Articles - News
Mar 03, 2011 at 11:03 AM
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General elections will be held in St Lucia this year. Prime Minister Stephenson King made the announcement against the backdrop of heightened political campaigning by both major parties on the island.
stephenson_king2.jpg
Prime Minister Stephenson King
Elections are constitutionally due no later than 6 March, 2012, which would push the poll into the three month extension period allowed by the constitution.
A BBC Caribbean report stated the ruling party had hinted on more than one occasion that as a result of the Island's recovery after hurricane Tomas, it would make use of the extension to have elections next year, much to the consternation of the opposition.
There have been reports of an upsurge of crime in the country and a record number of 15 murders for the year, prompting the ruling party to advocate the resumption of hanging.
stephenson_king2.jpg
Prime Minister Stephenson King
Elections are constitutionally due no later than 6 March, 2012, which would push the poll into the three month extension period allowed by the constitution.
A BBC Caribbean report stated the ruling party had hinted on more than one occasion that as a result of the Island's recovery after hurricane Tomas, it would make use of the extension to have elections next year, much to the consternation of the opposition.
There have been reports of an upsurge of crime in the country and a record number of 15 murders for the year, prompting the ruling party to advocate the resumption of hanging.
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Ali - like all the other Bagatelle residents we spoke to on Tuesday told nothing but positive stories about Ronald Sylvester. The 36 year old man died Monday after he was shot multiple times by Police. Notorious and known as Baje – Sylvester had been arrested numerous times suspected of various crimes including murder. In 2007 he appeared in court – accused of a 2003 homicide and suspected of involvement with three others.
He had also been detained following a shooting in Anse-la-Raye that left one man dead and was himself a victim of an ambush in 2010 that left him nursing injuries to his hand. It was weeks after that incident that most of Saint Lucia got to hear Sylvester for the first time. He appeared on the Radio 100 program “Can I Help You?” with Minister Richard Frederick and denounced violence. It was that person – the people who lived around him remembered the day after he became homicide number 18.
Police Press Relations Officer Corporal Trevor Constantine says Sylvester was shot because he failed to stop at a Police roadblock. And although he could not provide information about the gun Police said was found in the car after the incident – he has promised a thorough investigation into the matter. But back to Ali – the young man who says he is now scared for his life. He is also worried about the legacy of Operation Restore Confidence. Several Bagatelle residents – especially young people - are said to have witnessed the shooting incident. Sylvester was declared dead at the Victoria Hospital.
He had also been detained following a shooting in Anse-la-Raye that left one man dead and was himself a victim of an ambush in 2010 that left him nursing injuries to his hand. It was weeks after that incident that most of Saint Lucia got to hear Sylvester for the first time. He appeared on the Radio 100 program “Can I Help You?” with Minister Richard Frederick and denounced violence. It was that person – the people who lived around him remembered the day after he became homicide number 18.
Police Press Relations Officer Corporal Trevor Constantine says Sylvester was shot because he failed to stop at a Police roadblock. And although he could not provide information about the gun Police said was found in the car after the incident – he has promised a thorough investigation into the matter. But back to Ali – the young man who says he is now scared for his life. He is also worried about the legacy of Operation Restore Confidence. Several Bagatelle residents – especially young people - are said to have witnessed the shooting incident. Sylvester was declared dead at the Victoria Hospital.
There has long existed in Saint Lucia an apprehension, sometimes amounting to an outright refusal, to analyse events which were unexpected or which went against conventional thinking. At least that is what I have gleaned over the past thirty years by observing the people of this island. Perhaps it is the way information – and its control – is passed from the media, to the population at large, and the way it is processed. Those who control what the public hears or sees may be armed with personal agendas even as they claim the promotion of a national one. During the closing campaign of the last general elections, a number of interesting (and confusing polls and statistics) were published which indicated that the contest would be a close one. Some people were quick to interpret the results of that October 2006 poll as a sign that the government would be returned to power by a very slender majority. I repeat that those who carried out the poll said that, the results would be close. But of course certain persons interpreted this in a way they thought advantageous to their interests. The reason is perhaps because sometimes polling results can be interpreted correctly – and differently.
