Close to the end of his speech in last night’s virtual presentation of candidates, Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Phillip J. Pierre announced that the Saint Lucia Labour Party would not be contesting the two vacant seats of Castries North and Castries Central.
He lamented that this election is about preventing Saint Lucia from becoming a failed state, “where our institutions have lost legitimacy due to widespread corruption, violation of laws and standards of good governance and their failure to meet their obligations to the citizens.”
Pierre declared that “we have called on, and are calling on all persons of goodwill to join in the fight, play their part, independently or as a collective, in removing the threat that this current UWP administration represents to the viability of our beloved Saint Lucia.”
“Against that consideration, the SLP has decided not to fill candidates in either Central Castries or Castries North in this election.”
The announcement paves the way for an uninterrupted battle between Independent Candidate Stephenson “The Patriot” King and United Workers Party’s candidate Jeannine Giraudy-McIntyre for Castries North and Independent Labour Candidate Richard Fredrick and Sarah Flood-Beaubrun for the Castries Central seat.
Pierre in his address reminded viewers and listeners that the two independents were not members of the Saint Lucia Labour Party, nor have they applied for membership. “We are in accord on the clear and present danger that this UWP administration represents and therefore we should not fight each other but we should marshal our energies to ensure that we as patriotic Saint Lucians confront and amputate this peril in our land.”
Nomination day is on Friday, July 16th, while the general election day is on Monday, July 26th . The Labour party will be hoping to win over the majority to form the new government of Saint Lucia.
My sisters and brothers, hope is on the horizon to reverse this decline we are currently experiencing. In the coming days, we shall continue to present to you our plans for ONE Saint Lucia where every citizen will have an opportunity to contribute to the development of their country and will be able to have a fair share in its economic growth.
I call on all Saint Lucians to join us in the fight against the evils of government corruption, high levels of crime, victimization, political exclusion, marginalization of the poor and vulnerable, political intimidation and a deplorable health care system. Overcoming those evils at the next general elections will be vital if we are to save our country from further ruin, and so we have provided strategic space for others to successfully join in that fight. We call on all you to support those patriots, who have joined that fight, and receive the hand of support in that fight, wherever you can.