St. Lucia Boasts Third Best Caribbean Govt Website in World's Top 50

by Earl Bousquet

OECS Prime Ministers gathered in St. Lucia to review that state of the currency union and the consequences of a reduction in European Union aid, while OECS Secretariat staff agreed to take a freeze on wages and increments until next year – all part of a combined effort in the sub-region to address and meet the challenges to OECS economies from a deteriorating world recession and continuing economic and financial aftershock from the September 12 disaster in the United States.

            The Governors of the Monetary Council of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) met here for their 43^rd meeting, a week after Cariforum Ministers were informed by EU delegates at a meeting here that direct financial aid to the member-states of the grouping was cut from 90 million Euros last year to 57 million this year.

            Cariforum Ministers took the announcement in stride, reiterating that any cut in European Funding had to be seen against the background of the sloth in disbursement of existing aid packages, at a time when the region needs quick flows to offset declines in tourism and agriculture.

According to the new Cariforum Chairman, St. Lucia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Julian R. Hunte, the ministers urged the EU to consider ensuring an increase in assistance for poverty reduction programmes as part of the 9^th European Development Fund.

A similar position was taken by St. Lucia’s Ambassador to the United States Sonia Johnny, who said the reduction in EU funding left the smaller islands of the region, such as the OECS, even more vulnerable to the effects of the international economic recession, which continues to decline.

The Governors of the ECCU’s Monetary Council, many of whom are Prime Ministers and Finance Ministers, gathered here a week later to assess the current financial and economic position facing the OECS member-states, which comprise the ECCU.

They reported having had to review their economic projections after the September 11 events in the USA, even after already having experienced a decline in growth at the beginning of the current financial year on account of the worsening world economic recession.

            The ECCU Governors noted the union has been able to hold its own, despite having experienced reviews in projections following the worsening global recession in the first half of the year and its aggravation by the subsequent events of September 11.

            The ECCU Governors met here just days after the Acting Director General of the OECS Secretariat announced staff would be taking a freeze on wages and increments until next year, as part of the general belt-tightening measures being employed to address the sub-regional grouping’s own financial woes.

            In other fallout from the international economic situation, the American anthrax scare was brought to St. Lucia’s doorsteps, with several media reports that turned out to be either false or mere hoaxes. Television teams extracted statements from several persons reacting to the media reports of how deadly anthrax is, and urging that mail be handled with extreme care.

            Some business houses and government departments were vacated during the past week, as St. Lucians over-reacted over-cautiously to foreign media messages intended for other audiences.

            Samples from five locations were sent abroad for examination for anthrax and the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) reported that in each case, the alarm was false.

            But in keeping with the worldwide tightening up of security and preparations at post offices across the world, the local General Post Office (GPO) provided its staff with the necessary occupational health and safety equipment to handle suspicious mail, should the eventuality arise.

            St. Lucia’s efforts to step-up the fight against crime and for police reform continued this past week, with the announcement by Attorney General Senator Petrus Compton that four officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will be arriving here to assist local and British officers in the process of reactivating and revitalizing the local force.

            It was also announced this past week too, that progress is continuing in the provision of a better working environment for the police around the island. NIPRO, the NIS-related body building upgrading new police facilities around the island, announced that the stations in Marigot and Canaries are already complete, with that at Anse La raye nearing completion.

            NIPRO’s General Manager, Matthew Sargusingh, said refurbishment of the Choiseul station and a new one for Laborie are also about to get under way and tendering will soon start for construction of a brand new station for Vieux Fort.

            In business news this past week, there was good news for businesspersons who were inadvertently handed stolen EC100 bills that have been subtracted from their bank deposits. The businesspersons complained they were told nothing about being compensated and were pressing for answers.

This past week, Manager of the Bridge Street Branch of the Bank of St. Lucia, Mr Andy Lake, announced the value of the stolen notes will be refunded to those holding them, but only after investigations into the theft at a local bank are over.

The local manager of Brinks, the security company responsible for transporting the bank notes, had previously assured complaining persons that it was insured for such eventualities, but he referred all other queries to the police and the bank.

            It was another busy week for the Prime Minister, who met public sector unions, tourism industry officials and representatives of several other sectors to discuss means of addressing to the current economic situation and their respective roles in the months ahead.

            On Thursday last, Dr Anthony paid his first official visit to the site of the National Skills Development Centre (NSDC) at Bisee, where he toured the facility and held it up as a fitting example of cooperation between the state and private sectors.

            He said the government was impressed with its operations so far and indicated its services would be extended to the several other parts of the country where centers are also located, so that more people can make use of the facility in preparing the nation with skills for the future.

