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2009
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July
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- Soul, Spirit and Mind
- Leadership
- “Faith is the evidence of things not seen”
- Yellow Crescent Moons
- The commitment of the Emancipated
- Soufriere Youth Summer Programme
- SLEF congratulates the Island’s first certified “S...
- Six Professors Appointed
- Organic Foods - Are they more nutritious?
- Martha Stewart and Sandals partner on weddings
- LIME Launches “U R It” Campaign
- Fire and Emergency Services commence operations on...
- CTO, SLTB Aids Gros Islet Summer Camp
- Colin Francois is LIME Carnival Blackout Grand Pri...
- Arts in St. Lucia, an Evolution?
- Travel stimulates economics and helps poorer natio...
- SLISBA holds its 20th Annual General Meeting on Su...
- Market composition
- It is time for a new direction!!!
- Highlights of ECCB 2008/2009 Annual Report by Sir ...
- FirstCaribbean Daily Markets Report
- Crime and the Consumer - Part 6
- CMMB Market Wrap
- A talk long overdue
- Will the real Maryanna Williams please Stand Up?
- What’s The Sense ?
- What A Country
- Point Seraphine Sale / IMF Loan
- Is Moral leadership a Thing of The Past?
- In the aftermath …
- Handling of Honduras Crisis flawed from the start
- Gulliver’s travels revisited
- Tampering With Tradition
- Three for Pan Am Games in Trinidad
- The Aftermath
- Soufriere: Swimming Big
- NYC Central Castries summer sports festival
- Busy Schedule Ahead for Local Boxers
- Bronze for Teddy Matthews at 51st CTTC
- Saint Lucia Goes to the IMF
- Police News
- Fuel prices to change early September
- Daher Building Loan
- New Guyana/St. Lucia Association Board Elected
- Helping Hands Help Out
- FirstCaribbean and CYBT fill the financing gap for...
- Pep now leads the way:
- Paradise not quite lost
- Incestuous mediocrity must stop
- A Sad Note In Music
- 1000 Words
- SLFA President Speaks out on Blackheart Issues
- Lancers Again
- Another medal for Spencer
- 8 Wicket Win for Mon Repos versus Gros Islet at home
- Saved by Inmates’ “Goodness”
- Pair survive Barre de l’Isle precipice
- Fatal Police Shooting
- Fearless Festival
- Witnesses pleased that hundreds came to “Keep on t...
- On the proceeding of the Human Spirit from God
- Leadership
- Faith is the evidence of things not seen: Hebrews ...
- Top Students Rewarded
- The pathway to OECS Economics Union – PART 2
- SLASPA - Ahead of the Learning Curve with Their Ta...
- R.C. Boys Celebrate Centennial
- OECS Secretariat sends Tamiflu to Member States to...
- Limited and unlimited companies
- Late Carnival Announcements
- Five D.A.R.E officers off to training in the Unite...
- Digicel says ‘HIP HIP HORAY’ to a Bigger, Better C...
- 50% extra credit when you top up online with lime
- 2 more cases of H1N1 confirmed in Saint Lucia
- Tourism Stimulus Package - A master stroke, says S...
- Computer nostalgia (II)
- ‘Ongoing Weakness In Demand For Air Travel,’ Says ...
- NDC convenes stakeholder’s conference on revised l...
- “Job Hunting – The Employers’ Perspective”
- Highlights of ECCB 2008/2009 Annual Report - Part 2
- FirstCaribbean Daily Markets Report
- CMMB Market WRAP
- Will the Real Maryanna Williams Unmask!
- When the music dies...
- Up with Whimsy!
- Substance Abuse Secretariat promotes drug abuse pr...
- Should the Star Publishing be the only Media house...
- Facing financial challenges in the Caribbean’s sma...
- Can Obama withstand his health care conflict?
