Government Observes First Anniversary of Hurricane Tomas

Official Programme to mark the First Anniversary
of the Passage of Hurricane Tomas and the Observation of the
National Day of Remembrance
Monday, October 31st, 2011


Activity Location Particulars
Flag Flown at Half Mast. All Government and Private Buildings Flags should be flown Half Mast throughout the day until 6:00 pm.
Memorial (Ecumenical) Service
9:00 am Bexon Roman Catholic Church. All residents of Bexon and Saint Lucians in general are invited to attend the church service which is expected to be 1 ½ hours in duration.
Gun Salute
11:45 am Dereck Walcott Square Ceremony begins with solemn music. At 12:00 noon there will be a twelve (12) gun salute. This will signify the official record of seven (7) dead and five (5) missing. There will be a gun blast every five seconds. This will occur within the minute of silence. The ceremony is expected to be of 20 minutes duration.
Minute of Silence
12:00 noon Throughout Saint Lucia All Saint Lucians are encouraged to observe a minute of silence at 12:00 noon on Monday, October 31st, 2011 in memory of the seven dead and five missing. Saint Lucians islandwide are asked to stand still for one minute a a mark of respect. This should include: Government offices, schools and business places. All vehicle drivers are required to turn their lights on for the duration. Radio and television station are also asked to make the minute of silence by terminating all programming and sounding beep signal for the duration.
Memorial Service
4:30 pm Fond St Jacques Roman Catholic Church. All residents of Fond St Jacques and Saint Lucians in general are invited to attend the church service which is expected to be 1 ½ hours in duration.
Special Anniversary Issue of National Review NA The entire November 5th issue of the Government Newspaper National Review will dedicated to marking the anniversary of Hurricane Tomas. The paper will include contribution from various Government Ministries as well as a reflection of achievements and success stories.
Church Services Throughout Saint Lucia. All churches are encouraged to remember the dead and missing during church services over the weekend.
Media Programming All Media Houses The local media is encouraged to carry special programming during the course of the day of remembrance.

Are the Choiseul Labour Horses Exhausted?

It is not surprising that the labour crew in the constituency has run out of steam. One will remember that this post predicted this way back
They must have been really disappointed at the poor showing at a meeting held in Roblot earlier this week. What was even more discouraging for them is that they could not attract any new members. The same old tired hacks that were present. What a shame on Labour.
Labour has grown so deflated that even their posters on the poles have turned yellow - a sign of things to come? Labour has been deflated ever since the Vieux Fort rally.
Now Team UWP is stepping up the pressure. This post is not at liberty to disclose,but for sure "nou kai teway chelot Lorne."
There is a fresh wind blowing in the air these days and it is Labour supporters are now admitting that Lorne is a loser. Well well well they took time to see the light.
Analysis show Lorne losing by three hundred plus votes. Our secretariat is taking bets of $3000.00 and over that this election is a walk in the park.
One may be tempted to remind themselves of the story of the Turtle and the Hare. The hare being Labour.
Elections is due in five weeks and already sounds of victory are being sung.
Fire Fire in Lorne bam bam. E pwi en sa.
One can clearly see labour supporters are desperate now. Their latest foolishness is their campaign song. My God, is that what Lorne encourages in a song, smut and foul language at his opponent? Doesn't this prospective candidate have respect for the children in the constituency. Shame on Lorne to approve of a song like this as part of his campaign strategy.
Well we at UWP en crying, but we are capable of much worst. Forgot your humble servant is a writer and composer? Choiseul labour would be well advised to tread cautiously.
The performance of Kenny and Tony on the platform in Dennery was so pathetic that a number of their own supporters came back saying Kenny has definitely lost it.
The tired horses.

Dalson Chastised by Constituency Branch

The following is a Press release by the Choiseul Constituency Branch.
"During the public meeting held by the St. Lucia Labour Party in the Choiseul village on Wednesday October 26, 2011, Harold Dalson, the MP for Soufriere/Fond St.Jacques urged the people of Choiseul/Saltibus to accost Rufus bousquet, the MP for Choiseul/Saltibus push their hands into Bousquet's pockets and take their money from him.
Mr. Dalson was referring to the Taiwanese Funds which he alleged was being misappropriated by the UWP Gov't MP.
We are literally astonished by the irresponsible nature of Mr. Dalson's palpably putrid statement.
This statement by Mr. Dalson is dreadful, inappropriate, slanderous and insulting to the people of Choiseul/Saltibus, Soufriere,The labour Party and t St. Lucia.
Is it that Mr. Dalson is desperate in his attempt to win this election that he feels he must resort to the lowest levels possible to exact his objectives.
Is it Mr. Dalson's intention to provoke criminality during this election campaign?
The Choiseul/Saltibus Constituency Branch demands a retraction of this contemptible statement and an apology to the people of St.Lucia.