Let me be clear. When properly conducted and interpreted election polls or indeed most other polls can provide valuable information which may form the basis for wise policy and forward-looking plans for a business, a club or a country. The trick is to seek out and employ pollsters and statisticians who are free of personal and hidden interest in the outcome of the poll.
Last weekend’s VOICE newspaper highlighted what it said was its first poll for the anticipated elections on the island. It made the results of the poll its lead story. That in itself is a story; right there!
Some people may have immediately questioned the veracity of the figures quoted, while others are certain to have dismissed them as pure fantasy. This they do without at the same time offering the reasons which informed their judgement. My own curiosity was piqued by at least two questions which were reported to have been asked by the pollster/s. The first was: If elections were held soon which party would you vote for? Had such questioning been driven by logic then the next or follow-up question should be: Would you vote differently if the elections were held later rather than sooner and your party of choice did something really terrible between now and then?
Whose advantage is it any way when a question is put in such a way as to imply a ‘soon date’ for elections?
The very next question asked, which, party the respondent would vote for and which, it thinks would win the next elections. I wonder how many people in Saint Lucia take the trouble to go out and vote if they think the party they voted for would lose the elections. Experience teaches us that this is not how voters here behave. When the electorate is unhappy it turns out to vote against – and not necessarily for, anything. In other words people vote for ‘change’; being fed-up and disappointed with the government and without caring too much who, or what, slips through as a result of their voting in anger. Rather than cast a positive vote for what they wish to see done, most people will vote ‘to give someone else a chance’. Of course such an attitude seems to defy logic, but this is the Saint Lucian reality. People will tell you that Saint Lucians don’t gamble; at least they don’t see their chance-taking as an act of gambling.
Such native wisdom may be a barrier against accuracy in polling, even when the latter may be well-meaning. In addition there are many smart Alecks here who know that if they have five dollars and another five is added to it their money has grown by 100%; but then if they spend five out of the ten they now have, they have spent only 50% of the ten. This often led Saint Lucians to think that there are statistics and outright lies. And who can deny that?
SILENCE PLEASE!
Schhheee ! What is this I hear? Is this the sound of the Mon Repos Bin Laden alias ‘Mal-kwabb’ turning the keys to shut down the doors of the St. Lucia Banana Association? Or is it that the voice of the ‘Banana Destruction Committee’ calling for yet another ‘no-cut-strike’ (after it had heard from Chiquita) – and had been handsomely rewarded by agents acting for American banana corporations? Could this be the sound of the same guys who stole thousands of dollars from the SLBC and brought it to its knees now sounding-off its final funeral rights? Then if it is, why is there such deafening silence? More to the point, can anything be done about the thieving and stealing which has been proven in a Court of law and which is finally about to hammer in the last nail in the coffin of the leaderless banana farmers of Saint Lucia after the business has been folded? When I heard of the return of the former chairman of the salvation committee I knew it was the hands of Allah that had guided him back to finish the burial rights of the banana industry. He started that job in the mid-nineties and continued until the industry had been hospitalized and near death. He returned to bury it!
At that time and leading up to 1997, I was the only politician and parliamentarian here – even John Compton remained somewhat speechless in the face of the relentless assault – which was moved to name the chairman of the banana salvation committee as the Bin Laden of the Saint Lucia banana industry, remember? Of course you do! Now I don’t expect to be praised for this neither do I expect a public apology from the well known business people who were wining and dining Mr. Chairman as though he had invented sliced bread. It was then alleged that certain persons within the business community even offered the gluttonous Judas Eve’s secret apple which, he greedily devoured.
I knew the man was a con artiste ever since I saw him threatening hell and damnation on the Vaughan Lewis government, while at the same time quietly negotiating (and applying for concessions) from the same Lewis in order to start his water bottling project. Wow! I wonder how many banana farmers knew of this. Sadly, now that we have come to the burial ground, I am certain that some faceless hypocrites expect poor Minister Ezekiel to breathe new life into that same industry, and afterwards turn it over to the crooks again.
