‘OH what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive.’ In recalling these lines which George Odlum so loved, I couldn’t help feeling sorry for the people of Saint Lucia who listened to the Prime Minister’s address.
As a former Leader of the Opposition Anthony said that it was extortion for the UWP Government to charge $12.75 for a gallon of gasolene. At the time the world price of a barrel of oil was US$147.00. Today the price of petroleum has dropped to less than half what it was in 2008, yet Saint Lucians pay $13.75 per gallon for gas. Who is the real extortionist? How can the high price of gasolene here be explained especially in light of gas prices in Grenada and St. Kitts?
The truth is that Dr. Anthony has frittered away the income taxes of the working people, including VAT, on unsustainable and recurring annual expenditures. This is bad and injudicious management of the island’s economy. Why are the Anthony Government and his paid hacks trying so hard to convince the people that his $13.75 per gallon for gasolene is justified? Rubbish! I say. Poppycock! The figures which are now being presented (and explained?) are to bamboozle,mamaguy and fool the people. With the price of oil at less than half what it was in 2008 why can’t the bright boys with their Ph. D degrees sell gasolene for at least $10.00 or even $9.00 per gallon. Why?
The question must be asked: Which is more beneficial to the people, a review of gas prices every month or the review every three months which Kenny and his SLP introduced? Please note, dear reader, that even as he criticized the monthly review in his recent address to the nation, he offered from the other side of his mouth a review of gas prices monthly if the conditions warrant it. Another case of Kenny and Tony! How pathetic and hypocritical that such garbage is coming from the lips of the country’s leader at a time when the island is celebrating the excellence of its two Nobel Laureates.
It is difficult for Anthony and his hacks and acolytes to answer with a straight face, the extortionist charges now laid at their doorstep. They know they lied to the people. Sadly, the former UWP regime was too timid to give a robust and proper rebuttal and to call Anthony the dissembler he is. For my part, he and his new SLP opportunists must be returned to the opposition benches where they belong. The SLP has never been able to grow the economy or to manage it properly – period! Thankfully, time and the democratic vote within the UWP have taken care to see that the party is ready to resume office.
The people are discovering that political opportunism whatever its colour is never about fairness or playing by the rules. Rogues, who are too often plentiful in politics, will do anything; distort any information, in order to get into political office. Afterwards, when the people finally discover their true quality it becomes a matter of voting them out. The last elections here also proved that the will of the people does not always manifest itself at the polls. This time around the party in power will try and manipulate constituency boundaries, plus buy off weak opponents and even try and tamper with the voters’ list, in order to stay in office. They must be stopped, whatever the cost!
Someone was once asked a SLP hack how and the SLP managed to win the last elections. ‘By pulling a rabbit out of the hat,’ came the quick response. Pulling a rabbit out of the hat, dear reader, is a common magician’s trick, using sleight of hand whilst re-directing the viewer’s eyes elsewhere. Everyone except the most innocent imbecile knows that there was no rabbit in any hat to start with. So the ‘magic’ is a joke on the audience – in this case the people of Saint Lucia.
For how long can politicians fool the people? We may now answer this question with some confidence, not very long. The ball is now in the court of the Opposition UWP. That party seems finally determined to do what it must. And Kenny Anthony is already messing all over his pants. He is mortally afraid of Allen Chastanet, who many believe has the support of his entire family. One merely has to observe the abundance of nervous prattle with which every utterance of Allen Chastanet, Guy Joseph and Rigobert is deliberately twisted and misrepresented by the paid hacks of “New Labour”.
Thankfully the people of Saint Lucia know how to march and protest when their government begins to lie and disrespect them. Anthony used protest marches to good effect when he was in opposition – purgatory. So he is mortally afraid of his own weapon (medicine?). But the people have said ‘enough is enough.’ We march! No more rabbits out of any hats, not even out of red hats. No way!
St. Kitts and Nevis provides a good example of a politician who refuses to go when it seems obvious that he has ended his useful political purpose. The question is why is Denzil Douglas good enough to advise the SLP to ‘stay loyal to de party’ and he is not now good enough to advise them how to lower the price of gas to $10.75 so that the SLP supporters can benefit? The question needs to be repeated. How a gallon of gasolene can cost $10.75 in St. Kitts which has one third the population of Saint Lucia and less than one third the numbers of motor vehicles? How St. Kitts do it and Saint Lucia cannot?
As if to give the game completely away Anthony looked tired and jaded in that last address. The speech fell flat on its face. I was as struck by the vacuous nature of the man’s words as much as by his dead panned physiognomy and morbid contemplation of virtue past dead. His words mattered little after ten minutes or so into that speech. His hardened face and worried countenance had spoken more loudly than his words; shouting defeat, defeat, defeat! That was enough for me. The boastful arrogance had evaporated and those who have eyes to see witnessed a defeated pretender who has yet to come straight and admit it.
