Before my highest mountain do I stand, and before my longest wandering: therefore must I first go deeper down than I ever ascended: Deeper down into pain than I ever ascended, even into its darkest flood! So willeth my fate. Well! I am ready.
–Friedrich Nietzsche: ‘Thus Spake Zarathustra’
Saint Lucia, are you ready? Forty- two years ago we were granted independent status by our colonial overseers. Since then we’ve been called upon by the government to celebrate with pride every February 22 the occasion when ostensibly we broke our colonial chains and took responsibility for charting our own course. In less than five months our parliament will be dissolved and we’ll be called on to select a leader to chart our course for a five-year term. Yet, despite the phenotypical make-up of the majority, the nattering of some suggest we have not, and neither do they believe we should be shedding notions of black inferiority.
Some weeks before our most recent Independence anniversary, during a TV appearance, Peter Josie attempted to speak for our population when he said Saint Lucians prefer their elected officials to be of a “ti-koule-wy-a-yi,”—by which he referred to skin tones easier associated with Europe than with Africa. He argued that this lighter complexion automatically opened more doors internationally. What was for me mortifying and revolting about the eunuch’s submission was that it did not lament such thinking. Rather, he seemed to offer the demeaning allegation as Allen Chastanet’s guarantee of reelection. Sir Michael Chastanet, father of Saint Lucia’s prime minister, who appeared with Josie on the remembered occasion, shook his head—whether approvingly or from embarrassment.
Imagine that! Forty-two years after our colonial shackles were removed, a man with Peter Josie’s history, who once epitomized Black Power, celebrating on TV the notion that Philip J. Pierre’s black skin would place him at a disadvantage at election time. Even if that were true, it would be cause enough to hang our collective head in shame!
Am I to believe Allen Chastanet receives charitable assessments only because of the color of his skin? That because Philip J. Pierre bears the color and physical characteristics of most Saint Lucians, his temperament, character, experience and performance record count for nothing? That Chastanet’s complexion alone equips him to be a more useful prime minister of Saint Lucia than the present leader of the House opposition?
PJP has a sacred and indissoluble attachment to this land that birthed and nurtured him. Consequently, he understands and can identify with the aspirations of the citizenry. He was not, nor does he pretend to be, “to the manor born.” His mother was a teacher, his father a police officer. Together they taught him the importance of education, respect for law and order, authority and the value of service to community and country.
By age 21 PJP had already unambiguously established his academic ability, having graduated with honours from the UWI with a degree in Economics. He would subsequently complete an MBA from that same institution. Though his oratory won’t be compared to Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King Jr, or even George Odlum, there is no doubt about his intelligence, ability to read and write, and to understand why words matter. That he sometimes stutters renders him not one bit inferior to, say, a dyslexic. Pierre’s words when he speaks may not be straight outta Compton but they ring with a sincerity that springs from his heart.
Not being the scion of a wealthy father who could thrust him into jobs, he demonstrated his independence and willingness to take strategic risks by starting his own successful small business, providing financial and consultancy services to local and regional companies and institutions. Thus he has taught and practiced fiscal prudence, ensuring that he won’t be a spendthrift or profligate with public funds, hosting extravaganzas.
PJP is not a carpetbagger; he did not select his constituency based on selfish convenience. He did not need to provide an inducement to anyone to earn the privilege of representing his people. His relationship with his constituency is organic. He has never abandoned them and will not, regardless of setbacks. He has earned his honour and established his commitment to the people.
For him, “Putting You First” is not merely another catchy election slogan. Rather it is a guiding philosophy, the basis on which his public service and representation are grounded. He does not merely talk the talk; he also walks the walk. He puts his money where the mouths are. For instance, when he presided over the tourism industry as portfolio minister, he shifted the sector’s orientation by making it more inclusive of local interests. He ensured it was no longer an enclave industry, but that “U” were in and benefited from tourism. Taxi-drivers, beach vendors, tour operators and other auxiliary service providers got a seat at the table. He recognized that we are a hospitable people and chose to accentuate that fact by hiring tourism hostesses to meet, greet and guide visitors to our shores. He was sensitive enough to their need to have the ability to feed their children and frugal enough, unlike his successor, to keep his telephone bills lower than their combined salaries, thus ensuring their continued employment.
The previously insipid Jazz Festival, once the premier tool by which to market and promote the island, was an exclusive event catering to a particular demographic. PJP supervised the rebranding of the event, infusing it with Saint Lucian energy, flair, and spirit, spread it throughout the island, ensuring that the returns percolated in the communities. Sadly, the festival has recently returned to naught, totally kwaze as the sun closed its eyes on community ambience replaced by the stuffiness of hotel conference rooms.
As a true son of the soil who acknowledges, understands and celebrates while protecting his patrimony, he recognized that our heritage can simultaneously be shared and preserved. He helped birth Nature Heritage Tourism. This was a concrete initiative, evinced by the sites and attractions, not merely a conceptual notion of village tourism.
Having studied economics, he understands the investment function, and during his tenure as minister presided over and recorded the highest level of investment in the tourism sector. This investment yielded a major boost in room stock, many of them locally owned and operated.
PJP’s ethical conduct is unimpeachable. Throughout his long tenure in elective politics, not once has he been linked to skullduggery. No institution has had reason to declare his words lacking in credibility, neither his managerial performance. He is meticulous as he is deliberative, and such explains the reason why those around him don’t always have to mop up, recasting his statements as misspeaks.
His inclination to consult, give a listening ear, not bully, malign or act vindictively towards others, have led detractors to misperceive him as weak. Less handicapped perceivers recognize these qualities are precisely what make him the servant leader that he is. These are the attributes of only one of the current leaders heading a major political party on the island. These are some of the virtues and the truncated resumé of a competent, compassionate, conscientious and just leader: Philip Joseph Pierre. He has always been at our nation’s service, without much fanfare. He knows, as they say, it’s not about him. It’s all about “Putting You First.”
And so again, I ask: Saint Lucia, are you ready for Philip J. Pierre? Are you ready for your next prime minister?
This article first appeared in the March 2021 edition of the STAR Monthly Review. Be sure to get your printed copy on newsstands or view it here: https://issuu.com/starbusinessweek/docs/star_monthly_review_-_march_2021
