THE following good news landed on my I-Pad yesterday:
As celebrations continue for the observance of Levern Spencer’s 20th Consecutive Year of National Representation and St. Lucia’s 40th Anniversary of Independence, a special event dubbed “Levern Treats 40 At 40” will be held this weekend (on Sunday 17th February 2019 at Union Orchid Garden from 1:30pm).
Gregory Dickson, Local Manager To Levern Spencer, says: “It is one of the ways by which Levern Spencer, in Collaboration with the group F. O. C. U. S and the Babonneau Constituency Council, has decided to give back to the Babonneau Community as she will be treating 40 seniors from the community to a special lunch.
A Cultural Vocal Band from the community will be on hand to treat the seniors to some special music whilst they enjoy this 3-course lunch.
I read it immediately after seeing what former UWP Cabinet Minister and Independent MP for Castries Central Richard Frederick had to say about the renaming of Serenity Park after former Governor General, Deputy Prime Minister and veteran Castries Central MP Sir George William Mallet.
From the day I was told by my good friend at the CCC that the plan was “not to rename the park, but to add Sir George Mallet’s name to it”, I knew we were heading here.
I would not have touched the original name, not even with a vaulting pole. But now that it’s been stretched, the promises to cut it back to size have started rolling-in, almost assuring that this whole affair will be revisited, again and again, in the near or distant future.
I know how far these things can go – and we’ve been there before, like over the (inescapable) renaming of the National Commercial Bank (NCB) to the Bank of Saint Lucia (BOSL) and the location (or relocation) of related plaques, two of which today exist on the same building in the name of two different prime ministers.
I’m not the only one who hates the way in which we can easily scandalize national symbols and/or persons of national stature and/or things of national import.
It is therefore solely against the background of taking this affair out of the partisan political realm that I propose that – if, against all odds, there is to be another name-change – that those insisting on that approach consider find a compromise way to do so, this year and right now, by agreeing to elevate the debate and agree to simply, deservingly (and most appropriately in the circumstances) name or christen the park after Levern Spencer.
No one needs to spell-out her national, regional and international heroism, as the longest consecutive winner of the annual National Sportswoman of the Year award.
Who in all of Saint Lucia — and not just in Babonneau (where she is from) or Castries Central (where the park is located) – can we claim to be a more fitting national symbol to immediately solve this ugly and snowballing national political identity crisis?
We’ve just done it for Mindoo (Phillip). So what of Levern?
And what of the little RC Boy who gave the park its perfect name? I would give him the first chance to decide, or seek his advice first. But in this special case, I know better than to expect the unexpected.
Which is why I’m tossing Levern’s name in the ring with the following rhyme, hoping that in this case, I’m not just a rope-a-dope hoping against hope…
Ting-a-ling-a-ling…
Church bells ring
Christening or Re-christening
Let the serene bells ring!
(Courtesy: earl@large)
Everything this government do bent on dividing the country. Chastanet knighted and now park renamed after UWP politician all that in the wake of another very divisive UWP politician made governor general. If they had to rename the park they could have an ordinary citizen to honour.