The Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) joins with the people of Saint Lucia in expressing grave concern about this alarming state of affairs which appears to be getting worse. The fact that the violent murder of Ethelbert “Romeo” Evelyn was also discovered the same afternoon of the Bordelais escape has sent further shock waves into the entire Saint Lucian society.  Citizens have become extremely concerned about their safety and security. Despite several cosmetic changes, the Stephenson King Government has failed to control crime in the country and Saint Lucians all over the island continue to live in fear.

Reports reaching the SLP suggest that since the armed break-in and escape on August 8^th, nothing significant has been done by the Ministry of Internal Security to prevent a recurrence, especially on weekends during which the facility is very vulnerable.

This latest prison break-out and murder again brings into sharp focus the glaring failure of Home Affairs Minister – Hon. Guy Mayers – to bring the National Security situation under control.  Hon.  Mayers has been appointed a Senator and Minister to deal with this pressing issue, but is clearly too distracted with trying to become the Parliamentary Representative for Castries East, to give due care and attention to his Ministerial duties. This situation cannot be allowed to continue as it has serious negative consequences for the social and economic future of our country.

The Saint Lucia Labour Party therefore has no choice but to call, once again, for the dismissal of Home affairs Minister Hon. Guy Mayers who has been a dismal failure at his post.  Hon. Mayers has failed to earn the trust, confidence and respect of security personnel at Bordelais and elsewhere.

The SLP also reiterates its earlier call for an independent Commission of Inquiry to be set up urgently to unearth the causes of these latest security breaches.

Under the theme: “With Unity We Will …” people came from all over the constituency  as well as other parts of the Island to join with the Constituency Group and newly endorsed candidate, Lelia Harracksingh, in Labour’s fight to remove UWP incumbent Arsene James. All Labour’s soldiers in the constituency were solidly behind Harracksingh, and her main rival for the endorsement – Mrs. Mathurine Emmanuel, gave a stirring address of support and solidarity.

Labour’s 2^nd Deputy Leader and Member of Parliament (MP) for Laborie – Alva R. Baptiste – in delivering the feature address, traced the Labour roots of the constituency and called upon constituents to unite to liberate Micoud South from the jaws of UWP imposed poverty and deprivation. For her part, newly endorsed candidate – Lelia Harracksingh – catalogued a list of problems plaguing the constituency, from poor quality water, collapse of the farming sector, deplorable roads, unemployment and poor health services. She pledged to work with everyone and the incoming SLP Government to address these issues once and for all.

Political Leader- Dr. Kenny D. Anthony received a rousing welcome from the gathering and he took an incisive look at several issues including the corruption and debt associated with the proposed Hewannorra Airport Project. Dr. Anthony urged supporters to continue their election preparation and assured the gathering that Labour was ready to replace the failed Stephenson King regime.

Former UWP stalwart and Saint Lucia Banana Corporation (SLBC) Chairman – Elias Armorsingh – who is the newly elected Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Constituency Group, brought the curtains down with an electrifying delivery punctuated by regular and spontaneous applause. Armorsingh blasted Arsene James and the King Administration for their poor performance to date, and he said the only answer to the country’s problems was a return of Kenny Anthony and the SLP to Government.

Nurse Harracksingh who is affectionately known in the constituency as “Astride,” still actively provides free nursing care to scores of elderly and disadvantaged residents who value her service immensely. A former President of the Saint Lucia Nurses Association, Nurse Harracksingh was instrumental in securing better working conditions for nurses including uniform salary payment for nurses from St. Jude’s Hospital.

Nurse Harracksingh is also very popular among the young people of the constituency where she continues to serve as the Leader of the Pathfinders and Master-guides. She is Vice President of her district’s Seventh Day Adventist Youth Ministry which serves from Mon Repos to Vieux Fort North.

Although she has unsuccessfully contested elections in the constituency since 1997, she has never had the endorsement of any of the two (2) main political parties until now. She is confident that with the backing of the Saint Lucia Labour Party, she will put an end to the poor representation of Hon.  Arsene James in Micoud South and be part of the winning team     which will form the next Government of Saint Lucia.

