It was as if there had been a death in the family on Monday, on the fifth floor conference room of the Financial Administrative Centre. The atmosphere at the NEMAC meeting held there was nothing short of funereal. News of two confirmed COVID-19 cases over the weekend sounded like a death announcement, especially to a tiny island like Saint Lucia, with international news reports centred on hundreds of daily deaths and more to come.
The bluster and bombast of last week’s parliamentary meeting—where the political claptrap over COVID-19 and St Jude continued unabated—offered little comfort. Then suddenly it seemed everyone was talking of unity and togetherness in the face of a crisis that cares not for the colour of flags or ideologies. Most notable was the change in opposition leader Philip J. Pierre. His address before the second NEMAC meeting was lucid and calm, with no references to Rat Island, or the island’s state of preparedness in the fight to stay the coronavirus. No mention of Ti Ponche.
On behalf of the House opposition, Pierre pledged: “Our party will ensure that the people come first and the government gets the necessary support when it comes to creating a better way of life for the people of our country.”
“It’s a hard time,” he declared. “I don’t think anyone in this room ever thought we would get to this situation. But I assure you it is something we can overcome. We have to forget what’s happening next year and work for the benefit of the people of this country because in the final analysis we may have no next year if things continue unabated.” Of course, there could only have been a few in the room that did not take Pierre’s “what’s happening next year” as Greek for “the anticipated general elections” and the usual accompanying animus.
Although Pierre’s message was laced with bits of advice here and there—most of which Prime Minister Allen Chastanet and CMO Sharon Belmar-George would confirm had already been implemented or were in the works—what was most intriguing about his contribution was this suggestion: “We advise that the Government of Taiwan could be contacted to assist in our testing; in fact, to advise us in their approach, because Taiwan seems to have controlled that disease very well. So we could contact the Government of Taiwan through our agencies here to ensure they teach or advise or help us as to how they managed to control that illness.” Pierre still has a way to go when it comes to clarity of speech.
There was inescapable irony in Pierre’s secondhand appeal for assistance from the Taiwanese, considering his party’s constant xenophobic references to the prime minister’s relationship with foreigners. CMO Belmar-George assured all gathered that already Saint Lucia had reached out to Cuba, India and Taiwan for trained personnel. Though the request had been made of India, “based on travel restrictions they are not able to provide support at this time”.
She stated, “We do not anticipate getting the number we want from Cuba but they have indicated they are prepared to provide assistance for the management of the respiratory hospital.” As the CMO stated last week, Victoria Hospital is to be converted to a respiratory hospital.
“Given Taiwan is still seen as part of mainland China,” she added, “there is a travel restriction and they’re having issues getting out. However, last week the Office of the Prime Minister indicated they are working on measures to see how they could get the teams out. That’s the last information we received. They are still working to see how they could get the visas to come here to provide that support.”
Despite Pierre’s recommendation in relation to Taiwan, not every member of his party is trusting of our most important Pacific partner. Consider this statement by former Prime Minister Kenny Anthony during an interview with his former attaché turned talk-radio host, Calixte George Jr: “I don’t know why the SLP has not formally raised this with the Taiwanese government, the fact that the opposition constituencies receive no financing under the CDP. And I just hope that the Taiwanese are not being complicit in all of this, allowing the UWP to receive resources and using resources purely for the benefit of some and not for others. So it’s really a big issue.”
