Another political party has announced their intention to contest the upcoming general election in Saint Lucia. Led by Andre de Caires, Lucian Greens fielded two candidates in the 2011 election but failed to capture any seat. Addressing the country’s political landscape during an interview with the STAR in March, de Caires noted: “More and more people are fed up with the two-party political system. People are fed up! They’re throwing stones at each other and the people of the country are no better off.” In a statement issued today, August 20, the party officially announced its return and called on members of the public to join a movement with a “futuristic and progressive agenda.”
The party’s full statement is below:
Dear fellow Saint Lucians, we are not as uneducated as many of our leaders believe. If one observes the motorcades, rallies, the formation of new political parties, constituency walks and meetings, talk shows with prospective candidates etc., one can only deduce that another snap election is more than likely.
We at the Lucian Greens believe that calling a snap election is just political gamesmanship, basically a tactic to try to maintain power by the ruling party, and has absolutely nothing to do with serving the people of this nation. This tactic actually does a great disservice to the electorate and defeats the purpose of a fair and open democratic process. In fact, results from the constitutional reform exercise held years ago, suggests that the majority of citizens of this country favor a set election date. Apart from that, the electorate generally tends to vote parties out rather than voting a party in, and tactics like this reduce the ability for prospective new parties or independent candidates to mobilize effectively, and enter the political arena.
Since the Lucian Greens last contested in 2011 when we fielded two candidates, we see that many Green policies and initiatives have come to pass globally. There are over eighty countries that have Green Parties, with some party members serving in their respective governments. Green Parties are gaining popularity worldwide as citizens all over the globe are beginning to reject the failing two party system that only seems to divide nations and puts profits over planet. Green initiatives such as the war on plastic, the move to a more sustainable organic agricultural system, the development of renewable energies, the legalization of cannabis, the growth of the environmentalist movement worldwide, basic human rights being given to many minority groups etc., initiatives that are so important for Saint Lucia to propel itself into the post Covid era.
The Lucian Greens manifesto has changed little over the past ten years, and is still primarily focused on food and water security, where we will be concentrating on developing climate change resilient infrastructure in all areas. Obviously, the alleviation of poverty, environmentalism and social justice are still very high on the list.
As opposed to the selection process used by the traditional parties where seventeen individual candidates are chosen by the party machinery to represent a certain constituency, whether they are from that constituency or not, we at the Lucian Greens are asking the people of the respective constituencies to bring forward prospective candidates that they believe are capable of doing the business of the constituency, as a core principal of Green Parties is decentralized governance.
We are hoping to field at least nine female candidates and want citizens that have had no relationship with the two traditional parties and who want to serve the people of our beautiful island home under the banner of the Lucian Greens, to come forward and join a movement with a futuristic, progressive agenda. What we have done, is to create a brand new progressive platform for seventeen Saint Lucians who have a burning desire to serve their people, to join, and make their contribution.
All party infrastructure is in place: symbol, manifesto, mascot (Maryjane the Cow), party slogans, party colors, website (in the process of upgrading), Facebook page, and most importantly, an ideology that is global and futuristic. Only by creating a conscious collective that works in unison, will we effect real tangible change, as believing that any individual politician can improve your life, is just a fantasy. We have to be the change we want to see. Regardless what party you support, Think Green, Live Green.
We encourage everyone interested, to Google “Green Party politics” to learn more about this important global movement.
Beff la lage
Out with old, in with the MOO!
