As a writer back then, while in Grenada in early 1982, I covered the Saint Lucia Christian Council’s posi-tive role in Saint Lucia’s post-independence historical experience, helping bring a peaceful solution to the chaos that followed the fall of the Saint Lucia Labour Party administration in 1982.
The then Inter-Church Council negotiated a formula with the three political parties that saw power shared between elected MPs in the broken parliament.
The arrangement saw the party leaders — George Odlum (Progressive Labour Party), Allan Louisy (St. Lucia Labour Party) and John Compton (United Workers party) — agree to have Castries North MP Mickey Pilgrim as Interim Prime Minister, to lead the country to General Elections in 1983.
Today, historical circumstances have required the Council to again have cause to make the churches’ positions heard on social issues affecting the country and their congregations in these times — from priests calling on the Faithful to increase their Tithes and Offerings, Roman Catholic Archbishop Mal-zaire encouraging sworn political enemies to symbolically ‘shake hands’ in church.
The politicization of the decision by some politicians not to engage in what they may have considered an unholy display of hypocrisy before a blessed altar — and wilfully misleading the congregation — has probably put paid to any such expectations today.
But that ought not to depress this Archbishop, who’s seen and heard — even felt – more and worse while serving in Dominica.
Nor must he be dissuaded by what the Prime Minister refers to as Opposition efforts to drive wedges between Church and State.
Today’s Christian Council, as an inter-faith body, must also step forward, like in 1982, to advocate and pursue a peaceful outcome to an upcoming General Elections that’s already started to sound and smell bad.
For example, voters are actually telling the press today they’re simply fed-up with the likes of recent statements by some politicians about exacting physical bodily harm – in public – on their political op-ponents.
Everyone should know that ‘flogging’ and ‘whipping’ people in public were features of barbaric pre-slavery and post-colonial times in Saint Lucia and Europe’s West Indies.
Slaves and their descendants were the ones being flogged and whipped on Columbus Square – and not politicians — to set “examples” by planting fear.
This sort of barbarism is not something any Caribbean politician should be even thinking of, far less recommending.
But here we have politicians who surely know better, in this 21st Century when even the Churches op-pose Capital Punishment (hanging), publicly acknowledging they would have no problems bringing ‘whipping’ and ‘flogging’ (and maybe even ‘hanging by the neck’) to the Derek Walcott Square.
The Catholic Church here indeed opposed the hanging of the two men who killed a priest and a nun and injured many in an attack on the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on the last day of 1999.
No priest today advocates the barbarism of public flogging, accepting that sinners — even killers — have defined and protected Human and Legal rights.
Leaders of all religious denominations here all see and hear, live and feel, the political vibes in their par-ishes, community churches and other places of worship.
They see and hear how politics is affecting their respective congregations, which comprise red and yel-low, blue and green – and people of all skin complexions.
I have always advocated in my chronicles over the last four-plus decades that the two major parties in Saint Lucia should be invited and encouraged to agree to start a process of developing campaign rules of engagement through the likes of an agreed Elections Code of Conduct.
Such a ‘Book of Rules’ will require politicians to meet certain standards and always act decently — on and off platforms – and observe rules of engagement that won’t promote violence, but instead ensure a peaceful campaign.
This process will not necessarily involve penalties and/or punitive measures, only that election candi-dates (and persons speaking from political platforms) will try – and be seen to be trying — not to do and say things that will deepen divisions between voters.
After all, the same voters on all sides will eventually have to accept the party and government the ma-jority chose.
I still hold – as back in 1982 – that today’s Christian Council can revisit history and learn from the expe-riences of the power-sharing arrangement that came between the fall of a government and an election for the next.
This is not the case here today, as the next election is constitutionally due by October 2026.
What’s at stake here though, is the possible descent into unnecessary and avoidable political clashes between politicians and supporters as the two major parties – and independents – get ready for what will be another ultimate battle after 2021.
The Council, parties, politicians and other stakeholders, therefore, need to start building mechanisms to ensure the island’s 11th General Elections since Independence are held within the necessary bounda-ries of peace and respect, putting national unity over partisan political division, engaging in positive educational discussion and debate of national issues.
There’s no use today continuing the age-old distasteful and intemperate language in election campaigns every five years, at a time when, unprecedentedly, pre-election political battles are now being more fiercely fought both online and offline.
Fake News, defamation, character assassination, claims and counter-claims, unfounded allegations, lies and distortions – these old habits have no place in campaign language and performance today.
It’s therefore time for Civil Society – from churches to community groups and zonal and constituency bodies – to start trying to end them.
After all, it’s never too late to do better for the wider good — and for the benefit of us all.
An Elections Code of Conduct will go a long way today and the Council of Churches, political parties and stakeholders will do good to start the discussion on an agreed set of protocols for future Election Days – and not only the next one.