government of saint lucia nationwide magazine february 7, 2015 features launch of independence...

NationWIDE

NationWIDETHE OFFICIAL NEWS MAGAZINE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SAINT LUCIA

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WHAT’S INSID

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The Prime Minister has much to celebrate today. Following on a similar outlook outlined in the Prime Minister’s 2015 New Year Address and the record 6% growth in tourism figures in 2014 over 2015, First Citizens Investment Services (a regional private finance and economic institution also operating here) is predicting lower fuel prices and increasing visitor numbers will help lead to a turnaround to positive economic growth before the next General Elections. The fiscal pruning of the past three years is finally taking the country around the curve and policies continue to be put in place to ensure proper transition to better for all. With investor confidence back on track, the Prime Minister (with his Cabinet) continues to seek, attract and invite new investors, as with the visiting Taiwanese business delegation earlier this week (See 2). But while the PM (with his Government) continues to labour to better fix the economy, he can still occasionally find time to help his people celebrate the nation’s good fortunes over the past three years (above). Following the best Christmas and New Year celebrations in a long time and a special Nobel Laureates Week that celebrated a centennial and started a new national monument, the island is now welcoming neighbouring sister-isle Martinique into the OECS (See Pages 3 and 4) and bracing for Independence and Jazz 2015 (Story on Page 12). Saint Lucia is a nation of people who work hard and play hard. But increasingly too, we are behaving better with and to each other, evidenced by the reduction in all major crimes last year -- and last month being the first homicide-free January in the past 15 years (See Page 4). This edition of Nationwide celebrates the Excellence in Education of our students with a special supplement (Pages 8-12), as well as coverage of the two special Climate Change gatherings recently held here (Page 6). It’s also been one full year since Nina Compton put Saint Lucia on the global culinary map and this issue features one of her many recent exploits as the island’s Culinary Ambassador to the World (Page 7). Sift through the following pages and enjoy this latest issue of your weekly colourful accounts of what the Government of Saint Lucia has been saying and doing at home and abroad during the past seven days. Enjoy the edification. Happy Reading! And catch-up with NationwideTV daily on NTN!

What Caring and Sharing Governments Do! - Page 2

WASCO Signs MOU for Better Water Works on Roads - Page 3

Saint Lucia Attended High Level ICAO Conference - Page 4

Consultancy Commences on Financing Universal Health - Page 5

World Wetlands Day Observed - Page 6

RC Boys Honoured for Academic Excellence - Page 8

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2015 WEEKLY

2015 Independence and Jazz Festivals launched!

NationWIDE Saturday February 7, 2015

EditorialCaring and Sharing!

Politics remains essentially about people and the abil-ity of politicians and their

politics to influence individuals or groups. I assess people who offer themselves to the electorate by their past record -- whether privately, nationally or interna-tionally -- and in my humblest estimation, Allen Chastanet, a ho-telier, continues to represent only one small group of people here: the propertied elite who want to maintain the historic class boundaries.

His catapult to the UWP leader-ship has not so far enabled him to increase his influence over the majority of the ordinary St Lu-cian populace… Yes, his family’s money may be working wonders for the Party in opposition. But if it’s just money that UWP required now, Richard would still be its golden goose.

I noted with amusement Mr Chastanet delivering an address to nation with our national flag in the background. He’s not even a Member of Parliament, not a national representative of any-thing in any form, yet he takes these kinds of privileges, stealing chances to pose with our national flag, in full violation of the proto-cols associated with addresses to the nation by Heads of State and

Where, oh where, did all that money go?

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it!

By Yolanda O’Brien

Heads of Government. That’s the arrogance of the man.

But, to his credit, Allen Chasta-net is happy that he has acquired a new “submissive” Leader of the Opposition. While constitution-ally she’s the only one with legal and parliamentary authority for UWP, her only interest now is how high Mr Chastanet wants her to jump…. (Sad for female leader-ship…)

But back to the only memorable lines from that speech: “The UWP has always been committed to the success of our country. As a Party we have embraced the values we believe all responsible Saint Lu-cians share: honesty, discipline, confidentiality, commitment, mu-tual respect.” Really, Mr Chas-tanet! This same Mr Chastanet was part of a Government that destroyed the soul of this coun-try, which started this current economic avalanche. But today he wants to come back and try to convince us that he really cares about “De poor people!” It’s that kind of blatant dishonesty that has caused me to delve into the past hallmarks of his tenure as Minister of Tourism.

Let’s start with a quote from court proceedings related to the ‘Tuxedogate’ scandal: “Mr. Chas-tanet deposed in his affidavit that he was not at the meeting because he was scheduled to travel out of the state on that date. He said in cross examination that he was “one thousand percent” sure he was off island. Yet the minutes of the meeting show on Page 1 that he was present at the meeting, and on Page 2 that three minis-ters are listed as being absent. Mr. Chastanet is not included in the list of absent ministers…..”

From Secrecy and Evasion to Accountability and Transparency: The change of government in 2011 resulted in the administration

led by a genuinely accountable leader ensuring every cheque received from Taiwan for public use over the past three years was received by the Minister of Finance and immediately handed over

to the Accountant General for depositing in the Consolidated Fund through the Treasury — all done in full glare of the press and the public, as in this case (above) and ensuring that (unlike under the previous administration) Taiwanese funds are disbursed in all

seventeen constituencies, bar none.

That damning judgment in the Tuxedo Villas Scandal would never have been, had Allen Chas-tanet, as Minister of Tourism, not convinced Cabinet to extend Tux-edo’s hotel concessions to fellow Cabinet Minister Keith Monde-sir’s private residence in Bonne Terre.

Allen Chastanet has never once proven to me, as a fellow St Lucian, that he cares about the people of this country. I have long maintained that his actions and behaviors over the last few years have proven to be elitist, anti-local and anti-regional; and there is an abundance of recorded evi-dence to substantiate this.

Who can forget that his politi-cal and ministerial records are stained by waste, extravagance and boastful non-performance? How can St Lucians forget ‘Al-len Chastanet and Air Jamaica’, or ‘Allen Chastanet and Boxing in Paradise’, or ‘Allen Chastanet and Bachelor’, or ‘Allen Chasta-net and the $1.2 million James Hepple fiasco’, or ‘Allen Chasta-net and the tourism marketing emblem plagiarized from Latin America’? Where was Chasta-net’s concern for St. Lucians when he was spending about $500,000 on cell phones and traveling all over the world, without his Prime Minister’s authority and without his Ministry’s technical support, at the expense of the St. Lucian taxpayer?

My assessment on Allen Chas-tanet was further sealed by his sustained attacks on LIAT over the last few years. We all know the financial challenges of LIAT that have been reported over the many years and we all have had horrible experiences with LIAT, but like a faithful guide doo,r LIAT remains one of the strongest symbols of our integration. Yet, this man who wants to be Prime Minister has remained consistent on his sustained attacks on this regional airline, while simulta-neously cushioning international airlines during his tenure as Min-ister.

But let’s go to another of Mr Chastanet legacies, as was report-ed in the Review of Local Coun-cils under UWP administration:

“The review exercise has re-vealed that during the period un-der review the Council received funds from Central Government and Taiwanese Government for the execution of various proj-ects. However, it appeared that payments were made from these funds for unauthorised pur-poses. During the reviewed it was revealed that Bank cheque dated 24/11/2011 in the amount of $24,000 was issued to the Sou-friere Development Foundation. The Former Chairman explained that the payment was made to the Soufriere Development Foun-dation as per directive from the Minister for Tourism and UWP Candidate for Soufriere – Allen Chastanet. The intention was to lease the land for the purpose of building a basketball court for the community. The Former Chair-man did not provide any docu-mentary evidence to substantiate that claim. Further investigations revealed that other payments were made for the benefit and at the behest of UWP Candidate for Soufriere/Fond St Jacques Con-stituency Allen Chastanet during

the 2011 General Elections and not part of Council operations.”

Now from my information, we talking about $50,000 on that oc-casion for electioneering and no one can account for that money. Where did that money go to?

But there is still more readers….the report continues, “The Sou-friere/Fond St Jacques Constitu-ency Council (formerly Soufriere Town Council) was engaged in a project by the name, “Computeri-sation of Educational Institutions in the Soufriere District”. Accord-ing to evidence surfaced during the exercise a supplier was paid a total amount of $571,340.40 in advance for supplying computer equipment and supplies, elec-tronic items and education sup-plies and accessories under the programme. However and ac-cording to the Customs & Excise Department the total (CIF) value of the items that were consigned to and cleared (duty-free) by the Soufriere Constituency Coun-cil under the said programme was $109,827.01, a difference of $416,513.40. This suggests that the supplier made a gross profit of 380% on the transaction.” Yes readers, again we must ask Mr Chastanet where did that money go?

Knowing all of these facts about Mr Chastanet, can we honestly say that we can trust his leader-ship, integrity or credibility with representation at any level?

But it’s also time for St Lucians to demand prosecution against those in the leadership of UWP who would have been found to have wrongfully and knowingly mishandled funds intended for poor people.

The public needs to make its voices heard against the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution for appearing to sit on its hands regarding the legal process. All the criminal matters that were highlighted in that Review of Councils must have by now been sent to that office. So, why does it appear that this office is sitting on the matter of pursuing the crimi-nal cases against the UWP politi-

cians? When is that office holder going to start leaving us with no doubt about the impartiality the office demands?

Unfortunately, while people have a natural thirst for justice after all of the above and more have been presented to the public, they tend to direct their demands for speed in the legal cases to the wrong persons. They are calling on the prime Minister and the government, but they should in-stead direct their demands to the judicial and legal services and de-partments. It is the judges and the courts who will decide on how fast those cases move on, but not until the DPP completes her side of the preliminary work.