Source: Uwp Constituency Branch

UWP - Better at handling the ECONOMY

Last night the PM addressed the nation on one of such addresses to be held weekly. Last night's address focussed on the ECONOMY. We bring you this address unedited.
FIRST WEEKLY ADDRESS TO THE NATION
ON NATIONAL ISSUES AND PERSPECTIVES
(October 20, 2011)

By Honourable Stephenson King
Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Affairs and National Development

Fellow Saint Lucians, I am pleased to report, that, under the United Workers Party Administration, the Saint Lucia economy has weathered the stormy years of natural disasters and the global financial crisis and is now poised to achieve more robust growth and provide even greater opportunities for all.
A St Lucia Labour Party assessment on the World Wide Web highlights the widely known truth that these past few years have been the worst of times all around the world. In their assessment the SLP claim:
“We are operating amidst the backdrop of the most financially depressing period since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The effects were first felt by the industrialized world but shortly precipitated to our developing sphere before we even knew it.
“As a small open economy we are susceptible to the economic conditions prevailing around the world. This predicament is further exacerbated when the hardships are centered on our primary markets of the US & UK.
“The global financial meltdown has therefore created an environment that forces policy makers to act. Our leaders will not and cannot proffer all the solutions or fix all problems but policies must be formulated to safeguard the most vulnerable, while creating an environment enabling to economic activity”

I remind you, fellow Saint Lucians, that this is the official position of the St Lucia Labour Party. Yet the same St Lucia Labour Party is critical of the fact that in these difficult circumstances, Saint Lucia, like other countries around the world experienced economic decline, job losses and increased debt.

Remarkably though, those who are only now recommending policies to “safeguard the most vulnerable while creating an environment enabling to economic activity”, do not have the strength of character to admit that your UWP government has been there, and it has done exactly that and much more. We formulated the policies, we delivered the social safety nets and we enabled increased economic activity against all odds.
However, while the Opposition steadfastly refuses to acknowledge our outstanding success in managing the economy, the international institutions and global community recognizes our efforts. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in a press release issued in August of this year regarding the recently concluded Article IV Consultation on Saint Lucia, noted “Saint Lucia’s economy recovered rapidly from the global crisis, supported by timely policy action by the authorities and a rebound in construction and tourism”.

My fellow Saint Lucians, what better endorsement can any government receive at a time when most countries around the world, including the Caribbean, are still struggling to recover from the global economic crisis?

It has not been an easy road for the Government and people of Saint Lucia, but through caring, visionary, competent leadership, the UWP has improved the country’s economic management performance and thereby strengthened the country’s position as the leading economy in the OECS.

In the last two years as a result of the effectiveness of your Government’s response to the global economic crisis, Saint Lucia moved from its long-standing second position to surpass Antigua and Barbuda as the largest economy in the OECS.

When we came into office at the end of 2006 we met:
• Average economic growth of 1.6% over the previous 5 years
• An unemployment rate of 16.6%
• A national debt of 1.6 billion EC dollars (approximately 64% of GDP)

These numbers from the Government’s Statistics Department and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank are extremely important in setting the record straight about economic activity in Saint Lucia since 1997.

In the six years of the decade ending 2010 when the world economy was buoyant and when the St Lucia Labour Party was in power, it was only able to achieve an average economic growth rate of 1.6% per year. In 3 of those 6 years, while the global economy blossomed and the Dow Jones indicator of wealth creation was cruising above 15 thousand, the St Lucia Labour Party came up with negative growth. In other words, the St Lucia Labour Party sent Saint Lucia into reverse gear 3 out of 6 times (50%) in the six years of the decade when the economy was doing well.

Today, the SLP criticizes an average growth rate of 2.6% per year since 2007 under my leadership in the near impossible circumstances of a global financial crisis, the ravages of Hurricane Tomas and with the Dow struggling to keep its head above the eleven thousand mark.

