The council [of the Saint Lucia National Trust] shall, with the approval of the minister, and upon such terms and conditions as it may determine, appoint a director.” So states Section 46 of the National Trust Rules established on June 2, 1984. The minister referred to is also the nation’s prime minister, who recently gave the thumbs down to the Trust’s submission of Jeanine Compton-Antoine as a replacement for the present director Bishnu Tulsie, soon to proceed on retirement. It is unclear whether the rules require the minister to offer reasons for his approval or disapproval of Trust submissions.
In a lengthy document on Wednesday, the organisation revealed that Prime Minister Allen Chastanet had stated three main reasons during a call to a local radio station last month for his disapproval of Ms. Compton-Antoine as director of the trust: political disagreements with the applicant, the fact that she was not the Trust’s first choice, and ability to do the job.
At a press conference on Thursday, Bishnu Tulsie referenced the prime minister’s radio call: “We feel that the reasons given are either not grounded on facts or seem to have some considerations that we did not put into the decision we arrived at.” Tulsie said political issues were not taken into consideration in the recruitment phase. As for competence, he said that Compton-Antoine, like other candidates, was assessed based on the criteria for the job. He insists that their decisions were guided by the results of a rigorous four-step screening process that concluded that the chosen candidate was competent. The first and second candidates finally were unavailable, so the Trust turned to Ms Compton-Antoine whose score was just 6 per cent lower than the front-runner’s.
Council Chair Allison King told reporters the prime minister had provided no reasons for not approving the appointment of Compton-Antoine, save for what he said during a call to a radio station. Nevertheless Compton-Antoine was hired in December 2019, as corporate services manager, on a one-year contract. Chastanet raised questions about this decision, on the ground that the Trust had circumvented the spirit of the Act by creating a new position.
The Trust countered that the position in question had been created when the 2009-2019 strategic plan was approved. King is optimistic that in the next six months—as the Trust continues to carry out its mandate in a genuine way—everyone will recognize its focus is not on politics but on looking after the nation’s patrimony.
Bishnu Tulsie is going ahead with his retirement plans, and will proceed on several months’ leave at the end of this month. In the interim there will be an officer in charge. “Very likely,” said King, “it will be Jeannine.”Asked what will happen when Tulsie’s leave ends and the director position becomes open again, King said: “We will decide what we do at that point. It’s still early so we have some time to deliberate and decide how we move forward.”
Will Compton-Antoine, in charge, add more tension to an already rocky relationship? King said it may very well, but her wish is that as Officer in Charge, Compton-Antoine will demonstrate her capabilities. Outgoing director Tulsie added: “The Trust pursues an agenda that tries to balance conservation and development. Whether it is me, or Jeannine, or you in this job, our actions will be guided by the dictates of the members of the Trust and by the principles laid down by the council.”
