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CONDOLENCE MESSAGE ON THE MURDER
OF
MARCIA PHILBERT-JULES
By Senator the Honourable Tessa Mangal
June 26, 2007
It is with the deepest sorrow and sadness that I extend sympathy on behalf of
the Government and people of Saint Lucia, to the family of the late Marcia
Philbert-Jules, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Physical Development.
Marcia’s brutal and barbaric murder was certainly not a befitting end to the
life of such a beautiful Caribbean person. As a Caribbean person she made Saint
Lucia her home and she felt comfortable here.
Marcia contributed significantly to the development of our country from being a
conscientious economist in the Ministry of Finance to being Permanent Secretary
in the Ministries of Health, Human Services, Family Affairs, Gender Relations,
Home Affairs and Physical Development. Her dedication and devotion to duty saw
her skillfully managing difficult initiatives like the commissioning of the
Bordelais Correctional Facility and several other socio-economic projects on
behalf of Saint Lucia.
Her tragic death in the prime of her productive life is undeserved, unwarranted
and certainly should not go unpunished. Already our police force has in custody
a suspect and we are confident that no effort will be spared in swiftly bringing
to justice the perpetrators of this heinous, hateful, and hurtful act.
As we ponder this terrible tragedy, we have to come to terms with the gruesome
reality that violent crime must be abated. However this is a situation which can
only persist if we allow it to, and so as conscientious citizens we must all
abhor and become appalled by criminal activity no matter who the perpetrators
are. We must develop an intolerance for criminal behaviour and those who commit
crimes must not be able to find any comfort or protection among family or
friends. Crime is no respecter of persons as Marcia’s case clearly demonstrates,
and today’s protector can very well be tomorrow’s victim.
It is therefore the civic duty of every citizen to report crime to the police
for action. It is also the responsibility of every Saint Lucian to take your
security seriously and take the necessary precautions to protect yourself, as
Marcia’s murder demonstrates the lengths to which criminals will go to commit
their crimes. Many members of the public came to the assistance of the police in
this case and so I must commend you for your support in reclaiming our country
from the criminal elements.
In her own way, even in her death, Marcia made a bold statement against crime by
fighting to the death in defence of her person. She paid with her life and so
her self sacrifice must not be allowed to be in vain. No amount of words or
condolences can adequately compensate her family and friends for the deep loss
they have suffered, but nonetheless we extend our support and solidarity to them
in this time of trial and tragedy.
We pray for the soul of Marcia and the sanity of her family and friends as they
struggle to deal with her sorrowful loss. May God bless her in death as he
blessed her in life and may her light of love and devotion continue to shine in
our country and region.
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