At this moment, I would do most anything to discover what goes on in the minds of those politicians who had unleashed that man and his aids on the unsuspecting farmers (and people) of Saint Lucia. Schheee…! Don’t expect to hear any weeping or wailing as the money changers count their loot after the privatised facility goes to the dogs and persons without shares make off with the biggest cut. Now that the fraud has been pardoned, do you think that banana farmers have learnt their lesson? What will it take to give this island’s farmers gonads – more theft, and more insults, or both?
Let me be clear. When properly conducted and interpreted election polls or indeed most other polls can provide valuable information which may form the basis for wise policy and forward-looking plans for a business, a club or a country. The trick is to seek out and employ pollsters and statisticians who are free of personal and hidden interest in the outcome of the poll.
Last weekend’s VOICE newspaper highlighted what it said was its first poll for the anticipated elections on the island. It made the results of the poll its lead story. That in itself is a story; right there!
Some people may have immediately questioned the veracity of the figures quoted, while others are certain to have dismissed them as pure fantasy. This they do without at the same time offering the reasons which informed their judgement. My own curiosity was piqued by at least two questions which were reported to have been asked by the pollster/s. The first was: If elections were held soon which party would you vote for? Had such questioning been driven by logic then the next or follow-up question should be: Would you vote differently if the elections were held later rather than sooner and your party of choice did something really terrible between now and then?
Whose advantage is it any way when a question is put in such a way as to imply a ‘soon date’ for elections?
The very next question asked, which, party the respondent would vote for and which, it thinks would win the next elections. I wonder how many people in Saint Lucia take the trouble to go out and vote if they think the party they voted for would lose the elections. Experience teaches us that this is not how voters here behave. When the electorate is unhappy it turns out to vote against – and not necessarily for, anything. In other words people vote for ‘change’; being fed-up and disappointed with the government and without caring too much who, or what, slips through as a result of their voting in anger. Rather than cast a positive vote for what they wish to see done, most people will vote ‘to give someone else a chance’. Of course such an attitude seems to defy logic, but this is the Saint Lucian reality. People will tell you that Saint Lucians don’t gamble; at least they don’t see their chance-taking as an act of gambling.
Such native wisdom may be a barrier against accuracy in polling, even when the latter may be well-meaning. In addition there are many smart Alecks here who know that if they have five dollars and another five is added to it their money has grown by 100%; but then if they spend five out of the ten they now have, they have spent only 50% of the ten. This often led Saint Lucians to think that there are statistics and outright lies. And who can deny that?
SILENCE PLEASE!
Schhheee ! What is this I hear? Is this the sound of the Mon Repos Bin Laden alias ‘Mal-kwabb’ turning the keys to shut down the doors of the St. Lucia Banana Association? Or is it that the voice of the ‘Banana Destruction Committee’ calling for yet another ‘no-cut-strike’ (after it had heard from Chiquita) – and had been handsomely rewarded by agents acting for American banana corporations? Could this be the sound of the same guys who stole thousands of dollars from the SLBC and brought it to its knees now sounding-off its final funeral rights? Then if it is, why is there such deafening silence? More to the point, can anything be done about the thieving and stealing which has been proven in a Court of law and which is finally about to hammer in the last nail in the coffin of the leaderless banana farmers of Saint Lucia after the business has been folded? When I heard of the return of the former chairman of the salvation committee I knew it was the hands of Allah that had guided him back to finish the burial rights of the banana industry. He started that job in the mid-nineties and continued until the industry had been hospitalized and near death. He returned to bury it!
