By Caribbean News Global 
TORONTO, Canada – The concept of a July election previously reported by Caribbean News Global (CNG), prime minister, Allen Chastanet, sheepishly stated: “General election will be held on July 26, 2021, and that nomination day will be on July 16, 2021.” His unwillingness was further evident in the cry of desperation in all good conscience, as his track record should sink his administration.
Ideally, election campaigns do matter, strong ideas matter, alongside breakthrough moments that can change the course of elections and the country, as witnessed previously.
So, coupled with parliamentarians/candidates that are about to – jump ship /run as an independent, there is further speculation that a former Cabinet minister, given his record to be “open and transparent” is expected to spill the beans.
But if that makes sense of the confusion/obfuscation: “It’ll be alright in the morning”.
In a cascading speech and unbalance appearance, the prime minister attempted to focus on health, education and the economy – all miserable and mismanaged by his administration, coupled with three excuses for extending his unwelcome prime ministership to June 26, 2021.
In so doing, prime minister Chastanet, stated:
“Firstly, we were very close to the resolution of the IMPACS matter after years of negotiations with the United States government and it was critical for me as your prime minister to resolve this critical and long-standing issue which has so negatively affected our police force and our entire country for so many years.”
“We created a City Police Force specifically to target crime in the City of Castries and to make our citizens feel safer. I know the entire island will have celebrated with us two weeks ago when our negotiations with the US government ended with the resolution of the IMPACS affair which has hovered over our country like a dark cloud for the past decade. This is a major breakthrough for our country.”
Truth be told: “Saint Lucia is still subject to Leahy Law despite additional forms of appeasement”.
“The recent announcement that the “US renews security assistance to Saint Lucia” is tantamount to the description of “carrot and stick” relevant to US foreign policy vs that of the government of Saint Lucia in an election year, in need of relevance.”
Secondly, Chastanet stated: “Looking at the fallout in other Caribbean islands which held elections during COVID, I was deeply concerned about a possible massive outbreak which could overwhelm our healthcare system. I have been working for many months trying to source additional doses of the vaccine so we could have a larger percentage of our population vaccinated before the election.”
According to the government press release: Saint Lucia’s efforts to secure high demand COVID-19 vaccines, Thursday, July 1, 2021, by office of the prime minister, said: “Although Saint Lucia received donations of 25,000 doses from India and 50,400 through COVAX, this was not sufficient to ensure that at least 60 percent of our population was vaccinated to allow us to return to some level of normalcy. “[…] The government of Saint Lucia, through the ministry of health and wellness, approved this purchase through Radical Investments Limited, following verifications by the ministry of finance and the ministry of health and wellness to ensure the capacity of the supplier.”
Truth be told: At the press conference of the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) held Tuesday, March 2, 2021, political leader Philip J. Pierre reiterated his concerns about the government of Saint Lucia continued mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In the tale of two Saint Lucia’s, citizens are being asked to coexist with coronavirus that is likely to kill most. And admittedly said health minister Mary Isaac: “They dropped the ball somewhere.” And unfailing with the government mantra to blame the people for everything that has gone wrong, indicated: “Anybody who has had it dropped the ball. “They either went to visit a family member, a friend, they hugged a person they loved that had it and they got it. If I have it tomorrow, it’s because I dropped my guard.”
Thirdly, Chastanet said: “I have been very concerned about the many disruptions which our school children have suffered over the past 18 months and only recently settled back into a normal school routine. As you all know, many schools are used as polling stations and the time to have them readied for an election, sanitized and reorganized thereafter as classrooms, would require a disruption of about a week.”
Truth be told: CXC schedule, Monday July 26, 2021.
How to stop a dictator in his tracks?
Listening to the prime minister in his final episode of nothingness, wasn’t without merit in comparison to his words, actions and the Chastanet-led administration.
In many aspects of the prime ministers’ good-bye sermon Monday evening, he reasoned: “When is it time to throw out a government? – “and most significantly, from the perspective of restoring some sanity to public sector governance in our country,” why the Chastanet administration does not deserve another chance to govern Saint Lucia.
It is no longer speculation, the Chastanet-led administration is hoping to capitalize on the extended poverty of COVID-19 and relaxed restrictions to the ‘State of Emergency’ – that is managed selectively for the benefit of the United Workers Party (UWP) campaign.
But, with all things being equal, The Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) pointing to polls, can expect a return to a majority government at a minimum of 13 seats.
Could this happen? Absolutely!
In previous elections, voters can and have been indecisive, but more than ever, people are conscious about Saint Lucia’s reputation in the region and the world.
The island’s social and economic standings are not in keeping with acceptable norms; notwithstanding the prime minister and minister for finance myopic understanding of economics, presumable holding a “double degree”; meanwhile Saint Lucia’s record of governance requires not just moving on, but turning around, through transparency and fundamental principles.
Moreover, the prime minister referenced that, “this week the CARICRIS report has been published which maintained our credit rating and projected a stable outlook.” In accordance with the finance minister understanding “importantly, it indicated that the maintenance of our debt was adequate as a result of our current and projected recovery from tourism and the impact of our current and projected construction projects. […] The report shows that Saint Lucia is one of the best-performing countries in this region and that the efforts of this UWP government are working!”
Truth be told: “CariCRIS has reaffirmed the assigned ratings of CariBBB– (Foreign Currency and Local Currency Ratings) on its regional rating scale to the several debt programmes of the Government of Saint Lucia (GOSL)”. It is important to note that in July 2020 CariCRIS downgraded Saint Lucia’s debt rating and there has been no recovery from this recent downgrade. While it is good that Saint Lucia avoided a double downgrade in less than 12 months, the debt trajectory of the current administration makes another downgrade a very real possibility particularly given the impact of COVID-19 and hurricane Elsa.”
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“We truly are at a crossroads,” said the prime minister on Monday. However, evading rising questions, defying an open, transparent and a law-abiding government, in the most secratative and corrupt Cabinet, has led the island in the wrong direction. The Chastanet-led administration decisions have been in the extreme, with ultimate hypocrisy, secrecy, divisiveness, oppressive and partisan government with ideas, failed ideologies and the inability to implement.
Of course, Saint Lucia is in a mess. Opposition leader Pierre #PJP4PM will have to clean up the Chastanet-led administration mess, including a severe dressing-down of a “corrupt administration”. This is required to “define our generation and lay the foundation for the future”. ~ Looking ahead to a new Saint Lucia.
Related: 5-july-2021-address-by-hon-allen-chastanet–announcement-of-general-elections-2021
