There is a palpable sense of tension in Saint Lucia due to a constant political rift that buries facts beneath an avalanche of misinformation, speculation, conjecture, assumptions, and plain old gossip, jeopardising the country’s progress on several fronts.
We have repeatedly seen instances where political interference derailed fundamental progress that would have brought the nation one step closer to attaining high standards in certain areas. Cases in point include the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP), the St. Jude Hospital project, and DSH.
Some of us are willing to ruin Saint Lucia if it means our politicians or political parties will form the government. The same applies to those who want their party to remain in office. That’s how much we believe in what they say, and how much we follow them.
Is a Jim Jones mindset taking root among some of us? It might appear that way at times, given the statements made by some of us in support of political groups and individuals. Some of us still try to see politicians as innocent victims attempting to cope with false accusations, even when those politicians are found with their fingers in too many pies or acting unbecomingly for someone in a position of power in our nation.
Far too many of us don’t mind when the government we back withholds facts that could make them more transparent in the eyes of the people. Nonetheless, we are ready to go to war in order to demand openness from a government that we oppose if our party ends up in opposition.
Our duplicity goes beyond this. By fostering, or at the very least tolerating, corruption at every level, we are paving the way for Saint Lucia to collapse as a state. Saint Lucia will go from a developing state to an under-developing state because of the conditions we are creating, which could lead to economic instability. We are paving the way for the gap between the well-off and everyone else to become even wider.
A deeper dive into the CIP dispute reveals that, given the current level of animosity amongst lawmakers, the possibility exists that the programme could very well die out.
Politicians spew an abundance of false information and idle speculation, trying to pass it off as fact when they know full well that it is speculative at best and plain false at worst.
The DSH project exemplified the use of false information, conjecture, and fabrication. Now the project is dead.
The initiative at St. Jude Hospital is another. Despite the project’s continued existence and seemingly headed for completion, the country continues to bear the burden of inadequate healthcare in the southern, eastern, and western regions.
We get it that most Saint Lucians are busy and don’t pay much attention to what their government is doing but we still think it’s important for people to learn about their government and politicians so they can respond rationally when things go wrong.
We are cognizant of the fact that people’s views of the government’s openness to the public may remain unchanged notwithstanding the publication of facts. More knowledge does not always lead to citizens viewing their government in a positive light, and we are well aware of this. This does not, however, imply that people should cease inquiring about government programmes and projects.
Saint Lucia’s administration, political parties, politicians, and their followers must be made to tone down their rhetoric surrounding the island’s progressive initiatives. Above all, opposition parties must avoid stopping projects started whilst they were in opposition by the other party at vast cost to the Country. Now is the moment to stand together on initiatives that will raise the living standards of the people.