At that time and leading up to 1997, I was the only politician and parliamentarian here – even John Compton remained somewhat speechless in the face of the relentless assault – which was moved to name the chairman of the banana salvation committee as the Bin Laden of the Saint Lucia banana industry, remember? Of course you do! Now I don’t expect to be praised for this neither do I expect a public apology from the well known business people who were wining and dining Mr. Chairman as though he had invented sliced bread. It was then alleged that certain persons within the business community even offered the gluttonous Judas Eve’s secret apple which, he greedily devoured.
I knew the man was a con artiste ever since I saw him threatening hell and damnation on the Vaughan Lewis government, while at the same time quietly negotiating (and applying for concessions) from the same Lewis in order to start his water bottling project. Wow! I wonder how many banana farmers knew of this. Sadly, now that we have come to the burial ground, I am certain that some faceless hypocrites expect poor Minister Ezekiel to breathe new life into that same industry, and afterwards turn it over to the crooks again.
At this moment, I would do most anything to discover what goes on in the minds of those politicians who had unleashed that man and his aids on the unsuspecting farmers (and people) of Saint Lucia. Schheee…! Don’t expect to hear any weeping or wailing as the money changers count their loot after the privatised facility goes to the dogs and persons without shares make off with the biggest cut. Now that the fraud has been pardoned, do you think that banana farmers have learnt their lesson? What will it take to give this island’s farmers gonads – more theft, and more insults, or both?
It was unprecedented! The turn-out was maybe a bit more than expected. The extra length of time was predictable and the speeches typical political terminology with the usual jabs and uppercuts delivered. It was Labour time!
Party supporters did not disappoint, the entertainment segment of the event did not disappoint. And although the rains came, stopped and came again it did not dampen the party atmosphere that started building about 2p.m. Sunday.
It was a red-shirt event and the red shirts came out in their thousands to the first-time ever launching of three political candidates at the same time. Political parties in Saint Lucia usually launch one candidate after another on different days. This time around the Labour Party launched, in one event, its Castries north, Castries southeast and Castries central candidates for the upcoming general elections.
For Ubaldus Raymond (Castries north), Timothy Mangal (Castries southeast) and Stanley Felix (Castries central) the occasion was tumultuous. Led to the platform by dozens of their respective supporters thronging them; in the case of Mangal two motorcycle outriders leading the possession, the atmosphere depicting a well-prepared Labour Party machinery for the upcoming general election was established. Whether this was intentional or not intentional could not have been determined at the time, but the candidates in question seized the moment and delivered.
Raymond who noted that he was committed to the harmonized effort of the Saint Lucia Labour Party to spare Saint Lucians from further hardship presented a 12-point plan for the Castries north constituency presently represented in parliament by Prime Minister Stephenson King.
Explaining that the constituency and the country has a king size problem that needed solving the 43-year old Raymond noted that his opponent does not have a credible brand hence has been unable to develop the Castries north constituency.
His 12-point plan includes the promotion of health facilities and fitness programmes for constituents, engaging the energies and talents of the youths in the constituency in a wide variety of sporting disciplines and other positive endeavours.
Establishing a community spirit and vital organizations to engage in environmental awareness and youth empowerment are also part of the plan for the constituency.
“We will hope to re-vogue home ownership patterns regarding Crown lands especially Active Hill residents when the Labour Party reestablishes the PROUD programme,” Raymond said adding that he will work with residents to create opportunities to get benefits from the tourism industry by developing heritage sites, viewing points and entertainment events where businesses can flourish.
He finished by stating that no one in the Castries north constituency will be left behind in the development of the constituency and the country.
(Photo) Stanley Felix surrounded by the young and the old on his way to the stage.
Stanley Felix, for his part, made it clear from the commencement of his speech that the Lord is his Shepherd. Noting that the day was homecoming day for him he did not take long to launch an attack at the person he wants to unseat in parliament, the one who presently holds that seat, Housing Minister Richard Frederick.
Explaining that he accepted the nomination to contest that seat on a Labour Party ticket with a full and grateful heart his goal, he said, is to bring that seat back to Labour and the country and to where it used to be. He planned to knock on every single door in the constituency in the weeks and months ahead to get his message across.