The Saint Lucia Labour Party welcomes Mrs. Harracksingh aboard its team of candidates and is extremely happy at the enhancement she brings, particularly among women voters and vulnerable groups.

Meanwhile, the Annual Conference of the Micoud South SLP Constituency Group takes place on Sunday September 5, at the Desruisseaux Multi-purpose Centre. The conference commences at 4:00 p.m.

In Anse La Raye, supporters were in high spirits and turned out in large numbers to cheer on their new man, Dr. Desmond Long, known in Calypso Circles as the “Mighty Pep”. Before a packed hall and courtyard at the Anse La Raye Primary School, messages of hope and solidarity were delivered by several speakers including the candidate himself as well as the the SLP’s two Deputy Leaders – Hon. Philip J. Pierre and Hon. Alva Baptiste. Straight-up talk show host Claudius Francis delivered a stirring account of Labour’s achievements and assured supporters that the Labour family in Anse La Raye/Canaries was solid and united.

In Dennery, the mood was one of defiance and determination as hundreds turned out to register their displeasure with the poor representation of the UWP’s Edmund Estephane. After impressive reports were presented by the executive, Guest Speaker – Ms. Flavia Cherry, provided indictment after damning indictment of the UWP and made the case for SLP to mobilize to boot out the UWP. Ms. Cherry’s remarks were reinforced by other speakers from neighbouring constituencies as well as Dennery Residents who in an “Open Mike Session” pledged to work hard for Labour’s return.

Political Leader – Dr. Kenny D. Anthony was in mobilization mode as he gave pointed advice aimed at marshalling Labour’s troops into the formidable army of 1997 and 2001. Supporters listened in rapt attention to the wisdom of their leader and punctuated his delivery with spontaneous applause as pertinent points were made.

Meanwhile, Labour takes its mobilization to Micoud South this weekend with its quarterly National Council Meeting in Blanchard on Saturday and the Annual Micoud South Constituency Conference in Desruisseaux on Sunday.

This is in direct contravention of the principle of non-interference in the domestic politics of independent states. International diplomatic protocol dictates that relations between countries be conducted at the Government to Government level and not at the Government to Party level. Therefore, even if the Ambassador of Taiwan (Mr. Tom Chou) may personally be a friend of the UWP, as the representative of the Government of Taiwan he cannot disburse funds to the Gros Islet Constituency Group.

It is also most disconcerting, that the Minister of Sports –  Hon. Lenard Spider Montoute – may have selfishly misused his office in this instance, to deny another association or sporting organization, much needed equipment in favour of his UWP constituency group. Such cheap politics is very unbecoming of Hon. Minister Montoute, who holds a prominent position of power in the Government.

Ambassador Chou has displayed previous undiplomatic behaviour in the past when he dished out cash at a Hon. Richard Frederick Peace and Love Football competition and when he donated computers to the UWP Castries East Constituency Office of  Hon. Guy Mayers.

The Saint Lucia Labour Party places on record once again its condemnation of Ambassador Chou’s reprehensible behavior and calls upon the Taiwanese Government to recall him forthwith. The Labour Party regards Ambassador Chou as a political operative of the UWP and will not afford him any diplomatic privileges or courtesies whatsoever. The Labour Party looks forward to the imminent replacement of Ambassador Chou.

In that respect, it has noted a number of issues that remain problematic in terms of a definitive resolution, particularly on matters of sovereignty, territorial disputes and representation.

A decision seemed to have been adopted in the past concerning the recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), notwithstanding the ongoing negotiations undertaken under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council, with a view to achieving a political solution to this dispute over the Sahara issue.

In light of the above, the Government of Saint Lucia has decided to withhold its recognition of the “SADR”, pending the solution of the matter by the United Nations.

The Government of Saint Lucia has urged all parties to continue to negotiate in good faith and in a pragmatic manner in order to arrive at a solution to the dispute within the framework of the purposes and the principles of the United Nations Charter.

