LAST Wednesday’s march organized by the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) might not be their last if the government does not take citizens seriously, the party said.
The march saw thousands of St. Lucians taking to the streets of Castries to protest the ‘Pearl of the Caribbean’ project by developers Desert Star Holdings (DSH), among other issues.
“I want Allen Chastanet and the UWP to know this is the first warning and after tonight if he refuses to retreat from what we asked him to, we are going to have another one,” Laborie MP Alva Baptiste said at a rally on the Castries Market steps.
Saint Lucia, he said, will be in election mode should there be a third march.
“They are trying to take our lands at MorneGimie. They are going to take our lands at Soufriere. Just now, the volcano and the Pitons will belong to Teo Ah Khing, unless we put a stop to it. Say no to Allen Chastanet, say no to the United Workers Party, because we are not going to wait for the end of five years. Now is the time,” Baptiste said.
However, SLP’s Political Leader, Phillip J. Pierre, said the next SLP-led march will be determined by the people, not by the party.
“I am not dictating to the people; the people will dictate to us. We will take our lead from the people. As you saw yesterday (Wednesday), the people are ready and when the people are ready, nothing will stop them. And when the people are ready again, the Labour Party will be there to take the lead,” Pierre told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.
He added: “We depend on the people. We are in government for the people. We are in politics for the people, not for ourselves. We’re not in politics to attack Allen Chastanet or any government minister. We are not in the politics of personalities.”
Former Prime Minister and Political Leader, Dr. Kenny Anthony, at Wednesday’s rally praised those who turned out for the march, saying that what they did was a small step for each one of them, but a giant step for Saint Lucia.
“Tonight, you renewed my hope, you renewed my faith and you renewed my confidence,” Anthony said, adding that the way of life of Saint Lucians is under threat from the government.
He added: “When our party lost the general elections, I despaired for Saint Lucia. I despaired for you, and for months I’ve lived in my despair. I despaired when NICE was dismantled. I despaired when I saw the sacrilege of Pigeon Island. I despaired when I saw the destruction of an institution (Saint Lucia National Trust) created by John Compton,” Anthony said.
“You have to protect Pigeon Island because it belongs to you; it is your patrimony,” Anthony told the hundreds who stayed for the rally.
He said there were certain things Saint Lucians must keep, even though they will be losing money, because of their intrinsic value. Radio St. Lucia is one of those institutions, he said.