Felix made it clear that he is a product of Castries central unlike Frederick, he said, who came to Castries central by bus. After explaining how he grew up and how he got his education and how he is a pure product of Castries central he then presented a five-point plan as to why he is a better representative than Frederick.
Metaphorically describing Castries central as his ‘sister’ who is in love with a man who is destroying her because he has no love for her, Felix said that the man whom his sister loves continues to lie to her, he is not a good man to her and that she now has to let him go.
Timothy Mangal vows to clean up the political landscape in Castries southeast. The once proud constituency, he said, which once saw several residents employed in the construction sector, tradesmen and others included, today no longer has jobs for residents.
According to Mangal the small jobs that were available alongside the bigger jobs requiring tradesmen and craftsmen are not available today especially for residents in Castries southeast.
Mangal who is attempting to unseat Guy Joseph, Communications and Works Minister and the current parliamentary representative for the constituency, Lambast the government for not providing much needed employment for residents in the constituency and the larger Saint Lucia.
He too has a plan for the constituency; a 10-point plan which he hopes will bring back employment and a better way of life for people in Castries southeast. Mangal is of the view that all Saint Lucians must eat, not some.
(Photo) Timothy Mangal had motorcycle outriders leading his entourage to the stage.
Party supporters did not disappoint, the entertainment segment of the event did not disappoint. And although the rains came, stopped and came again it did not dampen the party atmosphere that started building about 2p.m. Sunday.
It was a red-shirt event and the red shirts came out in their thousands to the first-time ever launching of three political candidates at the same time. Political parties in Saint Lucia usually launch one candidate after another on different days. This time around the Labour Party launched, in one event, its Castries north, Castries southeast and Castries central candidates for the upcoming general elections.
For Ubaldus Raymond (Castries north), Timothy Mangal (Castries southeast) and Stanley Felix (Castries central) the occasion was tumultuous. Led to the platform by dozens of their respective supporters thronging them; in the case of Mangal two motorcycle outriders leading the possession, the atmosphere depicting a well-prepared Labour Party machinery for the upcoming general election was established. Whether this was intentional or not intentional could not have been determined at the time, but the candidates in question seized the moment and delivered.
Raymond who noted that he was committed to the harmonized effort of the Saint Lucia Labour Party to spare Saint Lucians from further hardship presented a 12-point plan for the Castries north constituency presently represented in parliament by Prime Minister Stephenson King.
Explaining that the constituency and the country has a king size problem that needed solving the 43-year old Raymond noted that his opponent does not have a credible brand hence has been unable to develop the Castries north constituency.
His 12-point plan includes the promotion of health facilities and fitness programmes for constituents, engaging the energies and talents of the youths in the constituency in a wide variety of sporting disciplines and other positive endeavours.
Establishing a community spirit and vital organizations to engage in environmental awareness and youth empowerment are also part of the plan for the constituency.
“We will hope to re-vogue home ownership patterns regarding Crown lands especially Active Hill residents when the Labour Party reestablishes the PROUD programme,” Raymond said adding that he will work with residents to create opportunities to get benefits from the tourism industry by developing heritage sites, viewing points and entertainment events where businesses can flourish.
He finished by stating that no one in the Castries north constituency will be left behind in the development of the constituency and the country.
(Photo) Stanley Felix surrounded by the young and the old on his way to the stage.
Stanley Felix, for his part, made it clear from the commencement of his speech that the Lord is his Shepherd. Noting that the day was homecoming day for him he did not take long to launch an attack at the person he wants to unseat in parliament, the one who presently holds that seat, Housing Minister Richard Frederick.
Explaining that he accepted the nomination to contest that seat on a Labour Party ticket with a full and grateful heart his goal, he said, is to bring that seat back to Labour and the country and to where it used to be. He planned to knock on every single door in the constituency in the weeks and months ahead to get his message across.
Felix made it clear that he is a product of Castries central unlike Frederick, he said, who came to Castries central by bus. After explaining how he grew up and how he got his education and how he is a pure product of Castries central he then presented a five-point plan as to why he is a better representative than Frederick.
