By Caribbean News Global 
WASHINGTON, USA – In many democracies, the date for general elections in a five-year term is determined by the fancy of the prime minister/president best advice and chance to win at all course – is considered thy divine prerogative.
“The former prime minister used his prerogative and called the elections early. That is his prerogative. If I choose to call the elections later, but within the Constitution, that is my prerogative,” prime minister Allen Chastanet said Friday.
The acclaim of prime minister Chastanet’s ‘prerogative’ immediately triggered many a youthful exuberance to the song title: “My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown.
“Everybody’s talking all this stuff about me
Why don’t they just let me live?
Tell me why I don’t need commission
Make my own decisions
That’s my prerogative
It’s my prerogative (it’s my prerogative) …
“It’s the way that I wanna live (it’s my prerogative)
I can do just what I feel (it’s my prerogative)
No one can tell me what to do (it’s my prerogative)
‘Cause what I’m doing I’m doing for you
“Don’t get me wrong
I’m really not souped
Ego trips is not my thing
All these strange relationships really gets me down
I see nothing wrong in spreading myself around, …” Lyrics Get Busy!
Collaboration is key
In the case of Saint Lucia as with previous elections, it is beyond the pale, except for the late Sir John Compton to be solo-mono before, and during an election campaign. In essence – collaboration is key, inward or outward.
Leading to and during the 2016 general elections, Stephenson King carried Allen Chastanet to victory, against the advice of many analysts. King was unable to understand and position his domestic and international sphere of influence. In turn, King ditched his supporting cast and accompanying factors, to his demise, and was subjected to a Cabinet of ill-defined intentions.
From a position of knowledge and experience, King made Chastanet. King, squandered his persona under the flag of being a true United Workers Party (UWP) – yellow from birth to eternity, that heavily factored his indecisions.
King is wittingly or unwittingly knowledgeable of many regrettable decisions relating to the making of “undesirables” in the political landscape of Saint Lucia; that various analyst and institutions knew, would engage and push the envelope beyond the pale. Nonetheless, King’s role in the Cabinet of ill-defined intentions calls to many unanswered questions to which he should use his ‘prerogative’ to explain “all these strange relationships” that consumes the Chastanet led-administration.
In the economic and political deviation of Saint Lucia, what matters most is – de party and – de money; votes and money are the prized possessions. Chastanet and friends of the economic and political clan played that well. But beyond that, the relevance of prime minister Chastanet does exceed his grasp, to which Saint Lucians are exhausted with buyer’s remorse.
The impact of sovereignty, integrity in public life, security and the rule of law, has returned to a colonial enclave. “Five to Stay Alive” became “95 to die dead or alive” while “lives over livelihood” is the mantra to COVID-19.
Chastanet’s inability to reduce fuel prices and tackle numerous domestic challenges is par for the course. Ego and ambition outweigh professional ethics and the oath of office, exemplified in the article – Guilty ministers beware: Top technocrats, obey the oath of office.
Ching-ching and empowerment cards promised to the electorate in 2016 became the calling card in the pockets of bankrupted and crocked government ministers. The transactions are carefully followed for future reference.
The alleged breach of trust and misfeasance in public office seems the norm, on many revelations being documented by external institutions. Many have seen the light on how inheritance and land acquisition with the right connection is a – game of now you see it now you don’t. And the proverb ‘making bread on the dead’ is a profitable business, from rags to riches.
Experts need not unveil sophisticated or covert actions and/or rely on the Financial Intelligence Authority, the integrity commission, the inland revenue department of other toothless tigers of local jurisdictions, except to perhaps collaborate that which is documented.
2021 general elections
Various external analysis have factored the political psychology and economic dilemma that gets worse for Chastanet with the correct blend of synergies mixed with calculated surprises. 2016 was an error. Chastanet knows what await’s him calling the general elections seeking – one excuse after another for a divine mishap to distract and delay his date with destiny. Thus, the propensity to embellish data and the questionable astuteness of confidence to “my prerogative”, further exposes an emperor without clothes.
As with the 2016 general election that King handed Chastanet only to be sidelined, unable to assert his bargaining chip; – in the 2021 general elections – collaboration is once again key. Therefore, it is not by accident that the Castries North and Castries Central constituencies have not been assigned endorsed candidates by the UWP and the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP). There entails a game of chess. Political foreplay and strategy. A re-incarnation of the 2016 general elections.
To err a second time is not human. Chastanet’s dilemma is a well-packaged Philip Pierre, endorsed by many in centres of international acclaim. Therefore, amid ‘barks’ and/or expressions of “ If I choose to call the elections later, but within the Constitution, that is my prerogative,” is the know fear of what’s on the horizon.
Chastanet’s ill-defined confidence, his perceived position of strength and forward guidance, cannot withstand, nor counter any caliber of intuition to confront collaboration or solidification to edit divine.
