In a blatant display of misplaced values and political desperation, the United Workers Party Leader has reportedly spent over USD $50,000 importing foreign entertainers to hype up his campaign events, while Saint Lucian creatives, talented, professional, and hungry for opportunity, remain overlooked and underpaid.
This is not a new pattern. This is not an accident.
This is classic Chastanet politics: Friends, Family, and Foreigners first, Saint Lucians last.
Politics is supposed to be about ideas, vision, and leadership. But instead of presenting a plan for the continued trajectory of the country, Allen Chastanet has turned to foreign performers as a distraction tactic. It is a repeat of his old strategy: when you have nothing meaningful to say, drown the silence with imported entertainment.
While the country’s own talented musicians, dancers, content creators, DJs, and producers clamour for more visibility and support, Chastanet has chosen to funnel tens of thousands of U.S. dollars out of Saint Lucia’s economy, money that could have empowered local creatives, or strengthened community events.
Saint Lucia’s creative sector is bursting with potential. Our artists headline regional concerts and contribute to one of the fastest-growing industries in the Caribbean: the Orange Economy. Yet, under Chastanet’s political leadership, past and present, they remain an afterthought.
Saint Lucians have seen this before. From questionable deals to misplaced priorities, Allen Chastanet’s style of governance always circles back to the same theme: FFF.
• Friends get the contracts.
• Family gets the favours.
• Foreigners get the money.
• And Saint Lucians? They get ignored.
Even now, outside of office, his campaign choices show that nothing has changed.
A leader who truly believes in his people invests in them. Chastanet invests in anyone but his people.
Chastanet’s latest move is not just tone-deaf, it is an insult to every Saint Lucian artist who has spent years building this country’s cultural identity.
Nothing has changed with Allen Chastanet.
And that is exactly why Saint Lucia cannot afford to go back.
By Caribbean Writers