            Commerce Minister Philip J. Pierre and Foreign Affairs Minister Hunte last week participated in a special tour of government industrial sites around the country, as well as manufacturing facilities that were assisted with government concessions.

            During the tour, Mr Pierre said government continues to support the manufacturing sector, while Vice President of the St. Lucia Manufacturers Association (SLMA), Mr Keith Smith, said the sector – and his company, Harris Paints – welcomed the support from the government.

            A similar sentiment was expressed by another SLMA official, Mr Laurie Barnard, while the ministerial team toured Caribbean Awnings, a local factory run by SLMA President Mr Lawson Cauldron.

            In more manufacturing news, this time from the south, the Vieux Fort-based Goods Distribution Freezone this week reported it was being used by several local and regional firms as a hub for importing and exporting goods for local and other OECS markets.

            CEO Mr Paul Hilaire announced some 40 jobs have already been created with more to come as more companies take up spaces, which are reserved for high volume import and export activity, as against warehousing.

            Still in news from the south, the town of Vieux Fort was twinned over the weekend with the Martinican town of Vauclin, as St. Lucia continues to expand its ties with neighbouring French territories.

            In tourism news this past week, St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) President Berthia Parle said she expected St. Lucia will increase its flow of visitors from Europe after participating in this year’s World Tourism Market in the UK.

            In her assessment, Caribbean tourism still stands a chance of rebounding with careful planning, but the hotel sector -- small properties, in particular -- would require extra help in light of the continuing negative effect of the current decline in arrivals and bookings is having on them in St. Lucia and elsewhere.

            Tourism stood to benefit, when Education Ministry Mr Mario Michel announced this past week that the island is seeking membership of the World Heritage Site Committee at UNESCO.

Local promoters of heritage tourism welcomed the announcement, saying it would complement the ongoing efforts to have the Pitons and other local and Caribbean sites be designated and treated as world heritage sites.

This past week too, SLHTA’s Executive Director, Mr Rodinald Soomer, was at pains to correct what he said was an incorrect interpretation of his earlier call for governments to give more financial attention to the tourism sector as the leading economic pillar today.

He said he never meant it to be an issue of tourism versus agriculture, but one where the governments needed to show their appreciation for tourism by doing more for the sector and not having tourism officials feel as if they are struggling to be heard by the governments and the captains of industry.

SLHTA officials also met the Prime Minister on Monday last, to discuss, among other things, their appeal for concessionary consideration by the island’s public utilities, as well as the latest developments in the industry.

While the SLHTA continued to vigorously promote the interests of its members, the St. Lucia Tourist Board, for its part, was promoting the island’s now world-famous Jazz Festival in neighbouring Dominica, where a special booth was set up during last weekend’s Dominica Creole Festival.

St. Lucia’s own ever-popular annual Creole festival, Jounen Kweyol, was observed at four venues island-wide last Sunday, October 28, which was also celebrated internationally as International Creole Day. Festivities were held in Choiseul, Desruisseaux, Canaries and Monchy, with participation by thousands of St. Lucians and visitors.

Over 1,500 visitors here aboard cruise ships over the weekend also had a chance to sample the local Jounen Kweyol fare, with special activities planned by the St. Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority at the La Plas Carenage duty free facility.

Still with the arts, the M&C Fine Arts competition got under way last week, with the company again sponsoring the annual feature at the Castries Town Hall, which offers local artists, performers and writers valued exposure.

There was also other good news for the company in the past week. One of St. Lucia’s oldest family-owned businesses, M&C was the recipient this year of the award for Best Employer in the Caribbean, given by the Caribbean Employers Federation.

NTN, the television channel operated by the GIS, received much praise this past week as St. Lucians continue to welcome the change brought to their TV screens as a result of the latest developments on CableVision Channel 2. 

Several persons wrote articles and called talk shows on TV and radio to voice their appreciation for the new local channel, which specializes in reflecting local and Caribbean images.

There was also more good news for GIS this week, with the announcement that an international monitoring body specializing in assessing government websites had judged St. Lucia as having one of the three best Caribbean Websites in the Caribbean.

Of the top 100 government websites monitored worldwide and considered by the international panel, St. Lucia’s government website placed third in the Caribbean after St. Kitts and Nevis and the Bahamas in the top 50.

According to the survey, of the four Caribbean countries in the top 50, St. Kitts and Nevis placed 13^th in the world, the Bahamas placed 15^th and St. Lucia placed 24^th, followed lower down the scale by the Dominican Republic.

The St. Lucia government’s web site (stlucia.gov.lc) is operated by GIS and was launched a few months ago.

October 30, 2001

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