Haynes Calls For Professionalism by Manager

This blog in previous posts have continually called for an environment of confidentiality by the staff of the Choiseul Credit Union. We have made mention of clients having their personal financial transactions with the Credit facility on the streets or with persons whom they least expect to know their business. This has in the past caused many members to stop doing business with the credit union.

This leak of information by the staff was abated, but as far back as December last year it raised its ugly head again and now a distraught Jimmy Haynes is up in arms about a latest incident with this same institution. But before delving into Haynes’ matter, let me bring you up to speed on the December matter. Two days after the general elections persons on the streets and throughout the communities had it that the monies for the construction of the Mini Stadium were missing. (Post on MS soon to be published) Only two sources could have such information – the Village Council and the Credit Union. The Village council did not disclose the funds therefore it had to come from a person (s) in the Credit union. This blog has its suspicions as who could have leaked the info but left to the Union itself to trap the culprit (s).

Haynes thinks that he is deliberately and mischievously being targeted by the local financial institution. The situation reached as far as to involve the law in a dispute which Haynes say does not exist. He lays full blame on the manager of the institution whom he thinks is being very unprofessional in his work ethics. Haynes wants the manager, Sylvanus Fontenard, to provide him with an explanation for the recent actions taken by the Union to bring in the rule of law. According to Haynes this had to do with funds owed to the Union which he has already cleared.

A letter will be sent to the Board of Directors stating his grievances and disappointment in the Manager, Haynes says. This blog placed a call to the manager to get his version of the matter, but got no response as to the time this post was being written.

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Blue moon on Friday

This Friday we will eperience a Blue Moon. A Blue Moon is the second full moon in any calender month. This happens every 2-3 years.
The average interval between full moons is 29.5 days, whilst the length of an average month is 30.5 days. This makes it very unlikely that any given month will contain two full moons,though it does happen sometimes.
Can there be two full moons in a single calender year? Yes. It last happened in 1999. There were two full moons in January and two full moons in March, and no full moon in February. So both January and March had Blue Moons.
The next time we will witness a double blue moon is in 2018.
In 2015 is the next appearance of two full moons in a month and will take place on July 2 and July 31.
Are you familiar with the term "once in a blue moon?"
Guess you should be able to figure it out.
Dedan C.G. Jn. Baptiste

Where are we at with the Mini stadium?

 The just concluded “super six” night cricket competition at the Soufriere Mini  Stadium has brought painful memories to my mind. The competition was played under the newly installed lights. Boy oh boy what a spectacle that was!

I thought to myself that this should have been taking place at La Fargue in our proposed Stadium. Night cricket in Choiseul has been my dream and this was why I was all for the stadium. Also, the stadium would be an avenue where our artists and athletes would showcase their talents and skills thus bringing out the best of them.

My skills as a cricketer/sportsman, was achieved through the exclusive use of the best facilities on the island during the period 1970 - 1985. During that period I was considered the best batsman on the island. It has always been my notion that if you give your players/athletes good facilities and conditions they will perform.  (The Voice archives should have an article to this effect which I wrote in July, 1970)

This past Olympics exposed our authorities. So where are we at with our proposed stadium?

This blog is aware that some works have been done so far: Securing EC $900,000.00, deciding on the site, the initial proposed drawings, etc . During my tenure as a Councillor at the Choiseul Village Council some $900,000.00 was deposited in an account solely for the construction of a mini stadium. The whole stadium thing was the brain child of the past Rep. Sometime between September and October last year I understood that some $12,000.00 was used to pay an architect for the drawings and for ground works done on the site. During this time we were in election mode and Council were not having any meetings and as a result confirmation of this pay out was impossible.

Long before the site was confirmed, persons like Glen and the boys had issues with the location for the stadium. Peter (Reds) whom I guess Rufus had empowered to oversee the stadium works, was not budging from his position and disregarded the Glen and the boys’ issues – leave the small field free, and use only the bigger field for the construction of the stadium.

 Where did the funds come from, you are dying to ask, I’m sure?   Rufus approached the Council and disclosed that he had gotten a sum of money which he wants to use for the construction of the stadium and that it was a donation by the Moroccan Government and that we the Council need to open an account so that the funds can be transferred. He also bragged how he got a smaller donation from the Spanish government.  Double checking on his story this blog learnt the following:

  That the monies were donated to assist the different constituencies. But Rufus who seemingly had negotiated the donation, begged the PM to allow him to use this donation for a big project [the stadium] for Choiseul, which he Rufus has had in mind for a long time.  King hesitantly went with the flow and soon special arrangements were being made for the transfer of the funds to a special account at the Choiseul Credit Union in the Council’s name.

