Allen Chastanet: “I’ll find the money for St. Jude!”

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hile campaigning for office in 2016, the leader of the United Workers Party, Mr. Allen Chastanet, bellowed over and over: “Mweh faché!” blowing the notion that he was a total stranger to langue mama nous. So often did he repeat the declaration that it became a party mantra, repeated by platform speakers and regular UWP supporters alike. Whatever the cause at the time of his admitted anger, it would seem the prime minister has more reasons than ever to be faché!

Last week the prime minister described as “terrorism” certain public statements related to the
St. Jude brouhaha, allegedly by the Saint Lucia Labour Party. This was how the party’s chairman, Moses JnBaptiste, reacted: “The prime minister said that basically the concerns of the St Lucia Medical and Dental Association, the concerns of the St Lucia Labour Party, it looks like we’re trying to create a situation in the country. I want to state categorically, as chairman of the SLP, that we will continue to press the government for answers. We will continue to indicate that the government is continuing to create a worsening health crisis and situation in this country.”

On Monday, evidently still faché, the prime minister again referenced St. Jude and the opposition party. “When we came in, our initial goal was to downsize the ambition of St. Jude in order to have it completed by the end of 2016 and move the patients now at the George Odlum stadium. Our analysis has shown that whatever we do to try to fix up the existing facility, it will still be substandard.”

He added: “I do not have the ability to snap my fingers and undo what was done. We’re dealing with something highly technical and very sophisticated.”

Perhaps displaying more emotionalism than has been witnessed publicly, the prime minister went on: “The opposition should be ashamed of itself. It has no legitimacy to comment about anything to do with St. Jude. They failed the people of this country, having promised on several occasions to deliver a state-of-the-art

St. Jude in 2015, after spending millions and nearly five years on the construction of the hospital. It’s hypocritical to say they are concerned about the healthcare of the people of this country. For five years all they did was spend money and tell lies about how the work was coming. Nothing they promised came to pass.”

Barely taking time to exhale, the prime minister added: “Right now, I’m having to find an extra $70million for OKEU and another $120 million possibly in order to save the hospital in the south. You don’t hear me complaining. I don’t have the money, but I’ll find the money. We will make it happen because we must. It’s a priority.”

Meanwhile the group known as Raise Your Voice Saint Lucia has been issuing a number of unsettling, unconfirmed press releases. One of them, calls for the resignation of health minister Senator Mary Isaac, and another states: “It is alleged that mental patients will be returned to their communities for community/family-based mental health care and those who are in need of hospitalization will be referred to Victoria Hospital.”

The government’s senior communications officer, Nicole McDonald, quickly refuted the group’s claims. However, there could be no denying last week’s resignation of Dr. Ulric Mondesir as chairman of St. Jude’s board of directors.

The prime minister’s final word: “No way the people in the south, who have waited all this time, should be given a sub-par hospital. My government will not stand for that!”