- Bertie Wooster and Jeeves on Paradise Island
- 1000 Words
- Strange Laws
- Job Well Done
- Young St. Lucian races into sprint record books
- World’s Swimming Championships for 5 local swimmers
- SLBF to stage Camp and Coaches Clinic
- Goals mounting in Women’s Football
- Back To Stay
- 5 for 51st Caribbean TT Championships
- Twenty five Digicel golden tickets left!
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July
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63 comments:
Damn you sandals. I was just about to climax. I think we're going to have to part ways cause you've left me unsatisfied yet again.
Okay, this makes no sense. Why would Sandals pull out of a marketing campaign in which they are essentially getting a 33% discount? No one expects Sandals to not promote themselves in the TV campaign, it's just that the other hoteliers wanted to be ascertained that the venture wouldn't be wholly about Sandals. After all 33% of the campaign money would have been from public funding.
I've always been disgusted with the hospitality industry in our country. Now Sandals is treating St. Lucians in the same high handed manner as some of their more snobbish and obnoxious guests.
I hope this doesn't leave Mr. Allen Chastanet disillusioned. Sometimes when someone tries to help St. Lucians it feels like you're the only one who cares about their future.
Chastanet is a failure and a liar, he want to show St Lucians that he is doing something, but he failed again, he must stop paying Hepples a tax free salary in $US to do his work for him,while he rans his own hotel. He must account for the money that is missing from the tourist board, under his watch. He want to blame it on the slp saying that there was no audit done under the slp administration, but Pierre brought the evidence and proof him a liar live on TV. Chastanet has lost all his creditability. He said he enter politics because he was not pleased with the direction the country was taking, now he is directly involved what better direction is the country taking? How is Chastanet helping St Lucians? He is only helping himself.
You think scandals in Chastanet foolishness. If the tourist board was not audited since under the slp. Then his audit should have shown money was missing, he kept that quiet, until that was leaked out and questions was asked on the talk shows, that is how the public got to know. They allow one man to leave the island so they put all the blame on him and they say the investigating.
Can you really sit there and spew all that garbage about the man? Allen Chastanet is the most transparent government minister in King's administration.
Listen to you. The only reason we can debate about what is happening is because Mr Chastanet has been constantly on tv and radio and in the public eye, being accountable.
When last did you see Richard Frederick on TV ever since the opening of that shopping plaza on Jeremie street? When last has King been on air, at least to give St. Lucia a sigh of relief since consumer prices are predicted to go down in the coming months?
Has Arsene James made any public announcements just so we at least know his command of the English Language is improving?
What's happening in Health? Who is our health minister? Swine flu has had a low casualty rate.
I commend Allen Chastanet for he seems, to me, to be the most competent and active minister and I too think Jazz needs to be put under different management so that the tourist board can focus on marketing St. Lucia. It's good to see that the minister is letting us know his vision for his ministry.
Show me where what i said is false, If Chasanet is so active, competent and transparent, and he is always on the radio, how comes he never told us know that the money was missing? Talking about that, this whole government is a waste of time. What has Chastanet done that you is so impressed to you?
Well, I'm impressed with the fact that this funds embezzlement case is out in the open and someone has been charged.
I suppose it wasn't clear that money was missing? Maybe that is why an investigation was called before any public statement could be made? Wasn't Obama criticized for taking a longtime to come out about the AIG bonuses scandal? When a reporter asked him that he said, "I like to know what I'm talking about before I speak." What he meant was that he was gathering all the facts before issuing a public statement. It's the same thing here with the embezzlement.
I liked how Chastanet listened to the concerns of the hoteliers and arranged a meeting to clarify the joint TV campaign. Although I resent how Sandals has backed away from this to the chagrin of our Tourism Minister.
Chastanet has voiced his concern about Liat's high airfares and has queried the imaginary taxes Liat has added to the ticket.
We need to be careful not to get caught up in the political games in the quest for our votes and assess the ministers based on how well they are running their ministries.
