Articles - News

   Adidja Palmer widely known as Vybz Kartel has described a ban on him from performing in St. Lucia as “unfortunate”.

The Jamaican artiste was scheduled to perform here next week, but was refused a work permit from Government, following a campaign by religious, women’s and civil society groups in disapproval of the artiste’s gig.

A statement from Kartel’s publicist has promised to “rectify the situation as quickly as possible” so he could regain access to this market.

The deejay’s camp said it was concerned for the promoter, who had undoubtedly spent “quite a bit of money to promote the event”.

The much publicized performance caused a stir particularly as Vybz Kartel had been banned from performing in a number of countries including Guyana, Grenada and most recently Barbados. Those opposing the artiste’s performance said his lyrics are violent and vulgar and debase women.

The head of the Catholic Church, Archbishop Robert Rivas said the country cannot ill afford more corruption, as it battles crime and other social issues.

A statement from the government says artistes, promoters and Government have a shared responsibility as much as possible, to ensure that standards prevail to the benefit of the country, particularly to the island’s vulnerable youth.

Meanwhile, that decision has created some disagreement among some locals, who believe people should have been given the opportunity to decide whether they attend the show.

The Facebook page ‘We Want Kartel’ was created with in the past 24 hours and already has over 200 members.

It’s not clear whether this movement will result in a change, but it has been described as a drive to ensure freedom of choice.

   Andrew “Yardie” Haynes was the Booking Agent for Vybes Kartel and others scheduled for the May show. And although he says he accepts the government’s decision to ban the artiste from performing – he is still defiant. He says the people who banned the Jamaican DJ – are hypocrites with no knowledge of him or his music.

Vybes Kartel was denied a work permit by the Labour Minister following an investigation by an ad-hoc committee. Government Press Secretary – Darnley Lebourne – was a member of that committee. He says the Committee undertook a rigorous and thorough investigation.

Lebourne says a number of factors were considered among them freedom of expression and movement guaranteed to CARICOM nationals. He says the Committee along with conducting its own investigations also met with heads of various organizations, artistes and others.

Kartel was scheduled to perform here in December at a show for the same promoter. Haynes says the May concert was to settle up since he never showed up. He also wants the Saint Lucian public to know this would not have been the first appearance by the self proclaimed Teacher.

But the Kartel of 2008 – is not the artiste whose career is now linked to that of the Gaza/Gully feud with fellow Jamaican Mavado – one that spurred such violence in his native country – the Jamaican Prime Minister met both men to force a truce. And his visit was before the raunchy pictures of him and different women engaged in sexual acts he brushed off as a visual depiction of his “Romping Shop” single.

Pictures the CAFRA Representative and the Division of Gender Relations warn are detrimental to women and the society that is already plagued with various social ills including teenage promiscuity and pregnancy.

   Rick Wayne appeared visibly shocked on Thursday evening when a caller to TALK informed him that lawyer Gail Philip was no longer President of the Senate.

“Are you sure about that caller? That’s quite a scoop,” Wayne said, eyebrows raised.

“I am pretty sure,” said the caller.

Wayne’s guest, former Speaker of the House Matthew Roberts, explained that Philip being gone would hardly upset the opening of Parliament on Monday. The show must go on! And it will, judging by what the STAR has learnt.

Lawyer, Leon John, a leading member of the United Workers Party and wife of former National Development Corporation Chairman, Nicholas John, is set to be appointed as President of the Senate minutes before Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy delivers the Thrown Speech on Monday.

Mrs John has been an active member of the United Workers Party, having served as the head of the UWP Women In Action group. She was also an election candidate in 1997 on behalf of the UWP for the Vieux Fort North constituency.

The STAR contacted Mrs John yesterday but she was tightlipped on the issue. We have been able to confirm, however, that she has already been appointed a senator which is one step closer to Senate President and she will be officially nominated on Monday.

All Mrs John would say was that “if” she was appointed she would “aspire to bring dignity and honour to the second chamber of the House.”

As for Gail Philip, who was appointed in December 2008 as Senate President, how or why she was unceremoniously dismissed is still unclear.

Philip had been appointed after Rose Marie Husbands–Mathurin, who held the post, became Speaker of the House. The government was praised for having two women holding top positions in Parliament so it’s no surprise that they chose another to replace Philip.

