Articles - News

   President of the St Lucia Teachers Union, Julian Montrose, has advised teachers from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) sub-regional grouping against rushing to take up teaching opportunities in the United States and Canada before thoroughly researching those jobs.

His advice came as St Lucian and other OECS educators in New York join hundreds of other Caribbean teachers to protest what they say is the unfair treatment meted out to them by the New York Department of Education (DOE).

A CMC report states that the teachers contend that the DOE attached them to the city schools with false promises of green cards and financial aid, but the department’s lack of support has resulted in a ten year battle to get on the right path to permanent residency.

Montrose said that this development has lessons for every teacher considering the possibility of working overseas.

Agencies and teachers must ensure that they are credible and they must be careful with the kind of contracts that they sign.

"If you are going to migrate or take up employment in a country you have some responsibility to yourself to ensure that the conditions that you are going into are right," Montrose added.

   Caribbean Commonwealth joint diplomatic and consular representations in Canada have been on the drawing board for many years. Apparently, some years ago and most likely during the short and unfortunate reign of the defunct West Indies Federation, there was a short lived experiment in which two early independent Caribbean nations offered diplomatic space to many of the small colonies that were struggling to break the yoke of colonialism from Britain.

Commencing in 1967, the current OECS / Union states began the process of political disengagement with Britain, which resulted in the creation of the WISA Secretariat based in St Lucia. If my memory serves me right, the United Kingdom government later appointed a Resident Representative with his deputy based in St Vincent.

The year 1967 also had other memorable developments, Expo 67 was held in Montreal and the Caribbean region’s presence was quite evident. As the planning for expo took place, a WISA office was established in Montreal to handle the affairs of WISA nationals; act as a liaison between WISA and Canada and perform other necessary consular responsibilities. My records indicate that the first Resident Commissioner was one Novelle Richards of Antigua. His deputy was listed as one Lucius Mason who originated from St Lucia. Unfortunately, both men have since departed us and may they rest in peace.

As the political disengagement took shape, in 1974, Grenada broke its colonial yoke with Britain and became an independent State.

Grenada established a High Commission in Ottawa, which was headed by Ambassador George Griffith. As other OECS/Union members became independent they opted to remain in this loose relationship known as “joint representation”.

Antigua and Barbuda experimented with a High Commission in Ottawa for a short while but the idea was later abandoned following the death of Conrad Richards, who was the High Commissioner and son of deceased Novelle Richards. Both Antigua and Grenada independent diplomatic experiments in Ottawa ended with the untimely passing of High Commissioner Conrad Richards and the 1983 unfortunate political events in Grenada, which saw a return to the concept of joint representation.

The OECS/Union diplomatic presence in Ottawa became a reality after the WISA office was relocated to Ottawa and, with many of the Associated States becoming independent, it was necessary for an OECS diplomatic presence in the nation’s capital since there was no other small Caribbean state maintaining a separate diplomatic mission. There has been no change in the situation up the time of writing.

As the OECS/Union tackles the long overdue issue of diplomatic and consular representation in Canada, there is much to be examined and analyzed. With this completed process, the OECS/Union must move swiftly to effect the necessary changes if the suggested examination and analysis are realized. There are some critical questions to be asked and analyzed.

These include:

1) Does the OECS/Union bilateral and multilateral development assistance with the government of Canada take place in Bridgetown or Ottawa?

2) In terms of Canada’s development assistance decision making process for the OECS/Union, how effective and influential is the Ottawa-based mission in this decision making process?

3) Are the annual bilateral aid decisions by Ottawa communicated by the Bridgetown based Canadian High Commission directly to member governments with a notification to the OECS Mission?

4) How has the Ottawa OECS presence facilitated Canadian trade and investments in the region?

5) How can the OECS/Union minimize diplomatic representation in Canada?

As the above questions are pondered, the OECS/Union has an excellent opportunity in Canada for initiating changes and maximizing potential return on investments. Before the process of change begins in Canada, those responsible in the Castries Secretariat and respective governments must first be grounded in diplomatic theory and practices that will enhance their understanding about the fundamental difference between a diplomatic and consular mission.

