The safety and security of revellers during carnival remains critical to government, Tourism Minister Dr. Ernest Hilaire said Monday, adding that officials are already planning for the two-day event scheduled for Monday and Tuesday of next week.
The island, of late, has seen a rapid spike in homicides, with gun violence being recorded almost every weekend. Additionally, there have been growing concerns surrounding the staging of the two-day event, the latter, not being entirely unwarranted, Hilaire indicated.
Last weekend, the island recorded four homicides; one in Babonneau, two in Anse-la-Raye and one in Morne Du Don. The weekend before three young persons (two females and a male) were fatally shot in Dennery, after the community hosted its annual carnival event.
Some individuals fear that the incidents might be repeated, however, Hilaire noted that the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) is gearing up for the event and is doing everything in its power to thwart off criminal activities.
According to him, “I can understand why anybody would… have apprehensions about safety and security. I just finished… discussing preparations and arrangements for carnival (with the police). They did a fantastic job last year and they do have a plan.”
“I cannot go into the operational plans of what they will do and what they will not do, but I have to tell Saint Lucians we are doing everything we can to ensure that everybody is safe and secure,” Hilaire told reporters at a press briefing on Monday, adding that “the public has to help the police; people cannot expect and ask for safety and security and expect the police to do it on their own without the support of the public.”
Thousands are expected to turn out for this year’s event and Hilaire is hoping that this year Saint Lucia will record even higher figures. Last year, nearly 10,000 visitors visited the island for carnival, Hilaire said, noting that this week is “a big week when the private fetes take over.”
“The numbers have already started, I can see it from the daily arrivals. Last year we had about, 9,800 individuals who stated that they came for carnival. (This year) we’re expecting to do just as well, maybe even better than last year. On the weekend we had a couple of big (fetes)… it’s going to be a really epic carnival season,” Hilaire said.
He also noted that “we’re 95% of where we were in 2019 which tells you that we’re almost back to (our) best year. Personally, I would love more flights (and) more seats (to be available) because (the) more seats you have… the more people will come. In all of that, the airfare has never been so high (but) they’re still coming.”
The minister attributed the latter to individuals wanting a memorable experience especially since they (revellers) had to refrain from participating in events like carnival during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to him, “people want to travel, it’s almost as if they’ve had (a) psychological hangover from Covid… they want to travel and enjoy themselves, people are not living their lives the way they did before. The high airfare is not just (in) Saint Lucia… it’s throughout the region.”
Hilaire also spoke on the success of last week’s carnival events noting that the production has been top-tier thus far. And whilst some individuals were not pleased with the end results, Hilaire noted that there are various requirements for these events.
Furthermore, he indicated, some individuals were far from impartial.
“It’s one thing to post or state I think that person should have won but to say the judges (cheated) where (does) that come in? There’s a criteria the judges are asked to apply and they do so. I really feel those individuals are being unfair but we’ve reached a stage in our social discourse where anybody can say anything and anybody is an expert on everything,” Hilaire said, adding that “it’s becoming almost farcical.”
The minister had high praises for the Soca Monarch Competition, which, according to him, “was one of the best we’ve had in a long time. It’s been a while I haven’t seen a Soca Monarch where almost every song had the crowd engaged and moving. It was a fantastic show.”
“Calypso finals was great (as well). We had Kiddies Carnival… it was really good to see the young ones having some fun … Panorama was really sweet,” Hilaire said.
However, he admitted that Panorama was “a little disappointing… we didn’t have more bands… it is something we need to look into because the cost of participating in Panorama is huge. Panorama is probably our single most expensive show to put on, in terms of the infrastructure and everything, so it is not cheap but it’s Panorama and it’s an essential part of the cultural heritage that we speak of.”
“The (National Carnival Queen Pageant) was world class… Calypso finals (and) Soca Monarch were really top draw. There were challenges but as much as possible the team presented very well… hats off to the production team, the CPMC and Events Company for all the outstanding work that they’re doing,” Hilaire said, adding that “we just need to continue to evolve and improve.”