THE LOST HALF DECADE AND WHY THE SLP SHOULD NOT BE RE-ELECTED

St. Lucia stands today at a defining moment, forced to reckon with 4.5 years of stalled progress, political gimmickry, and a stunning absence of tangible development. This was not a period marked by hurricanes, pandemics, or global collapse. On the contrary, these were the best of times: years in which other Caribbean nations advanced, rebuilt, attracted investment, and repositioned themselves in a rapidly recovering global economy. Yet despite having every advantage, including records inflows of Citizenship by Investment revenues, the SLP government has delivered little more than PR ceremonies, half-finished buildings, political victimisation, and an economy weighed down by rising costs and declining confidence.

The most painful symbol of this failure remains the St. Jude Hospital. Nearly half a decade after taking office, and despite inheriting a brand-new, world-class, climate-resistant project already well underway, the government opted to renovate an outdated, obsolete 80-year old structure and has failed to complete or commission it. Doctors, nurses, and patients will continue to operate out of the George Odlum Stadium long after the PR stunt ceremonies are over and long after the December 1 election. Instead of urgency, St. Lucians have been given excuses, and video tours by political operatives around an incomplete structure the Prime Minister correctly called “a building, not a commissioned hospital.” A government that cannot finish a hospital, in the best of times, cannot credibly ask for another mandate.

Across the country, major development projects have collapsed into dust. From the West Coast Highway to the Castries–Gros Islet Highway expansion, from the international airport redevelopment to the long-promised home and condo developments at Rock Hall, Talvern, Bexon, and Cas en Bas, nothing has materialised. Foundational airport piles worth millions were ripped out of the ground and discarded. Not a single major hotel or investment project has begun under this administration, and every noteworthy development in the pipeline today had its origins under the UWP. Instead of jobs and long-term economic growth, St. Lucians have received pothole patching, small cash handouts, and the infamous $5-block-a-hole development- short-term political band-aids that leave the country exactly where it started.

Meanwhile, the basic functions of the state have deteriorated at an alarming pace. Healthcare has collapsed into crisis, with persistent medication shortages and what the St. Lucia Medical & Dental Association has described as “the worst healthcare has ever been.” Water supply issues now last weeks in some communities. The K-9 Unit—St. Lucia’s front line in detecting illegal guns, drugs, and cash was inexplicably disbanded because “$40,000 a month was too expensive,” even as violent crime soared to record levels, with the highest murder rate four years in a row. Tourism, the lifeblood of the economy, experienced unprecedented declines outside of 9/11 and the COVID pandemic- another first under this government.

At the same time, the cost of living has skyrocketed. The 2.5% Health and Security Levy has raised prices on nearly every good and service. Bus fares increased. The price of bread doubled. Gas prices became the highest in the OECS. All of this occurred while the government collected over $240 million from the CIP in a single year yet still chose to burden struggling households. Instead of using this windfall to ease suffering, the government diverted resources toward political vanity projects, questionable contracts, and personal enrichment.

Corruption has overshadowed every inch of the administration. No audited reports have been published for the billions generated through the Citizenship by Investment Programme. Ministers who once struggled to pay basic personal expenses now boast multimillion-dollar real estate portfolios. Lawyers connected to ministers pocketed over $40 million in CIP fees. Allegations continue to swirl about ministers with foreign bank accounts from Dubai to Romania. Promised developments—like the Caribbean Galaxy/Canelles Resort—have disappeared without explanation. Even public resources such as building materials and sports funding have been weaponised, diverted, or abused, leaving communities deprived and institutions weakened.

What St. Lucia has endured is not simply bad governance, it is a wasted half decade. A period in which the nation could have advanced, modernised, and expanded its economic prospects but instead receded into stagnation, chaos, and political tribalism. A government’s legacy is measured by what it builds, protects, and delivers. In 4.5 years, this administration has built nothing, fixed nothing, and protected no one.

St. Lucia deserves better The people deserve leadership that prioritises hospitals over political theatrics, real development over cash-for-votes gimmicks, national progress over personal enrichment, and long-term stability over short-term propaganda. On December 1st, voters must decide whether they want another five years of decline-or a government ready to restore integrity, rebuild the economy, and bring real, measurable progress back to St. Lucia.

This election is not just a choice. It is a rescue mission. And St. Lucia cannot afford to lose another half decade.