At the last sitting of the Upper House Philip blocked discussion on a Resolution to condemn the former government which the attorney general was trying to pass. According to reports from that meeting Philip “stopped the resolution in its tracks and practically strangled it to death before the government senators could get a word in edgewise. The leader of government business in the senate, Nicholas Frederick tried in vain to resuscitate the resolution. Senator Tessa Mangal tried to chip in, but she was also put on pause by the Senate President and forced to swallow whatever choice words she had saved up for Kenny Anthony and friends. The government side tried to call for a vote on whether or not to debate the resolution. But the standing orders gave the President powers that the attorney general did not foresee or prepare for.”
When she was appointed in 2008 both the government and oppositon senators welcomed lawyer Gail Philip as President of the Senate. Something certainly went awry!

When she was appointed in 2008 both the government and oppositon senators welcomed lawyer Gail Philip as President of the Senate. Something certainly went awry!

“There will be no debate on this subject at this time,” STAR Reporter Jason Sifflet quotes Philip as saying. At the time she told members that the resolution had already been debated.

Did this have anything to do with her dismissal?

Philip was unreachable at press time.

   For the past eight years the indiscipline associated with criminality in St Lucia has been a source of concern but the fact that a criminal gang of some twelve illegal migrants have been identified in Canada has become a greater cause of concern, and the time has come when St Lucians must start some serious soul searching. The fact that the United Kingdom has placed us on a watch list and it is only a question of when Canada may do the same is worrying. All this comes at a time when almost two hundred St Lucians are languishing in French prisons so evidently we have a problem as the number of decent citizens wishing to make a better life abroad will now be disadvantaged, placing a further strain on our unemployment situation.

St Lucians were never before associated with this unusual behaviour but discussing the matter with a cross section of persons, it is genuinely felt that during and after the banana boom St Lucians became attuned to an unsustainable standard of living which they are not prepared to relinquish even as the economy is unable to satisfy their demands. We must now ask ourselves what plan do we have to deal with this scourge as we simply cannot allow St Lucia to go down the tube for the sake of a handful of bandits. We witnessed a similar situation when the operators of Norwegian Cruise Lines decided to withdraw the itinerary of their vessels as a result of three unfortunate incidents. This saga continues internationally and we must simply do something about it. How will Britain respond to a hung Parliament?

David Cameron appears clean cut, handsome enough, fairly intelligent and able to offer a fresh start to British Politics on behalf of the Conservative Party but something has gone wrong for Mr Cameron despite Gordon Brown’s enormous setbacks automatically placing Britain in a situation with a possible hung Parliament, thereby, permitting the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party to decide who governs the country come May 6, 2010. A close look at what is transpiring in Britain today is a case of disgust as the electorate are becoming more and more disillusioned with politicians in general. The answer to this disillusionment lies in the fact that politicians are not able to change the lives of the electorate as much as is expected resulting in frustration, decadence and crime.
The big question remains - what can be done to address the situation? Most countries would prefer not to head towards the communist route for reasons well known; however, on the other hand China with the largest population in the world paying the lowest wages to its people and keeping their population tightly controlled has been able to virtually dictate the financial and economic policy of the world. Many democratic nations have not been able to convey the importance of discipline and proper work ethics to their people and therein lies the problem and believe it or not, this is extremely serious.
Governments by themselves cannot make an economy successful, it is the population to get together and work diligently and productively to ensure that there is value for money in everything that we undertake. The theory that the employers have been outsmarted by employees will not hold indefinitely as it’s only a question of time before the employer will be unable to justify his investment and become indebted to his financiers. There is no way of being successful by losing money on one’s investment. May we now pose the question – at what stage of our careers are we willing to

   29-year-old St. Lucian national has taken her daughter and chosen to be deported back to her homeland.

Amanda Noel choose deportation for her and her daughter after and Makyla, whose dad is of the Ojibway native Indian tribe, was found by police with her in some woods near his Parry Sound home.

The child`s father had allegedly refused to return the child after a visit and police were called. Noel was facing deportation following a failed refugee claim and was last week awarded custody of Makyla by an Ontario Court of Justice even though she was being deported.

The judge ruled she could take the girl with her to St. Lucia.

Noel had been living undocumented in Canada since 2005.