The Saint Lucia economy grew by 4.4% in 2010 and the rate of inflation was 1.9%. This was by far the best performance in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union where member nations registered an overall economic decline of 2.7% and an inflation rate of 2.9%. The response of the SLP to this impressive performance is the cynical statement that nationals are not feeling the growth.
Nonetheless, once again in 2010 which is the latest year for which we have data, key indicators of economic activity continued to point relentlessly in the upward direction for the benefit of nationals from all walks of life:
• Tourism revenue – up 33.7%
• Construction - up 20.5%
• Airline activity at Hewanorra - up 26.5%
• Vehicle registrations - up 4.8%
• Electricity consumption – up 4.8%
• Commercial Sector – up 4.9%
• Hotel Sector – up 7%
The UWP believes that these results as documented in the official statistics bear eloquent testimony to the resilience and effectiveness of its stewardship through environmental disasters in an uncertain global economic environment.

While much is made of unemployment numbers, official Government Statistics confirm that the 2006 unemployment figure of 16.6% was the best achieved in two consecutive terms under the St Lucia Labour Party during which the average annual unemployment rate was 19.2%. The UWP on the other hand, drove the average annual unemployment rate down to 17.1% since it assumed office in 2006.

While we acknowledge a reduction in employment opportunities as a casualty of these challenging times, no other government has done a better job of providing more jobs for more people. We did it in the toughest of times and we will continue to do it. There was no need for any clumsy STEP and no need for any blind LEAP either. All we relied on was the basic common sense that jobs are created by the increased consumption of goods and services and sound investment in an economy on the move.
In 2006, the SLP left behind a national debt of 1.6 billion EC dollars (approximately 64% of GDP). In the five years prior, the debt stock grew by 677 million under the SLP and in the last five years under the UWP it has increased by a further 532.1 million. There can be no question that debt financing was a more critical need to keep the economy afloat in the last five years of natural disasters at home and financial market disasters abroad. Side by side with the economic performance results, the debt comparison numbers allow an easy assessment of the superiority of UWP economic management talent and ability over that of the SLP.

Saint Lucia’s official debt at December 31, 2010 stood at approximately 2.0 billion EC dollars and the debt to GDP ratio of 64.8% is the second lowest in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union. Let me repeat fellow Saint Lucians, that our current debt burden which is being criticized left right and centre by the political opposition is actually smaller than that of St Kitts, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica. It is also substantially lower than the debt ratios of Barbados and Jamaica.

We approach the end of this five year term with the encouraging news that in the worst of times around the world your UWP government was able to lead Saint Lucia to become the largest economy in the OECS while at the same time ensuring that it has one of the smallest debt burdens in the grouping.

This performance clearly documents the ability of your United Workers Party government to deliver and points the way forward to the next level of balanced human development that, with your approval of another term for our Administration, awaits a deserving Saint Lucia.

Thank you.

Source: Government press secretary

St. Lucia Is No.1

While Kenny and Tony used the Dennery platform on Sunday to put on his pathetic address the World Bank had already prepared a report considering St. Lucia as the top country in Caricom to do business.
While the pathetic and desperate opposition leader took time out to quote all his bogus figures on the economy and national debt, he conveniently did not report to his people on St.Lucia's achievement which this blog is positive he must have read prior to his rally.
The labour party continues to decieve the people of St.Lucia in all form of communication. They blatanly refuse to admit that St.Lucia has done better under King's five years than Kenny's nine. Below is the article that attests to the World bank report.

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Doing business is easier in St Lucia than anywhere else in CARICOM, according to the 2012 Doing Business report from the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation.

St Lucia was ranked 52nd in the world for the ease of doing business, tops in the Caribbean, followed by Antigua and Barbuda at 57th and Dominica at 65th.

Haiti was the lowest-ranked CARICOM country for the ease of doing business, ahead of Suriname.

Among the top Caribbean countries were Trinidad, which was ranked 68th, and Grenada, which came in at 73rd.

Jamaica was listed as the top place in the Caribbean to start a business, according to the report, followed by Dominica.

Trinidad topped the list among Caribbean countries for protecting investors.

