Where Are The Voices To Speak up for ‘Helen’?

THE EDITOR:
Soon after the 1997 election which saw a Kenny Anthony administration sweep the polls, I was offered a five-year stint in the United Kingdom and I left my homeland. Like so many others this stay was extended as my wife and I soon settled and both found interesting and rewarding job opportunities. Four years ago entering my fifties, I decided that we should return home to Fair Helen and spend the remaining chapter of our life reconnecting with family and friends.

Of course I always kept abreast of what was happening in Saint Lucia – socially, culturally and most importantly, politically. I have to admit that I was one of those who got caught up in the excitement and “newness” of a 1997 Kenny Anthony-led Labour Party and I still remember the nervous anticipation as I entered the voting booth to cast my ballot for the Labour candidate.

In all honestly, I was tired of the UWP, had been a lifelong supporter of Sir John but felt let down by his last administration and worse, let down by Vaughan Lewis. My enthusiasm was short-lived however, as I watched Kenny and his cronies wreak havoc on this nation, destroy its social and economic fabric and sow the seeds of division with their red and yellow rhetoric.

How many UWP sympathisers and supporters were made to retire or transferred simply because of their perceived allegiance to Sir John? And now here we are on the eve of another election and I feel I can no longer sit back and watch the SLP and their hacks like Leo Clarke, Claudius Francis – who have come to define the word “sycophants” – continue to throw dust in peoples’ faces. I feel an enormous sense of blame for falling for Kenny’s false promises in 1997. But not again.

I have watched how on each occasion when these people get into power, it takes the UWP to fix things again, to restore the people’s trust, to repair the economy, to put Saint Lucia back on track. I note the new Allen Chastanet-led UWP’s promise to “Make St. Lucia Nice Again”. It may be a simple catch-phrase but isn’t that what we are all hoping for? And speaking of Mr.Chastanet – what on earth has he done to earn the unending ire of Kenny Anthony? When have we seen any of our leaders sink to such lows as to declare publicly and repeatedly that he is declaring war on the Chastanet family?

When I first heard this declaration, uttered at an SLP party convention, I assumed this was said to play to the hacks and supporters, to rile up the base, but astonishingly I have heard it at least three times since. And what is more astounding is the inability of anyone in our midst to stand up and denounce the Prime Minister for debasing his office in such a way. Isn’t this the same Chastanet family that he has praised over the years for their contributions to the Saint Lucian economy? The same family that he has bestowed awards and titles upon too numerous to mention here?The same Chastanet family that he has turned to for advice over the years? It is only now that his kingdom is threatened and that the wolves nipping at his heels are terrified that the well will soon dry up for them that the Chastanets are personas non grata. Does Kenny think we are stupid?

Every corner of this island that I have visited the story is the same – “boy, Kenny really afraid of Chastanet”. Even two young lads that I happened to chat with whilst waiting for bread at the bakery last week, shared this exact utterance with me. And the fear is palpable. You can tell the Labour Party wants desperately to call elections but is terrified. Kenny knows Flambeau supporters comport themselves in a dignified manner, much like the Conservatives in the UK – it is a quiet, sometimes invisible and noble support but it is a deep and unfailing support. And the Flambeaus have quietly watched Allen Chastanet do the unthinkable – clean up a party that three years ago that no one wanted to touch. A party mired in “ro-ro” and a party which had spent its years in office after Sir John died struggling to keep it together. It is no secret that Stephenson King threw away the last election by shielding Richard Frederick and cavorting with him and Rufus Bousquet. UWP after the last election was like a toxic substance – everyone was afraid. No one wanted to get involved. Until of course Chastanet cleaned it up. Then it was like bees to the honey. And I have watched this man step into the lion’s den and be viciously attacked, for the great sin of trying to serve his country, of trying to fix the party Sir John had beseeched him to be a part of. And I have watched with regret as no one has stood up to defend what he has been doing, to thank him for his sacrifice, walking away from his businesses and no doubt his family obligations. And every time I listen to him speak I am filled with a renewed hope that Saint Lucians will “see the light. I am excited by his new crop of candidates and filled with hope for the future again. Chastanet is the only one offering solutions amidst the vicious attacks of the Labour Party, the only one talking sense and who has a track record to do it. What is Kenny Anthony’s claim to fame? What is his legacy? Other than a housekeeper and perhaps a gardener, who has he ever employed? What business has he ever run? His legacy is the destruction of our island nation.

And all the while whilst Rome burns, as Rick Wayne always says – not a word, not a word, not a word. Rising national debt, imposition of a too-high VAT, VAT on medication, removal of basic subsidies, one of the worst-performing economies in the Eastern Caribbean, highest rates of crime and unemployment in history, scandal after scandal, international embarrassment and wilful destruction of our long-standing alliances. Where are the voices to speak up to protect Fair Helen? Do we even have a Chamber of Commerce, a Bar Association, a Manufacturers Association? Well this voice will speak up now. I am praying every night before I fall sleep for Kenny to ring that bell. This is my nightly prayer:

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray that I’ll no longer weep
St. Lucia, Lord, just needs a break
Let Chastanet be there, when I wake.

It seems that only darkness abounds
Labour spin and lies making the rounds
And though I feel I am living in hell
It’ll be over soon – Kenny, RING THAT BELL!

–St. Lucia–born Citizen