The dissonant muffled percussion of political disquiet could once again be heard and felt throughout the length and breadth of Fair Helen. The ductile audience are beginning to tap their feet, nod their heads and sway their hips ever so slightly to the insidious beat on cue—like rats under the spell of an enchanted flute. There are those who have not stopped dancing since June of 2016 but these private dancers move not because of the allure of the tune or a love of dancing. Rather, they dance in pursuance of G-strings stuffed with singles. For them, any old music will do.
As 2021 draws nearer and nearer this dissonant percussion will rise increasingly to a crescendo of deafening claims, promises, innuendos and misinformation which will undoubtedly whip the sycophants, blind ideologists and ignorant masses into a frenzy, stirring up soot that has for the most part laid dormant for the better part of five years.
A full-blown carnival of chicken and rum-fuelled jubilance predestined to leave the streets littered with disappointment and the gutters of our collective consciences clogged with regret. Families will be divided; friends estranged and purported principles abandoned. When the dust settles, battle lines will be firmly drawn with many of you prostrated at altars of yellow or red. One side desperately trying to hold on to the levers of political power, the other equally desperate to retain it. In the end you, the voter, will have to choose.
Some have described their choice as the lesser of two evils. An apt description, really, for few whose testicles don’t permanently reside in the designer purses or attaché cases of members of one side of the political class or the other will deny they have all been weighed, measured and found miserably wanting. Nonetheless the carousel of failed ideas, ineptitude and corrupt intent keeps on spinning.
But we are where we are. And for those of you who have been living under a rock, it’s no longer simply without a paddle up shit creek. Our tattered dinghy that has been adrift since being launched in February of ‘79 long sank, leaving us neck deep in it . . . and the shit is rising. So let’s get on with the regrettable but necessary business of weighing evils, shall we?
Members of the current administration have been, and are being, besieged by whispers of corruption and full-throated screams of impropriety and ineptitude. There have been a great many accusations of procedural pimples and ethical carbuncles. They are not alone in that regard. Successive administrations have been mired in controversies; accused of various forms and degrees of malfeasance, most often without a scintilla of corroboration. I dare to say that the comparative weighing of these controversies is, for the most part, how local political contests are decided. I will attempt a more sober comparative assessment of the island’s two major political parties; one which is equitable and steers clear of rumours and innuendos for I don’t subscribe to the notion that smoke is confirmation of fire—no matter how acrid.
In the alternate universe called politics, alternative facts, dissembling and all other sorts of subterfuge are the order of the day. However, beyond the half-truths and whole lies, there are areas of obvious grave concern. Our education system is antiquated and underfunded; our healthcare woefully inadequate and social services all but non-existent— among a slew of other social and economic issues. But these issues, too, are not points of distinction because they persisted irrespective of which party was in power. Various incarnations of both parties have proven gravely inept at solving them. For example, the issue of schools being closed on account of alleged governmental failings isn’t a recent phenomenon.
Cases in point: following a sit-in protest by teachers at the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School shortly after the commencement of the new school year in 2015, the school had to be closed to facilitate major works. The school’s principal, Marva Daniel, indicated the issues that precipitated the closure: leakages, floods, mildew and mould, electrical issues and cracks in beams, had been brought to the attention of the Ministry of Education since 2007.
Crime has been an issue from time immemorial. There were forty-six homicides in 2011 and forty-three in 2006, not to mention perennial issues of sexual assaults and robberies. According to Cruise Law News, Saint Lucia was number ten on the list of the world’s most dangerous cruise destinations in 2014. I quote: “This Island [Saint Lucia] is a good case study on what can go wrong during a cruise excursion. 69 cruise passengers were robbed at gun point on just two excursions.”
There is, however, one significant distinction between the current Allen Chastanet administration and Philip J. Pierre’s opposition which seeks to replace it. That distinction is a plan. Whether you believe in its efficacy or not; support the management style in which it is being implemented; or even view it as cohesive, there is no denying that the current administration has one. The opposition does not. If they do, I have not heard it. By “plan” I do not mean promises of infrastructural improvements such as fixing roads, renovating airports and building footpaths and squares and/or the supplying of tools such as vehicles for the police force.
I’m referring to the types of policy-driven paradigm shifts necessary to fundamentally change the aforementioned areas of major concern for the better. How are they going to address the high import bill? In what way is our tourism product going to be modified to meet the challenge of increased competition and decreased inbound flights? What do they propose to do about insolvent state-dependent institutions? How will our education system be revamped to better fit our specific needs and so on?
The opposition regularly lambasts what’s being done as half-baked, ill-fated and corrupt. They disagree with the plan to develop Vieux Fort. They are against the privatization of traditionally government-run institutions and functions. They consider the Soleil series of music festivals ill-conceived and ineffectual. And, who knows, their concerns may be well placed. However, those who aspire to lead should be more than skilled at identifying problems and experienced at shooting holes in the proffered ideas for solving them. They must present ideas of their own: solutions that address current issues and proactive measures which will safeguard against future challenges. The opposition is yet to do so. They are yet to offer an alternative to the current administration.
As useful as it is to make a case for why the current administration should not be reelected, it is vastly more important that the opposition—keeping in mind its leader has fifteen years of governing under his belt—clearly state why his team should be returned to office. Sure, it’s important that those who seek to represent us share our values and empathize with our challenges and hardships. It’s more than welcomed and appreciated if they take the time to share a drink or meal—on them of course. It is comforting if they look like us. However, having a workable plan is far and away the most important consideration. The watery grave of oblivion is all that’s promised to those who, in the face of undercurrents such as competition, sporadic market movements and natural disasters, are content to merely tread water.
