By Kurt Reynolds

For some time now Straight-Up host Claudius Francis has made the appointment of Dr James Hepple as tourism consultant to the St Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) almost a personal issue. Francis and former tourism minister Philip J Pierre have been at the forefront of opposition to the appointment. The pair, in various media, have argued that there are St Lucians more than able to function as consultants, performing identical duties as would be required of Hepple, at a fraction of the cost—US$150,000.

Now with news that Hepple officially started work Monday, after a relaxing weekend at the recently ended Food and Rum Festival, the controversy has again come into the spotlight. On Wednesday’s Straight Up, Claudius Francis made it clear he had no vendetta against Senator Chastanet. “I’ve actually been waiting for an interview with Minister Chastanet for some time now,” Francis told his listeners. “There are people who actually arranged the interview and he agreed. But that is Allen Chastanet, if you go on the radio and you criticize him he is up in arms but the minute it’s died down, he forgets about this meeting . . . Once he thinks he has matters under control, he forgets about you.”

According to Francis, Chastanet had been at it again, this time “putting his amply sized foot into his more than ample mouth” at a recent meeting in Micoud. “I mean, who does Allen Chastanet think he is? Allen Chastanet is looking like some white landlord talking to a bunch of black slaves that night, with the foolishness he was saying!” said a clearly riled up Francis. “You know I don’t usually say those words but that’s how it came across.”

“In his Micoud address, Chastanet said he and his government have plans to make Micoud the envy of St Lucia,” Francis went on. “So much development will take place in Micoud, that the people in Micoud would not know what to do! But the fantastic budget that they said Sir John put this year, not one cent of it was earmarked for Micoud. Now, that same budget is already one hundred and four million dollars in deficit . . . Where is Allen Chastanet going to get the money from, Michael Chastanet?” questioned Francis. Then he dropped the bombshell that he’d been saving: Maria Fowell was no longer SLTB director.

 “Dr Hepple started working on the first of November, he’s traveled twice already and he’s going again today, November 7, with the minister. My sources tell me that among the reasons they’re leaving is because Maria Fowell is out as director of tourism.” Francis said he could not say whether Fowell had resigned freely or whether she’d been forced.  That matter was addressed when Chastanet appeared on Timothy Poleon’s NewsSpin less than an hour later. A caller put the question to the tourism minister: Is Maria Fowell still the director of the St Lucia Tourist Board?

Chastanet said she was. The caller pushed again: I understand that she has resigned. Chastanet confirmed that was the case, but said the resignation had not taken effect. “Maria Fowell has handed in her letter of resignation but she will be the director until the end of this month,” he said. “Unfortunately she gave us that letter just before she went off island and the decision was to hold it back until we were able to meet with the board. The board is going to be meeting right after the American Airlines inaugural on the 17 [November].”

After more prodding Chastanet confirmed that only he, board chairman Laurie Barnard and Fowell officially knew of the resignation. The other board members were hearing of it, like the rest of the nation, for the first time. He insisted Fowell had resigned “of her own free will.” “I understand that she has gotten a very good job offer but she was not able to tell us where that job offer was because she had signed a secrecy [agreement] with that company. But she will be making an announcement as to where she will be going at the end of the month,” said Chastanet. Fowell has never publicly complained about anything relating to Hepple’s appointment. Meanwhile, speaking to this reporter last Sunday, Chastanet denied interviews with Hepple, citing that the consultant “would be very busy.”