Now is the time for all Saint Lucia’s sons and daughters (nationals) to declare their allegiance to country. If they truly love the land that gave them birth, irrespective of where they roam, they should be speaking in one voice against three particularly ills which are eroding the advancement of their country.
Saint Lucia is presently going down a path that would be difficult to reverse in the long run if loyal sons and daughters do nothing to stop its current trajectory.
A declaration of allegiance is all about one’s loyalty to country, therefore loyal sons and daughters have no choice but to fight to free their country from the tentacles (ills) of crime, corruption and political tribalism, what we call the ‘evil triplets’ choking Fair Helen’s development, and which has put it in the social and economic bind it is in today.
Each of the three evils is equipped with the means to transform Saint Lucia, where the rule of law is king, into a Saint Lucia where anarchy could dominate.
We venture to say that the three evils are far more dangerous today than ever before. Take political tribalism for example, which is all about nationals of a country having the view that the political party and its leaders they support can do no wrong and is the better party to rule Saint Lucia, despite evidence showing their leaders and party’s incompetence, on many levels.
Saint Lucia is gripped in this type of tribalism to the point where its leaders feel they could say anything and get away with it because their supporters will not point out their lies, innuendos and outright ridiculous comments and actions.
The sad fact is that there are nationals of this country who are hell-bent on ignoring truth and what is right for Saint Lucia’s advancement. They delight in broadcasting lies and half-truths all to discredit their political opponents.
This type of mindless affiliation prevents us from finding common ground to solve issues and the many challenges facing Saint Lucia.
This is not the first time we have commented on this subject matter and by the look of things in this country it does not look like it will be the last.
Despite constant warnings that political tribalism, crime and corruption, if they become entrenched in the society, will give birth to poverty, exploitation, economic and technological backwardness and illiteracy, which could become a major hindrance to Saint Lucia’s development and make some people in the country untouchables, Saint Lucia nationals seem not to care.
We specifically used the word ‘nationals’ instead of ‘citizens’ because while all nationals are citizens of Saint Lucia not all citizens are nationals of Saint Lucia.
Citizenship is something granted to an individual by a government after he/she complies with the country’s legal formalities.
Not that a citizen cannot have the same love for Saint Lucia as a national, we feel that should nationals of all ages and backgrounds stand up against the mentioned three evils, then other inhabitants of Fair Helen will follow.
To all nationals we say this: Love the land that gave you birth, not the politician who has but a short time on this earth. Endeavour to comment and act in favour of Saint Lucia’s positive development, not that of the politician and his/her political party. By choosing to call a spade a spade as it pertains to your political party and not just the opposition, you are inherently making Saint Lucia a better place for you, family members, friends, visitors and others, a step which can surely change Saint Lucia’s current trajectory for the better.