ADDRESS

BY

HONOURABLE DAMIAN E. GREAVES

MINISTER FOR HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES, FAMILY AFFAIRS AND GENDER RELATIONS

ON THE OCCASION OF

WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY

MAY 31^ST, 2006

May 31^st, has been designated by the World Health Organization as “World No Tobacco Day”. This day is recognized by countries around the world as an opportunity to raise awareness about the detrimental and devastating effects of tobacco. It is also used as an occasion to exhort tobacco users to refrain from use, for one day, as a step towards total abstinence altogether. The theme of this year’s “World No Tobacco Day” is : “Tobacco : Deadly in any form or disguise.”

This theme is extremely relevant for several reasons, most important among which are the following:

1. it clearly points out the true nature of tobacco and tobacco products : the word used is deadly. The meaning of this word according to the New Oxford Dictionary of English is “causing or able to cause death”.

   Twantenyen May toulezanne sÉ jounen modial kont lafimen tabak. sa sé an jou laté-a ka méte asou koté pou fe tout moun sav mannye lafimen sigawet ek tabak ka detwi lavi moun ek ka enkouwajé moun pou westÉ lwen lafimen sigawet ek tabak. tem-la ki chwazi pou lanné sala sé: “SIGAWET EBEN TABAK KA tjwé AN NEPOT MANNYE I PWEZANTE KO’Y”. TEM SALA ENPOTAN PISKI I KA MOUTJWÉ FOS DANJEWÉ SIGAWET DANJEWÉ.

   there is something else that I feel duty bound to reveal to you, and it is this ; do you know that cigarettes and other tobacco products are the only consumer goods in the world that are guaranteed to kill half the people who use them, even if or especially if, they are used according to the manufacturer’s instructions? Think about IT; every cigarette you smoke brings you or someone with whom you spend a lot of time, a little bit closer to disease and painful death.

   FEW EK SE, SENT LISYEN KON MWEN MENM, LA NI AN BAGAY MWEN obligé DI’W. ES OU SAV SIGAWET EK LOT PODWI TABAK Sé SEL PODWI KI KONSOUMé PEYI-A KA SEVI KI ASIWé POU TJWé AN DIMI AN Sé MOUN-LA KI KA SEVI’Y, MENM SI YO SEVI’Y SILON DIWEKSYON BIZNIS-LA KI KA PODWI’Y? KATJILé ASOU SA. CHAK SIGAWET OU FIMEN KA MENNEN-OU EBEN AN MOUN KI PWe’w PLI PWé MALADI EK LANMO.

2. The other reason why the theme “Tobacco : deadly in any form or disguise” is so relevant is that it alludes to one of the tactics or strategies used by tobacco companies to get people to start using and to continue using cigarettes and other tobacco products. This strategy as the theme indicates, rests upon the presentation of the deadly products in a manner which suggests that they are less lethal than they really are. this is what the words like “Kool”, “Light”, and “Menthol” to name a few are supposed to do. They are supposed to make us think, they are actually supposed to make us believe that Kool cigarettes, or Light cigarettes or Menthol cigarettes are safer; that they in some way will cause us less HARM, that their ill effects will not be as great as “normal” cigarettes”.

This is one of the greatest deceptions of the Tobacco Industry. Cigarettes Kill and no amount of disguises can diminish that fact.

lot wéson ki fe tem-la otan apopyab sé piski i ka moutjé kantité tactic se kompani-an ka sevi pou fe moun koumansé ek kontiné fimen sigawet. yo ka sevi apoch sala pou pwezanté an podwi ki otan danjewe kon “KOOL” “LIGHT EBEN LEJE” EK “MENTHOL”. PA GADé TOUT SA YO KA DI KONMKWé I KOOL, YO TOUT KA FE MENM KALITé EK KANTITé DONMAJ.

Today, I want everyone to know that cigarettes kill, that all tobacco products kill.

