Will ‘New Prime Minister by December’ Prove Just Another Politician’s Promise?

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]have good reason to recall the ambitious island-wide indoor rap sessions with SLP supporters, attended largely by the age group politicians love to refer to as “the youth,” and too often talk down to, as if indeed they were children especially slow on the uptake: forty years and under.

What I’m not so clear about is whether the get-togethers were part of the first campaign to get Kenny Anthony elected. Actually they may have followed the Labour Party’s unprecedented 16-1 victory in 1997. Our various panels usually included Mario Michel, George Odlum, Claudius Francis and your never so humble servant.

Our audiences were mostly receptive and responsive. But there was one particular session at the old Laborie police station that almost went awry. Something George said to attendees had not gone down well with fellow panelist Mario, well known back in the day for his advertised low tolerance of egoistic cow dung that did not emanate from him. He quickly dismissed George as someone addicted to the sound of his own voice. To which George pointedly replied: “My words can make or break governments.” Mario, who had never forgiven the Big Brother for his role in the debacle that resulted in the April 1981 resignation of Prime Minister Allan Louisy, fired back: “The only government you ever brought down was your own. And there’s a name for that!”

Whatever name Mario Michel had in mind, when the 1979 prime minister reneged on their secret promise that he would demit office in Odlum’s favor after six months, the dagger the would-be inheritor used vengefully to cut out his pound of flesh from the beleaguered Louisy’s skinny behind was a Motion of No-Confidence! Of course, Odlum did not act alone. So much for Proustian remembrances of things past. On Tuesday the leader of the House opposition handed to the clerk of parliament a motion of  “no-confidence in the prime minister and minister of finance” Allen Chastanet.

In truth the stated reasons for the SLP’s lack of confidence in the prime minister amounted to stale fish wrapped in not so fresh paper—déjà vu: the unfilled position of deputy Speaker more than two years after the UWP was elected to office; ostensibly “irrational decisions” taken; lack of transparency in the operations of the CIP; the government’s alleged mishandling of the health-care service.

This week’s no-confidence motion, unlike its earlier mentioned relative, has had little impact. Hardly surprising, when compared with the 79-82 atmosphere.

At the SLP-sponsored “people’s protest rally” two months ago, one of the more prominent speakers pledged that “Saint Lucia will have a new prime minister by December.” As if further to reassure the audience, he added: “And I will lead the charge.”

Soon afterward, the party that Philip J. Pierre now leads served public notice that it would place before the House the motion he handed this week to the clerk of parliament. With so many bills already scheduled for debate on Tuesday—the prime minister’s birthday!—the last thing on the government’s mind was Pierre’s Motion of No-Confidence. This being a Christian country (wink! wink!) chances are it won’t be tabled during the month that Christ was born . . . or any time soon.

In all events, when was the last time a Rock of Sages event kicked off at the advertised time? The SLP’s September “people’s rally” was two hours behind schedule. Even the most recent no-confidence motion was delivered more than a month behind time. Evidently the “better days” $100 million check promised back in 2011 was returned to sender. And lest we forget, can anyone recall the last time a parliamentary session started on time? Certainly not Tuesday’s!