Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre says Cabinet will today consider a request from the family of the late Joy St Omer for an independent Commission of Inquiry, stressing that the Government has neither accepted nor rejected the proposal.
“We have not said no. We have not said yes,” Pierre told reporters at the pre-Cabinet briefing on Monday morning.
The Prime Minister said the request was received shortly before Cabinet met last week.
“That request came to me on Monday morning at 20 past ten in the morning, and the Cabinet met at 11,” Pierre said.
Pierre said establishing a Commission of Inquiry requires careful Cabinet consideration and cannot be reduced to an immediate yes-or-no decision.
“A Commission of Inquiry is not something that I can just say yes or no,” he said. “I just want to make it clear that the Government is very concerned as to the circumstances that surround all deaths.”
Several ministers were away on Monday, and Pierre said he did not have a full Cabinet present. Nevertheless, he said Cabinet would consider the request.
Asked when the family and wider public could expect a decision, he indicated that the process could take up to two weeks.
According to Pierre, even if Cabinet makes a decision on the matter immediately, it would still have to go through the necessary ratification process before it could be formally announced.
“If a decision is made today, it’ll be ratified next week,” he explained.
He said the time required for the process should not be interpreted as a lack of urgency or concern.
“It’s not because we’re tardy, not because we do not care, but because there are processes, because Cabinet decisions are important decisions, they have repercussions,” Pierre said.
He added that the Cabinet must be given sufficient time to consider all relevant factors before reaching a final position.
The St Omer family formally petitioned the Governor General last week, under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, seeking an independent examination of the systems and institutions that responded to Joy’s requests for help before her death.
The family has made clear that it is not seeking an inquiry into the criminal case arising from the 24-year-old’s death, which is before the courts. Instead, it wants the proposed inquiry to examine the institutional response, including the handling and enforcement of protection orders, communication between agencies and procedures for dealing with domestic and gender-based violence cases.
Pierre said that if the circumstances surrounding St Omer’s case point to a need for changes to existing systems or processes, his administration would act.
“If the circumstances warrant any changes in the system, in the processes, the government will surely initiate it,” he said.
The Prime Minister also rejected any suggestion that his administration had been indifferent to the circumstances surrounding Joy’s death.
“I wanna say to you that the Government did not sit idly by and allow this young lady to lose her life,” Pierre said. “It’s something that we’re very concerned about.”
In an island like St. Lucia where you have blabaamouths 24/7 – I am not certain as to how complaints are handled in relation to orders of protection. Remember the perpetrator has their own family and their own friends who for the most part – may or may not even tell them when they are wrong or try to sway them away from the path of destruction.
In addition, of paramount importance is the need to address the mental health issues which has always existed on island of which there are many — too numerous to mention. Some folk may look normal but inside the brain there is ongoing anger and turmoil and they are literally insane. Some folk have not been taught to deal with rejection and that is extremely important – no one is right every time. We need to teach our children that is is ok to be incorrect as this is how you learn and it is ok to lose for that is how to learn to fix what needs to be fixed in order to win. No one wins all the time and no one is right all the time (not even an expert) and that is ok. We must learn to agree to disagree -it’s all good.
These are issues which need to be addressed in the home first and foremost. However, when you have dysfunction and ignorance which has been handed down from generation to generation – how do you then solve these ongoing issues?? Much therapy and intervention and that in and of itself is another issue for caribbean people – most do not believe that they need therapy and some may also need medication to deal with triggers and that’s reality. However, most individuals who fall into these categories are in DENIAL that they need desperate help to navigate and deal with issues which affect them.
I have a co-worker — I always have to say to her “chill out” – you are doing too much. You have expectations of the job which is not your home. Stop getting angry when things do not go your way in the workplace – there is someone who is in charge and it is not you. You may not agree with the boss directive, however he or she is in charge. Therefore, do yourself a favor and follow your job description otherwise you will be labelled insubordinate and you will lose your job if you keep this up period full stop – and you will have no one to blame but yourself. As for me, I will continue to follow the directive set forth by the job as this is not my house – Amen — I need gainful employment in order to pay my bills.
I observed several decades ago my mother in law (a St.Lucian) (who has since passed away) – never told her kids when they were wrong – it was always the other person’s fault. I have witnessed destruction in the family dynamic based on that disgusting upbringing. Some of her children came to the US and were subsequently deported because they engaged in wrongful behavior and they thought they would have gotten away with it there – like they did in St. Lucia (no bueno) – it even went as far as her grand-children- generational issues are real.
On the other hand, in our family we were always reprimanded and told on the spot what you did was wrong. With all due respect, I have seen over the years how it has all played out in real time. The government can not fix what caregivers and parents failed to do when rearing children generation after generation. It is extremely sad what happened to the young lady and I will never condone wrong. May she RIP.