If we recall, prior to the 2016 general elections the former Prime Minister announced that he had ‘a secret weapon’ to challenge the current PM in regard to the Micoud South constituency, which unfortunately turned out to be neither a secret nor a weapon, but just an average school principal who has now found himself grappling with the chores of an aspiring member of parliament.
Well, elections have come and gone and St. Lucians are well aware of the results both at Micoud South and by extension, the nation.
One would have thought that just 16 months ago the electorate had made a concerted decision to have the UWP administration assume the reins of power. This was not an easy decision, as the SLP had within their midst a PM with 20 years of experience together with the financial resources required to make their case at the polls.
It is rather unfortunate that the current opposition still has not come to grips with the reality that they are indeed in opposition and therefore cannot determine the way forward other than offering their advice.
The Senator for Micoud South, during his contribution within the Senate debate, recycled the contents of an article reproduced by a staff member of St. Lucia News Online in 2016, the current authenticity of which remains in question, causing Senator Mary Isaac to question the origin of this article through the President of the Senate.
It should be noted that some time ago, a similar situation occurred when Timothy Poleon on his News Spin program read a clipping from a similar source and was made to withdraw the statement pending legal action. The only difference on this occasion is the fact that the Senator for Micoud South made those comments in the Senate and is likely to have a bit more immunity by way of legal proceedings.
This having been said, the opposition must desist from recycling such articles for cheap political points, as they serve no useful purpose and can only affect the good standing of St. Lucia both home and abroad.
The current PM remains undeterred by these various attacks by way of threats and statements from the top of the opposition to the very bottom.
St. Lucia is well on its way with a series of projects unfolding in 2018 and beyond, unemployment is down by 6%, and for the first time in 10 years the nation has registered a growth rate of 2.5%, with expectations that by December 2018 to February 2019, a growth rate of 3.5% is predicted and unemployment figures are set to drop even further.
Based on these statistics, can any reasonable citizen be disgruntled with the current administration, other than those who appear to be residing in Purgatory?
The recent comments by Senator Mary Isaac (Minister of Health) were taken out of context, based upon the fact that it was Ms Isaac who stood up only two years ago when the former administration was hell-bent on reducing the salaries of the CSA by 5%.
The message which Senator Isaac wishes to get across to the CSA is that her administration has worked hard with all the CSA members to stabilize the economy of St. Lucia, thereby upgrading the nation’s status with a 2.5% growth and they should be a bit more considerate at this time by permitting the current administration to continue the good work in order that better days can bring about more positive relationships.
The CSA workers are more than privy to the positive strides the country has been making and should not push the administration over the hill until a stronger economy has manifested itself.