The funds were deposited in the account specifically for the construction of the stadium. As a Councillor I kept my eyes on these funds like a hawk to make sure it went towards the intended purpose. I failed in this endeavour. Council was not meeting and I was in election mode and paid no interest in that account which to my mind is safe.

Two days after elections the Labour Party supporters had it on the streets that there isn’t any money left in the stadium funds. How can this reach the streets so fast? Is this a fact, I asked myself? But how can this be? My head went into a spin, trying to figure out what to believe. The news spread like wildfire and my phone (why me?) kept on ringing ceaselessly – persons asking questions as to the truth or denial of the matter. Could I answer this? Nope, not in Council anymore, but made myself a promise to get to the bottom of this. For real, the amount that is $900,000.00 - $12,000.00, which is about $888,000.00, is not on the account. Where did it go to? Who authorised its withdrawal? How could  the funds be deducted when Council was not meeting anymore? Last unconfirmed report suggests that there was below $400,000.00 on the account.

I contacted a senior person in our camp and he confirmed that the past Rep had ordered the withdrawal of the funds to do community projects and to pay workers where a stimulus package funds had fallen short.

Were these monies actually spent on projects? Can these projects be identified and, if any, quantify the amount withdrawn? Were these monies used for campaigning or personal use? Who gave the past Rep the right to authorise withdrawal of Stadium monies for other purposes?  What process was used to get access to these funds? Council was in recess, what channel did the past Rep go through to get access to the stadium funds? These questions must and will be answered since it has reached this blog that a forensic audit has been commissioned on the accounts of the Village Council. This blog welcomes such a move.

A certain Labour party brain told this blog that they [Labour Party Crew] carried out a small audit in the Council and approximately $2m could not be accounted for. Whether this is true or not the forensic audit by Government will determine this.

Now where do we stand with our stadium? With only a few thousand dollars left on the account it will now take a mammoth effort to get started again only because of the greed of politicians. Our youths want to see the stadium completed. Let us not forget that our present Rep, in his campaign rhetoric promised to finish it. But maybe we can relax on him a bit since the mess done with the funds ws none of his making.

We must find some form of sponsorship to help with our stadium. Our Rep must try  and rally corporate St. Lucia and other agencies to help with the financing of our STADIUM. With a serious campaign, I am sure that by 2016 our athletes can shout out about Choiseul’s Mini Stadium.

In the mean time we can take comfort in the statement that the Minister of Sports made during his Budget address, that the La Fargue field will be lighted in this financial year. Or, should we believe in this adage, "promise by a politician is a comfort to a fool."

Fw: 90-year old pulls out on STEP

-----Original Message-----
From: "Dedan Jn. Baptiste" <baptiste.dedan888@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:06:58
To: <thesaltofchoiseul.helpdesk@blogger.com>
Reply-To: baptiste.dedan888@gmail.com
Subject: 90-year old pulls out on STEP

During the Easter STEP program this blog reported the employment of under-aged workers. This we reported was a breach of the labour laws of the country.
To make matters even worse the selection committee for STEP program this time around has employed a ninety year old man to the program in the Roblot area while some needy parents are blatantly neglected because of their voting preference. Jadia Jn Pierre, the PM's press secretary made it crystal clear that this round of the program is to give support to the needy parents who have children who will be attending school in September. What about this statement that the Choiseul STEP organizors don't understand?
They failed to do a background check on the ageable man who is already on the government assistance program. Yes the old man fell sick after a day's work and had to be taken to hospital. He is presently in bed now. Reliable sources inform the blog that the old man's daughter as well as other persons in the community are upset as they see no reason why this man who can barely walk should be in the program.. The old man is a die-hard Labour. Get the picture?
This blog can point to at least three single mothers in the community who could do with the "kakadan" the program gives. Yet they were ignored. This form of affirmative action must stop now.
However one should not be surprised at the behaviour of the persons who head the program as they must have taken their que from the Rep.
Persons who do wrong that affect children will in someway, someday, pay for this. Will the old man still be paid? If I was in his place I would demand my pay.

