From the author’s vantage, House opposition leader Philip J. Pierre needs to get out from the dark shadows of fellow MPs Ernest Hilaire and Vieux Fort South representative Kenny Anthony.
It would be hypocritical to call Ernest Hilaire a friend. I count him as a fellow Saint Lucian on whom I have showered merited praise for his role as CEO of Cricket West Indies. He, Julian Hunte and Daren Sammy kept West Indies Cricket afloat when the bottom was threatening to fall out from the triumphs of the Caribbean game. I am saddened that he does not seem to have recovered from his many legal battles with Ramnarine, the cantankerous rabble rouser, trade unionist and politician of the West Indies Players’ Association. Sadly, jealousy, greed and insularity militated against further progress may have led to the fall of these worthy Saint Lucians from the leadership of West Indies cricket.
Since his transition from cricket CEO to local politics, Ernest Hilare has consistently confused me and others by his asinine performances as an MP, in and out of parliament. He speaks without appearing to give much thought to his words, leaving his listeners wondering if he is merely regurgitating what has been prepared for him by others. The latest attempt to connect the sad death of a well-liked British national to the inefficiency of the legal system in Saint Lucia is a matter that should drive his friends to shame. Has Hilaire ever contemplated the dirty work of political activists trying to frustrate the construction of a new police headquarters and court houses in Castries? Who does the Castries South MP blame for the miserable condition of the judicial system, including mould-infested buildings left to rot? Where is his former boss hiding and why does Hilare feel a commitment to speak while the man remains silent or hidden?
And when will Hilaire encourage Philip J. Pierre, who has served the SLP faithfully, to remove himself from the shadows and begin to describe a new vision for Saint Lucia? When will Hilaire stop blocking Pierre and instead allow him to display the qualities that made his father and his cousins—the Parris family— prominent citizens of Saint Lucia? Frankly, it seems that unless a green donkey with blue eyes emerges to lead the SLP, Hilaire and Pierre and the silent man-fox with the bloated belly may soon end up in the garbage can of local politics. –