Here is the full list within the Caribbean:

1. St Lucia
2. Antigua and Barbuda
3. Dominica
4. Trinidad and Tobago
5. Grenada
6. St Vincent and the Grenadines
7. Bahamas
8. Jamaica
9. Belize
10. St Kitts and Nevis
11. Guyana
12. Suriname
13. Haiti
Editor's note:Readers can google "World bank Report" to confirm article.

Ps. The PM is on National TV and radio tonight. This is a series of weekly national addresses. tonight's topic: The Economy.

Derriere Morne/Franciou Road Works in Progress

The community of Derriere Morne are all smiles now. the long awited paved road towards Franciou is now being take of. It was a real eye sore to see something that looked like a road on which the residents has to use.
Last weekend the residents put their heads together to get the work done. The road is partly completed. At the end of the two days everybody left with a wage to take care of some pressing need.This weekend another section will be done.

Last year the community benefitted from the longest footpath in the constituency.
Development in this community was grossly neglected under Forgetus John.
Much more is in the pipeline for the community.

THE FLAMBEAU MASSIVE WALKS

It seems that the Choiseul Labour horse is tired whereas the UWP horse is just getting energized. On Sunday October 23 2011, the Delcer Polling division team has organized a Yellow Walk. The aim if two-fold, 1. To inculcate a sense of fitness and unity among its members in the area, and 2. To start the campaign machinery rolling.
The Yellow Walk will cover the following route. The crowd will assembly at the Delcer Junction and move through the boisden community, then to raveneau down to mongouge across to Morne Sion then into la Pointe and culminating on the Delcer field where a series of activities will take place including numerous speeches by the residents and invited guests.
A massive crowd is expected to participate. Presently the route is being decorated with flags and posters. All are invited.
Choiseulians sometime in November can look forward for the biggest rally ever organized by the UWP. This rally in Choiseul will make Dennery North look like small Blocko. The Rally will be held on the La Fargue field

I don't have to tell you the effect this rally will have on the labour supporters. Remember what Vieux fort rally did? E wan yo foo!

The St. Lucia Flower Festivals

I woke up this morning all energized and ready to write a political article but while preparing the article a song come over the radio.Guess what, A La Magawit song and right away I decided to do a little research on the festival.
The societies originated in the time of slavery as co-operative work groups created for mutual support, and assistance in time of trouble. These groups were similar to the dokpwé of Dahomey, and the coumbite of Haiti.

The two societies are vaguely inspired on two mystic orders that were active at the time in Europe, Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry. This connection is depicted in a mural painted by Dunstan St. Omer, which shows the holy trinity of Osiris, Horus and Isis.

In former years the St Lucian society was split in affiliation to one or the other group. At times membership has been illegal, and it has also been condemned by the Roman Catholic Church. Nevertheless the societies survived, although their nature has changed through the centuries. As the general society changed, so did the sociétés, becoming more commercial and money-oriented. In time, other organisations were created for money saving and social security. Nowadays, the two historical societés are largely devoted to solidarity through recreation.
At the time of Saint Lucia's Independence, when the national symbols – tree, bird, flower etc. – were being defined, St Lucia chose to have two flowers, a rose and a marguerite.
Both societies have a formal hierarchic structure patterned upon the socio-economic structure of colonial society. Each society has a king and a queen, as well as princes, princesses, and man other symbolic legal, military and professional roles, such as judges, policemen, nurses, soldiers.
Preparations for the yearly festivals begin several months before the actual feast day. Each group holds "seances". These consist of all night singing and dancing sessions where drinks are sold and games are played.

The central figure at the "seances" is the shatwel or leadsinger who sustains the spirit and tenor of the entertainment. Most groups have one outstanding shatwel. They are usually female.

On the actual day of the festival all members of the society dress in the finery of their respective roles and march to Church for a service which precedes their parade through the streets before returning to the hall for their feasting or grande fete.

Choiseulstlucia.com wrote a scant report on the two flower festivals.
Their emphasis is more on the La Rose festival and you can't blame them for this since this festival takes precedence over the La Magawit in the district.
Below is the extract from the web page on culture.

The Flower Festivals: La Rose & La Marguerite

St. Lucia has two flower societies that put on festivals each year, La Rose and La Marguerite. They are rival societies that commemorate the Anglo- French heritage of the island; the factions represent the warring colonial powers, between whose hands Saint Lucia changed fourteen times. The societies date back to the early 19th century, when each village was home to competing organizations of the Roman Catholic Church.

