This week’s government press briefing started in regular fashion except that Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre was back on island fresh from the much-anticipated CARICOM Heads of Government meeting featuring US secretary of State Marco Rubio.
At the Press briefing, the Prime Minister first attempted to clear the air on rambling on social media concerning his perceived silence at the CARICOM meeting in St. Kitts and Nevis. “Contrary to what you may hear, the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting is not a speaking meeting. You don’t go there and speak and give speeches, that is not true. The speeches are held at the opening ceremony. It’s a set list of speakers. New Prime Ministers, that means people who have just won elections, so Prime Minister (Godwin) Friday spoke, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, outgoing Chairman Andrew Holness of Jamaica and incoming Chairman Dr. Terrence Drew of St. Kitts/Nevis.”
Among the issues reaching the discussion table were food and energy security, expansion of inter-regional trade, effects of climate change on the region and the much talked about geo-political environment facing the region at the moment. With regards St. Lucia Specifically, Prime Minister Pierre highlight a number of positives coming from the high-level meeting including another 6-million-dollar loan for school rehabilitation. The Kingdon of Saudi Arabia was engaged, according to the Prime Minister, in so far as the redevelopment of the stadium in the south is concerned. PM Pierre spoke of the enthusiasm of the Saudis particularly after their successful involvement in the St. Jude Hospital redevelopment project.
WASCO and the reported impending water crisis took center stage in St. Lucia’s CARICOM discussions with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) committing to aid St. Lucia’s water struggle. “Next week we are going to go to cabinet for the guarantee for the loan and then the steps have to take place. There must be discussions with the community, that’s how the CDB does its business. So, in the meantime we have to see how we can continue repairs to minimize the loss of water but the job on the pipeline from the Theobalds treatment plant will not happen until January next year when the bank would have finished its processes.”
There are also moves afoot through cabinet to aid water harvesting expected to be announced in the near future. The Prime Minister is convinced that water harvesting will alleviate some of the island’s water woes.