One of the real dangers is that while the DPP’s office may be seen as “taking too long” and while it cannot be “rushed”, the real fact is that with two years to go before elections (at the most), the longer it takes and the nearer it gets to elections, the quicker it will be for those who have to an-swer their names to accuse the government of “playing politics before elections”.

However, the quest of justice ought not to be tempered by fear of what the accused will say or what others will feel. Those named in official reports as hav-ing played around with and failed to account for monies entrusted in their hands for poor people must be made to face the courts with-out the accusers facing any fear of what others will feel or say.

People who dipped their hands in the people’s money must be at least made to pay back and those who behaved like it was their per-sonal funds should be made to answer in court. They can even be given a choice to pay back or face the courts, I don’t care – once they are made to pay and the public gets to know they admitted their guilt and were ready to pay.

Whether in cash or by doing full time at Bordelais, it’s just about time that Saint Lucian politicians are made to know if they do that crime, they will also definitely do the time!

While discussing, debat-ing or arguing over seemingly contentious

issues related to the latest fuel price adjustments at home, we should also always keep our eyes and ears wide open on the rest of the Caribbean and the world.

We argue over how much government should take and how much consumers should get, who should give and who should make from the savings from low gas prices, as if we’ve been assured world market prices will continue to plummet eternally.

We also freely make equal ref-erences and comparisons with other countries, as if all prices and pricing mechanisms are the same everywhere.

Two sets of developments on the regional and world scene need to be considered as we continue to discuss, debate and argue over who should benefit from falling oil prices.

The first is the situation in Antigua and Barbuda, where the Labour administration has rejected the advice of the World Bank on what to do with the savings from lower fuel prices. (See article on Page 3)

Prime Minister Gaston Browne announced last week that as of this month (February) the price of gasoline and diesel at the pumps in his country will fall by 10% and 13%, respec-tively.

PM Brown said the World Bank had advised that the savings (or increase in revenue) should be kept exclusively by the govern-ment. But despite being advised not to pass-on the savings, he said, his Labour administration decided to pass-it-on.

Secondly, while we were still trying to decide who should get what and when from the savings, the price of oil on the world mar-ket shot-up this week to US $58 per barrel; and the OPEC Secre-tary General predicted this week too that world market prices will rise again, to as much as US $200 per barrel.

Prime Minister and Finance Minister Dr Kenny D. Anthony, the architect of this nation’s eco-nomic and fiscal policies, has been consistently ringing into our ears all along that, as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, oil prices will also surely rise again.

The continuing volatility of the world market price makes the 90-day review period here a wiser mechanism -- and a better option -- than a monthly review, even though the PM has also in-dicated that world market if pric-es continue to fall, local prices will continue to be lowered.

What’s clear in both the An-tigua-Barbuda and Saint Lucia cases is that the Labour admin-istrations both do care for and share with their citizens when possible and necessary.

That’s what caring and sharing is all about!


The Ministry of Infrastruc-ture, Port Services and Transport on Tuesday

signed a Memorandum of Un-derstanding with the Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO).

The purpose of the MOU is to foster greater collaboration between the two entities, in the development of Saint Lucia’s in-frastructure.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport, Hon. Philip J. Pierre, emphasized the importance of the MOU.

“WASCO’s job is to provide water at a reasonable rate and the Ministry of Infrastructure’s job is to maintain Saint Lucia’s roadways. If we collaborate and work efficiently, then both the provision of water and the con-dition of the roads will be up-kept in a satisfactory manner. So, this MOU is extremely im-portant,” Minister Pierre said.

The majority of WASCO’s pipelines run beneath the road ways. As a result, roads are of-ten compromised to facilitate repairs to these lines.

The island’s busy roads will be spared the setbacks of water workers digging them up to lay or fix pipes.

WASCO’s Managing Director, Vincent Hippolyte, said collabo-ration with the Ministry of Infra-structure is necessary, since it is not always possible for WASCO to reinstate the roadways when the road work is completed.

“Over the years and up until now, WASCO finds itself after having carried out repair work to its water lines and sewer-age lines in a situation where it is not always able to reinstate

the roadway. It was felt by the ministry and ourselves that we needed to collaborate to make sure that we can provide a bet-ter service to the public, hence the reason for the MOU.”

Hippolyte added that WASCO is also in the process of mapping out its pipelines, which will en-able the company to address the issue of non-revenue water and provide a more efficient service to its consumers.

Ministry of Infrastructure and WASCO sign MOU to reduce water works on new roads

Now that Martinique has fully joined the OECS, a call is being made for

more research into the shared history between the two neigh-bouring islands and people.

The call came from Saint Lu-cia’s Ambassador to the OECS and CARICOM, Dr June Soomer.

Speaking ahead of the formal entry of the first French territory into the OECS on Wednesday, Dr Soomer said the move now makes it more necessary to con-duct the much-needed research into the shared history between Saint Lucia and Martinique.

Dr Soomer said she’s written much about slave women from Martinique who successfully criss-crossed the small channel separating the two islands, to evade both French and British troops.

She also supported calls for more research into the birth of Empress Josephine, widely said to have been born in clandes-tine conditions at Morne Paix Bouche in Babonneau.

Dr Soomer said Saint Lucia and Martinique already have strong and deep ties, but the en-try of Martinique into the OECS now opens the way for Guade-loupe to also enter the OECS grouping.

The ambassador said Mar-tinique coming on board now -- and Guadeloupe later -- will help forge and deepen closer unity and integration of the French and English-speaking people of the Eastern Caribbean island chain.

She says the fact that Saint Lu-cian citizens are also citizens of all other OECS member-states

opens new horizons and possi-bilities that even qualified Saint Lucian citizens resident in Mar-tinique will also be able to make use of the new economic space opened-up by the OECS Eco-nomic Union.

Meanwhile, Dr Soomer has also disclosed that French Guiana (also called Cayenne here) has indicated to the Georgetown-based CARICOM Secretariat that it intends to formally apply for membership of CARICOM.

Based on the north-east shoul-der of South America, French Guiana is home to thousands of Saint Lucians and their de-scendants, but observed note that while Guadeloupe can be expected to apply for OECS membership, size and distance dictate that Cayenne’s interest is in CARICOM.

Ambassador says French membership can strengthen OECS island chain

In observance of Saint Lucia’s 36th Anniversary of Inde-pendence, the Consulate

General of Saint Lucia in New York, in collaboration with the New York-based Saint Lucia House Foundation and other community organizations, has compiled an inspirational pro-gram of activities for Saint Lu-cians in the Diaspora.

This year’s celebrations will open with the Independence 36 Gospel Fest on February 7 (to-day) at the Mount Zion Church of God 7th Day, 203 E 37th Street, Brooklyn. The event will feature a host of Saint Lucian gospel artistes and other inspi-rational performers.

There will be additional events and celebrations throughout the month of February, including

The Trade Export Promotion Agency (TEPA) and the Min-istry of Agriculture, Food Pro-

duction, Fisheries, Co-operatives and Rural Development hosted an Agri-cultural Value Chain Symposium yes-terday, seeking to establish a shared vision for sustained growth in agri-cultural exports by directly address-ing the challenges that impede such exports.

The main objectives were to pro-pose a comprehensive and strategic vision that will assist the Ministry of Agriculture and TEPA in pro-moting, marketing and responding

Saint Lucia NY Consulate releases Independence 36 Program of ActivitiesThe events include an NBC "Today" Show feature, a film screening, independence gala, arts and crafts exhibition

and annual independence lecture.

the Annual Independence Lec-ture, an Independence Ecumen-ical Service, an NBC "Today" Show feature, a film screening, independence gala, arts and

crafts exhibition and a "Night of Saint Lucian Culture."

The Consulate General of Saint Lucia invites all Saint Lu-cians and friends to participate.

to export opportunities for the agri-cultural sector.

The results of this activity will benefit all priority markets as iden-tified by TEPA.

The event was held under the theme “Developing a shared vision towards increasing agricultural ex-ports,” and began with an opening ceremony addressed by the Minis-ters for Agriculture and for Com-merce.

The symposium will be held at the Golden Palm Events Centre – Rodney Bay (A.F. Valmont Building from 8:30 a.m., to p.m

Stakeholders hosted agriculture symposium yesterday

Prime Minister Gaston Browne earlier this week announced that as of next

month, the price of gasoline and diesel at the pump will fall by 10 and 13 per cent respectively.

Browne had pledged in his Budget Speech last week that the prices would fall (though he did not specify by how much) in line with global oil prices which have plummeted about 60 per cent since last July.

Last week Friday, as he wrapped up the Budget Debate in Parlia-ment he revealed specifics.

From February 2, gas prices will be reduced from $14.99 to $13.50 per gallon. Diesel will also fall by $2.00 to $13.20 per gallon.

Browne told the Parliament that the changes were coming on February 2, because February 1 is a Sunday.

“Now the advice that we have had from the World Bank is that these savings, or increase in revenue from the lowering of oil prices, should be kept exclu-sively by the government,” the prime minister said.

“I want to make it abundantly clear that the World Bank has advised us not to pass on these savings.

“However we are a very caring government and what we have decided to do is to share it with the people of Antigua and Bar-buda.”

Antigua and Barbuda shares higher fuel price savings with consumers,

despite World Bank’s contrary advice!

The Taiwan embassy has an-nounced that a briefing on the 2015 Taiwan Scholarship, ICDF

Scholarship and Medical Scholarship will be held by the Embassy on Thurs-day, February 12th at 10:00 am, at the Orchid Center, Union.

According to the Embassy, “Appli-cants should deliver forms and docu-ments to the Embassy by 15th March, 2015, as any delivery beyond that date, or delivery without all required documents, will not be accepted.”

