What Really Is Labour’s Problem?

DEAR MR. EDITOR,
WHAT really is the problem with the St. Lucia Labour Party? Hardly a day passes without some silly statement coming from the opposition party critical of the government. I say “silly” because, in the main, that is what these statements are.

Two examples: Could you imagine the opposition spokesman on health, Moses Jn. Baptiste (who, mind you, served as Minister of Agriculture) putting out a statement calling on the government to rectify problems in the health sector?

One has to have been away from St. Lucia not to know the extremely poor state Mr. Jn. Baptiste’s Labour Party government left the health services in just 18 months ago. Now he is here calling for solutions to all the problems his colleague Alvina Reynolds left behind. This is not just laughable, it is also wicked.

We can all lament the situation with the two new hospitals, but if the Labour Party had delivered on them as the public hoped they would have, we would not be in the mess we are in today. It is your government that is responsible, Mr. Moses, not a government that is only in its second year in office.

Another is the statement on crime. The Labour Party is absolutely ridiculous because they were in power for 15 years (1997 to 2006 and 2011 to 2016) when crime spiralled and despite their efforts, the situation was not brought under control. But now you want to hold the Prime Minister responsible just because he said he would make St. Lucia safe. Why take issue with him after 18 months in office? Why not wait for his full term to determine whether or not he can deliver?

It appears that it is Labour’s policy to create as much confusion in the country as possible even though they have just recently been kicked out of office for failing to satisfy the needs of the people. You can say what you want about Chastanet, the indications are that things are being turned around. Yet they sought to question his intellectual state and even claimed he was retarded.

Banana exports last year were the highest in several years, unemployment figures are trending down, new investments have been coming on stream, tourism is continuing to move upwards and the government has given relief on land and house taxes, VAT, vehicle licenses, etc.

I watched the Prime Minister on Newsmaker Live last week, and we continue to see one important difference between him and the last Prime Minister. Mr. Chastanet comes over as one who is credible, genuine, honest, one we can believe what he says, not like Kenny Anthony. Chastanet is cool, calm and collected and makes his points like a gentleman. Same cannot be said for Anthony. The constant attacks and criticism of the Prime Minister did not work in the last election campaign but the Labour Party is sticking with it, anyway, hoping to get a different result. How stupid for supposedly intelligent men.

It is all right to accuse the Prime Minister of setting the police on two Vieux Fort men engaged in profanity on the internet, even after he has denied even knowing of the incident, but you threaten to sue anyone who calls on you to account. So nothing has changed. Dr. Anthony appears to be attempting another comeback, still not aware of the damage his presence in the party did to it in the last elections. He still has not understood the message from these elections when over a five-year period (2011 to 2016) he lost the support of 1,000 voters in his Vieux Fort South constituency. If ever there was a clear message sent to an M.P. this was it but he obviously has not learnt that he is the main divisive force in the country and people simply do not want him.

But Anthony’s strategy against the UWP has stayed with the present SLP. It is that of an abusive bully always undermining, always criticizing. The UWP will continue to do to Labour what it has always done in the past: respond with performance. This is what Labour fears most and the signs that Chastanet and his men and women are beginning to turn things around again have them totally enraged so they would resort to anything to cause confusion. But if it didn’t work before, it will not work now.

Yours faithfully,
William Cheddy