While I remain at home during the timely lockdowns prescribed by our current administration, I can’t help reminding myself of all the criticisms laid against the former government for the same reasons Mr. Pierre and his followers have adopted. As the saying goes, it is never too late to learn. On another more profound topic, I wish to concentrate on what is happening abroad and at home. Focusing on the United States, the head of the free world, I remain dumbfounded that one man Donald J Trump with a tainted past and reputation now holds the Republican Party at ransom and by extension the United States. Having spent many years in the US and being able to eek out a decent living together with all the frills available I crumble within myself to witness the slide of this great nation. I asked myself over and over, am I really witnessing fact or fiction in today’s world of fake news, hoping and praying that at the next dawn of day the true America I once loved and enjoyed returns to those glorious days.
The major question comes to life, what has brought about this change. The response which resonates over and over into my mind is power, deceit, greed and the gift of the gab. With that question and that response, I then pose the question what exactly happened to St Lucia on July 26, 2021, and strangely enough, I realized certain similarities. In the run up to the 2020 elections in the USA, it was the first time we all witnessed the untold stories of something called fake news accompanied by downright lies and deception. Respected Journalists in the US gave firsthand information that over ten thousand lies were uttered by Mr. Trump, yet all the evidence simply fell by the wayside and Mr. Trump was able to amass over 74 million votes but nevertheless lost the elections by some 11 million votes. His hunger for power has never ceased and he continues to hold the Republican Party at ransom based on his belief that he is the de facto president. If not stopped at the polls between the midterm elections and the 2024 general elections, the great USA may no longer have the authority to use the adjective, Great, anymore.
Here at home, we have just witnessed an election in which slander, lies, creation of misinformation and all the associated ills dished out by individuals with the gift of the gab were used. The elections are, however, over. Slander lies and misinformation will not pass for good governance.
I watched my poor prime minister on tv some nights ago advising the nation that some US $10 million havebeen made available to his administration for a housing project. We merely ask whether that 10 million was not originally earmarked for the farmers in St Lucia who experienced an eighty percent loss within the banana industry.
The Hon Prime Minister has tried very hard to convince the Nation that he intends to root out corruption at all levels. I remind the Prime Minister that in the world of politics, more often than not, where reality and perception divide, contrary to logical expectation, perception takes the high road of belief. All the facts and figures as well as the whole cast of characters in the $10 million project must be available for all to see. I cast no aspersions, but when the Minister in charge of the project is also a developer in his own right, he must be doubly careful to ensure that perception and reality lead inexorably to the same destination.