Applicants are informed they should go to the Embassy for inter-views on 23rd and 24th March.

The embassy warns, however, that

The head of the St. Lucia-based OECS Commission is calling for St. Lucia and other OECS

governments to ban cell phone roaming payments between OECS member-states.

The call is coming from Dr Dida-cus Jules, who says it just isn’t right for OECS nationals to have to pay additional charges for phone calls between the member-states of the regional grouping.

Dr Jules says the governments would be doing consumers well if they prevented the service provid-ers from charging more for calls be-

“Only qualified applicants will re-ceive the notice and any change of the interview date will also be no-ticed by phone call.”

As for the Medical Scholarship ap-plicants, both written exam and in-terview will be held at the Embassy.

The written exam covers topics on English, Chemistry and Biology, the date is tentatively scheduled on 23rd April, 2015.

The interview will be via skype with the professor of Taiwan and the date is provisionally scheduled 28th and 29th April, 2015.

The qualified applicant will re-ceive the notice by phone call.

tween citizens of the member-states of the OECS.

In that sense, Dr Jules is calling for a complete ban on all roaming rates between the OECS member-states. He also called for a system whereby if a customer switches service providers, he or she can keep the original number.

The Director General rejected calls by the service providers for government to tax the likes of Skype, Vyber and other externally-generated internet-based commu-nications services available in the Caribbean that offer the world free calls and face-to-face exchanges.

Taiwan Medical Scholarship Briefing on February 12

Ban roaming rates, says OECS chief

Home Affairs Minister Sena-tor Victor La Corbiniere says his government has deliv-

ered on its promise to investigate al-leged police killings and the report is now in the hands of the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Senator La Corbiniere, who is also leader of government business in the St. Lucia Senate, says the police force’s ability to investigate itself in the mat-ters at hand was always a complicated matter, which is why government had to invite a regional agency to under-take the investigations.

The minister confirmed that the IMPACS report is with the govern-ment -- specifically with the Prime Minister, who has promised to ad-dress the nation on the issue early this month.

The contents of the IMPACS re-port are being looked forward to by the Police Force, as well as the fami-lies of the alleged victims.

No date has yet been set for the Prime Minister’s address to the na-tion on that report, but it’s also be-ing looked forward to by Saint Lu-cians at large, at home and abroad.

IMPACS Report: Home Affairs Minister says ‘Government has delivered!’


The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) invited Saint Lu-

cia to participate in the second High Level Safety Conference (HLSC2015) held this week at the ICAO Headquarters in Mon-tréal, Canada.

Hon. Alva Romanus Baptiste, Minister for External Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation led the Saint Lucia delegation to the talks, which started Monday and ended yes-terday (February 2-6).

The participation of strategic decision-makers provided the international civil aviation com-munity the opportunity to build consensus, obtain commit-ments, and formulated recom-mendations deemed necessary for the effective and efficient progress of key aviation safety activities.

Overall, the conference in-cluded various topics covering three major themes: a review of the current situation; the future approach to manage

aviation safety; and facilitating increased regional coopera-tion. In particular, participants will also be invited to discuss emerging safety issues includ-ing the global tracking of air-crafts, and risks to civil aviation arising from conflict zones.

Given the tragic and unusual events that occurred on March 8 and July 17, 2014, which resulted in the loss of the passengers and crew aboard Malaysia Airlines MH370 and MH17, the topic “Emerging Safety Issues” also

formed part of the program, dur-ing which the conference will be invited to discuss and make recommendations on means to address the issues that may arise related to these events.

Saint Lucia’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism which itself derives value from civil aviation and air transport. Therefore, Saint Lucia’s partici-pation was considered critical at this time, as the island endeavor to boost arrival figures and ex-pand the tourism market.

Saint Lucia attended ICAO High Level Safety Conference

The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, RSLPF, has declared the first

month of the year– January 2015, as having registered zero homicides. Commis-sioner of Police Mr. Vernon Francois describes this feat as a small victory for the entire island and credits the victory to the citizenry.

In contrast, the year 2014

registered six homicides in the month of January.

Mr. Francois says this achieve-ment proves to all that it is possible for citizens to rally together with the police and other partners in the society, to achieve a peaceful and law abiding nation. “Obviously we are very happy to register zero homicides last month. This is in keeping with declining trends

as we have reported earlier. “I have always emphasized that losing one life is one too many. Generally we are about working to achieve zero violence.

“As officers of the law we have done some work to help push back against crime and to sensi-tize the public that killings and hurting each other to settle con-flict is not the way to go.

“In this vein, we recognize

other agencies, the Church, the Social Transformation officers and other youth and commu-nity workers and importantly the Education system who part-ner with us, and strengthen this message.” Mr. François says the Police continues to push back against gang violence and the scourge of drug trafficking which are often linked to inci-dents of homicides.

“If it’s for us to continue to challenge ourselves to cherish the value of life. I would like to particularly challenge our young men to turn away from acts of violence and to try to direct their energies posi-tively”. The last time that the records of the RSLPF reflected nil for January homicides on an island wide level was in the year 2000, exactly 15 years ago.

RSLPF registers zero homicides for January 2015

On Friday January 30, a combined team of officers from

the Royal St Lucia Police Force, conducted a search operation at Admiral Quay, a villa complex situated at Rodney Bay, Gros-Islet.

During the search of an apartment, a small quan-tity of cannabis and a bag containing a significant amount of EUROs in vari-ous denominations were recovered.

At the time of the search, the apartment was

occupied by three men, a Venezuelan, a Haitian and a national of the Domini-can Republic. The cash was subsequently counted in the presence of the three men and their attorney, to-taling 113, 700 EUROs.

All three men were ar-rested on suspicion of possession of controlled drugs and unlawful pos-session of cash. The mat-ter has been referred to the Financial Intelligence Authority for further in-vestigations.

Police seize 113,700 Euros from three

foreign nationals at Rodney Bay

On Wednesday, Feb-ruary 11, the south western community

of Choiseul will kick off the Meet the Commissioner se-ries of Town Hall Meetings for 2015.

Earlier this year Commis-sioner of Police Mr. Vernon Francois, signaled that there will be a continuation of Com-munity Policing initiatives and citizen’s engagement this year, as the Police continues to build on the successes al-ready met in various commu-nities around the island.

This initiative he noted has been very well received, even to the point of becom-ing a popular and much an-ticipated event.

“Over the course of last we held five Town Hall meet-ings and we registered very good attendance at these meetings.

“It is an opportunity for the community members to meet the Commissioner and other senior level offi-cers, but most importantly, it is an open forum for us to discuss with them whatever concerns they may have as regards social issues and any social controls that the police may be able to either enforce or implement, or just to have their input on policing in general.”

Choisuel is reputed to be among Saint Lucia’s most creative, industrious and law abiding communities.

The Town Hall Meeting is slated for 5 p.m at the La Fargue community Centre. The Choiseul station is the main organizer of this event. The Royal Saint Lucia Police Band will also join in the vis-it and grace the community with a musical treat.

Police Commissioner resumes Town Hall Meetings

Participants from Barbados, RSS countries and inde-

pendent Commonwealth Caribbean countries came together at the Barbados Coast Guard to attend a maritime tactical plan-ning course, delivered by a visiting training team of experts from the Royal Navy (RN).

Certificates of completion were handed out by Com-mander Aquinas Clarke, Commanding Officer of the Barbados Coast Guard, and Lt Commander Howard Clark, leader of the visit-ing RN Maritime Training Team at a closing ceremony at HMBS Pelican.

The participants studied a number of areas, including the following topics:

National Strategy for Maritime Security, Interna-tional Maritime Law, Rules of Engagement, Command and Control, Maritime Se-curity Operations and Lo-gistics.

Lt Commander Clark commended all the stu-dents stating, “Not only have you improved your technical skill sets, but you have learnt the all impor-tant skill of working closely with your colleagues from other CARICOM countries. This will have a highly ben-eficial effect on future secu-rity cooperation through-out the region.”

Royal Navy trained local police in marine tactics

Hon. Alva Baptiste

The history of the OECS has taken a turn with the French territory of Martinique sign-

ing on as an associate member-in-creasing the nine-member grouping to 10.

The historic signing of Martinique as an associate member of the OECS took place at the Hotel La Bateliere in Fort-de-France, Martinique, dur-ing the opening ceremony of the 60th meeting of the OECS Authority.

The agenda for the meeting in-cluded an update on the implemen-tation of the OECS Economic Union, the Free Circulation of Goods and issues on sports and healthy life-styles.

Martinique’s membership of the OECS follows a period of negotiations after the Regional Council of Mar-tinique submitted a formal applica-tion for associate membership in the OECS with the full support/endorse-ment of the French Government.

In November of 2013, Dr. Jules ad-dressed the Regional Assembly in Martinique after which the Assem-bly unanimously voted in favour of Martinique’s membership of the OECS.

Since then, the OECS Commis-sion has been treating Martinique effectively as an associate member

Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Kenny D. Anthony has wel-comed Martinique to the

OECS and says there are mutual benefits to be derived from this momentous endeavor.

He said, “I am exceedingly pleased that Martinique will now be an associate member of the OECS

“Saint Lucia welcomes Marti-nique with open arms, as we have had a history of close relations with Martinique,” the Prime Min-ister said.

“Last year, an agreement was signed between our two islands to facilitate the exchange of op-portunities in tourism, renewable energy, trade, health and other ar-eas. Martinique is also viewed as a gateway to Europe and so presents opportunities for investment.”

He added, “Membership in the

Martinique is first French territory to join OECS

and the French Region has already been attending regional meetings on matters such as health.

