Tough Time Ahead
Story By
Alison Kentish

Rufus Bousquet – Trade and Commerce Minister

Around sixty-eight cents of every dollar is used to pay on the national debt. The Trade Minister says this may no longer be tenable. Bousquet is urging locals to tighten their belts. He says St. Lucians may need to make lifestyle changes and prioritise spending. Echoing the statements of many CARICOM Heads of Government and Ministers of Agriculture, Bousquet says nationals need to be more involved in the production of food. This he says could be used for local consumption and exported – creating a viable means of revenue for the Island. The Trade and Commerce Minister says rising food prices are expected to prevail – at least in the short to medium term. The key now he says is to ensure St. Lucia’s food security and sovereignty. 

The chairman of the St. Lucia Banana Corporation is still unable to speak freely about the board from which he resigned recently. When he tendered his resignation from the board of the windward island banana development and exporting company, Eustace Monrose said he had been persecuted for decrying the wrongs perpetuated in the company and covered up by the board.

The SLBC chairman was especially critical of the WIBDECO CEO – Bernard Cornibert, who, he suggested abused his position in the company. WIBDECO responded by filing an injunction against monrose on June 13, preventing him from repeating his comments against the board and Cornibert. That injunction should have been discharged Wednesday. However, lawyers for WIBDECO has filed for an extension of the injunction.

The lawyer representing the SLBC chairman – peter foster says the papers had not been served on his client Wednesday, but the injunction will remain in effect until that time. Foster expects to receive communication from the court before the week is out. He says when this happens he will file counter arguments to support a motion for the injunction to be quashed.

The SLBC and WIBDECO have been at loggerheads for months, with suggestions that the fight is part of a personal feud between Cornibert and Monrose. Some farmers aligned to the SLBC are putting pressure on Monrose to step down as chairman. So far, Monrose has indicated no intention of doing so.

Blind and visually impaired females are an integral part of the membership of the Saint Lucia Blind Welfare Association – and the Association’s Executive Director says they contribute significantly to society. Anthony Avril says the root of various hardships encountered by blind members lies in the social attitudes of institutions and the public towards blindness. Avril says women generally face many challenges in society – but his members do so with added limitations. The Association’s Technical Adjustment to Blindness Officer Winnie Weekes says the goal is to increase blind and visually impaired members’

interaction with others and enable them to become productive and self-sufficient members of society. Avril says the seminar aims to provide new hope and inspiration to the Association’s female membership. This is the second training seminar for women organised by the SLBWA. The training aims to equip the blind with the skills to compete on an equal level with others and increase their ability to get jobs, enabling them to provide financially for themselves and their families.

Wheelchair Donation
Story By
Clinton Reynolds

The national council of and for persons with disabilities has received a donation from a religious organization. The Church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints presented the council with two hundred and fifty seven wheel chairs on Friday. Humanitarian missionary Charles tanner says the donation of wheelchairs forms part of the church’s mandate to give. The donation has been welcomed by the national council of and for persons with disabilities at a time when disabled people are in need of wheelchairs The executive director of the NCOPD says the donation will go a long way towards improving the lives of the disabled. Lancia Isidore says the wheelchairs will be

distributed to people most in need. The church of Jesus Christ of later day saints is interested in working with the council to provide further assistance.
The church says it will also assist other charitable organizations.

The first round of preliminaries for the groovy Soca monarch competition was set for Wednesday evening. Twenty-one artistes were due to face the judges in an attempt to book their spot in the finals of the competition. The second preliminary round of the competition will be held on Friday. This year the competition has come with a few changes including a slight increase in the tempo of the pieces.

Artistes can now have one hundred and twenty-five beats per minute in their songs – up from one hundred and twenty beats last year. Eighteen more artistes will go before the judges on Friday vying for a spot in the final twenty. The defending groovy monarch is Teddyson John from the NG Soca stage. The finals of the second annual groovy monarch competition are slated for July 9th.

On Wednesday the promoters of Wet Fete 2K8 noticed that one of their billboards had been burnt down. The billboard was posted along the Gros Islet Highway. And although they don’t know who burnt down the billboard they say it was an attempt to sabotage the party. However, Jeani Alexis of New Generation Entertainment says a simple fire will not stop the water from flowing at the Wet Fete come Sunday.

Alexis says it may seem that the matter is insignificant but it’s a slap in the face of young people trying to be positive. He says this must not be tolerated. He says as the promoters of the event New Generation Entertainment have incurred seriously losses. To his account thousands of dollars have been lost due to the billboard being burnt.

However he says the party will go on. The Second annual wet fete is slated for Sunday at Saaman`s Park starting at 2pm.

Berneze Khodra is the Managing Director of Sweet Escapes. He is one of over forty entrepreneurs learning the value of giving back to his staff and community – through the OAS Corporate Social Responsibility program. Local small and medium enterprises in various sectors including finance, tourism and transportation are taking part in the three day event. The local businessman says he is learning the benefits of social responsibility.

Zakaira El Gourimi is the Programme Director of the OAS Executive Secretariat for Integral Development. He says social responsibility is more than businesses giving back to the Community if a profit is realised – it is meant to teach business owners to allocate funds in their budget to worthy causes. Melanie Richards is one of the event’s facilitators. She says SME owners need to realise that staff and the community are as important to their businesses as investors and shareholders. The OAS is conducting training for locals – to develop a team of St. Lucian experts who can facilitate further educational sessions for local business representatives.

The Product Fair is intended to inform and educate the public on the latest products available. Sales & Marketing Supervisor of General Business and Technical Services Derek Louis-Fernand says as technology evolves it’s vital to keep the public abreast on developments. He says the product fair positions the company to serve its clients more efficiently. GBTS has been the supplier of Duplo products for close to ten years.

The company’s Regional Sales Manager says the product fair is an important tool to raise public awareness on new technology.

Louis-Fernand says the product fair gives the company a chance to hear the concerns of customers and address their needs. He says the initiative gives GBTS a competitive edge. This is the tenth year General Business and Technical Services Limited has hosted the product fair. The activity will run until Friday at the CSA Center.

The highways and byways are awash with new vehicles of every make and model. Now, another company is giving St. Lucians an opportunity to increase the number of vehicles on the roads. CLICO mortgage and Finance Corporation is teaming up with a local car company for its version of a car expo. CEO of sunset motors – Peter Lang says the promotion will provide an opportunity to own a fuel-efficient vehicle.

The initiative follows in the vein of a successful automax showcase put on by the ECHF recently. CLICO, too, is offering 100 percent financing for vehicles. Branch manager – Kenrick Ravineau says financing will include insurance as well. Lang says while CLICO will be offering insurance packages, vehicle buyers can choose whichever insurance company they wish. They say this is a promotion for everyone, including people from other communities.