These observations have been made based on the content of an embarrassing press communiqué that originated from the office of the Prime Minister in Grenada following a session of the OECS/Union held in the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis.

So in answer to the question of this article, it is vital that the OECS/Union maintain a diplomatic presence in Ottawa. However, there is urgent need to downsize that will relegate the diplomatic presence to three persons, preferably with operations from the residence. With functioning from the residence and decrease of staff, cost elimination for rental of a chancery, diplomatic allowances, etc. will be eliminated, thus resulting in less monthly operational cost. This will also allow members to make their cost allocations in a timely manner.

The OECS/Union should abandon the idea of joint consular representation in Toronto. It cannot work and should be immediately abandoned. The purchase of a suitable building should be explored by the OECS. Once purchased, there is no reason why the current member states who maintain consular missions in Toronto and are apparently encumbered with exorbitant monthly rental costs will embrace an opportunity to pay for rental space and probably have much better access to administrative resources. Each consular mission should have their own independence and given added responsibilities by transferring passports from the Ottawa Mission to Consular representatives in Toronto.

Another important task for the Castries Secretariat will be to implore upon the Commonwealth of Dominica and other member states for the appointment of consular representatives in Toronto. With such action, this will ensure that member states have a full consular presence n Toronto that will allow consular, trade and tourism representatives to promote their independent states.

Ian Francis resides in Toronto and writes frequently on Caribbean Affairs. He is a former Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Grenada and can be reached at info@vismincommunications.org

   When it comes to telephone connections, the Caribbean leads the world in global density.

According to the Economist, which publishes an annual Pocket World in Figures, Bermuda, with 89 telephones for every 100 people, led the global ranking, followed by the British Virgin Islands at 82.9, the Cayman Islands at 68.3, the US Virgin Islands at 67.7, and Barbados in tenth global position with 58.8 telephones for every 100 people in the country in 2008, the latest year for which statistics were available.

According to the nation newspaper, at the same time, the proliferation of cellphones in recent years has pushed Barbados into sixth place on the worldwide listing with 150.1 mobile phones per 100 people. In effect, there are telephone lines in almost every house in the country, while on average there are 1.5 cellphones for every person in the county.

In both telephone lines and cellphones, Barbados had more connections than Britain, France, Canada, Spain, Italy, Ireland and any African or Latin American nation.

   It seems that nobody speaks anymore or cares about issues that affect the poor. Our politicians are notable for exploiting the ignorance of the simple folk by sounding concerned when they are in opposition, but there is a sudden transformation and a dramatic change of personality and different outlook as soon as they get into office. This was brought into sharp focus recently by a callous and wicked act perpetrated against hardworking citizens trying to eke out a daily living in the north of the island. I speak of the unceremonious eviction of vendors operating outside the perimeter of the JQ Mall in Rodney Bay, Gros Islet. From what I have learnt, without consultation from the authorities with the affected vendors, signs were suddenly erected stating that no vending would be allowed in the area anymore.

The vendors have been operating there for years and to my mind posed no hindrance or obstruction to persons accessing the JQ’s Mall at the point where they operated. Entrepreneurship is about recognizing an opportunity and seizing it. The vendors recognized that not all shoppers like the imported vegetables available at the large enterprises because some believe they are grown with ‘too much chemicals,’ and prefer their local stuff.

Evicted was the lone female vegetable vendor, Mildred David, a hardworking mother of seven children, four boys and three girls, who unlike some of the layabout mothers of today does not depend on irresponsible impregnators to feed her offspring, but labours in the hot merciless sun daily to feed, clothe and house her children. Mildred David is a shining example of a mother determined that her children would not suffer from the same limitations of the lack of a secondary school education that she was not privileged to have. She has inculcated a strict discipline in her children and been unswerving that they devote their time to their studies, and has been rewarded with her two eldest boys now at the Sir Arthur Lewis “A” Level College, and the younger siblings at various secondary and primary schools.