The OECS Director General de-scribes the event as a very historical moment.

“While there are limitations be-cause of its status in relation to France, the involvement of Mar-tinique in the OECS opens up great potential and certainly widens the demographics from an economic perspective," he said.

"We have seen the relationship grow between Martinique and Saint Lucia and between Guadeloupe and Dominica for example. What this signing does, is widen [these rela-

tionships] to the whole OECS. “The use of Martinique as a tertia-

ry health facility centre for the OECS is something under discussion so there are a lot of opportunities.”

"We are very concerned about not just ensuring growth in the econo-mies of the OECS but growth with equity," he added.

"It’s not enough to just grow the economy if you are growing it and only the existing players benefit, it has to be the type of growth that leads to a widening of opportunity for smaller persons, a trickle-down effect; a spread of the benefits and community tourism we think will do particularly well with the en-

gagement of Martinique and Gua-deloupe.

“So, we are expecting that this will yield great benefits in terms of weekend travel, bed and breakfast

arrangements, community sporting activities, and so on.”

The 60th OECS Authority was also updated on the Work Program for the OECS Commission.

Prime Minister welcomes Martinique into OECS

OECS will serve to strengthen our bilateral relationship and provide an avenue for greater cooperation on the regional level.”

Prime Minister Dr Kenny D. Anthony


Theme: 2015 NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE ACTIVITIES

DATE EVENT VENUE TIME Feb. 10-20 School Celebrations Schools Island wide Feb. 10-28 Community Celebrations Island wide Feb. 15 – 23 Kia Independence Tennis Tournament National Tennis Centre Feb. 16 – 17 Independence Invitational Athletic Championship Feb. 13 National Sports Awards Sandals Grande 8:00 p.m. Feb. 20 Ecumenical Service/Day of Prayer Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception 10:00 a.m. Feb. 20 National Flag Day Constitution Park TBA Feb. 20 Launch of Leaders of Iyanola National Television Network 8:00 p.m. Feb. 21 Miss Independence 2015 Cultural Centre 6:00 p.m. Feb. 21 – 23 Bike Festival 2015 Around the Island Feb. 21 Independence Challenge Around the Island Feb. 21 Seafood and Meat Festival Vieux-Fort Promenade 3:00 p.m. Feb. 21 Cocktail Reception Prime Minister’s Official Residence 7:00 p.m. Feb. 21 Youth Concert Laborie TBA Feb. 21 Best of Saint Lucia Concert TBA 9:00 p.m. Feb. 22 Military Parade Sab Playing field, Vigie 9:00 a.m. Feb. 22 National Celebratory Rally Phillip Marcellin Grounds, V/Fort 3.00 p.m. Feb. 22 Independence Food Fair Phillip Marcellin Grounds, V/Fort 11:00 a.m. Feb. 22 Dance Festival Phillip Marcellin Grounds, V/Fort Feb. 22 SLAM Concert Phillip Marcellin Grounds, V/Fort Feb. 23 Independence Classic Cycling and Athletics Feb. 24 Independence Lecture TBA TBA Presenter: Topic: Feb 26 National Youth Council Independence Debate House of Parliament Feb. 28 SANKOFA III Mar. 1 Investiture Ceremony Government House 3:00 p.m. Mar. 7 National Business Awards 7.00 p.m.

Cultural Development Foundation

National Arts Festival Laborie Community Festival - February 13, 2015 Launch of National Arts Exhibition Festival Week - February 19, 2015

CUSO International is an international develop-ment organization that

seeks to reduce poverty and in-equality through the efforts of skilled volunteers.

To this end, this Canadian-based organization hosted a Volunteerism Symposium in Dominica from February 4-5, 2015.

Mr. Cyril Saltibus, National Volunteer Coordinator was one

CUSO sponsored 2015 National Volunteerism Symposium in Dominica

The Ministry of Health, Wellness, Human Servic-es and Gender Relations

has engaged the services of two consultants from the European Union Project to research op-tions for financing of the health care system into the future, to build a sustainable health care system for St. Lucia.

Xyster Edmund, Chief Health Planner with Ministry of Health, noted that a health fi-nancing initiative has always been part of the Ministry’s Strategic Plan for Health.

She said “ Universal Health Coverage, what we refer to it as, really means the manner in which the government of St. Lucia will protect health risks for its population to a certain extent.”

The Chief Health Planner not-ed that more importantly Uni-versal Health Coverage is tied to the whole issue which the Ministry believes is necessary in health care that of fairness, a coming together to provide health coverage for all as well as effective and efficient use of the investments in health.

“Universal Heath Care is and integrated approach and there are about seven components to the establishment of Universal health care...

It includes the governance strategies - the actual services - the financing, the quality man-agement system, etc and there will be a monitoring and eval-uation framework that moni-tors how well are the services being provided.

“There is a health information system that we are also rolling out that will look at how we col-lect the data to ensure that we understand what is happening and that we can intervene in areas that need strengthening and most importantly there is

the infrastructure component because delivering care in a suitable environment is also important.” Edmunds stated.

The consultants engaged by the Ministry of Health include an Actuarial Scientist and Health Policy Consultant for Universal Health coverage.

Edmunds stated that the Ministry of Health Has already defined the process, as well as the essential package of servic-es in draft form including the costing of that package.

“The real work of the Actu-arial Scientist is to identify the capacity of the economy to fi-nance the initiative of Univer-sal Health Care and to deter-mine to the government of St. Lucia the best strategies mov-ing forward in financing this care...

“Universal Health Care needs clear policy direction and appropriate legislation so the second consultant will be working with us on that sec-ond component.”

John Armstrong is the Con-sultant Actuarial Scientist to the Ministry of Health from European Union Project.

He pointed to his experience of working with other coun-tries in the Caribbean area to look at the actuarial analysis of health care systems and will be doing the same for St. Lu-cia within the next six to nine months.

Armstrong explained the processes which will form part of his analysis. “The key aspect is obviously the demographic profile of the country.

“What is the size of the coun-try, what is the make up in terms of age profile, male to-female split and where people live, the socio-economic wealth of the country and issues such as that...

:”The second will be what are the expectations and the package of benefits which will be provided in the health care system and to look at the cost and provision of that package.”

The consultant noted that on completion of the consul-tancy he envisages that they will then be able to present a number of policy options for consideration to the Ministry of Health.

Those policy options will hopefully look into the next five to ten years in terms of the profile of the population and what the cost of provision will be within the next five to ten years.

He said, “A key part is obvi-ously to understand what are the expectations of the popu-lation in terms of health care, what are the plans of govern-ment and the plans of the min-istry and to really factor them

The Ministry of Physical Development, Housing, and Urban Renewal has

undertaken a review of its op-erations with the intent to en-hance productivity, boost em-ployee morale and improve the services provided to the public and the ministry’s stakeholders.

Permanent Secretary Joanna Raynold-Arthurton said the plan focused on several key out-comes.

“We hope that the new ap-proach will result in improve-ments in our attitudes to our work, service delivery, and our approach to our clients,” she said. “We hope it instils a great-er commitment to excellence, leaving mediocrity behind; a greater commitment and effort to integration of our work pro-grams and our procedures, and

Consultancy commences for UHC financing

of the presenters at this forum. Also in attendance were two

of Saint Lucia’s youth volun-teers, Ms. Anya Edwin, Secre-tary of the National Volunteer Coordinating Office and Mr. Timothy Ferdinand, Chair-man of the Caribbean Regional Youth Council.

The National Volunteer Co-ordinating Office applauds CUSO International’s acknowl-edgement of the need to re-

spond and support the needs of their Caribbean partners, particularly as it relates to fos-tering positive youth develop-ment and for financing this symposium.

This symposium gave part-ners an opportunity to learn best practices from already established national volunteer platforms such as Saint Lucia’s and to promote national volun-teerism across the region.

the establishment of a strong, clear and appropriate legal plat-form which is the basis of all our operations.”

The plan will also implement measures that will contribute to staff morale and mobilisation.

Minister for Physical Devel-opment, Housing and Urban Renewal Stanley Felix said the strategic framework is only the first phase of revitalisation.

“In this approach towards change and improvement, we must individually examine our attitudes towards our personal development, our approach to service, and our regard towards the institution to which we cur-rently are assigned,” he said.

The ministry unveiled its plan last Thursday, during a ceremo-ny at the Public Service Train-ing Institute in Union

Physical Development Ministry to boost productivity

into our analysis.” The Chief Health Planner

noted that in formulating the Strategic Plan of the Health Sector meeting were held in ev-ery community and the com-mon thread among the com-munities was that they really do need a safety net for health care.

They needed to know that then their children or family members are sick that they will not be out of pocket and unable to act with respect to a health issue that they would be expe-riencing. She said,

“The government has listen to the voice of the people and the Universal Health Coverage initiate really represents our response to what the people of St. Lucia really said they needed.

“They never said that they didn’t what to pay... they want-ed to know what they are pay-ing for, the wanted to know the quality was improved and they wanted to ensure that when they need the care it would be available to them.”

Ms. Edmunds places on re-cord the ministry’s apprecia-tion to European Development (EDF) under the 10th EDF pro-gramme.

She says funds have been made available for strengthen-ing a wide range of activities in the ministry most notably primary health care and un-der this fund the Ministry of Health has the opportunity to finance the Universal Health Care activities which include the work of the Actuarial Sci-entist and the Policy Adviser.

Xyster Edmund, Chief Health Planner with Ministry of Health, says a health financing initiative has always been part of the

Ministry's Strategic Plan for Health across the island.


Prime Minister Dr. Kenny D. Anthony and Energy Minister Hon. Dr. James

Fletcher recently joined other Caribbean Heads of Govern-ment at the Caribbean Energy Security Summit, in Washing-ton, D.C.