Both societies draw on English royalty traditions and have a number of positions, including the King, Queen, Prince, Princess and various lower titles like the Chief of Police and nurse. La Rose and La Marguerite meet once weekly except during Lent. At these meetings, which are on Saturday for La Rose and Sunday for La Marguerite, members sing or play instruments and dance.

La Marguerite meetings feature the membership in a seat chorus with a leader, the chantwèl, standing, while La Rose meetings include instruments like the tanbouwen (tambourine), baha (wooden trumpet), chakchak (rattles), guitar and gwaj (scraper).

The celebrations of both groups differ. La Rose, the "English" faction, is characterized by noisiness, movement, participation, rhythm and exuberance, while La Marguerite, the "French" faction, is characterized by melody, discipline and restraint. There is a vibrant tradition of women singing factional songs related to this rivalry.

Traditions common to both factions include the omans, a sort of waltz, Marches and the duple rhythm manpa (or maynan) dance. Kwadril and lakonmèt are also performed by La Rose.

Fet La Woz Seance Band

Each society holds an annual festival or grand fete, an elaborate and colorful event full of pomp and pageantry, which is preceded by several months of nightly singing practices called “Séances”. Presiding over the annual festivals are the ‘King’ and ‘Queen who are accompanied by their royal entourage of Dukes, Duch­esses, Princes, Princesses, Soldiers, Policemen, Magistrates, Doctors, nurses, the clerical hierarchy and supporters of the respective flowers.

Strict protocol is observed at those nightly Séances, with every visitor or participating member, upon entering, bowing to the King and Queen who are present with their court. Police and soldiers in uniform enforce regulations against any disorder, breaches of protocol, or what are consid­ered misdemeanors. Offenders are taken before a magistrate for a mock trial and then fined.

Each society has a patron saint on whose feast day the grand fete is celebrated. For the Roses it is the feast of St. Rose of Lima on the 30th August; and for the Marguerites it is that of St. Margaret Mary Alacocque, 17th October.

The grand fete is celebrated, first with church services through­out the island and afterwards with processions through the streets, the principal personages magnificently attired. In the evening there is a sumptuous banquet to which dignitaries and leading personalities are invited. The rest of the evening is spent in dancing. One can then witness and participate in some of the colorful folk dances, the Quadrille, the Mappa, the Belair and such like.

The first La Rose group in Choiseul was formed in 1939 with Mr. Mc. Vane Antoine (Mr. Po from La Fargue) and Mrs. Janice ‘Ma Miese’ Mitchel as first King and Queen respectively. A few years later saw the birth of the first La Marguerite group. Mr. ‘Dor dor’ Cox (from Dacretin) and Lucien Peter, King and Queen respectively.

Source:The Culture page - http://www.choiseulstlucia.com

The Turtle and the Hare?

WIKILEAKS EXPOSES KENNY'S SELF-SERVING NATURE

The following is a wikileaks clip which speaks to the dicconnective and self-serving attitude of Kenny and his administration.
ID 06BRIDGETOWN1542
SUBJECT ST. LUCIA'S DISCONNECTED PRIME MINISTER
DATE 2006-09-01 00:00:00
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
ORIGIN Embassy Bridgetown
TEXT C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 001542
SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR WHA/CAR AND WHA/PAS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/31/2016
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, ASEC, SNAR, KPAO, PINR, UNGA, ST, XL
SUBJECT: ST. LUCIA'S DISCONNECTED PRIME MINISTER

REF: A. BRIDGETOWN 1538
B. BRIDGETOWN 1216
C. BRIDGETOWN 1215

Classified By: Ambassador Mary Kramer for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).
-------
COMMENT
-------
10. (C) Despite the positive mood of the day's events, post
considers PM ANTHONY an unreliable partner whose commitment
to security responsibilities consists of self-congratulation
and cosmetic solutions such as replacing local police
commanders with British police officers (Ref A), without
insuring the logistical or political support the law
enforcement personnel need. Post's interagency Law
Enforcement Working Group believes that St. Lucia's security
forces are actually one of the better performing groups in
the eastern Caribbean. The forces' effectiveness could
benefit, however, from the replacement of several individuals
in leadership positions. The Prime Minister has not seen fit
to make those changes.

