CASTRIES, St Lucia (Jan 21, 2014) – The LPM stands by its press released January 20th 2014 and will make no apology for its argument that “if it is proven that Pratt and his wife were denied clearance to leave because of our nation’s overbearing bureaucratic system ... then our government no doubt has a lot to answer to the United Kingdom and the rest of the international community.”
Moreover, whether or not the blogs which were earlier today highlighted by the BBC and other British news portal were inaccurate, it does not in any detract from the reality that Saint Lucia does have overbearing system of bureaucracy.
Crime in our homeland is what claimed the life of Mr. Pratt. Therefore, unless we end the political hypocrisy and denial, there can be no resolution of the problem.
Saint Lucian patriotism as defined by Shelton Daniel is nothing but a fallacy, and unless persons like Sheldon Daniel are willing to speak truth to power there can be no resolution to the crime situation in Saint Lucia. Therefore no agent of the government of Saint Lucia can disprove that Margaret Pratt’s blog post did not exist prior to last night’s news on major local televisions stations.
The blogs speak for themselves!
Margaret Pratt’s blog may have been removed but there is still a record online of the relevant contents:
Margaret Pratt wrote on her blog in the hours before the attack of how bureaucracy had thwarted their attempts to leave that part of the Caribbean.
She wrote in her blog: "On Thursday morning the plan was to clear out from Soufriere, then to travel south and use up the 72 hours before we had to be away.
"But bureaucracy intervened. HM Customs and Excise in Soufriere told us that exit had to happen within 24 hours of clearing out; and that anyway, we couldn't clear out of Soufriere that day because the Immigration Officer hadn't come to work(!!)
"So here we are in Vieux Fort, the most southerly port of clearance in St Lucia. It's very different. There's a port; an airport and no tourists - and so it's a regular town."
This is the second tourism related incident to figure prominently in the British media within one month – the first being the near disaster with the Virgin Atlantic aircraft, that have serious implications for the economy.
“There is grave concern in and out of Saint Lucia about the crime situation and everyone, from entrepreneurs to representatives of external agencies and governments, is hoping for a solution.” - Dr. Robert Lewis, Member of Parliament while in opposition, December 22, 2010.
Now after two years of SLP government, not only has the situation not improved it is getting worse.
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