved that would result in cheaper costs per book and less books per student, thus saving parents from the high costs associated with purchase of school books at this time every year.

However, the PS also expressed the ministry’s surprise at the reaction of the St. Lucia Teachers Union, which had invited its members to disobey and reminder from the Ministry that they need to be at school the week before classes reopen to prepare for the actual opening. Dr Jules said it was standard practice and the reminder was issued on account of the experience last year when several teachers turned up for duties after school had already reopened, claiming they had flight problems abroad. He said it was a duty on the part of the teachers to be adequately prepared for the reopening of school and he hoped this year would see an improvement.

The island braced for a storm last week, with Tropical Storm Chantal heading this way. But the system moved too fast to gather the strength that would have caused damage and passed on, moving to other areas. However, the National emergency management System was activated and tested, with Acting Disaster Preparedness Coordinator Dawn French saying the one shortcoming was the failure of managers of community shelters to turn up for emergency meetings.

A Venezuelan Joint Venture showcase was opened in Vieux Fort last week, as a result of initiatives by business interests in St. Lucia and Venezuela. The showcase, which was declared open by foreign Affairs Minister Julian R. Hunte, will seek to spur an acceleration of bilateral trade between the two countries.

Radio Caribbean International (RCI), denied rumours last week that it was about to be sold. An alarm had been raised by Acting President of the St. Lucia Media Workers Association (SLMWA) Jerry George, who said the grouping was concerned about rumours that the station was about to be sold in this its 40^th year of operations on the island. However, management said that was not the case, even while acknowledging that there was still no sign of a mutually satisfactory agreement between the parent company and staff who have been given shares or offered compensation in lieu thereof.

Still in news about music, the Hewanorra Music Society says Thursday will be Distribution day when its over 100 members will begin receiving royalties collected on their behalf. The HMS says some of the funds will come from its own local collections, while the majority will come from the London-based Performing Rights Society (PRS). It is expected that some $50,000 will be shared and a PRS representative will assist in establishing a three-year working programme for the HMS.

Meanwhile, in the politics of the past week, the ruling St. Lucia Labour Party ordered a cancellation of the recent run-off for a candidate for the Babonneau Constituency, alleging fraud in the exercise. Party Leader Dr Kenny Anthony however defended the run-offs as a necessary exercise to deepen democracy and warned that candidates had to remain accountable to those who elected them. The SLP’s Castries Central group also held a successful conference at the Morne Du Don School last Sunday, as the party continues its preparations for the polls.

On the other side of the political fence, however, a public quarrel emerged between two top leaders of the United Workers Party, Drs Vaughan Lewis and Morella Joseph, over the structure and direction of the Alliance. Alliance Leader George Odlum said it was a UWP problem and not related to the Alliance. However, by the beginning of this week, Mr. Odlum said the UWP’s Executive had endorsed the loan of the party’s symbol, the Flambeau, to the Alliance for the election, meaning that the UWP had submerged its identity and Mr. Odlum and his colleagues will now be fighting the next general election on an Alliance platform under a flambeau banner.

August 21, 2001

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