I've said it before that I feel there is a lot of wastage that goes on in these ministries we don't hear about because the ministers don't run their portfolios effectively enough Chastanet is the exception.
Zeigy seem like you been blind sided by the halo effect. Mr Chasnet may be a good businessman but running a country is different. Anyway Mr Chasnet just this week confirmed his inefficiencies. Mr Pierre was able to produce his audits and Chasnet confirmed that over the past 3 yrs none were done. It is hard to explain a reason why this may be forgotten and all of a sudden to shoot yourself in the foot and begin an investigation into the embezzlement of funds. I know there is such a thing called bad luck but I don't want to believe Mr Chasnet has the worst of luck. Just as we are hearing the Dr Hepple's contract has been renewed agreements are falling apart. U can fool some of the people some of the time but u can't fool all the people all of the time.
I don't believe that Mr. Chastanet is in it for himself because he doesn't have to. He can never be sponging because he is already saturated.
I think he is very passionate about the country and is a man of vision just like Sir John (say what you might) and I think that he is an endangered species, a selfless species.
I sure hope he becomes PM one day if he chooses to run, but until then I wish him all the best in pushing Our Beloved Helen forward.
St. Lucia has a dearth of leadership talent. The least we can do is not lambaste what few people we do have with a vision for the country.
Chastanet has a hotel business. Pierre has an accounting business. Who do you think makes a better tourism minister? While Pierre was getting all his financial statements in order, Chastanet was using his hospitality experience to boost the tourism industry and he still manages to run a tight ship.
Didn't he catch the oversight? Chastanet is a good minister.
Sandals is only in it for the huge profit, do you think they give a crap about St.Lucia? Me thinks not.
I don't expect Sandals to think about anything but their bottom line. After all it is a business and business are in business to make money.
Which still begs the question, why did Sandals back out of a deal in which they were getting a 33% discount for a TV campaign? 33% reduction in expense towards marketing their St. Lucia branch of the Sandals brand makes no cents to me.
Now there is no deal they can lay-off any amount of people they want, it's cutthroat.
It's the same reason that some American banks returned the stimulus/bailout money, they don't wanna be held accountable to the taxpayer.
It is a fact that every time a hotel advertises its business internationaly, the host destination benefits. Sandals' marketing budget is at least 5 times bigger than the Tourist Board's. Moreover, Sandals markets its properties as a group and so Saint Lucia gets a mention everytime. I would say that Sandals has done more than any other hotel to keep Saint Lucia's name in the marketplace. Craig Barnard and Nick and Karolyn of Anse Chastanet have also made solid contributions too.
That said, I'm concerned about the way the stimulus given to the tourism industry is being used. In these hard times, travelers are looking for deals. Other desinations in the Caribbean and elsewhere know this and are working out attractive holiday packages with airlines and other partners. Nowadays you can get a 4 night all expenses paid holiday (with airfare) to Punta Cuna in the DR for about $600 per person. My point is spending money on marketing alone will not do the trick in these recession times. Travelers wants deals. I suggest that the stimulus money be used by the hotels to work out deals to keep businesses running, earn foreign exchange and retain jobs. jobs.
CSi
Zeigy, what has Chastanet has achieved for St Lucia, that Pierre did not?
Let/s not fool ourselves here. Without a doubt PIP knew very little about tourism. I would hate to ever seem him in charge of that ministry again.
He just went with the flow. A no risk taker, inside the box approach who gave us a 6 for a 9.
I have always made the point that we keep on blaming Prime Ministers for the problems of their Administrations without remembering that they are only "Firsts amongst Equals".
Pepole always blame Kenny for Rochamel.
We forget that Pierre was the Minister of Tourism cosigner of the Rochamel Deal that cost taxpayers over $160,000,000 to date and we do not have one square foot of land at Pigeon Point to show for it. In fact it is worst than that in that St. Lucians because of PIP's immaturity now have to go past suspicious security guards, two massive columns just to walk on a St. Lucian beach at Pigeon Point and we paid $160 million for that travesty.