Metaphorically describing Castries central as his ‘sister’ who is in love with a man who is destroying her because he has no love for her, Felix said that the man whom his sister loves continues to lie to her, he is not a good man to her and that she now has to let him go.
Timothy Mangal vows to clean up the political landscape in Castries southeast. The once proud constituency, he said, which once saw several residents employed in the construction sector, tradesmen and others included, today no longer has jobs for residents.
According to Mangal the small jobs that were available alongside the bigger jobs requiring tradesmen and craftsmen are not available today especially for residents in Castries southeast.
Mangal who is attempting to unseat Guy Joseph, Communications and Works Minister and the current parliamentary representative for the constituency, Lambast the government for not providing much needed employment for residents in the constituency and the larger Saint Lucia.
He too has a plan for the constituency; a 10-point plan which he hopes will bring back employment and a better way of life for people in Castries southeast. Mangal is of the view that all Saint Lucians must eat, not some.
(Photo) Timothy Mangal had motorcycle outriders leading his entourage to the stage.
The ‘D’ word isn’t something young people really want to think about at all, particularly after their 18th birthday when they finally gain the freedom they’d always longed for. Life is much too exciting when you’re young to think about morbid things—like death. Young people love talking about that aspect of life just as much as they love conversations that have to do with STDs or HIV.
But recent happenings have forced us all to finally see how quickly one’s life can be taken away. It’s a harsh reality check that no one ever really wanted to have to face.
Incidents of crime, or accidents involving young people have been happening one after the other for the past couple of years, to the point where it almost seems as if an entire generation is being targeted, or even slowly but surely wiped out.
Case in point: 16-year-old Mario Butcher and 19-year-old Donavan Lovence were both shot and killed in Leslie Land this month. Then 22-year-old Ashley Bernard also known as “Skunk” who was shot and killed shortly after the Leslie Land shooting that claimed the lives of two teenagers when police went in pursuit of suspects in the Wilton’s Yard area. Then there’s Jason Warrican and Kimroy Simon, both in their twenties who were shot and killed while police executed search warrants at their separate residences in Bois Patat. And who can forget18-year-old Cindy Mandy La Corbiniere who was fatally stabbed in 2010 when another girl attacked her. Those are just a few of the lives lost as a result of crime, and then there are names like Hazel Louis and Shane Mathurin, both 23-years-old who were both involved in fatal vehicular accidents this month. Drowning incidences can’t be left out, and we remember 17-year-old Miguel Houson from Desbarras, Babonneau who drowned on Grand Anse Beach in 2010.
Facebook has become exceeding depressing in recent times, as it is often the first medium through which news comes out, and also the way people have resorted to expressing condolences,
comfort friends and even write loving notes on the
wall of a friend who passed away. Through status messages many people have expressed they’re now slightly scared to log onto any type of online social network, or even look at their phones in the morning for fear of receiving even more bad news.
Many who lose their lives are people who are under 25-years-old, who are just beginning to establish themselves or others whose lives were shaped by the circumstances they were brought up in, and taken away still unfairly, according to the way they chose to live.
I spoke with a young man who lost his best friend in an accident weeks ago who told me: “Death was far from my conscious memory. I knew it existed but it was far from my thoughts. It’s like God gave me a slap to wake me up. My best friend and I grew up together. I think about him a lot, and talk about him even more—even dream about him. We all got to go at some unknown point and that’s the harsh reality.”
When you lose someone close to you, it hardly even seems real—even after news confirms that the person is really gone and you won’t ever see him or her again—at least not in this lifetime. No matter what anyone says, that it was “their time to go” or “you’ll feel better in time,” you can’t help but think that it wasn’t meant to happen this way—“what if . . . ” Then there are those who say “the good die young,” as if indeed we who alive are the ones who should be mourned. The whole thing just seems unfair. The quote “when one person is missing, the entire world feels under-populated” comes to mind. Selfish thoughts begin to flow, “why couldn’t it be someone else? Why did it have to be someone so close to me? Why is it that the ones you love are always taken away too soon and the people you don’t care about that much stay around forever?”