Speaking at a breakfast meet-ing on behalf of CARICOM, Dr. Anthony highlighted the issues that are most important to Ca-ribbean Small Island Develop-ing States in relation to climate change adaptation.

Prime Minister lobbies for Climate Finance for CARICOM

“He spoke of Saint Lucia’s ex-periences,” Dr. Fletcher related, “so for example, he explained that we have been in a constant cycle of repair and recovery.

“He highlighted the fact that in 2010 we had the worst drought that we’ve had in a long time, followed by hurricane To-mas in that same year; and that we had not fully recovered from hurricane Tomas when we had the Christmas Eve Trough to deal with in 2013.”

He added that Dr. Anthony

lobbied for greater financial support for Saint Lucia and oth-er CARICOM member states to deal with climate change.

During the afternoon session, Dr. Fletcher participated in a panel discussion on “Compre-hensive Approaches to Energy Transformation.”

The purpose of the second phase of the meeting was to discuss the Caribbean Energy Security Initiative.

“The second part of the meeting was with Vice President Joe Biden.

We discussed the Caribbean En-ergy Security Initiative and ways in which we could get greater en-ergy security for the Caribbean.

“We all spoke to the fact that we are doing a lot of work in the renewable energy—trying to transition our economies away from the dependence on fossil fuels to renewable energy.”

In March, Government leaders will, again, convene at another Energy and Climate Partner-ship of the America’s meeting in Mexico.

The St. Lucia Prime Minister made the case for CARICOM

in Washington.

Director General of the OECS, Dr. Didicus Jules, has praised the par-

ticipatory approach to environ-mental issues. He did so at the Ministerial segment of the cli-mate change negotiation meet-ing held last week.

According to Dr. Jules, the re-gion’s interests can best be pro-tected if a unified position is presented.

“A united front provides us with an umbrella of common protection, but we also have to be pragmatic in shaping this,” he said.

“Common and harmonized positions do not necessarily mean absolute uniformity. They require that we also find subtle ways of accommodating dif-ferences and nuancing these differences to enrich common posture.”

Dr. Jules expressed pride that

OECS Director General lauds collaboration on Climate Change

The OECS Director General made several pertinent

points while addressing the CARICOM Climate Change negotiators here last week.

Caribbean Ministers with re-sponsibilities for the environ-ment “have so readily come together to prepare for the 2015 round of climate change negoti-ations.” He also noted the pres-ence of the French Ambassador.

“We are also very thankful to our partners and we are happy that Ambassador de LA MOUS-SAYE is here with us today, be-cause the government of France has extended a special hand of support to the OECS countries and CARICOM in helping to pre-pare for the Paris negotiations.”

Climate change negotiations will take place at the 21st Con-ference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change later this year, in Paris.

The adverse effects of Climate Change on Small Island Devel-oping States, Dr. Jules said, is a unifying force for the region.

The Government of Saint Lucia. in collaboration with the Organization of

Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, last week hosted two meetings in Saint Lucia to discuss Climate Change.

The discussions will lead to the signing of a new interna-tional climate change agree-ment at the United Nations Framework Convention on Cli-mate Change (UNFCCC), to be held in December.

Minister for Sustainable De-velopment, Energy, Science and Technology, Senator Dr. James Fletcher, said funding for cli-mate change adaptation efforts continues to be a major issue in climate change negotiations.

“For us, the main issue is re-ally the negotiations related to climate finance and not being able to get the level of climate finance that has been pledged,” he explained.

“There is a pledge of one hun-dred billion US dollars worth of climate finance by the year 2020 and one hundred billion dollars every year thereafter, and we’re very far short of this.

“The last pledging meeting for the Green Climate Fund went just past ten billion dollars. Now granted, the Green Climate Fund is not the only source of fi-

nancing for climate finance, but we’re still very far short of one hundred billion dollars.

“So we want to see a pathway that will get us to that one hun-dred billion dollar mark, be-cause it is very important to us.”

According to Dr. Fletcher, there is still much to be done in the area of climate change adaptation. Investments in key sectors, he said, are necessary to build resilience.

“We have to make sure that we make investments in sectors like tourism, infrastructure, and health, that would give us some resilience and the ability

to withstand some of the im-pacts of climate change; and in the areas where we can’t adapt, we need to ensure that we are able to deal with irreversible loss and damage, like our coral reefs that are disappearing be-cause of increased sea tempera-tures and ocean acidification.”

Dr. Fletcher said mitigation is another key component of climate change adaptation. Sci-entific data shows that despite the pledges made by the United States, China and the European Union last year, we are still very far from reducing global tem-peratures, he said.

Lack of funding a major issue in Climate Change negotiations

Small Island Developing States like Saint Lucia need to move away from

the use of fossil fuels in an effort to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, Saint Lu-cia’s Energy Minister, Sena-tor Dr. James Fletcher said recently.

According to Dr. Fletcher, sci-entific data has demonstrated that we are still very far away from limiting global tempera-tures to two degrees Celsius or 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-

Saint Lucia joined the rest of the World in commemorat-ing World Wetland day on

February 2nd.The theme for world wetlands

day 2015 was Wetlands for Our Future. This theme was de-signed to emphasize the impor-tance of wetlands for:• Purifying and replenishing

the worlds’ precious fresh water resources,

• Providing fish nursery sites• Providing protection for our

vulnerable coastlines, • Performing as a natural

sponge against floods and droughts,

• The storage of Carbon,• Sustaining a biodiversity rich

ecosystem According to the RAMSAR

convention on wetlands, to which St. Lucia is signatory, 64% of the worlds’ wetlands have disappeared and the remaining 36% are in jeopardy of succumb-ing to the same fate.

With the world now focused on Climate Change, our wet-lands should be foremost in our minds as a means of mitigating its impact.

Wetlands, especially man-groves, bind the shoreline to-gether, which prevents erosion, and slows storm surges thereby increasing our resilience to Cli-mate Change.

In Saint Lucia, our wetlands and mangroves are also under threat with inter alia the in-crease in the demand for coastal lands for development.

The value of our wetlands as a natural protector of coastal ero-sion and a nursery site for fish which sustains our fishing in-dustry falls a distant second to the perceived value of allowing development which decimates these very fragile ecosystems.

Deforestation and the indis-criminate disposal of garbage within the wetlands also threat-en the health of the wetlands.

Moreover, garbage is a prob-lem in approximately 90% of our wetlands, this problem is further compounded because this gar-bage comprises mainly plastic.

Another worrying issue is the Increasing deforestation in bio-diversity rich wetlands such as Grand Anse and Mankote which contain more than 100 species of flora and 30 species of fauna that are mainly birds.

These ecosystems need our intervention if they are going to survive. Small personal de-cisions would go a long way in getting our wetlands back to a condition that would allow all of us to reap the benefits of its natural protective functions.

Some of the measures that we can personally commit to are educating ourselves and others on the benefits that wetlands provide and avoid harmful practices such as garbage dis-posal in the wetlands.

Remember: collective action provides collective rewards.

(For further information con-tact Mrs. Rebecca Rock at 468-5656)

Ministry of Sustainable Development and

Forestry observed World Wetlands Day 2015

industrial levels.“The data [revealed in a

World Bank report last year] suggests that with the level of emissions we have right now and even with the pledges that have been made, we are proba-bly on track with almost a four degree Celsius warming.”

However, Dr. Fletcher said levels of four degrees Celsius will have a devastating effect on the Caribbean, which can cause many of our eco systems to be threatened.

Energy Minister urges Greenhouse Gas reduction


‘Hey, you look like Nina Comp-ton!” My traveling companion and I had just set foot in the flamboy-ant covered market of Castries, the capital of St. Lucia, and instantly, shrieks, followed by winks and wide smiles erupted around us.

“Aren’t you Nina?”That is not merely because she

is the daughter of the late Sir John Compton, “Father of the Nation” who, in 1979, spearheaded the independence of the island and served as its first prime minister. It’s because in 2013, Nina Compton was invited to compete on Bravo’s “Top Chef: New Orleans.”

“It was life-changing,” she said. When the show aired, Nina,

then 35, was chef de cuisine at Scott Conant’s lauded Scarpetta in South Beach. Using the impressive technique she learned while work-ing in 2000 for iconic French chef Daniel Boulud in New York to cook special dishes using the Caribbean ingredients and flavors of her past, Nina seemed poised to win the finale. An upset left her the run-ner-up, but she was awarded the show’s “fan favorite” designation and became an overnight celebrity, especially on St. Lucia.

“The entire island was rooting for her,” said Taribba do Nascimento, a local handbag designer. “It was all over the news and people went crazy. Her food was unapologeti-cally St. Lucian.”

She may not have won “Top Chef,” but that December day at the market, while Nina, a slender sil-houette in denim shorts and prim white shirt, inspected the produce, I felt I was walking through town with Kate Middleton.

“Green figs, anyone?” she asks the stand mamas hovering around her.

“Figs?” I wondered to myself. “This isn’t Tuscany!”

But I had a lot to learn about St. Lucian cuisine. A few months ear-lier, hearing that Nina and I would be on the island at the same time — she researching an upcoming cookbook (after “Top Chef,” the government named Nina the is-land’s “culinary ambassador”), and I attending a wedding — I asked whether she would take me on a gastronomic tour. I had eaten my way through jerk chicken and stuffed crabs aplenty in the Carib-

Once again, ‘U.S. News’ has ranked the best hotels in the Caribbean using a compre-

hensive methodology that aggre-gates the opinions of travel experts and guests. Some 288 hotels in the region were evaluated to identify the top hotels and resorts, with review-based websites, guidebooks and magazines analysed to compile a list of properties that consistently receive approval from critics and travellers.