Pip was fired by his Prime Minister (and it could have been becuase Pip led Kenny into the Rochamel mess) and replaced by a 22 year old by the name of Menissa Rambally. Yes we know that she proved to be worst than Pip but still Massa Kenny had to fire him for incompetence.
So stop comparing Chastanet to Pierre. Our problem is that we support positives or negatives of politicians depending on which party we support. I want someone to come along who will critique BOTH parties ministers and ex ministers the same.
Although we cannot compare Pierre to Chastanet, Pierre knows nothing about tourism and Chastanet knows everything, i have not seen what Chastanet has achieved in tourism, for his 2 1/2 yrs plus. People are constanty lossing their jobs, money is disapearing from the board under Chastanet nose, he boasted about a deal with Scandals it flooped or failed, he is paying Hepples so many thousands of U.S dollars a year tax free, to do his work for him, whiles he rans his hotel. So tell me why is Chastanet so impressive? I cannot see.
Does the SLP have anyone in the ranks who can do a better job than Chastanet? I may disagree with him
at times, but unlike PIP the man is articulate and has a handle on what is transpiring in Tourism. Look at who is the SLP's point man on Tourism? A guy who can hadly be understood when he speaks and talks more in poltiical terms regarding tourism than in the construction language the explains and drives the management of that industry.
Until you can show me a better point man than PIP in the SLP. Chastanet is all we have and that's good enough for me.
We do not need peolpe who is articulate, we need people who can work to be our ministers. You are the first person, who cannot understand what Pierre is saying. How did he win his seat all these years if people cannot understand what he is saying? Please list the success of Chastanet in the tourist industry so far, if he is the best we ever had. I never know since when if somebody is born stuttering, which he has no control over, that this should be used as a sin against him.
Tourism and Marketing is all about communications. No one will come to your country if you are in-articlulate and havn't got a plan. Tourism is not a for the weak and political. It is for persons who are trained and who understand ( AGAIN) that this industry can't be managed in poltiical terms, but in language the explains and and can drive people to your shores.
PIP is now of that as far as I am concern. Also on the question of him winning castries east, any momo in red can do that!
If Pierrte is so in articulate as you said, how comes so many investors came to built so many hotels and guest houses in St Lucia when he was minister? Chastanet and people like you who think he is so articulate, that he tried to lie to us St lucians, because of missing our tax payers money, saying that the tourist board was never audited under the slp. That same unarticlated Pierre prove him a liar on live TV, we all understood what Pierre said, maybe excepting you. That same articulated Chastanet could not understand that Scandals would not agree to his fooly, before he came to the public with it. Chastanet is a failure so far.
Pierre looks like Steve Urkle.
I wish i was Steve Urkle, i would be a very rich man. By the way Urkle is a very handsame guy.
About the Castries East seat, we must remember that Lansicot won that seat for 10 or 15 yrs straight with the biggest majority in the country, until the people realised that he was a fake and Pierre won the seat. So any mo mo in red cannot win the seat, because it is not a done deal, the only seat we can say that about is Micoud North, Micoud south was won once by slp because of a third candidate in the race. That only shows us that any third party in the race will cause slp to win ALL THE SEATS.
Where did your 3rd party theory come from? You are confusing me. Are you banking on a 3rd party to help the SLP. What foolishness you jaiving at. Say that for some strange example that your fantasy comes true and there emerge a 3rd party, do you honestly believe that it's only the UWP that will be hurt by that?
The way I see it right none of them partys are ready to govern St Lucia. There are lots of frustration on both sides. Your little fantasy theory is something made for fools. Think ahead of a streight fight with the UWP. Stop looking around you for help. The help you looking for if it becomes a reality may prove to be devastating to your little dreams of an SLP win.