11. (C) As in the matter of the delayed Article 98 signature,
PM ANTHONY refuses to take responsibility for realizing
security commitments while declining to delegate or
relinquish the authority needed to meet them. In observing
his interaction with his own citizenry throughout the day,
Ambassador Kramer concluded that PM ANTHONY is not interested
in acting locally or leading globally; his sole focus seems
to be on maintaining his position rather than providing a
vision for St. Lucia's future.

Signs of Desperation?

It looks like Lorne is starting to show signs of DESPERATION. Well you cyaan blame the man. Taking into consideration the magnitude of works Rufus has done in the constituency it is not suprising that Lorne should undertake potholing on the Daban road. Why? Some of Lorne's supporters have insistantly cried that the reasons for these latest Rufus projects is to win votes.
Now tell me, what is Lorne's purpose for pot- holing the Daban road? You see that's the nature of things. Bousquet en crying, Labour hacksl are. Por jab!
Labour or rather Lorne supporters are the biggest criers around.
Personally I see no reason to cry but simply wave Lorne Bye, Bye.
Question. All the roads that have not been pot holed, will Lorne block them in search for more votes?´My answer to Lorne is to watch the Rolex Tennis Tournament now taking place in China. It will be early in the morning when he comes in. And his fantasy of winning is high .In retrospect, he would says to himself, "Will I win?" Then he goes to bed and
thinking, that this is a hopeless fight. He further thinks in his last conscious brain wave left before sleep takes its toll, "What have I gotten myself into?"Well he alone knows. Then he falls asleep.
Espoire mal papai..

Forgetus John's Antiques

Choiseulians, and to be more specific the residents of Lamaze, Roblot and Debreuil will no doubt remember the poor representation meted out by Forgetus John during his tenure as Parliamentary Rep for the Constituency. Like this blog have always and continue to express itself voiceferously, that Forgetus John has been the greediest, most pathetic,most envious, non-empathetic,most undisciplined, non-commited and ugliest Rep Choiseul has ever seen. Let history record this.
What is his purpose in this elections when he has completely neglected the people in the past years. There has been a saying that Fergy never really won the seat but that it was Kenny the people voted for.Truth? You decide. What is there in I5 that still stimulates him. Just a question.
This blog has been reliably informed that Forgetus John and a group of shameless party hacks have been holding secret indoor meetings in the community of Roblot. This blog wants to categorically state that there is nothing wrong with the group keeping its meetings. What is fundamentally not justifiable is to have have Forgetus John in these sessionsgetting involved in people's lives he has failed.
Is Forgetus John inculcating in their minds the concept of trickery and untruths to decieve the people of polling division I5? What emancipatory revelation has come across to Forgetus John that now he has seen the light to bring to the people of I5 that he didñ't see before?.
Like a Bob Marley saying, "You can fool some of the people some of the time but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."
But wait, is Forgetus John mission to these indoor meetings really to help Lorne out, or are there ulterior motives? Hence the preceeding quotation.
Many persons have been airing their views on this latest Frogy's involvement and they have openly said," Say moon sa la ne cher ka mene Fergy esi a ankor,apway e pa fei anyen ba nou." Translated, Shame on these people to get involved with Fergy after such a poor representation.
Did Lorne designate Fergy to this task? If the answer is yes, then it all boils down to to the simple fact, both Lorne and Fergy are of the same material. Can't you remember we said that they both have Theophilus in their names. Coincidence? Not a snowball chance in hell.
Fergy has failed Choiseul and so will Lorne if given half a chance.

