In tone and content, this was vintage Chastanet: polished, self-assured, and disconnected from the real Saint Lucia. His call for “renewal, action and results” ignores the fact that his own administration from 2016 to 2021 was synonymous with mismanagement, division, and misplaced priorities.
He reminded Saint Lucians of the Owen King EU Hospital and VAT reduction, but conveniently forgot to mention that under his government, he kept OKEU Hospital closed for four years and was forced to open it because of COVID-19. To add insult to injury, he spent $25 million on an overseas transitioning team for OKEU after firing local talent. It was under his administration also, St. Jude Hospital remained closed for nearly five years, public debt skyrocketed, and basic community projects were ignored while millions were funneled into vanity initiatives like the DSH fantasy and the failed airport redevelopment scheme.
When Chastanet asks, “Are we really better off today than in 2019?” Saint Lucians should ask back: “Were we better off under your government?” The answer remains a resounding no.
His new promises: free tuition, youth grants, universal health coverage sound appealing, but they’re not original. They are, in fact, policies being implemented by the current Labour administration: the Youth Economy Agency, the One University Graduate per Household Programme, and the Universal Healthcare initiative. It’s easy to promise what others have already delivered.
But perhaps most telling was his delivery. For all the talk of change, Chastanet’s tone remains one of distance, a man speaking down to the nation, not with it. His leadership style has always been marked by a belief that only he understands economics, and that the people must simply follow. No speech, however carefully written, can mask that instinct.
Ultimately, this was not a message of renewal, it was a reminder. A reminder of what Saint Lucia rejected in 2021: arrogance disguised as leadership, ambition masquerading as care, and promises unanchored in truth.
As Saint Lucians prepare to decide their future, they would do well to remember that the man now asking for another chance is the same one who squandered the last one.
Commentary By:
Caribbean Writers