Labourie MP Alva Baptiste mounted a vigorous defence of the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) government’s economic policy in response to criticisms from United Workers Party (UWP)-endorsed Castries South candidate Tommy Descartes at Parliament on July 3.
In a recent article titled “Between Global Oil to Local Pain,” economist and UWP candidate Tommy Descartes accused the SLP government of maintaining an unnecessarily high fuel price policy that, he argued, has placed an undue financial burden on consumers and undermined Saint Lucia’s regional competitiveness. Descartes pointed to a nearly 20 per cent decline in global oil prices between 2022 and 2024, noting that while other Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) countries adjusted their domestic pump prices in line with the international market, Saint Lucia held gasoline and diesel at EC$16.50 per gallon for more than a year.
A word to the wise is often regarded as sufficient. However, in a forceful rebuttal during a recent parliamentary session, Labourie MP Alva Baptiste spared no words and dismissed Descartes’ critique as politically motivated and lacking in analytical rigour.
“I invite Mr. Descartes to return to data and evidence-based policy analysis. Do not devalue the currency of your political integrity to adjust to the ‘gluh-gluh-nomics’ and ‘simen gwenn pwin’ politics of the UWP.”
Baptiste accused Descartes of offering “slogans dressed up as economic insight” and claimed the article failed to present a comprehensive model, fiscal impact analysis, or supporting data. He argued that the absence of such information undermines Descartes’ credibility as a policy analyst, despite his professional background in economics and data analytics.
“Mr. Descartes’ article may be wrapped in the rhetoric of policy advocacy, but it falls short of the standard of rigorous economic analysis,” Baptiste stated.
The MP also challenged the assumption that Saint Lucia’s fixed fuel prices directly contribute to higher inflation or financial hardship. Citing regional comparisons, Baptiste noted that Antigua and Barbuda, which offered lower fuel prices during the same period, experienced an inflation rate of 6.2 per cent, over 12 times higher than Saint Lucia’s.
“Where is the burden? Where is the evidence? The critique is not only flawed, it is politically driven.”
Baptiste further noted that the government has actively taken steps to moderate price impacts, including capping pump prices at EC$16.00, maintaining a stable fuel tax rate of 50 cents per gallon for LUCELEC since 2014, and keeping electricity VAT-exempt. These, he argued, are deliberate fiscal measures aimed at balancing economic recovery and public welfare.
“The SLP government’s record shows that thoughtful, targeted fiscal measures can simultaneously stabilise public finances, drive recovery and protect citizens,” Baptiste said.
While Descartes positioned his critique as a nonpartisan, data-informed appeal for transparency and equity, Baptiste maintained that the article was a calculated political manoeuvre aimed at undermining the government’s economic credibility ahead of the next election cycle.