THE Kenny Anthony administration will, as early as next month, face a series of protest actions by opposition political parties here.
The United Workers Party last week sounded a warning of the approaching actions when its leader, Allen Chastanet spoke of the party’s intention to launch a massive campaign that may include members of civil society so as to force government into doing something to bring economic relief to citizens.
“We will do whatever it takes to cause a change to take place in this country. We are not going to sit down any more and allow the fabric of this country to continue to be destroyed,” Chastanet said at a press conference last week.
Although he did not give a date for the commencement of the protest action against the government he promised to make an announcement this week regarding the schedule of the campaign.
The Lucian People Movement (LPM) is the other political party to direct its guns at the government. However unlike the UWP, it has planned its protest action for October 8..
“Last Sunday the National Council of the LPM voted on a date for the protest march which will be on Thursday, 8 October. The march is to start from Vigie Field and end on the Derek Walcott Square on the side facing the church as this will be the city home of the LPM,” said Theorold Prudent, LPM’s political leader.
The party is presently awaiting permission for the march from the office of Police Commissioner, Errol Alexander where a letter seeking permission was delivered Monday.
According to Prudent the march will be protesting the high rate of unemployment and the inability of the government to manage the country’s economy.
“We will protest against our health care system. Why, after so many years that the St. Jude Hospital, which was burnt down, we are still unable to put St. Jude’s together. We have the other hospital that was started by the Chinese and concluded by the Taiwanese and our government is yet to fully give us an answer as to when this will be operational,” Prudent said.
He believes that the money the government plans to use to build a four lane highway leading from Castries all the way up to Gros Islet should be better spent on the health care system of the country.
“We also want to use the march to protest the levels of violent crime in the country. Something has to be done with the out of control crime rate in the country,” Prudent said.
A key component of the protest march will be the handing over of petitions and resumes to the Prime Minister of persons who are affected in one way or another by the country’s economic woes.
There is the main opposition U.W.P. which have proposed a march, now you
are doubling up on this. How much opposition can one small Island with about
200 thousand people able to stomach, and don’t you feel a little opportunistic in
doing that? You have one good man in your Party I would like to see elected, that’s
your man in Soufriere; at least, he writes very well and makes a lot of sense. Help him.
BTW why don’t you ask the main opposition to join with you in the march? I personally
don’t care who marches, for St.Lucia as you know loves a roro, so march, jump, run and
Rock ‘n Roll make noise but keep it clean near the church. Have some respect to the Holy.