THE Lambirds scandal gets more bizarre with each passing day and forces us to ask whether there is really any kind of authority in this country.
It seems strange to us that this matter has been running for more than two months and there has been no attempt by the voices of power and authority in our country, either to clear the air or to explain to the public, the details of this embarrassing episode. It’s a classic case of irresponsibility in high places, never mind the frequently heard clichés and expressed commitment to, and promises of accountability.
On Monday, police reported that seven Nepalese out of the group of more than 60 Asian “students” left stranded here after the so called Lambirds Academy was unceremoniously shut down, and who were reported as “missing” late last week, were being detained in Grenada. It appears that they departed our shores by boat without the knowledge of our police.
But how could that be? That these students who had threatened to take their own lives in the wake of the breaking of the scandal, were so free to move about the country and do as they please, that they were able to negotiate their travel, not to St Vincent, Martinique or Barbados, which are the countries in our immediate vicinity, but to Grenada, down in the south of the islands chain.
Even with this latest development, our nation of the dumb and blind public officials have no word for the public on this continuously unfolding saga. The promise of an inquiry three weeks ago has failed to materialize without explanation even while the stench of this scandal rises higher and higher. No investigator has been appointed, far less terms of reference of the investigation revealed. It appears that our authorities feel that they have no responsibility to even comment sensibly on this vexing matter.
But this has become so characteristic. If a matter causes embarrassment, just ignore it. Why should we have to explain anything to anyone?
Have the police launched an investigation to determine who took those students away from the island without the consent of an Immigration Officer? As far as we are aware it is an offence to leave a destination without such clearance, or have our immigration laws like everything else, been thrown out of the window as well? So will these students be returned to St Lucia, and would we not have to charge them despite the ordeal they have had here?
The fact of the matter is Lambirds is more than just about some stranded and disappointed students who paid money to come to St Lucia to get an education and apparently were taken for a ride. It also has to do with alleged crimes of money laundering and human trafficking which are currently in the courts. Given the way our court system works, should we expect a resolution there anytime soon?