Press Release

October 5th, 2011

Choiseul/Saltibus Constituency Branch
Condemns Shameful Posturing by Invader

The United Workers Party Choiseul/Saltibus Constituency Branch condemns the shameful political posturing displayed by Calypsonian Invader during a recent cultural event organized by the Choiseul Development Foundation. During the event which was held in the village of Choiseul on Saturday, October 1st, 2011, Ignatius Tyson known in Calypso circles as Invader sought to disrespect the integrity of Choiseulians when after the performance which he was contracted to deliver he proceeded to engage in partisan political antiques by seeking to denigrate the Parliamentary Representative for Choiseul/Saltibus, Hon. Rufus Bousquet.
Many Choiseulians and indeed patrons of the event continue to be appauled by the disgraceful and grossly unprofessional actions of someone who many Saint Lucians have respected over the years as a leading Calypsonian. As proud Choiseulians we take strong offence to the ill-judgement of Mr. Tyson who chose to utilize a cultural event which brought together Choiseulians from all “walks of life:” to inject in such a blatant manner political divisiveness.
Mr. Tyson’s actions represented an insult to the integrity of the proud people of Choiseul. That Invader would use the stage of a cultural event organized by the Choiseul Development Foundation to tarnish the spirit of unity and community goodwill that contributed to the staging of such an event is indeed sad.
We therefore call on Ignatius Tyson – “Invader” to apologize to the people of Choiseul and Saint Lucia altogether. We also call on the Choiseul Development Foundation to clarify their position on this un-fortunate incident in order to preserve the integrity of the organization and the understanding that it is in fact a non partisan entity which is primarily concerned with advancing the interest of Choiseulians. We do hope that Invader would understand that such actions on his part would only serve to undermine the respect and admiration he has earned over the years as a Calypsonian. Invader the people of Choiseul await an appropriate and timely response on this matter from you as a professional artiste.

Andy Daniel's Launch - This Is It

La Ressource, Dennery Saint Lucia. October 2, 2011:
If there were any lingering doubts that the United Workers Party was going to win the next general elections then this Sunday’s launching of Dennery North candidate Andy Daniel would have erased all of this from the memory of those non believers. A sea of yellow, reminiscent of William Wordworth’s daffodils “that stretched in never ending line” to welcome the newest kid on the political block – and who just happens to be their beloved son. And “tens of thousands they were at a glance, tossing their heads in a spritely dance”. Well, “spritely dance” is an understatement. The waves on the East coast roared but could not drown the carnival like atmosphere of persons on the grounds of the La Ressource Roman Catholic Church who came from near and far to make an emphatic statement that Andy has their nod.

And what a show Sunday’s activity turned out to be. The weather was fine to set fair day with much heat, inviting the imbibing of liquids of various colours. Hundreds of buses and minivans all bedecked in political campaign paraphernalia snaked through the hills and valleys with catch phrases blaring from their music systems all in support of their favourite candidates. Unofficially, Guy Joseph’s entourage with well over eighty vehicles stole the day, albeit with a very slim majority, with Dr. Kieth Mondesir following a close second.

But the day belonged to Andy Daniel who in his formative years had been preparing himself for the opportunity to serve the constituents of Dennery North and the wider community. Andy is a founding member of Youth for Development in that community. He also served as Treasurer and later President of the Students’ Branch of the National Youth Council. He could not have received a better initiation into service for the people.

And the candidate from Dennery North did not disappoint. He was introduced on stage by his young son Andy Daniel Junior who extolled the wise counsel of his father that of “never competing with others but only oneself” and to “strive always to be the best that one can be.”

Andy Daniel Senior traced his boyhood growing up in the community where at the age of fifteen was a member of the Dennery North Development Committee. He told the mammoth crowd that his task is “to enlighten the people of the valley so that tyranny and oppression will vanish”. He said the people of his constituency are the ones to decide who they wanted to represented them and he is firm in the belief that they had decided to put their trust in him in the upcoming elections. He assured his large following that together they will make progress and as his theme song says” I’ll be there to protect you.”

And when the rally was all said and done, I just could not erase the memory of “a host of yellow flambeau T shirts”. Well done Andy, you have our support.

INVADER GETS A DESERVED BEATING

If ever St.Lucia's one time calypso monarch ever had his eyeball hurting him it was Saturday night in the village of Choiseul. He got what a true meddler is suppose to get for interfering in our local politics.
Invader  was invited to be a guest singer in a creative cultural festival hosted by the Choiseul Development Foundation.
The activity was an open air show where all potential singers would display their their talent.
The show was moving along smoothly until Invader decided to add a political twist to this event.
Invader after doing his number decided to bring in some politics bydoing an ex-tempo on Rufus and singing some very unpleasant line which infuriated the crowd. Well who told Invader do that.
This  is not a political platform and furthermore Invader should in no way sing about a man's health condition at a festival. This clearly tells you what these guys are really up to.
 Well a couple of individuals invaded the stage grabbed onto Invader, grabbed the mic out of his hand and held him upsidedown ready to throw him into the pond. A labour supporter came to his rescue but he was released only after he was given a good and satisfying PLUCK.
Invader will learn never to come into any community and sing songs that touch on the health of any community person and more so a district representative.
The message was clear to him.
I KNOW ALL NOW SO HIS EYEBALL HURTING HIM.

