CLOSING the stable after the horse has bolted presents its challenges in various ways. Some St. Lucians over the years have ignored the laws of the land by conducting illegal activities with our closest neighbours Martinique and St. Vincent. The former appears to have created a means of economic fulfillment based on the business enhancements of a French territory subsidized by France and the latter is an island alleged to having a surplus of marijuana, but more importantly, an island where stolen items from St. Lucia are exchanged for marijuana.
This information has been provided to us by the ordinary man on our streets, who appears to have spoken from evidence. Today, the presence of COVID-19 has rendered this level of trade totally unacceptable, but one wonders how the current administration will be able to defuse a culture which has existed for 50 years, when the perpetrators have relied on this illegal trade for survival, but more importantly, individuals who lack the education, common sense and discipline to understand the dangers of bringing their country to its knees in light of a pandemic that cannot be seen or touched, but spread at lightening speed.
It is important to acquaint the public by highlighting the concerted efforts of three tv stations which operate in tandem to confuse the public by way of excess borrowing when nearly every country worldwide is experiencing similar cash flow problems. Their propaganda is not only directed at the voters, but on several occasions, they have targeted members of the ruling party, hoping and praying in an effort to create dissention within the ranks of government. Their various slogans like “Allen Must Go” and their erratic and physical stampede at the Piton site and Marjorie Place at Cas en Bas have all fallen on deaf ears. This brings to mind the words of a particular talk show host who once stated that these individuals wish the worst for St. Lucia in order to create a breakdown of the economy, but the current PM has stood steadfast and will never give in to these vicious attacks.
The vaccine created by Moderna and Pfizer are being administered as of today and with the US army in full control, it is expected that some 50 million vaccinations will be administered by December 30th, 2020. From January 1st, 2021 to March 1st, 2021 another one hundred and ten million vaccines are expected to be administered which represents half the entire population of the United States. It is hoped that this virus will disappear as quickly as it appeared, in light of this vaccine. The amalgamation of all these great scientific minds has once again taken center stage as politicians worldwide have watched their economies crumble before their eyes.
The staff at Oxford University must also be complimented for the speed in bringing this vaccine to fruition at half the price of those produced in the US. The world has been drastically setback for one whole year and possibly by another year during the transition of the vaccines, but hopefully, the lessons learned though extremely expensive will serve as a caution to the world that nothing must ever be taken for granted.
The latest incidents with two canoes arriving from Martinique at 1:00am and 5:00am respectively with a total of eight illegal individuals remains alarming and worrisome, especially at the height of maximum surveillance and discussions. It shows a total disregard towards our authorities, but more importantly, the brazen actions of the individuals to avoid capture, resulting in one canoe being driven into the rocks and playing for additional time before the marine police can reach them. This is a time when all St. Lucians must unite to fight the scourge as we are all in this together.
Finally, the latest event by a driving instructor is beyond comprehension, that one individual can take the law in his own hands in response to a matter he feels aggrieved by. This individual should have been detained for the 72 hours as prescribed by law and every effort to withdraw his license should be pursued. The laws of this nation are being severely tampered with and prompt action is required by government to address these ongoing misdemeanors.