In addition there are two male coconut water vendors who would be there on a daily basis, but due to their infrequent appearance as they move from place to place, I was unable to get their personal stories. Those hardworking individuals whose industriousness should be a shining example for the rest of society, have instead been thrown out by mindless authority, have had to resort to the bushes on the other side of the road, where they complain they only sell about a quarter of what they used to sell before.

In every capital city of the world, an area is allocated for the little man to ply his wares amidst the large conglomerates. In New York City its 14th Street, in London it is Brixton, which provide an opportunity for visitors to experience authentic local flavours. Many tourists to St Lucia enjoy the experience of drinking our refreshing coconut water. Coconut water is one of the purest forms of nature’s bounty, with a unique taste that cannot be replicated when drunk fresh. Our health officials should be promoting the drinking of pure, fresh coconut water, rich in minerals, as an alternative to the sweet drinks that St Lucians consume in large quantities, which contribute to the high prevalence of diabetes in St Lucia, earning us the dubious distinction of having the highest rate of diabetes in the world. But I imagine we who create nothing of worth relevant to us in the Caribbean emerging from our institutions, will await some white medical guru from the advanced countries to proclaim the wonderful properties of coconut water. Meanwhile we lament our colonial past, but love to enjoy the pomp and ceremony and the expensive trappings colonialism has left behind for us to indulge ourselves.

The representative for Gros Islet, Lenard ‘Spider’ Mountoute, has tried to cultivate an image of a nice politician, but the treatment of the vegetable and coconut vendors outside the JQ Mall in Gros Islet, tarnishes his image and portrays him as a man who does not care about the little man. He has violated the principle that politicians are elected by all classes of people in the society, and should deal with citizens equally, and in fact should show a special empathy for those in less fortunate circumstances. Political office does not give one the authority to ride roughshod over small people and deprive persons from earning an honest living. There are urgent social problems which face countries such as St Lucia. Chief among them is the issue of unemployment. Therefore persons who use their initiative, instead of being a burden to the state, and through hard work become self-supporting by pursuing an honest livelihood should be applauded and given encouragement, rather than hounded by government fiat and arbitrarily thrown out on the streets.

Economic and social harmony cannot be realized if the political authority attends to the problems of the economic elite or large establishments and issues of the poor are ignored. It is the duty of the state to adopt a policy that is fair and equitable in order to achieve economic and social stability. Or else we will be sowing the seeds that will ultimately lead to social revolution of the type that is sweeping the Arab World and has occurred throughout history, when the people rise up against the privileged elite. It is those small things that can precipitate revolutions and change the attitude of people towards a government. It was just such a simple thing which occurred in Tunisia in recent times, a slap by a public officer of a little man, who evidently had had enough from authoritarian public servants that he set himself on fire in a public square, an act that has turned the Middle East into turmoil and now has implications for the rest of the world.

It is evident that the Minister and his acolytes on the Gros Islet Village Council, have no appreciation for the noble human quality that makes an individual pursue an honest living, instead of the parasitical ones who are always begging, and those able-bodied men with criminal minds who shy away from hard work, prowling the areas in the north, invading people’s homes and stealing their hard earned possessions. Therefore, I view the Minister’s treatment of the vendors as the most insensitive and wicked act by a government official. These vendors are human beings too with their families to support, to clothe, to feed, to house. Are they expected to take the easy route and sell drugs? Whilst we are it, let me get something off my chest. Since the elections in December 11, 2006, Spider Moutoute has never visited the residents of the community of Reduit Park where I live, to thank them for voting him into office. The roads in the area have been left in a deplorable state since the election of 2006, and have become an obstacle course to negotiate. With elections around the corner they are busy patching potholes in the back roads of Corinth which have been neglected since 2006 as well as the dangerous bridge which links the highway to Corinth. Are people so easily fooled by those last minute cosmetic gimmicks successive administrations engage in at election time?

