UWP Should Not Labour On SLP Candidate Selection

RODNEY BAY, St Lucia – The United Workers Party (UWP) is in trouble! The show of support is a façade, unable to deliver powerful political messaging. The leadership is a charade, unable to deliver progress towards nation-building, while the shadows and failures of the last general election remain a cast of actors, over their own political journey.

To date, the UWP report that outlines the cause and effect, and defeat at the hands of the Saint Lucia Labour Party, (SLP) in the 2021 general elections, is an open secret in selective custody.

In the interim, the UWP should not labour on SLP candidate selection, while the UWP hierarchy is in a quiet state of discord.

The brandished clichés tell the story!

“Your voice matters to me” – “ Rooted in our people – Growing for our future” – “ Together we are unstoppable” – Protecting what we love – building what we need” – “The power is ours” – “Together we can right the wrong!”

On the surface, these make a profound shift – of only now – to use the tools and to leverage 17 candidates to – Right the Wrong – subject to the old guards that are still there, to wield the same power they had before.

Is this, perhaps, proportional to settling of scores? Another interpretation may also manifest priorities and xenophobic fear! But then again, how about the brandished cliché:“Hope is stronger than fear!”

Beyond the psycho-political clash between UWP and SLP candidates and candidates' selection, the battle over the very future of Saint Lucia is the reality of social and economic exploration.

To understand where Saint Lucia is today, it is necessary to reflect on the political journeys and learn that the promise of“milk and honey” flowing through the streets of Castries, the promise of“jobs, jobs, jobs” and“ empowerment” never materialised. It only existed in the minds and pockets of the one-percenters, armchair petty bourgeoisie and UWP inner circles.

The patterns show that the previous UWP government did not care about us. It was a clear betrayal. The experience reminded citizens of a once bankrupt economy,“ Saint Lucia is Broke,” and a disrespected democracy. The population was ripped off! And the political risk to Saint Lucia and the underlying tensions never truly eased. Today, global tensions have not levelled off; tariffs and economic uncertainty have now transformed tensions.

Managing a crisis under botched leadership is not a recipe for the future. It's a case of shattered hopes and dreams.

The suggestion of a“fresh beginning” –“a new UWP” is nothing but the same behind the curtains, hiding behind fresh faces and ideas. The ideologies are indifferent and rightly so!

The Allen Chastanet UWP continues to be systematically distorted. Under his leadership, the UWP has failed to comply with their promise to address the social and economic concerns (health, security, tourism, education/knowledge transfer, housing, and jobs). The future is not bright with Chastanet!

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are crucial to economic development, accounting for the largest proportion of the labour force and driving innovation and job creation.

Four years later, Saint Lucia serves as a platform for social and economic development. Small businesses and entrepreneurs benefit from jobs in a naturally growing market.

“ Strengthening the business and innovation echo system by giving support to SMEs to adopt digital technologies to improve their business operations:

• “ XCD 10 million MSME loan/grant facility with plans to increase it.
• “ Strengthening the MSME product and sector development, improving the business environment, and bilateral agreements with regional trading partners.
• “ As of February 2025, 450 medium-sized MSMEs have been approved, totalling disbursements of $6.9 million. This funding has been used for essential business improvement, including the procurement of equipment and machinery, upgrading packaging, obtaining training and certification, and retrofitting facilities. The aim is to locally produce goods and services that are globally acceptable. ” ~ Budget 2025.

Building on Saint Lucia's social and economic strength must be in keeping with a fast-changing global landscape.

The political pressures ahead of the 2025/26 general election create a new crossroads – agriculture to technology, trade practices, market access, climate science, travel industry, sustainable development, reduction of the debt-to-GDP ratio and responding swiftly to people's needs.

In parallel, addressing crime and making Saint Lucia's communities safer conveys a mindset of building a stronger economy. Strength that is focused on collaboration with reliable development partners and allies, more resilient to trade and external shocks, and certainty for all Saint Lucians.

The ease of presenting 17 candidates for general elections to – Right the Wrong – should not run bottomless! The focus should be more credible for Saint Lucia's future.

Working with urgency and determination to advance Saint Lucia will require strong leadership, fulfilling credible undertakings, and nation-building.

Fast-tracking these priorities sometimes involves candidate reconsideration (not far-fetched in the scheme of political life, as noted in recent history) to ensure that social and economic sectors have the resources to retool and refocus government.

Prime Minister Philip Pierre has projected priorities of getting the government moving faster, supporting MSMEs, and building national infrastructure, which resonate deeply.

In response, to advance the so-called“fresh beginning” for Saint Lucia, a UWP-coordinated national strategy is lost in translation.

The rhetoric in a partisan frenzy!

Saint Lucia cannot trade the future for recklessness, capricious and destructive behaviour, inert commerce, and a crash of social and economic systems. The result is tyranny!

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