Finally, why was the world economy not important when poor Stephenson King was Prime Minister? Why didn’t Anthony tell the people whether he will be attending the Caribbean Energy Security Conference in Washington D.C. on January 26, this year? Why didn’t he inform the people when drilling for petroleum in Saint Lucia waters, under Grynberg will begin? As far as this writer is concerned the UWP must march and protest and hold public meetings until Anthony lowers the price of gasolene to nine or ten dollars a gallon. In addition, he must be made to pay for the tangled web he weaved. He must not be allowed to pull any more rabbits from any hat, period.
Almost all the commentators on this matter are trying to gain political mileage on this subject without telling people the basic truth: the local price of fuel is NOT calculated on the WORLD price of oil, but on the landed (cost, insurance and freight) or CIF value emerging from the contracted price with the supplier(s). Therefore, it does not change automatically or quite as dynamically as people will expect..
Second, the price mechanism allows government to tax the lower CIF price as a source of revenue, with a loss of that revenue when the taxes are removed or lowered to reflect the truer economic cost of the landed resource.
The mechanism is in place to cushion and act as a buffer for business decision makers to plan for the swings by providing a more or less constant price to the end-user.
It also has the added benefit of discouraging cheaper-cost gasoline joy-riding (encouraging energy conservation) and encouraging end-users to use the more environmentally-friendly gasoline instead of diesel.
XL:
Let me ask you straightforwardly, Do you think this political animal Peter Josie, is unaware of the facts you have provided ? This political animal has sold his soul to Lucifer Allen Chastanet for a job at the U.N. (be like Odlum) and a White Woman named Elizabeth Taylor.
So he Josie, would rather talk of Black magician tricks and rabbit feet, to further confuse the unsuspecting Lucian victim of his propaganda, than to simply state the facts like you have done.
I am at this moment viewing the Miss Universe Pageant in Miami, and Miss Saint Lucia was just introduced, she is the most beautiful of them all, but Josie thinks she is too “BLACK and UGLIER” than the white woman he was promised by Allen Chastanet.
“As a former Leader of the Opposition Anthony said that it was extortion for the UWP Government to charge $12.75 for a gallon of gasolene. At the time the world price of a barrel of oil was US$147.00. Today the price of petroleum has dropped to about US$47 a gallon; yet, Saint Lucians pay $13.75 per gallon for gas.”
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Amen Brother!!!!
I do not comment on the price itself, but since public transportation is in private hands the mini bus fare will be facing a unrest when the gas price will be adjusted at a shorter interval.
Bus fares will go up, but will they go down by lower gas price?
Josie:
If someone were to inquire while standing near the Castries Central Libary, “How do I get to Marchand Road to visit Mindoo’s Park?” I would say, head East on Micoud Street and turn right at the Chaussee Rd, then proceed until you are forced to turn left onto Marchand Rd, then…
Now examine this hysterical empty vessel, “With the price of oil at less than half what it was in 2008 why can’t the bright boys with their Ph. D degrees sell gasolene for at least $10.00 or even $9.00 per gallon. Why?”
Overcome with excitement at my soon to be enlightened, I kept on reading, searching for Josie’s revelation, which came as follows: The purchase price of gasoline is five dollars per gallon, plus a two dollar and forty cents per gallon tax is imposed by the government, plus a two dollar and sixty cents is added by the retailer. NOT A WORD FROM THIS EMOTIONAL WRECK !
Why didn’t you tell us with certainty how gasoline can be sold at less than of equal to nine dollars per gallon( G ≤ $9 ) ? instead you proceed to instruct us on how to perform Black Magic in a Red hat; lol, while accusing Anthony of using a rabbit foot. Of course their are brain-damaged Negroes who will cheer your devious maneuvers, something I have attributed to the cognizant dysfunction brought about by mis-education and the worship of a naked Caucasian as God of the Universe; not to mention their invocation of dead people called Saints by the deranged Negroes.
I will assume you became distracted and “spaced out”, knowing you to challenge sobriety frequently with the bottle, so here’s your opportunity to correct this obvious blunder. So, in your own words, please help your fellow Lucians out and share this information, so we can confront Anthony and charge him with BobBoll:
“With the price of oil at less than half what it was in 2008 why can’t the bright boys with their Ph. D degrees sell gasolene for at least $10.00 or even $9.00 per gallon. Why?”
It wasn’t that long ago that I proposed a 5 cent, a 2 cent, or a 3 cent per gallon gas tax, to be placed in a Special Fund, for the clean-up and beautification of our roadways. Needless to say, I was attacked from left, right, and center by the omnipotent Son-of-man; calling such a tax regressive; and one that would be detrimental to the local economy.
Now, three weeks later, after all of the other OECS member states have reduced their gas prices substantially; and in the case of St.Kitts to as low as $10.75 a gallon; he, son-of-man, is supporting a prime minister whose draconian policies have kept ours at $13.65 a gallon; and is, instead, attacking the white opposition leader who is fighting to help bring our prices in line with the other OCES states.
Yes, a 2 cent a gallon gas tax, to help beautify our roadways, would be detrimental to St.Lucian; according to son-of-man; but $13.65 per gallon of gas is ok with him because he hates Chastanet and all white people. Boy O Boy!!! This man should live on his own planet.