Our politicians seem to learn no lessons from their predecessors, for their actions and pronouncements when in government evaporate into thin air and their acts reversed when the people eject them from office. What is the point of being pompous and arrogant when in office, and are given a knockout blow at election time? The shock of defeat as we have observed in our politicians is that they sink into a deep depression and suffer from what I would describe as “post-electoral defeat syndrome,” and never regain full sanity.
A perfect illustration is a one-time leader who once strode the corridors of power like a collosus, but has been reduced to uttering puerile statements instead of forceful criticism on a host of issues, and offering strong alternative solutions. I believe the dynamics of local politics would change dramatically if we had what in the public perception are two charming and personable men, Stephen King and Dr Robert Lewis contesting the elections as leaders of the two main parties. Instead the choice is between what the people feel is a piranha and a lovable bear. Meanwhile the electorate remains quiescent. The electorate have taken on a poker face, not revealing their intentions for the upcoming elections, just awaiting the day to deliver their knockout punch to the respective candidates.

   Callers to Timothy Poleon’s NewSpin program last week swore they’d witnessed controversial prophet William Braham casting out a demon from a woman in the Town Hall. In case you hadn’t seen, the video is now on Youtube. In fact, in the latter part of Thursday’s TALK host Nicole Mc Donald, who’s been filling in for the show’s regular host Rick Wayne for a month now, played the video that is quickly making the rounds on the Internet.
This week’s show featured Elder Josiah Castang and Elder Felix Francois from Hebrew Israelites, a grouping with a local following of just about 30 members. The religious topic, rather unusual for TALK, may have just been what made Thursday night’s episode one of the most discussed yet.
The video focused on one of the most riveting moments of God’s Trumpet to the Nations lunchtime ministries featuring William Braham. The episode in the Town Hall starts with the prophet in his usual manner calling out a situation that perhaps related to someone in the audience. This time Braham called forth someone who’d been having dreams where they were urinating, only to wake up and find out they’d literally wet the bed.
“If it’s you don’t wait,” he said. “I want to pray for that person, let that person come.”
With that said a woman comes forward and she’s handed a cloth.
“Why are you shaking?” Braham asks and the woman doesn’t respond. The video captures her falling to the floor with a motion of the prophet’s hand then four men assist her to her feet. They set her on the ground but she starts twisting around violently on floor saying, “No, I tell you no,” in an accent that sounds strangely African, mouth foaming adding something along the lines of, “you cannot take me out, she is possessed.”
The men turn her to face the audience and some people scream and jump back and the woman continues moving about while the men hold her and look to the prophet for what to do next.
“See how the devil is destroying the life of this woman?” Braham says while Pastor Shorn Jules thrusts a microphone to the possessed woman’s mouth. Her face is contorted; eyes widened and there is now spit all over her face. “She belongs, she belongs, she belongs to me,” the woman is heard saying in a deep voice, eyes rolled back.
“We are going to cast the demon out,” Braham says at that point. “When I say fire we are going to cast the demon out.”
The congregation starts chanting “fire” along with him and the woman begins to jerk fiercely. Only then does Braham jump offstage and get into the mix. The congregation is now riled up, clapping, hands in the air and shouting “fire” and Braham is holding the woman’s head as the ritual continues. He motions for the others to let her go, they set her down on the floor and she’s doused with holy water from plastic spring water bottles.
The men struggle to hold her, at various points legs pressed against her chest, twisting her arms, holding her legs between their feet and the entire thing goes on until she starts screaming, “ I’m coming out!”
At that point another person in the crowd seems to require attention. The woman comes forward, seemingly possessed and people are holding their hands clasped together as if in prayer.
“You saw the video, it is very moving,” Elder Josiah Castang says responding to one of the questions posed by show host Nicole Mc Donald adding that he felt it was all a “well orchestrated dramatization.”
