Is Vieux Fort St. Lucia’s Sacrificial Lamb?

My sensitivity to the plight of the Vieux Fort community was heightened the other Saturday when on my way to the market my friend Boysie flagged me down. “With all that’s going on,” he shouted, “why haven’t I heard a word from you? Say something, please. I still believe in you.” I was overcome by a feeling of deep disappointment—with myself. But there could be no denying the flame Boysie’s friendly admonition had lit in my belly. With his last line, especially.

Later the same day, several friends alerted me to an article published in The STAR online. It’s depressing title: “From Shanty Town to Bruceville: Vieux Fort’s Way of the Cross!” Written by Rick Wayne, it spoke in stark terms of the inhumane conditions that were the daily realities of life for many Vieux Fortians in the mid-80s. Reading the piece thirty-five years later, it occurs to me how prophetic were the author’s words. The fact that he had identified me by name inspired me to add my two cents to the ongoing debates, discourses, and whatever else that seek to characterize Vieux Fort, a community of vital importance to the socio-economic well-being of the country, as a deadly no-go zone fast becoming a ghost town.

The power of example is undeniable. And so we must be mindful of our actions or inactions as parents, as official representatives of the people, and as the holders of other position that place us in the forefront of public life—which brings me to the matter of parliamentary behavior and decorum. It was for me a great pleasure observing the conduct of some of our young people at the Youth Parliament held several months ago. A much-needed breath of fresh air, I thought. In stark contrast to what, regrettably, has become the norm for our elected representatives. A Tom and Jerryesque tragi-comedy staged at the expense of taxpayers as well interested Saint Lucians abroad.

The quality of debate, the presentations, the reading, the evident inability to adhere to the Standing Orders leave much to be desired. As for the caliber of some of the individuals we elect to represent us, the least said the better. Is what we now see in parliament reflective of our society? Or are our parliamentarians actually aberrational Saint Lucians, a breed apart?

On the other hand, are we the electors to blame, not having paid enough attention to the writings on the wall back in the late 70s through the 80s? Has the fall-out from the outrageous platform antics and unruly costly public demonstrations of the period—behavior that many of us considered entertaining, opportunities to challenge “the system”—come back to haunt us? Should we be surprised that such political misconduct as was once to be seen only at the Castries market-steps, William Peter Boulevard, Desir’s Corner, Ma Romain’s Steps (on Clarke Street, Vieux Fort) has found a home in our House of Assembly? Not even Government House was spared.

What next? Are we doomed to see MPs with chips on their padded shoulders and axes to grind tossing shoes and chairs at one another? How surprising, in our current circumstances, would it be if an over-heated MP should pull a firearm (a bazooka?) from under the table during a House session? We are expected by the populace, hopefully by the majority, to be exemplars of good discipline and probity. But alas! If the behavior patterns depict an unholy aggression of the big fish politicos or of the King of the castle, what then to expect of the more impressionable among us—the so-called “youf?”

Just in case some might be wondering what the above has to do with present-day Vieux Fort, please suffer me a bit longer. I have come to understand that the way of life and behavior of parents influence their offspring. Too often the horrors committed by our young citizens can be traced to their home. Deny that at your own peril, dear reader, the evidence is all around us. Fool yourself, deny the obvious and suffer the consequences. Our failings may begin with stealing eggs from a neighbor and blaming others, or selling the property of an unsuspecting elderly person and leaving him/her to die in poverty. Corrosive, too, is the character assassination that is a regular feature of parliamentary debates. Then there is the victimization in its several forms, including the denial of opportunity and credit in the name of politics. Yes, we have all at some point in our lives fallen short of the glory. Why then are those who seek reconciliation and forgiveness so often ridiculed and demeaned? Too many of us have with our silence encouraged the discourtesy, disrespect and mushrooming lawlessness in our society. And now that the horses have bolted, we are at pains how to return them to their woefully inadequate stables.

Too many of our people have lost their sense of self-worth. They care not if they live or die, who they kill, who kills them. Those who feel deprived and marginalized quickly seek out ways by which to survive, usually outside the law. We are currently in the throes of a national census. I trust the social sampling aspect therein will lend to the transformation so desperately needed.

We arrive now at the murderous problem of too many guns in too many wrong hands. Some have referred to Vieux Fort as a war zone, a situation that makes me at once extremely sad and angry. We went wrong somewhere. Some will blame the usual scapegoats. Others site the absence of a well- rounded education system. The fault could easily be transferred to the absence of regular jobs, the get-rich-quick mentality of the impatient youth and the barely drug trade. I dare to ask: Have we, as community leaders, contributed to our present deplorable society? Should we not be together seeking effective counters to our present intolerable circumstances?

The turf wars have forced many of us to resort to prayers and religious crusades. Some have placed their faith in self-imposed seclusion. I daresay all in vain. Many of the challenges confronting us today are of our own making. Those of us who hold the reins of power cannot remain conveniently blind, deaf and dumb to the existing social disharmony. We all have a part to play in reversing this deadly trend, in putting an end to increasing lawlessness. Let us be part of the solution—lest we discover ourselves among the fingered facilitators of the ills that confront us.

Editor’s Note: The author (center) is a former MP and Saint Lucia’s High Commissioner in the UK