People are crying out for something different and their cries have gone out in the wilderness of honest leaders of the future, hopefully their cries will be answered.
Those two parties have been bullies for way too long. It's time for a little competition, then and only then will they have some self-awareness. It will not be business as usual.
St. Lucia has just negotiated and will receive approximately EC$28.5 million from the IMF.
When the amount was disclosed I found myself saying : "Why such a small amount?
Then I realized how immune I like so many have become with regard to quantums of money because of how reckless we have been in St. Lucia with regard to borrowing and spending over the past 10 years.
Then I remember that the Rochamel Fiasco has cost us to date at least $160 million and St. Lucians have shown no outrage to date with regard to that blunder.
To put this in perspective. We go to the IMF during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s and borrow 18% of what was squandered on Rochamel.
Oh yes I know. The apologists will jump up and say. Why yu bringing up Rochamel again ?
This answer: We are doomed to repeat our mistakes if we do not remember those in the past. The sheer enormity of the Rochamel Fiasco had eluded even the most intelligent and astute of us in St. Lucia. If we look at Rochamel as available funds we would end up with the same National Debt as we have now and still have available $131.5 million to spend to bolster the economy if Rochamel did not happen.
I quarantee you that soon there will be article after article about how "We going to the IMF !!!" with all kinds of self serving analysis on government policy, etc yet those same persons were the silent ones on Rochamel for 10 years.
There are people who will lose their jobs. There are companies that will go bankrupt. There are public works projects that will have to be abandoned because the $160 million Rochamel hole limits what can be borrowed today by the Government. That is the reality we have to deal with.
Maybe you cannot understand reality or you are just dumb, i never said slp need any help from a third party to win. It was you and people like you who proposed for a third party. What i said is, and i stand by it, NO third party can win an election in St Lucia in the near future, if one is formed for the next election, it will only cause the slp to win ALL the seats. That does not take away from it, SLP MUST WIN THE NEXT ELECTION IN ST LUCIA, third party or not, because uwp can NEVER win an election in St lucia in the near future.
Slp has too much corruption and they were outright rejected by the people, they will not be back for a long, long time.
UWP has no corruption so they will win the next election, in your dreams. Lucians are not as illiterate as before, Kenny provided a primary and secondary school place for all. So if the parents are illiterate their children will educate them as to what is going on.
My third party theory can from being a Lucian and following the elections very closely. Slp could hav NEVER won a seat in Micoud south but they did because there was a third candidate. In the time of PLP uwp won a few seats in Castries because there was a third party.
Bava,ou, Bava.
You seeing and following so much yet you not see the SLP defeat coming in the last election. It was people like you who were out there laughing and so self assured that Compton could not beat a nice,attractive and younger shabin called Kenny.
You can't be seeing and following with clarity if you don't see the arrow that is heading for the butt of your party.
Look back at the history of politics in St.Lucia over the last 30 yrs and you will see that the people would give many years to a party to turn things around and if the party fails, then they turn around and give a chance to the other party.
So therefore I don't see the SLP coming back in the near future, they had a decade to turn things around but they screwed up.
I think that St.Lucians are one of the most patient people in the world and hats off. In the end, no one can say that they weren't given a chance. They just take things for granted, that's all.
One of the main reasons why slp lost the last election because the media tagged against then. Rick Wayne went all out to criticise them because Kenny fired him, Joke Bois did the same because he is or as being paid. And all the others were always highlighting the mistakes of the slp. So people gave Compton another chance, not realising his age, and the incompetent team he had around him, some people even voted uwp because they wanted a stronger opposition. But all that has changed, because most of the people have regrated that, because of the mess these fellows have created in St Lucia. In slp term, they made many mistakes, but they were working and developing the country and things was moving. Now we end up with a government that is only making mistakes and nothing much is happening in the country. So with that fact, uwp will NEVER win the next election, and slp will win.
In your dreams.
