WE wish to take this opportunity to address the VOICE editorial of February 1, 2018 headlined “PUT ST. LUCIA FIRST”. This was a well-balanced article that carefully highlighted the responsibilities of each nation. The size and population of a nation should in no way diminish the rights of sovereignty and, therefore, our PM has every responsibility to carefully analyze the terms and conditions prescribed by the EU.
We as a nation understand the challenges at home and it would be highly irresponsible of any sitting PM to jeopardize the benefits of our nation under duress. We have consistently heard from the Leader of the Opposition in respect to the EU affair where he has highlighted the fact that the current administration is dragging its feet on the issue without his taking into consideration that there are two sides to a coin.
The electorate have spoken in no uncertain terms that a change in administration was necessary and this mandate is equivalent to a five-year term in office and the current administration is cognizant of their responsibility in guiding St. Lucia in the right direction. We simply have to revisit the direction of St. Lucia by way of its association with the various embassies on island, all of which continue to contribute meaningfully.
May we take the liberty, for example, to highlight the tremendous financial and technical assistance rendered by Taiwan in the fields of infrastructure, agriculture and now security. Taiwan is a nation of some 25 million people which has stood its ground against an economic giant (China) with 1.6 billion people a stone’s throw away from its shores. The importance of our narrative today is that St. Lucia should remain respectful, honest and respond to our challenges in a professional manner to gain the respect we deserve.
It is normal for citizens of any state to make their contributions in matters which directly affect our economy, but by the same token we have chosen an administration with an overwhelming majority to act in that regard. The ongoing repetition by the Leader of the Opposition is nothing more than an opportunity to make political mileage on a matter which is being addressed.
The opposition leader simply has to revisit the predicament of the IMPACS situation which his administration failed to address after 4 years in office, whereby this administration is now at the brink of completion after 17 months in office. More importantly, the UWP has initiated a Plan B in the event that the IMPACS matter is further delayed. The Plan B is the MOU signed between St. Lucia and Taiwan in respect to the technical assistance for our security and therein lies the difference between our two political parties.
By Political Observer
The only really truthful part of this opinion piece is the writer’s acknowledgement of the duress facing St. Lucia from the EU.
Here’s a link, https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/02/02/eu-imposes-anti-union-law-on-greece/, which reports how the EU now imposes and Anti-Union law on Greece, after having successfully committed economic rape on the original Hellenic Republic!