Dominica Prime Minister queries why Caribbean women buy fake eyelashes

CARICOM chairman Roosevelt Skerrit questioned the large number of false eyelashes bought by the region's women, in order to make a novel plug for Caribbean people to spend their money buying locally and regionally grown food produce rather than imported food.

He was addressing the closing news briefing of the three-day 45th Regular Conference of Caricom Heads at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain, at the Hyatt Regency on Wednesday.

The Dominican Prime Minister said, "Ladies, we see the major importation of eyelashes in the Caribbean, because we are buying it."

He said in contrast, Caribbean people should buy Caribbean-produced foods.

"I think if we buy the agricultural produce and demand the agricultural produce, then the supermarkets and the restaurants will sell to you what you want to buy."

A heavy, deep, familiar voice nearby was heard whispering to him, "Fingernail too."

Skerrit continued, "And all of the acrylic nails and so forth...

"Let us, when we go to supermarkets, demand the items from Guyana, let us demand the items from TT, demand the items from Barbados, from St Lucia, and we will see how quickly we can reduce the food import bill in the Caribbean."

At the Caricom crime symposium in TT last April, St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves raised eyebrows among listeners by partially blaming some violent crimes on young men seeking ways to keep "high-maintenance" women.

Gonsalves  said, "They associate with young women - in some cases beautiful young women who are high-maintenance – and they have to rob and steal and kill and deal in drugs in order to maintain them.

“Everybody here knows what I am talking here is the absolute truth.

“What I am talking here, people in the taverns across Trinidad and Tobago are talking about. Well, it’s time we spoke about it here."