Four and a half years ago, Philip J. Pierre and the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) took office promising to put people first. They promised lower living costs, a rebuilt St. Jude Hospital, safer streets, a booming tourism sector, revived agriculture, and transparent governance through Citizenship by Investment (CIP) revenues. Yet today, as December 1st elections approach, Saint Lucians face a starkly different reality—national debt skyrocketing over $1billion, 330 homicides, and families rationing meals amid relentless inflation. This is not mere mismanagement; it’s a betrayal that demands electoral rejection.
Take the case of Ma. Josephine in Soufrière—her son’s asthma worsened as she skipped meals to buy medicines that are increasingly unaffordable. Gas prices have soared, the price of bread has almost doubled, and household budgets are stretched to breaking point under Pierre’s 2.5% Health and Security Levy, which drained $38.8 million in 2024 alone, even as total tax revenues hit $1.38 billion. Despite campaigning on a platform of “no new taxes,” the SLP imposed this burden while billions from CIP’s passport sales vanished without delivering tangible relief. Instead, daily debt repayments now exceed $1 million — a crushing burden on ordinary workers to fund political extravagance. This isn’t leadership; it’s betrayal.
This suffocation has extended to healthcare, most glaringly in the St. Jude Hospital debacle. After 16 years of delays and broken promises, the hospital was handed over un-commissioned and unequipped—a hollow victory amid patients who died waiting and medication shortages at “worst ever” levels, dismantling national insurance progress. Rural clinics lie barren, forcing families to scramble for basic medicines once promised by this government. How many more lives must be lost before accountability is demanded?
Violence now echoes from hospital wards to the streets of Castries and around the country, where 62 homicides by October 2025, 82% firearm-related, stoke fear in communities. The disbanded K-9 Unit and porous borders allow criminals free reign, businesses shutter early, children attend school in anxiety. Underneath twists CIP corruption festers — billions unaccounted for, audits not tabled in parliament as the CIP Act mandates. Worse still, the Global Ports Holdings “steal” was pushed through despite unanimous rejection by government technocrats, surrendering our critical national assets to foreign cronies at the expense of Saint Lucian sovereignty. Victimization stifles dissent and chaos reigns.
Infrastructure crumbles from Roseau Valley’s forsaken banana fields to Choiseul’s deteriorating rural heart. The Esperance to Diamond Road like many other projects started by the Allen Chastanet UWP administration is stalled, community centres in Roblot and Piaye stand sealed, water systems run dry. Banana farmers abandon fields as production and exports nosedive. Meanwhile, tourism—central to 65% of GDP—suffocates under a crippling cruise head tax hike. The tax doubled from $6 to $12.50 per passenger, yet the government retains only $2.50, diverting $10 to Global Ports Holdings for “recoupment.” This raid on SLASPA coincided with an 14.3% drop in passengers, 26 fewer ships in peak season, a 15% decline in high-spending UK tourists, and nearly 3% drop in stopovers—millions in revenue lost to workers, taxis, tour operators, sites and attractions, vendors, restaurants, Airbnb and other businesses alike. Pre-election road fixes are mere political theatre. Agriculture and infrastructure decay continues unabated.
At the core lies a toxic culture of dishonesty. The SLP 2021 manifesto pledges—public servant back pay, CIP transparency, agricultural revival—have been shattered, replaced by ineffective hand outs like VAT holidays and $600 pensions that only numb symptoms but do little for sustainable development. Removing candidates and blaming others highlights the panic and dysfunction in leadership. Transparency and integrity have become myths under this SLP administration.
Saint Lucians deserve better. As UWP Leader Allen Chastanet has warned, “Saint Lucia risks becoming a failed state under the current SLP leadership unless we act decisively now.” The UWP’s comprehensive seven-point SOS Plan promises immediate repeal of the punitive levy, fuel price cuts, and pensions for banana farmers to ease burdens now. St. Jude Hospital will be finished properly, district hospitals provided in the south, and $75,000 annual national health coverage made real. The K-9 Unit will be revived and borders secured. CIP operations are slated for thorough forensic audit. Roads will be rebuilt, agriculture revived, tourism unlocked to drive sustainable growth.
Most importantly, for the youth—the nation’s future—UWP’s Youth SOS Plan delivers hope: mortgage guarantees for first-time homebuyers, grants up to $25,000 for youth-owned businesses, a National Digital Academy training youth in AI, cyber security, robotics, and content creation, guaranteed youth representation on boards and councils, and a revitalised National Youth Council with real resources and voice. Chastanet boldly pledges: “We can take you to the promised land.” The proven leadership of the UWP’s 17 candidates stands ready to implement these transformative measures nationwide.
From the shores of Soufrière to the markets of Castries, Saint Lucians unite in shared pain and demand for change. On December 1st, let your vote thunder—not as endorsement of betrayal, but as a powerful call for retribution and renewal. The time for empty promises has passed; the time for real leadership is now.