Each hotel on the resulting list of the top 10 properties in the Caribbe-an for 2015 is said to stand out from its peers “thanks to its memorable ambiance, upscale amenities and exemplary service.”

Here’s what U.S. News had to say about Saint Lucia’s two hotels – and the top winner from the Dominican Republic:

# 10 Jade Mountain, Soufrière, St Lucia - Jade Mountain may have slipped from the No. 9 position it held in 2014 (to No. 9 this year), but this St Lucia standout remains a favourite among critics and guests, winning accolades such as the Con-dé Nast Readers’ Choice Award and coveted AAA Five Diamond Award. Lauded for their innovative design, Jade Mountain’s “sanctuaries” boast an open wall (think a patio without the door), offering an unparalleled view of the Piton Mountains. The hotel is not directly located on the beach (reserve a room at the re-sort’s sister property, Anse Chasta-net, if you want to be closer to the

The Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) teamed up with the Ministry of Tour-

ism and the SLHTA is hosting a Presentation to the Small Prop-erties located in the north of the island, which focused on the re-branding of the sector.

The session was held at the Bay Gardens Inn on Wednes-day, with presentations by the Ministry of Tourism on the Standards guiding the industry,

followed by the SLTB team on Marketing.

The final presentation was delivered by the Executive Vice President of the SLHTA on the benefits of becoming a member of the Association.

Another session was also held in the south of the island for the hoteliers from Soufriere to Micoud on Thursday at the Na-tional Skills Development Cen-tre (NSDC) in Vieux Fort.

SLTB met small properties

The stunning view from Jade Mountain, Soufriere saint Lucia.

shoreline), but guests don’t seem to mind. Visitors cite Jade Mountain’s unbeatable views, attentive service and ample wellness amenities (like the Kai en Ciel spa and private yoga sessions) as reasons for a repeat visit.

#9 East Winds Inn, Gros Islet, St Lucia - Giving Jade Mountain a run for its money, East Winds Inn trad-ed in the silver badge it earned last year for gold in 2015. Claiming the title of Best Hotel in St. Lucia, East Winds Inn appeals to travelers look-ing for a boutique hotel experience. Thanks to its limited capacity (just

30 rooms sprawled across 12 acres), previous guests say the hotel staff provides personalized service not often seen at larger resorts. Aside from the staff’s attention to detail, travelers also praise the resort’s eatery, the Flamboyant Restaurant. Reviewers compliment the fresh, local cuisine and variety of dishes — a factor many visitors consider paramount if staying in St. Lucia for more than a few days.

#1 Eden Roc at Cap Cana, Pun-ta Cana, Dominican Republic - Climbing up the ranks from No. 18 in 2014, Eden Roc at Cap Cana

managed to usurp Tortuga Bay (a two-time winner) to capture this year’s No. 1 spot. So what makes this Relais & Châteaux outpost so special? To start, every suite boasts a private pool, gazebo and personal golf cart, not to mention an exterior rain shower. But if that doesn’t pique your interest, per-haps Eden Roc’s location will: The resort is situated in Punta Cana’s exclusive Cap Cana community on the eastern edge of the Dominican Republic. Cap Cana sits on 30,000

acres and is home to beaches, cliffs and forests, in addition to three Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses and a marina. Plus, Eden Roc guests are granted access to the members-only Caletón Beach Club, which boasts a pool, bar and restaurant within a palm-fringed cove. We’re not the only ones who’ve taken notice of Eden Roc’s ample offerings: The hotel is a hit with guests who say its AAA Four Diamond and Travel + Leisure “It List” awards are well-deserved.

Two Saint Lucia properties named among Top 10 Caribbean Hotels for 2015

Touring St. Lucia with its Top Chef

Nina Compton in St. Lucia. (Sylvia Bigar)

bean, but I was intrigued by St. Lucia’s turbulent history and eager to seek its culinary legacy in local kitchens.

Before the British finally took possession of the island, in 1814, the flag went back and forth be-tween England and France 14 times in 150 years. Today, most of the island’s population is of Af-rican descent, with a significant East Indian contingent descending from workers brought in to save the sugar industry toward the end of the 19th century.

Back at the market, Nina ex-plains: “We call unripe bananas ‘green figs.’ And salt fish and green figs is our national dish.”

“Salt” and “unripe” didn’t exact-ly conjure gastronomic pleasure, but at Sylvia’s Place, a cluttered blue-and-yellow kitchen Sylvia Jn Baptiste has run for the past 16 years in the back alley of the mar-ket, delicious cod flakes sprinkled with garlic and peppers balance the sweet, smooth banana logs perfectly.

“I was born on Barbados, where nothing grows,” Jn Baptiste says. “Here, everything is local.” She gets to her kitchen at 4 a.m. except on Fridays and Saturdays, when she opens at 1 a.m. so revelers can restore themselves with her bouil-lon, a pigtail broth rich with lentils, spinach, green plantain and pota-toes or her flying-fish fry, as fresh as it gets, straight from the fisher-men’s stall around the corner.

A brief nod from Nina to the “co-conut man” a few steps away, one decisive machete strike, and off comes the greenish top, revealing flesh as white as a cotton cloud. In goes the straw, and I melt in re-freshing coconut water paradise.

Soon it’s lunchtime, and we step out into the sun. Downtown Cas-tries, cradling its bustling harbor, teems with local office workers in shirt and ties and dazzled tour-ists trickling from colossal cruise ships. But we leave the town be-hind and drive a few miles to the busy intersection where a sheet-metal roof encircles two towering almond trees that watch over the eatery known as the Hardest Hard. Plastic chairs and rickety tables make up this landmark where Eve-lyn and Julian Lagon cook up some of the best food on the island.

“People also call us ‘Under the almond trees,’ ” said Evelyn Lagon, the compact, spirited owner, as she scurries her smile around. Spiny lobsters stuffed with dasheen, a root vegetable similar to taro; braised conch with onions, pep-pers and garlic; and my personal favorite, stuffed trunkfish. The flesh is meaty and almost candied with tangy creole sauce redolent of lime and chives.

Later that night, Nina takes me to Laurel’s in Bois d’Orange. “I don’t like rules, man,” said chef-owner Laurel Butt, straddling a chair in her chef whites and yel-low pirate head scarf. And she cer-tainly makes her own: The fritters are made with breadfruit; curry chicken could have been prepared in Mumbai; and bread rolls (tété pain in creole) are baked and sold throughout the day.

Early the next morning, we drive to Prudee’s House of Roti, by the side of the road in Gros Islet. “Do you believe in God?” asks owner Prudentia Raymond, her eyes spar-kling at the sight of Nina wolfing down a plump chicken roti. “I had a vision for this place.”

Nina says that the roti, a stuffed flatbread with chicken or fish origi-nally from India, has become a St. Lucian staple. “We eat French boudin, we stuff our local fish with root vegetables from Africa, and we jazz up our lives with Indian spices.”

After the roti, I can’t resist Ray-mond’s fragrant “cocoa tea,” the St. Lucian version of hot chocolate made with local cocoa, nutmeg, cinnamon, bay leaf and lime peel. “My recipe was passed down from Grandma,” says Raymond, smil-ing.

On Friday night, while Nina vis-its family, I head down to the “Jump Up” in Gros Islet, the weekly street party that draws locals and foreign beatniks for an all-night dance marathon under the stars. But first I eat at nearby Flavours of the Grill, the pastel restaurant where chef-owner O’Nell Daly cooks dreamy christophine (chayote squash) gra-tin and moist banana bread I wash down with local Piton beer. The line snakes around the corner. “I’d rather only feed 20 people at a time and make them happy,” Daly says.

The next day, Nina and I leave the

busy and nicely groomed resorts of the north and happily head south for the two-hour drive toward Sou-friere, the former French-colonial capital, and the rain forest. Soon, I feel we’ve crossed onto a different island. The winding road takes us along dark volcanic beaches where the clear water reflects the emer-ald green of the trees, and then, further up, ripples of hills dotted with banana plantations. Another bend and suddenly the two Pitons, forest-covered lava spires, emerge more than 2,300 breathtaking feet high from the sea. When we finally pull into Fond Doux Plantation, it seems a magical curtain of foliage has lifted just enough to allow us in.

The French estate-turned-resort, still a working plantation, is the brainchild of Eroline and Lyton Lamontagne, who cultivate cinna-mon, tamarind, mangoes, dasheen,

grapefruit, guava and most of what is served at their table.

“On St. Lucia, the spices and fla-vors make me feel I’m home,” said Riya Sengupta, a guest who was born in India.

Frolicking in the kitchen, Nina shows the staff her own take on green figs and salt fish. In just a few minutes, she rolls plantain dough and presses it into gnocchi she pairs with stewed cod sprin-kled with chives. I watch her mix local tradition with experience and a dose of inspiration as she invents her own delicious dish.

In the evening, as the sun disap-pears behind the tree canopy, cue-ing a chorus of birdsong, we dine with new friends in the cool forest breeze. On my plate, I taste Africa, India and traces of French creole specialties, all with a British accent.

In fact, I taste St. Lucia. Think I’ll have seconds.

By Sylvie Bigar - The Washington Post


This year we commemo-rate the achievement of excellence with the

Theme: “Celebrating Excel-lence: National Initiatives, Global Perspectives”. Our celebrations are couched in recognition of the work of two Saint Lucian intellectual giants - Sir William Arthur Lewis and Hon Derek Alton Walcott – both of whom ex-celled in their chosen fields of endeavour and were awarded the Nobel Prize. Moreover, this year’s celebration and commemoration of Nobel Laureate Week take on ad-ditional significance because it also marks the Centenary of Sir William Arthur Lewis. I am pleased and elated to observe and note the many international institutions which have heralded this spe-cial event. The most visible of these institutions celebrating the Centenary of Sir William Arthur Lewis are:

The London School of Economics (LSE): an institu-tion where William Arthur Lewis studied. In fact LSE has immortalised him and has named him as one of the institution’s most significant alumni.