I also want you to know that because the government of saint Lucia is aware of this, and because the health and well being of our people are our most important concerns, we have taken measures to provide the necessary protection for our people. One of these measures is that in November 2005, late last year, Saint Lucia became party to the first ever Public Health Treaty in the whole world; the “World Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.”. the dangers posed by tobacco and tobacco products are so great that it has been necessary to develop a health treaty, so that all nations of the world could have a unified, comprehensive plan to minimize and eventually eliminate the danger of tobacco.

JODIA, MWEN VLÉ TOUT MOUN SAV KI SIGAWET EK LOT PODWI TABAK KA TJWé. EK PISKI GOUVEDMAN SENT LISI NI ANCHAY LANTEWE AN SANTE PEP PEYI-A, NOU JA PWAN DISIZYON DEPI NOVANM LANNE PASé, LE SENT LISI SIYé AGWEMAN SANTé PIBLIK POU KONTOLé LAFIMEN SIGAWET EK TABAK. GOUVEDMAN KA PWAN SANTé MOUN KI AFEKTé PA LAFIMEN SIGAWET BYEN SEWYé.

The Framework Convention aims to stop this global epidemic of disease, disability, losS OF productivity and death, caused by the use of tobacco products. The convention proposes the use of various price and non price measures such as increases in taxation and prices as well as changes in labeling of the products such as cigarette boxes. these are some of the things that we will be implementing as we endeavour to safeguard our health and well being.

On this day, “World No Tobacco Day” 2006, we ask you to join us; to show your commitment to the development of our nation, by taking one step; by not smoking today, by not using any tobacco product today. We all have a right to breathe clean air and we all have a responsibility to protect our health and that of our loved ones. Let us together step into a brighter, healthier tomorrow with cleaner, fresher air.

konvensyon sala ki gouvedman ja siyé kont malidI, dezabilite, pedant abilite twavaye ek lanmo annekoz pa sevis podwi tabak, ka eseye meté pli tax asou sigawet ek difewan ekwiti ek avetisman asou se bwet sigawet-la. sa se adan se apoch-la gouvedman ka sevi pou potejÉ santÉ pep peyi-a. jodia, nou ka mandé w pou wendé kow ek sipoté developman peyi-a. annou fe an efo pou doubout fimen jodia. nou tout ni an dwa pou espiwe sa ki net ek nou osi ni an weskonsabilite pou potejé anmi nou.

Together we can put an end to disease and death. We must be committed, we must be steadfast, we must expose the truth; Tobacco is deadly in any form or disguise. So today, let us celebrate life, let us say “No” to tobacco and let us stop the march of death.

Our lives are infinitely more important than the profits of tobacco companies, even though they would have us believe otherwise. Let us draw the LINE; If you don’t smoke, don’t start and if you smoke quit! You can do it…….we can do it. If you have any questions or need help, please call the Substance Abuse Secretariat at 451 8990 or 453 0038, or you can visit THE SECRETARIAT upstairs RBTT on Micoud Street, Castries.

Together we can make it happen, I look forward to working with every single one of you towards a healthier, better St. Lucia.

si nou meté tet nou ansanm, nou sa doubout maladi sala ek jik lanmo. nou ni pou ni an konmitman ek palé laviwité. sigawet ek lot podwi tabak ka tjwé an nepot fason. alo, jodia, annou selebwé lavi, annou di “NON” POU SIGAWET EK PODWI tabak EK ANNOU DOUBOUT SE LANMO-A KI ANNEKOZ PA LAFIMEN SIGAWET EK LOT PODWI TABAK.

LAVI NOU TWOP PLI ENPOTAN PASé POFI SE GO KOMPANI SIGAWET-LA. SI OU PA KA FIMEN, PA KOUMANSé! EK SI OU KA FIMEN, SA SE LE-A POU OU DOUBOUT! OU SA FE’Y! SI OU NI PYES KESYON EBEN SI OU BIZWEN ASISTANS KWIJé BIWO ABIZMAN DWOG A LIMOWO TELEFON 451 8990 EBEN 453 0038 EBEN OU SA VIZITE YO ANHO GWIYEN BANK RBBT ASOU LAWI MICOUD AN KASTWI. SI NOU TWAVAY ANSANM, I SA FET. ANOU FE SENT LISI PLI MEYé AN SANTÉ POU NOU TOUT!

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