Bousquet Presents More Laptops

It was an almost cloudless blue sky; the vegetation lush green and the  multi-colured outfits of the audience created an ambience or setting for a great afternoon.  The date, October 1,2011.Time 4:25pm.This was the scene at Jetrine where persons gathered to witness the presentation ceremony to donate laptop computers to the top Common Entrance students from each of the eight primary schools in the Choiseul/Saltibus Constituency.
Topping the district scorecard is Michelle Porath of the Dugard Combined with a score of 95.00%. Marcel L. Bissette from the Reunion Primary School with a score of 94.00%, is in second place. Congratulations from this blog to the Dugard School, Principal and teacher. Well done.
The other top performers are Trevouxninne A. Baxi of Rivere Doree Combined with 92.67%, Shervel James of Delcer R.C. Combined with 91.67%, Marlyn D. Avril with 90.00% from Piaye Combined, Elias I. Alcee from Roblot Combined with a score of 86.67%, Melody A. Francis and Lyani E. Louisy from Saltibus and Mongouge Combined respectively each scoring 81.33%.
The recipients in whose honour this ceremony was organized all sat in the front row flanking the Rep while their parents, past principals, teachers and invited dignitaries occupied the back section of the tent.

The ceremony began with prayers led by Pastor Wally which was followed by the National Anthem. MC for the ceremony welcomed the audience with a history of the community roads of Jetrine. He showered praise on the students for their achievements in this year’s Common Entrance examinations and challenged them to put to good use the laptops they are to receive shortly. He emphasised the point of the importance of being computer literate in this technological age.

Mrs Sheila Servile, a prominent citizen in the community was graced with the honours to welcome the audience. In her remarks she made special reference to the just completed Jetrine road, and as she aptly put it, “Jetrine is now on the map.” As a past Vice principal of the Piaye Secondary School, she gave much needed advice and direction to the students.

Anison Hunte, in his usual modus operandi thanked Bousquet for the just completed works on the road and the long awaited playing field in his short testimony.

Bousquet in his address to the students and audience was vocal, eloquent, gentle and at times raising the tone a little to emphasize the point at hand. He first started by giving a history as to how this whole program, which has been going on for the past four years was born. He said it started with the donation of a single laptop to a top student from Fiette called Tenisha , (who has done remarkably well in this year’s CXC exams) who’s mom approached him for such a donation because she had promised the child a laptop if she came first in the common entrance exam . The child did place first but the mom was unable financially to keep her end of the bargain. And this is where it all started. This was way back in 2007.

Bousquet went on to congratulate the students for their outstanding performance and reminded them that, “Potential is nothing if it is not developed. Potential must be developed. Potential must be nurtured.” The good uses of the computer were outline by the Rep but also reiterated how it can be ued for all the wrong reasons. “ The computer can be used to spread propaganda, it can be used to spy on people, these are the work of cowards who hide behind the computer under the name anonymous and who have nothing to offer. But here we are standing in gatherings like this to talk about progress and development and how to develop Choiseul piece by piece.” Bousquet noted.

“Talking about the program, Bousquet continued “The important thing about this is that I call it a meritocracy. For those of you who may not be familiar with those big words, it simple means, you get what you get on merit. It does not matter who you are, it does not matter what home you come from, it does not matter if you red or yellow, it does not matter if you green or blue, it does not matter about that. When you come first Rufus Bousquet ensures you get a computer. It’s simple as that.” (Thunderous applause)

The presentation of the laptops which was next on the agenda was made to the students. Michelle  Porath the top performer from the constituency also got a printer for placing second on the island. Short remarks were made by Michelle and a representative on behalf of the  students and parents respectively.The principal of the Rivere Doree Combined School then graced the recipients with some staunch words of advice.

The vote of thanks was move by a young lady from the community by the name of Ms Merlyn Francis.Afterwards the presentation party walked to the newly rebailitated road for Ribbon cutting act to declare the road officially opened. This was done by  Mr Petterson.