UNESCO: This organ of the United Nations recognises the measure of the man called Sir William Arthur Lewis by

Following is the full text of an address delivered by the Minister for Education, Human Resource Development and Labour, Honourable Dr Robert K. Lewis on

the occasion National Awards of Excellence on Tuesday, January 20, 2015

‘Ignore triviality and focus on excellence!’

including him on its list of interna-tional figures remembered during 2015.

The University of Manchester: This prestigious university has launched its lecture series on the work of its former Professor with the inaugural lecture by the econo-mist Professor Jim Oneill of BRIC/MINT fame. It was at Manchester in 1948 that Sir Arthur became Brit-ain’s first Black Professor;

The University of the West In-dies: an institution where he served as Vice Chancellor.

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB): an institution that Sir

Arthur was a founding member and first president; The current Presi-dent of the CDB Dr Warren Smith , puts the significant and obligating recognition of Arthur Lewis’ con-tribution to humanity in a very suc-cinct yet profound way during the bank’s launch of the Sir William Ar-thur Lewis Centenary Celebrations: “At CDB, we feel compelled to mark Sir Arthur’s 100th birthday in a big way. Sir Arthur transcends the globe; and his name is recognised and revered in every corner of the world. We at the CDB and the wider Caribbean will forever em-brace this great St. Lucian.”

I trust you have observed that this year’s theme: “Celebrating Excel-lence: National Initiatives, Global Perspectives” captures the fact that while, locally, we celebrate the ex-cellence of our Nobel Laureates by the “National Initiatives” that we have taken, the international com-munity reminds us that the life and work of our Nobel Laureates do in-deed take on “Global Perspectives”.

The genius, imagination and unrelenting spirit of Sir William Arthur Lewis and Hon Derek Al-ton Walcott continue to define and inspire our pursuit for excellence. They truly represent “our twin peaks of excellence”.

Nonetheless, we, as a nation, recognise the countless Saint Lu-cians who, on a daily basis, con-tinue to emulate our models of ex-cellence by their scholarship, work and achievements. Hence, today, we recognise a few of our citizens who pursued and excelled in vari-

ous endeavours. Therefore, it is a great honour and privilege for me, as Minister for Education, Human Resource Development and Labour, to congratulate all recipients of Na-tional Awards of Excellence during Nobel Laureate Week 2015. Your ef-forts serve as reminders to us of the spirit and potential of the people of this nation.

Additionally, at today’s auspi-cious event, we celebrate with the recipients of the National Awards of Excellence believing that they will continue to make invaluable contributions towards our develop-ment as a nation. Saint Lucia’s most abundant and invaluable resource is its people. Therefore, we must continue to harness that resource because our fortunes and future are tied to the quality of its output.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says: There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heav-ens:

Last week and this week, Saint Lucia and the rest of the Caribbean in particular have paid attention to the work of genius in our midst. Therefore, I should like to remind all of us in here, especially the stu-dents, those watching and listening via television and those reading this script to spend some time this week and beyond to contemplate the quest and pursuit of excellence of our people. Let us remember that God through our parents and our nation has invested heavily and abundantly in us and expects noth-ing less than the best. Let us ignore

all the trivial talk and distrac-tions around us and focus our sights on excellence!

In closing, I wish to com-mend and say thank you to the Nobel Laureate Week Committee, under the dis-tinguished leadership of her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy, for their efforts in putting together this year’s programme of activities for Nobel Laureate Week. I say a special thank to the Per-manent Secretary, Deputy Permanent Secretary and the staff of the Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development and Labour for their continued contributions to the Nobel Laureate Week activities. I want to thank specifically Ms Kentilla Louis and the other members of her team for fashioning this programme for the National Awards of Excellence 2015. I express the nation’s gratitude to the many institutions that provided support whether financial and or otherwise in making this function the success it already is. I thank my colleagues in Cabinet for being here. Moreover, I wish all Saint Lucians an imagina-tive, thought-provoking and contemplative Nobel Laureate Week 2015.

We continue “Celebrating Excellence!” I thank you.

Dr. Robert Lewis

National Awards for Excellence in Education

RC Boys honored for academic excellence

The Saint Aloysius RC Boys Primary School marked the noteworthy perfor-

mances of its students last Thursday, with an awards cer-emony at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

Principals, teachers, parents, and past and current students, gathered at the cathedral to honor the school’s outstanding achievers with certificates and trophies.

Principal Julian Monrose said the school will continue to play its part in the development of Saint Lucia.

“This school has produced men of great fame and we con-tinue to produce men of great fame,” Mr. Monrose said. “This school continues to pledge that we will do all in our power as an institution of learning to en-sure that the progress and the development of this country is assured well into the future.”

Guest speaker and former RC Boys student, Keith Isaac Jr., spoke to the theme of the cele-brations: “The seeds of academ-ic excellence and success sprout when watered with hard work

and perseverance.”“You may not realize it now,

but each and every day at this institution shall shape the rest of your lives. Each and every one of you here today has the potential to succeed.”

Vice Principal, Paul Desir en-couraged parents to give con-tinued support to the staff and students for the success of the school.

The students also put on per-formances in music and drama in honor of Saint Lucia’s Nobel Laureates

The Ministry of Health, Wellness, Human Ser-vices and Gender Re-

lations in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Agricul-ture has launched an Inter Secondary School Nutrition Ad Competition.

The theme for the competition is, “Less Sugar for You and Me Will Make a Healthier Society.”

The competition is aimed at having secondary school stu-dents develop ads geared to-wards young persons in Saint Lucia with healthy messages focusing on the negative effects

of excess sugar. Another aim is to create be-

havior change among young people, so that they eat healthier and reduce their intake of foods high in sugar which contributes to obesity and other health con-ditions.

The ad competition organiz-ers hope to improve nutrition in schools whilst educating young people on the harmful effects of junk food on the body.

The formal press launch was held on January 30 at the con-ference room of the Ministry of Health, Sir Stanislaus James Building, Castries

Nutrition Ad Competition launched


13. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCCaribbeanHistory2013/2014

Claythia Q. Nicholas

Mrs. Ruffina Charles Deputy Chief Education Officer ‐ Instructions

14. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCSocialStudies2013/2014

Tricia Cheong

15. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCGeography2013/2014

Bailey Spiegelberg

16. OutstandingPerformance

PhysicalEducation&SportsCSEC/CXC2013/2014

Skye D. Faucher‐Mondesir

17. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCVisualArts2013/2014

Courtney Greene

Mr. Marcus Edward Chief Education Officer

18. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCTheatreArts2013/2014

Kyvon C. Edwin

7. BestJuniorSportsPerson2013/2014

Ryi Maryat

Mrs. Nathalie Elliot Deputy Chief Education

Officer ‐ Planning

8. BestSeniorSportsPerson2013/2014

Shermalyn Albert

9. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCAdditionalMathematics2013/2014

Tjimon M. Louisy


10. OutstandingPerformance MathematicsCSEC/CXC2013/2014

Dion J. Recai

11. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCEnglishA2013/2014

Princess I.D. Joseph

12. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCEnglishB2013/2014

Rocyn J. Vitalis

13. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCCaribbeanHistory2013/2014

Claythia Q. Nicholas


14. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCSocialStudies2013/2014

Tricia Cheong

15. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCGeography2013/2014

Bailey Spiegelberg


PhysicalEducation&SportsCSEC/CXC2013/2014

Skye D. Faucher‐Mondesir

17. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCVisualArts2013/2014

Courtney Greene


18. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCTheatreArts2013/2014

Kyvon C. Edwin

Name of Award Name of Awardee Representer

1. TopAchiever

CommonEntrance2013/2014

Gabrielle A Flavien

Carmelita Matthew Registrar of Examinations 2. TopPerformingSchool


Forestiere Methodist Combined

3. OutstandingPerformanceTopPerformingSchool(Private)CommonEntrance2013/2014

Tapion School

4. InrecognitionofyourOutstandingContributiontoSpecialEducation2013/2014DonatedbyDigicel

Lance George




Marie Charles

6. InrecognitionofOutstandingContributionto

SpecialEducation2013/2014DonatedbyDigicel

Jean‐Luke Monrose

7. BestJuniorSportsPerson2013/2014

Ryi Maryat



8. BestSeniorSportsPerson2013/2014

Shermalyn Albert

9. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCAdditionalMathematics2013/2014

Tjimon M. Louisy


10. OutstandingPerformance MathematicsCSEC/CXC2013/2014

Dion J. Recai

11. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCEnglishA2013/2014

Princess I.D. Joseph

12. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCEnglishB2013/2014

Rocyn J. Vitalis



25. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXC InformationTechnology2013/2014

Nikki F.S. Serieux


26 OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCOfficeAdministration2013/2014

Tricia Cheong


CSEC/CXCElectronicDocumentPreparationandManagement2013/2014

Pinky Joseph

27. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCHumanandSocialBiology2013/2014

Ornella Z. Flavien

Ms. Marietta Edward Deputy Permanent Secretary


CSEC/CXCBiology2013/2014

Nikki F. S. SerieuxAmber E. St. Rose Kirmani Jean

29. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCPhysics2013/2014

Tjimon M. Louisy

30. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCChemistry2013/2014

Ronald C. Lewis

31. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCIntegratedScience2013/2014