These decisions are as follows:

1. Giving priority to a special project geared towards digitizing the work of Sesenne. It is expected that some of this material will be available for the celebration of Creole Heritage Month in October of this year.
2. Naming of the road leading to Sesenne’s home and the site for the proposed museum as the “Sesenne Descartes Drive”.
3. Renaming of the endowment fund for cultural industries as: The Dame Marie Selipha “Sesenne” Descartes National Endowment for Cultural Industries; and
4. The official naming of the area where Sesenne’s home is located and the wider area known commonly as Vietnam after her. In this regard Government will seek to establish a participatory process in order to arrive at the appropriate name for this area.

The Government of Saint Lucia expresses its thanks to Saint Lucians who turned out in their thousands to pay respect to and celebrate the life and work of Sesenne. We can all feel proud as a nation that we were able to rise to the occasion and to grant our Queen of Culture a dignified send-off. Government assures all that it will act in an expeditious manner to preserve the integrity and legacy of Dame Marie Selipha “Sesenne” Descartes.

When the three grueling rounds of competition were completed, Tamarah Plante of Bocage emerged as the eventual winner. After the champion was crowned, the two remaining contestants, both in a dead heat after the final round, underwent a sudden death match that saw 11 year old Kadin Antoine of Rock Hall earn the second place spot while 11 year old Nyoh Vitee of Ravine Chabot came third. Both received monetary prices to assist them with their school obligations. All eighteen (18) participants also each received a gift bag of school supplies for the upcoming school year.

Following the event, the Parliamentary Representative, Mr. Pierre presented brand new Laptop Computers to the constituency’s top two Common Entrance performers: Chrislyn Montoute of the Bocage Primary School who scored 87 and will be going to the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School; and Tiffany Modeste of the Marchand Combined School who scored 86 and will be going to St. Joseph’s Convent.

During the presentation ceremony, Mr. Pierre emphasized the need to hold competitions like these to stimulate the minds of the constituency’s youth and focus their competitive energies into productive activities. He lamented that the contestants, all residents of Castries East may be unfairly stigmatized as children of “the ghetto,” but a sound education would ultimately be the real liberating factor in their lives. He also advised the children, that irrespective of their economic background, they possessed the ability and through the implementation of Universal Secondary Education, the avenue to become sufficiently skilled to grasp the opportunities ahead.

The activity was well supported by parents and relatives of the participants as well as prominent citizens of the Castries East Constituency. Educator and SLP Candidate for Babonneau – Miss Alvina Reynolds served as the Chief Judge, while retired School Principal – Miss Andrea Bourne was the Moderator.

Some fifty (50) children from ages 7 to 15 fifteen participated in the 2010 Summer Camp, which was held at the Fond Assau Resource Centre from Tuesday August 3^rd through to Friday August 17^th 2010. Participants were very responsive to the learning style and information presented by Ms. Reynolds, which drew out practical prevention measures and solutions from the young people themselves. The workshop was sponsored by Social Skills Development Fund (SSDF) and hosted by the Platinum Football Team of Fond Assau. The Babonneau SLP candidate has vowed to continue reaching out to young people in need of guidance; and has issued a call to Government to invest more in training young people in practical relationship and life skills.

Political Leader – Dr. Kenny D. Anthony explained at the time that Saint Lucia stood to lose all the land without a cent in compensation. This was because the UWP Government had abandoned the SLP Government’s previous plans to sell the land to the developers for cash, and decided instead to contribute the land in exchange for preference shares in the hotel. The UWP Government through its Tourism Minister, its Investment Minister and its NDC Chairman boasted at the time that it had found a better and more secure financing formula for the project.

Since the SLP’s disclosure three (3) months ago, Ministers Allen Chastanet and Rufus Bousquet have come out publicly claiming that the land is not at risk. These denials notwithstanding, the Saint Lucia Labour Party understands that the Bank’s receivers have been left with no choice but to proceed with their claim against the security of approximately 500 acres of Saint Lucian land.

The Saint Lucia Labour Party shares the deep concern of Saint Lucians about this development, and calls upon Prime Minister King and Ministers Chastanet and Bousquet, to explain what has happened to the US$23,000,000.00 borrowed by the Ritz Carlton Developers, and how it plans to save the country’s 500 acres of land (which is valued at millions of dollars), from being seized without compensation.

This is an issue of urgent national importance and Prime Minister King and his Ministers cannot explain it away with silence or empty assurances.