Opposition leader urges Saint Lucia PM to call elections

Saint Lucia’s leader of the opposition Philip J. Pierre has called on the Allen Chastanet administration to call elections.

“We think the government should do the right thing and call elections,” Pierre told reporters outside parliament Tuesday.

He declared that the issue confronting the people is the matter of trust.

According to the leader of the Saint Lucia Labour Party, the Attorney General is the highest policy making person as far as the  laws are concerned.

He recalled that the Attorney General signed an agreement with an organisation, an obvious reference to the Saint Lucia National Trust, which has accused the government of reneging on a commitment in demolishing the Royal Gaol in Castries.

Pierre said he was not going to deal with the merits or demerits of the agreement.

But he explained that if the country cannot trust the word of the Attorney General who is the government’s chief legal person, then this country is in a lot of problems.

“A government must be trusted,” the Castries East MP asserted.

“You can’t ask people to obey the law, you can’t ask people to follow regular civil obedience procedures if you can’t trust the government,” he explained.

He declared that the Allen Chastanet administration is in breach of trust and must be made to pay for losing the trust of the people.

“The way they will pay is in the ballot box,” Pierre stated.

He declared that currently, the government is engaging in a ‘mad rush’ to undertake projects, while people who are on public assistance cannot get $200 a month.

“But the government is spending millions of dollars to pave roads for election purposes,” the SLP leader observed.

He said the government is attempting to ‘mamaguy’ people for election purposes.

However Pierre expressed the view that the people will not be fooled this time.

(ST LUCIA TIMES)