“At the end of the day when demons are being cast out, even when Christ cast out demons, the closest thing you should have there is pigs,” he said. “You send those demons into the pigs! Once you’re casting out demons they can fly everywhere. While they’re casting out demons they are asking her “Who sent you? Who are you?” and she’s explaining to them with a microphone in her mouth! This whole thing is like what’s going on there? The people around should have been very concerned. You have to be careful when you’re casting out demons. If there are vessels around that are unclean or unrighteous the demons simply harbour another host. This is not a joke. People don’t do that in open areas.”
“I heard the prophet on NewsSpin, I sat down and listened to him thoroughly and there I was able to deduce for myself based on hearing him what type of spirit was in him. It’s always good to try the spirits, to listen, to see before you just believe. Try to understand what’s really going on. From me reading the Torah (Old Testament) I’d say to you, a humble spirit is very important, and I remember a man called and prophet Braham lost it, literally. If he was going to win me over, that point of time, he lost it, he got angry. He was no longer a prophet, he became a man.”
“The old folks here, healers, they always tell you when they finished do not offer them any money,” he continued. “Money and healing don’t go together. Why couldn’t he accept food offerings? Why always money? Money is the root of all evil. I’m not here to judge the prophet. I’m speaking because we need to be aware of what’s going on. You have to be careful of whose hands you let lay upon you. Not everyone who comes in the name of the Almighty is who they say they are.”
“Is he really a true prophet, or is he false?” Castang contemplated aloud. “Based on the Torah, I would like to say clearly there are more signs proving he is false than saying he is true.”
“I concur. It’s one thing to perform miracles, Benny Hinn, all those men performed miracles,” Elder Felix Francois added. “The bottom line, whether or not they were sent by the creator. The mind is a very powerful thing. Our people are very desperate. We are living in a society plagued with desperate people. People need all kinds of healing and they will go for anything.”
One caller challenged Elder Josiah for calling the public exorcism ceremony well orchestrated.
“Let me give you some information because I was there,” the man who claimed to be prophet Braham’s driver said. “The man of God and the pastor, asked persons while they were casting out demons to cover themselves, (covered by the grace of God, the blood of Jesus, not in the physical sense), so they would be protected pray, pray and pray. I think that’s very bad for this man to say it was well orchestrated. Prophet Braham didn’t go anywhere in St Lucia. We picked him up on the airport and he hardly went anywhere to visit or see anyone. I personally know for a fact that neither Braham nor the church orchestrated this.”
Was he saying it was real the host questioned to which Braham’s driver responded: “This was not orchestrated. Prophet Braham doesn’t even know the woman. He’s never met her. I do not know her. The prophet never demanded anyone to pay him, this is unfair. There were rumours that the gentleman was arrested, that he was deported by immigration and he was just here doing things in the name of Jesus Christ! That’s all he was doing and look at all the criticism.”
Another caller to the show wanted to know whether it was possible to get in touch with anyone who’d been healed to find out their status now, particularly the woman in the video.
“I would like to see that woman then and now,” one man said. “It would put things into perspective. Let her give her testimony and put these things to rest. These things need to go to rest for us to understand. The money is the biggest issue there. If there were nothing about money there would be no issue. I know my people. No money, no issue. That’s the way we are, we like everything for free!”
The STAR contacted Pastor Shorn Jules, of God’s Trumpet to the Nations Ministry, as they had brought Braham to St Lucia. When asked whether it was possible to contact the woman from whom the demons were cast out he responded: “I can’t help you there,” and went on to say numerous people had come for ministering from other faiths and he couldn’t say for sure who she was. In fact, Jules said he hadn’t even had the opportunity to watch the video online since he hardly went online and he’d been “resting from a hectic past three weeks.” He said all the media attention over the past few weeks had gotten to him.
“You can probably call someone else or do research,” he said and when asked who might be the right person to call he responded: “I can’t help you there either.”
Jules said however, the ministry had been bringing down prophets for a long time now, the only difference this time around was this one was much more public. He said in future they would be looking into some of people who were healed and he promised to put the STAR in touch with some of these people.