But those very same people we don’t care about as much, are often loved endlessly by other persons.
With all that’s been going on lately, some would say it’s some kind of sign that young people should perhaps be more cautious in everyday life. Stop all the drinking, partying and other ‘negative’ activities. But wasn’t everybody once young and carefree? I posed the question to a man in his early forties who responded: “When we left school we were partying every day. Not only on weekends. I just think we were a little more aware of what was going on. I wouldn’t say we partied any less quite frankly. I think there’s a moment for everything. You turn 18 and you just want to be out there. I think now there’s more access to move around the island than before; that’s the big difference. More young people have vehicles. When we were that age and we wanted to go somewhere far like Vieux Fort to party, which would be rare, we’d have to scrunt to get a ride.”
The man I spoke with told me of incidents with young, healthy people losing their lives to crime or accidents were far less common than they are today. And when it happened, he said, the shock lasted a while.
“When it happened it used it hit hard; now the shock doesn’t really last,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s because it’s become more frequent or we’ve just become less sensitive to it. I had one friend who died in a motorcycle accident in the States, a bike lover in his early twenties. Apart from that it was rare.”
When asked whether he felt young people were too careless at times, and if he felt they didn’t value life as much as they should, my anonymous contributor responded: “I definitely think young people are too careless. You have to be cautious. The old saying safety first still stands. You have to be safe when you’re in a house, when you’re drinking, out partying and do everything in moderation. Safe sex is still a big issue; it’s another thing we need to pay more attention to. For a lot of young people, it’s from one party to the next,” he continued.
“There’s no down time anymore. There’s nothing wrong with taking a quiet day to chill, but some people want to party, drink or smoke everyday. I believe in life we need time to reflect. We’re not in touch with ourselves. There’s no family time, not really any time to sit down and appreciate life. Some parents have given up on trying to speak with their children about important issues. Just because they think they’re grown doesn’t mean they are.
And just because it may seem like they’re not listening to you when you finally take the time out to talk with them, doesn’t mean they’re not taking in what you’re saying. Don’t ever give up on your children.”
Just a surely as life happens, death is inevitable. Even if you’re not the
most spiritual person on the planet, a useful bible Proverb states: “Stubbornness will get you into trouble at the end. If you live dangerously, it will kill you.”
The world continues to turn, as cruel as it seems even once you’re no longer part of it. People cry, hearts break; then wounds heal, but they’re never ever forgotten.
But recent happenings have forced us all to finally see how quickly one’s life can be taken away. It’s a harsh reality check that no one ever really wanted to have to face.
Incidents of crime, or accidents involving young people have been happening one after the other for the past couple of years, to the point where it almost seems as if an entire generation is being targeted, or even slowly but surely wiped out.
Case in point: 16-year-old Mario Butcher and 19-year-old Donavan Lovence were both shot and killed in Leslie Land this month. Then 22-year-old Ashley Bernard also known as “Skunk” who was shot and killed shortly after the Leslie Land shooting that claimed the lives of two teenagers when police went in pursuit of suspects in the Wilton’s Yard area. Then there’s Jason Warrican and Kimroy Simon, both in their twenties who were shot and killed while police executed search warrants at their separate residences in Bois Patat. And who can forget18-year-old Cindy Mandy La Corbiniere who was fatally stabbed in 2010 when another girl attacked her. Those are just a few of the lives lost as a result of crime, and then there are names like Hazel Louis and Shane Mathurin, both 23-years-old who were both involved in fatal vehicular accidents this month. Drowning incidences can’t be left out, and we remember 17-year-old Miguel Houson from Desbarras, Babonneau who drowned on Grand Anse Beach in 2010.
