PRESS RELEASE – FEARING there may be a direct link between the adverse economic situation in the country and the sharp rise in suicide cases, Leader of the Lucian People’s Movement (LPM), Therold Prudent, has issued a call to the religious community to accept a greater role in calming the spirit of despair which currently grips our nation.
In making his plea for greater spiritual involvement in the lives of those who are not sufficiently endowed to weather the blistering burden of social discord and economic hardship which is destined to claim more lives, Prudent is adamant that no responsible religious organization can afford to ignore the urgency of the moment.
When you have a small nation where a 165,000 people have waited in vain all their lives for the prospects of a better Saint Lucia and only to have their hopes dashed by politicians who are grossly deceitful and are more interested in pursuing narrow partisan agendas that are adverse to the economic interest of the country, one must expect that at some point the rivers of frustration will eventually burst wide open and thus result in unintended consequences.
Therefore, given the current state of affairs in the country, Prudent is of the view that since Saint Lucians are not immune from the historical consequences of what usually occurs in nations where prolonged social and economic depression has often prompted citizens to take their own lives, or to even riot, this may well be an opportune moment for all spiritual leaders and other religiously-affiliated organizations to broaden their outreach programmes so as to reach the most vulnerable among us.