You ever believe that we Lucians will ever vote that uwp back in the next election. When i heard from them myself from the uwp. They campaigned against the IMF and VAT now they are going that road.
I am begging you PLEASE list for all St Lucian to see the achievements of the uwp, so that they deserve re election.
They've only been in power for less than three yrs, so you'd have to give them at least 9.5 yrs.
9.5 yrs to do what, at the rate they are going, we will die before 5 yrs, IMF, VAT etc.
VAT is important, that is one of the ways that the government can make money to spend on social programs, ask Canada, they've had it for years and it's working.
The richer you are the more you buy, the more you buy the more the government has, the more the government has the more they can spend on the poor ..etc
That is not what the uwp told us, they told us VAT is a bad thing and slp will impose it on us. I heard personally King the present PM criticising VAT on his political platform, to get elected, now he is sing a different song.
That's politricks for you. I'd take them with a grain of salt.
The Canadians call it GST and it's done alot for the country.
It is also a means of wealth re-distribution so it will affect mostly the upper/middle class because they spend more money.
It is also a form of patiotism, meaning they support the development of the country and help eradicate poverty. So in the end, it's a good thing for all.
What about IMF?
I'm all for VAT bringing in extra income. It works for Barbados.
But the most pressing issue for me is security in the country. I preferred when the British officers were here running the force. There was more police presence on the road and they looked good in their new uniforms!
Just for that my vote is leaning towards SLP.
I'm an independent so I haven't decided on which party to vote for yet.
I do not think many people in their right frame of mind will ever think of voting for the uwp.
Look at Chastanet in the picture, big show with no results.
Chastanet is all over the newspapers, showing his fact, ask him what has he achieved for St Lucia, for the tax dollars we are paying him.
Chastanet is gonna be your Prime Minister, like it or not.
Which party will he win with?
I am tired of seeing Chastanet face on all the news papers, i think he should use his time to do some for the money we are paying him instead, because we have not seen much good from him.
So I take it Chastanet is running his ministry too transparently? Is that what you're saying?
Chastanet is trying to improve airlift to St. Lucia, get a tv campaign going for our biggest tourism customers and shift the tourist board away from managing festivals here and focus more on marketing the island. With all the awards hotels and landscapes are winning here we should be having tourists choking up our ports.
There goes the monopoly and autocratic show case from the 2% of individuals or less who control the economic activities of the tourism product and St.Lucia for that matter, who defy the masses when question or challenged in any capacity. The St.Lucia publics have no effect on Butch except to be employees for his proprieties and will not succumb to the natives ideologies, regardless. Financial report of public funds by Butch too the people of St.Lucia, wake up people!!!Be advice that, top executives are not comfortable and not interested with subordinates, particularly when they are the largest employer. This situation may grow worst, should Sandals, Almond Morgan/Chastanet be permitted to transact on another property on the Island. Butch interest is primarily to his share holders. Not the government or people of St.Lucia.
ZEIGY, With all Chastanet appearance on TV, radio, with all his Transparency as you said and his face all over the newpapers. He NEVER told us, the public, who is paying him about the missing, or disappeared funds in the tourist board, until the story was leaked out and was being discussed on a radio talk show. He appeared in the station trying to blame the slp for the missing funds, saying the board was not audited under the slp. Pierre went on live TV with the evidence proving him to be a liar. Is that transparency? List Chastanet achievements so far, that you are so impressed with him, bearing in mind that U. S presidents are accessed in the first 100 days, Chastanet is there for 2 1/2 plus years.
@ ^
Fine. I still think he's a good minister.
We have to keep the global economy in mind, I mean if money is tight then people will visit cheaper places like Mexico and the DR so it's unfortunate that Chantanet is the Tourism minister in these troubled times.
Pierre had the good times and he didn't perform that good. So give Chastanet some slack, Ok?
ZEIGY, In what way or ways Chastanet is a good minister?
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