Who Is Gilbert Chagoury?

THAT’S A question many Saint Lucians are asking since the announcement by Her Excellency the Governor General, of the Independence Day awards, marking thirty-six years of political freedom for her island.

For my part, the highlight of the recent observances was neither the military parade in the north nor the dance and frolic and ‘theatre’ in the south. Instead, it was the official naming of the list of honorees. Among those was one name which stuck out like a sore thumb, and which surprised many. I refer of course to none other than ‘Gilbert Chagoury.’

Whence cometh Gilbert Chagoury and what is his claim to fame? Let me rephrase that question: What did Gilbert Chagoury do for the people of Saint Lucia to qualify as a recipient of the prestigious Order of Saint Lucia – the Saint Lucia Cross (SLC)? This is one of the highest honours this island can confer to deserving persons. One ought therefore to know who nominated Chagoury and why?

I am confident that no Saint Lucian at home or overseas will question the SLC which was conferred on Doctor Martin Didier, one who needs no introduction to Saint Lucians twenty-one years and over. Surely Dr. Didier along with several other medical practitioners, whom I can name, is deserving of such high accolade. Several medical professionals have chosen to render their expertise to this island at great personal sacrifice and cost to themselves and their families. These men and women could have been earning millions in more developed countries. Instead, they chose to serve the people of Saint Lucia who are grateful for the services of these dedicated men and women.

This tickles more questions such as: Is Gilbert Chagoury a medical professional who has rendered yeoman service to Saint Lucia? Was he one of those who helped George Charles, Oleo Jn. Baptiste, Charles Augustine and others establish trade unionism in Saint Lucia? Is he a local fire officer who fought destructive fires in Castries and Soufriere in times past? Was he one of the early educators who set his mark on the island that produced two Nobel Laureates and many other excellent sons and daughters? Who indeed is Gilbert Chagoury; where was he born, how did he come to such national prominence in Saint Lucia and what (or who) sustains his island connections?

For answer, I turned to Rick Wayne, whom I consider a proficient national archivist. I then discovered that Rick had mentioned Gilbert Chagoury in his weekly talk show last Thursday, February 26. Rick had not only questioned the ‘honourable’ Chagoury’s SLC award, and also expressed an intention to pursue the matter in his Star newspaper. I should watch ‘Talk’ on Thursday evenings and be certain to read the Star newspaper.

Let me be clear, I first heard the name Gilbert Chagouray some thirty or so years ago in certain government circles. It appeared at the time that Chagoury had been introduced to Prime Minister Compton as a ‘filthy-rich’ investor who wanted to lavish his well earned money on the poor island of Saint Lucia. The island had just emerged from years of colonialism into full political independence. I did not hear that name again until recently. I assumed the man had either returned to his native land or that he had suffered and died from an excessive dose of prosperity. No mention of a requiem or a tribute was reported.

Still, the question why now, and, why Gilbert Chagoury, begs itself! I therefore ask again, how did the name Gilbert Chagouryreach the National Awards Committee and what is his history of service to the people of Saint Lucia? When was he first named ‘Ambassador’ and how has he managed to survive when so many others have been axed by vengeful newly minted ‘Lucian’ politicians. Who first introduced him to Prime Minister Compton? How did he survive the axe of new Labour? Remember, dear reader that, new Labour was determined to overturn everything which Compton had either touched or built or appointed? In this regard readers ought to be curious to discover the love fest between successive Governments, and the man Gilbert Chagoury.

Whilst this year’s national awards – and Gilbert Chicory in particular – coursed through my mind the following quotation surfaced and defined my feelings. It was delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (not ‘I Have a Dream’) in which he adopted a poem by James Russell Lovell, (1845) titled “The Present Crisis.”
“Once to every man and nation comes a moment to decide,
In the strife of truth and falsehood, for the good or evil side;
Some great cause, God’s new Messiah, offering each the bloom of blight,
And the choice goes by forever twixt that darkness and that light.
Though the cause of Evil prosper, yeti’s Truth alone is strong
Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne, –
Yet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.”

Perhaps a more deserving tribute on the 36th anniversary of Saint Lucia’s independence belongs to the Cabinet Secretary whose vision and creative energy has amply demonstrated that independence is much more than a date. It is a state of mind – a journey undertaken through the collective will of a people determined to add to the broader good. That Saint Lucian journey, partially told in recent pictu0.res in Castries, should serve to inspire a new generation.

Oh, how I wish there was some picture or record of Gilbert Chagoury at work on that journey.