Kirmani Jean


32. OutstandingPerformanceAgriculturalScience(DA)CSEC/CXC2013/2014

Arlina F. Hunte

33. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCAgriculturalScience(SA)2013/2014

Chance D.M. Jean

34. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCBuildingTechnology(Woods)2013/2014DonatedbytheEmbassyoftheRepublicofChina(Taiwan)

Miguel George


CSEC/CXCBuildingTechnology(Construction)2013/2014DonatedbytheEmbassyoftheRepublicofChina(Taiwan)

Lynvia James


1. TopAchiever


Gabrielle A Flavien





Tapion School


Lance George




Marie Charles



Jean‐Luke Monrose

19. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCMusic2013/2014

Samuel Francis



CSEC/CXCFrench2013/2014

Rocyn J. Vitalis


CSEC/CXCSpanish2013/2014

Rocyn J. Vitalis

22. OutstandingPerformancePrinciplesofAccountsCSEC/CXC2013/2014

Daniella L. Henry‐Phillip Rocyn J. Vitalis Tricia Cheong

23. OutstandingPerformancePrinciplesofBusiness

CSEC/CXC2013/2014

Rocyn J. Vitalis

24. OutstandingPerformance CSEC/CXC

Economics2013/2014

Qilee Simeon

25. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXC InformationTechnology2013/2014

Nikki F.S. Serieux


26 OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCOfficeAdministration2013/2014

Tricia Cheong


CSEC/CXCElectronicDocumentPreparationandManagement2013/2014

Pinky Joseph

27. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCHumanandSocialBiology2013/2014

Ornella Z. Flavien



CSEC/CXCBiology2013/2014

Nikki F. S. SerieuxAmber E. St. Rose Kirmani Jean

29. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCPhysics2013/2014

Tjimon M. Louisy

30. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCChemistry2013/2014

Ronald C. Lewis



36. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCElectricalandElectronicTechnology2013/2014DonatedbytheEmbassyoftheRepublicofChina(Taiwan)

Jessie C. Paul


37. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCTVETMechanicalEngineeringTechnology2013/2014DonatedbytheEmbassyoftheRepublicofChina(Taiwan)

Dyllon P. Layne


CSEC/CXCTechnicalDrawing2013/2014DonatedbytheEmbassyoftheRepublicofChina(Taiwan)

Silas Nicholas

39. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCClothingandTextiles2013/2014DonatedbytheEmbassyoftheRepublicofChina(Taiwan)

Shanise J. James

40. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCFoodandNutrition2013/2014DonatedbyConsolidatedFoodsLimited

Marva A. Wellington

41. TopPerformerDivisionofTeacherEducationandEducationalAdministrationSALCC2013/2014

Kasha John

Mrs. Beverley Francis Director ‐ HRD

42. TopPerformer

DivisionofTechnicalEducationandManagementStudiesSALCC2013/2014

Shaquill Felicien

43. TopPerformer

DivisionofHealthSciencesSALCC2013‐2014

Carlene Wilfred

Cyiana Dormant

44. Inappreciationofyouroutstandingservice

DonatedbyNationalWorkersUnion

Theresa Charles

Ms. Esther Brathwaite Permanent Secretary

45. InappreciationofyouroutstandingserviceDonatedbyNationalWorkersUnion

Terrance Thomas

40. OutstandingPerformanceCSEC/CXCFoodandNutrition2013/2014DonatedbyConsolidatedFoodsLimited

Marva A. Wellington

41. TopPerformerDivisionofTeacherEducationandEducationalAdministrationSALCC2013/2014

Kasha John

Mrs. Beverley Francis Director ‐ HRD

42. TopPerformer

DivisionofTechnicalEducationandManagementStudiesSALCC2013/2014

Shaquill Felicien

43. TopPerformer

DivisionofHealthSciencesSALCC2013‐2014

Carlene Wilfred

Cyiana Dormant


DonatedbyNationalWorkersUnion

Theresa Charles



Terrance Thomas


Monica Reynold



Delphinus Pelage


DonatedbyNationalWorkersUnionNorville Butcher


DonatedbyNationalWorkersUnionCecilia Poleon‐Flavius


DonatedbyNationalWorkersUnionMartha D. Mitchel


Laura Felix

52. BestOverallPerformanceCXC2013/2014DonatedbySt.LuciaElectricityServicesLimited

Amber E. St Rose

53. TopSchoolPerformanceCSEC/CXC2013/2014

St. Joseph’s Convent Secondary School

54. SpecialAwardCAPE2013/2014

Crispian Jn. Baptiste


1. TopAchiever


Gabrielle A Flavien





Tapion School


Lance George




Marie Charles



Jean‐Luke Monrose



55. InrecognitionofyouroutstandingcontributiontotheEducationSectorDonatedbyRBC/RBTTBankCaribbeanLimited

Erenius Charles

Dr. Robert K. Lewis Minister


Soriah John

57. InrecognitionofyouroutstandingcontributiontotheEducationSector

DonatedbyRBC/RBTTBankCaribbeanLimited

Maryann Montoute



Shari Girard


Hilda Leon


Cherilyn G. Anderson



Jacinta Vaudroque‐James



Bernadette Osfiajiaku

63. InrecognitionofOutstandingContributiontoEducationbyanindividual Mr. Conrad Wagner


64. OutstandingContributiontoEducationbyanorganisation

‐ Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association

‐ University of the West Indies – Open Campus

65. BestOverallPerformanceCAMBRIDGEIslandScholarAward2014DonatedbySt.LuciaElectricityServicesLimited

Jeannine Bertin

Rachel Cheong

Dame Pearlette Louisy Governor General


The National Indepen-dence Coordinating Com-mittee has launched an

official schedule of activities to celebrate Saint Lucia's 36th An-niversary of Independence.

The activities will seek to de-velop the island’s tourism prod-uct, by promoting Saint Lucia’s culture and authenticity to the international market.

The celebrations will show-case the talents of several local musicians such as Boo Hinkson, Teddyson John, Barbara Cadet, The Tropics Band, Cold Sweat and Mongstar.

Cabinet Secretary Darrel

Montrope, who chairs the com-mittee, said the celebrations will also be used as an opportunity to market Saint Lucia’s local products.

Independence activities have also been planned by Saint Lu-cians in the UK, the USA and Canada, as well as in other Caribbean islands where Saint Lucians reside, including Bar-bados, Martinique and French Guiana (Cayenne).

Meanwhile, plans have also been launched for this year’s Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival.

The annual Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival -- now in its

24th year -- will start on April 30, with a line-up of performers blending island culture, famed musical talent and diverse mu-sic genres.

Internationally renowned per-formers taking center stage this year include Jamaican reggae musician and actor Jimmy Cliff, along with a host of other Carib-bean, Latin American and Inter-national singers and musicians.

Completing the line-up is a string of other local entertain-ers, together with more than 100 local artisans, who will per-form at jazz venues island wide throughout the festival.

The 11-day festival continues until May 10, featuring hun-dreds of musical performances and art showcases throughout the island.

Locations range from Pigeon Is-land National Park, where main stage events will kick-off on Fri-day, May 8 to Castries, Dennery, Vieux Fort and Soufriere.

Presented by the Saint Lucia Tourist Board, the festival con-tinues to attract some of the most recognizable and sought-after names in the music busi-ness and has become a magnet for visitors from the USA and the Caribbean.

2015 Independence and Jazz Festivals launched!

Cabinet Secretary Darrel Montrope

Saint Lucia is trying hard to attract Taiwanese investors. That much

became clear when the Min-istry of Commerce and the Taiwanese Embassy hosted a Business Networking Forum earlier this week.

The forum on Wednesday provided a venue for local business owners to forge re-lationships with members of a visiting Taiwanese busi-ness delegation.

Taiwan’s Ambassador James Chang explained that the delegation -- The New Jersey Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce -- is a US-based

non-profit, non-political organi-zation.

It was founded in 1996, he said, to encourage fraternity and friendship among businessmen and professionals from Taiwan who operate in the New Jersey area in the USA.

The ambassador said all the original founders of the asso-ciation came from Taiwan and they represented diverse occu-pations.

The Ambassador also said he believes the project would cre-ate stronger economic ties be-tween Saint Lucia and Taiwan.

Commerce Minister Emma Hippolyte said she look forward

to the Taiwanese investors con-tribution to building St. Lucia.

She said St. Lucia has great support from the government and people of Taiwan, but it also now needs the contribution of the Taiwanese private sector, in collaboration with the local private sector.

The visiting Taiwanese busi-ness delegation represented investors in restaurants, recy-cling, hotels, banking, insur-ance, real estate, fishing, as well as the manufacturing of plastic, film, chemical and fibre prod-ucts.

Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Hippolyte says Saint Lucia is more

than just a tourist destination.The minister encouraged a

visiting Taiwanese business del-egation to ‘look beyond tourism for investment, to sectors such as manufacturing and infra-structure, which can also pro-duce returns on investments.’

Describing St. Lucia as ‘a land where free enterprise and dedication produce generous rewards’ the minister empha-sized that the island’s geo-graphic location can also facili-tate trade throughout the OECS sub-region.

She pointed to St. Lucia’s natu-ral deep water harbours and the island being located three hours

from the southern United States, with year-round trop-ical weather.

As a result, she told the visiting investors, they will not suffer the type of loss of productivity associated with harsh winters.

The Minister also boasted of Saint Lucia’s extensive and well-connected road infra-structure, its two airports, modern telecommunications systems and reliable water supplies.

‘But more than anything else,’ the minister said, ‘St. Lucians are intelligent and hard working.’

Commerce Ministry hosts visiting Taiwanese investors

government of saint lucia nationwide magazine february 7, 2015 features launch of independence...

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