Facebook has become exceeding depressing in recent times, as it is often the first medium through which news comes out, and also the way people have resorted to expressing condolences,
comfort friends and even write loving notes on the
wall of a friend who passed away. Through status messages many people have expressed they’re now slightly scared to log onto any type of online social network, or even look at their phones in the morning for fear of receiving even more bad news.
Many who lose their lives are people who are under 25-years-old, who are just beginning to establish themselves or others whose lives were shaped by the circumstances they were brought up in, and taken away still unfairly, according to the way they chose to live.
I spoke with a young man who lost his best friend in an accident weeks ago who told me: “Death was far from my conscious memory. I knew it existed but it was far from my thoughts. It’s like God gave me a slap to wake me up. My best friend and I grew up together. I think about him a lot, and talk about him even more—even dream about him. We all got to go at some unknown point and that’s the harsh reality.”
When you lose someone close to you, it hardly even seems real—even after news confirms that the person is really gone and you won’t ever see him or her again—at least not in this lifetime. No matter what anyone says, that it was “their time to go” or “you’ll feel better in time,” you can’t help but think that it wasn’t meant to happen this way—“what if . . . ” Then there are those who say “the good die young,” as if indeed we who alive are the ones who should be mourned. The whole thing just seems unfair. The quote “when one person is missing, the entire world feels under-populated” comes to mind. Selfish thoughts begin to flow, “why couldn’t it be someone else? Why did it have to be someone so close to me? Why is it that the ones you love are always taken away too soon and the people you don’t care about that much stay around forever?”
But those very same people we don’t care about as much, are often loved endlessly by other persons.
With all that’s been going on lately, some would say it’s some kind of sign that young people should perhaps be more cautious in everyday life. Stop all the drinking, partying and other ‘negative’ activities. But wasn’t everybody once young and carefree? I posed the question to a man in his early forties who responded: “When we left school we were partying every day. Not only on weekends. I just think we were a little more aware of what was going on. I wouldn’t say we partied any less quite frankly. I think there’s a moment for everything. You turn 18 and you just want to be out there. I think now there’s more access to move around the island than before; that’s the big difference. More young people have vehicles. When we were that age and we wanted to go somewhere far like Vieux Fort to party, which would be rare, we’d have to scrunt to get a ride.”
The man I spoke with told me of incidents with young, healthy people losing their lives to crime or accidents were far less common than they are today. And when it happened, he said, the shock lasted a while.
“When it happened it used it hit hard; now the shock doesn’t really last,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s because it’s become more frequent or we’ve just become less sensitive to it. I had one friend who died in a motorcycle accident in the States, a bike lover in his early twenties. Apart from that it was rare.”
When asked whether he felt young people were too careless at times, and if he felt they didn’t value life as much as they should, my anonymous contributor responded: “I definitely think young people are too careless. You have to be cautious. The old saying safety first still stands. You have to be safe when you’re in a house, when you’re drinking, out partying and do everything in moderation. Safe sex is still a big issue; it’s another thing we need to pay more attention to. For a lot of young people, it’s from one party to the next,” he continued.
“There’s no down time anymore. There’s nothing wrong with taking a quiet day to chill, but some people want to party, drink or smoke everyday. I believe in life we need time to reflect. We’re not in touch with ourselves. There’s no family time, not really any time to sit down and appreciate life. Some parents have given up on trying to speak with their children about important issues. Just because they think they’re grown doesn’t mean they are.
And just because it may seem like they’re not listening to you when you finally take the time out to talk with them, doesn’t mean they’re not taking in what you’re saying. Don’t ever give up on your children.”
Just a surely as life happens, death is inevitable. Even if you’re not the
most spiritual person on the planet, a useful bible Proverb states: “Stubbornness will get you into trouble at the end. If you live dangerously, it will kill you.”
The world continues to turn, as cruel as it seems even once you’re no longer part of it. People cry, hearts break; then wounds heal, but they’re never ever forgotten.
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St Jude Hospital, Vieux Fort, St lucia today 09.09.09...coincidentally the same number for emergency .(7 comments)