90-year old pulls out on STEP

During the Easter STEP program this blog reported the employment of under-aged workers. This we reported was a breach of the labour laws of the country.
To make matters even worse the selection committee for STEP program this time around has employed a ninety year old man to the program in the Roblot area while some needy parents are blatantly neglected because of their voting preference. Jadia Jn Pierre, the PM's press secretary made it crystal clear that this round of the program is to give support to the needy parents who have children who will be attending school in September. What about this statement that the Choiseul STEP organizors don't understand?
They failed to do a background check on the ageable man who is already on the government assistance program. Yes the old man fell sick after a day's work and had to be taken to hospital. He is presently in bed now. Reliable sources inform the blog that the old man's daughter as well as other persons in the community are upset as they see no reason why this man who can barely walk should be in the program.. The old man is a die-hard Labour. Get the picture?
This blog can point to at least three single mothers in the community who could do with the "kakadan" the program gives. Yet they were ignored. This form of affirmative action must stop now.
However one should not be surprised at the behaviour of the persons who head the program as they must have taken their que from the Rep.
Persons who do wrong that affect children will in someway, someday, pay for this. Will the old man still be paid? If I was in his place I would demand my pay.

All ah we Is one

By Tennyson Joseph 

Dear Darren,

My determination to avoid the charge of petty-island nationalism has hitherto stayed my hand from expressing my support for you despite the many opportunities to do so.
However, after noticing the total blackout of gratitude following the West Indies 4-I victory over the touring New Zealand team in the One-Day series, my human decency urged that I balanced the equation by saying thank you, and by acknowledging your leadership role in the victory.
It does not stretch the imagination to determine what would have been the media response had the outcome been reversed. Certainly, there would be no hesitation in placing the blame at your feet. Any schoolchild could have written the editorial damning you, from a cut-and-paste of old commentary from the usual suspects. Notice how badly you were maligned for bowling two overs short in the one match that we lost. At least, through the negativity, there was a “backhanded” acknowledgement of your economical bowling.
Worry not, though, since many write for external readerships.
Your calm and dignity in the face of such unbelievable hostility tells me that you need no lessons from me on how to shoulder your burden. Indeed, I have witnessed far more seasoned and “educated” political leaders in our region resort to crudity, vulgarity and vindictiveness in the face of milder opposition.
However, I feel compelled to remind you that what you are facing is a result of our region’s acceptance of inherited colonial notions of MDC/LDC, centre/periphery, small island/big island and urban/rural dichotomies which continue to determine “who gets what when and how”.
Remember that we have inherited an authoritarian tradition and are now learning habits of civilized public discourse. We are often unnecessarily cruel. Those who have sacrificed the fullest for the collective happiness are often the least loved, and the most maligned.
Despite this, continue to remain a true Caribbean patriot.
As you face your own leadership challenge, remember that Sir Grantley Adams of Barbados was viewed as coming from too small an island to earn the respectful followership of others. But history has a way of bowling googlies, and only those willing to learn its lessons can read the turn. Unity is essential since yesterday’s MDC is today’s economic basket-case.
So bear your burden, Darren, but stay strong, humble, decent and dignified. Give it your all and trust in your ability, which, despite what the critics say, places you among the top tier of the current first class crop.
Remember, that a leader far greater than you was rejected for being from too insignificant a background to be taken seriously. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”, they derisively asked of that leader. So bear your fate, Darren Sammy, but continue in faithful service to the still oppressed Caribbean people.
One love, my brother.
Tennyson

Source: http://www.nationnews.com/index.php/articles/view/letter-to-sammy/

Eye On This Round Of STEP

The latest round of STEP has just commenced in the North of the island. According to Jadia Jn Pierre it is geared towards single mothers and fathers who need the assistance with school expenses.
STEP will be commencing in Choiseul soon.In this constituency all eyes will be focussed on the powers that be who select persons from the various communities to partake in this round of the program.
It will be left to be seen whether the usual descriminatory politics come into play during the selection process. The keyword here as stated by the Prime Minister's press secretary is "parents in need to purchase school expenses." Therefore it is hope that the selectees for this month's STEP will be mothers and fathers who have children attending school and in need.
Recommendations should come from community-based groups where they are present and/or applications from the needy parents themselves. These names and applications should then be scrutinized and checked by a central committee before a final decision is taken to employ these persons.
This blog would be pleased if selections is done on merit. The children are the ones who will be affected. Choiseul is watching.