Saint Lucia Political Transparency: A Critical Analysis of Governance

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The Opposition’s Persistent Call for Transparency

Since the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) ascended to power in 2021, the opposition has been vocal about the need for greater political transparency in Saint Lucia. Despite their continuous efforts to promote these values, their calls have often been dismissed by the ruling administration. Prime Minister and his team have been accused of ignoring and ridiculing these concerns, further deepening the divide between the government and those advocating for good governance.

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The Culture of Secrecy

Stanislaus draws attention to the administration’s tendency to operate in secrecy, citing several examples of major government projects shrouded in mystery. One prominent case involves a government minister boasting about a “secret deal” with a private entity regarding the lease of Saint Lucia’s cruise ports. This lack of transparency extends to other significant projects, such as the Global Ports Holdings (GPH) Agreement, the Halls of Justice Project, and the Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP).

The commentary emphasizes that secrecy undermines democratic principles and fosters corruption and incompetence. This culture of opacity, according to Stanislaus, is detrimental to the nation’s reputation and the effectiveness of its governance, highlighting the urgent need for Saint Lucia political transparency.

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The Controversial Citizenship by Investment Program

The CIP has been a particularly contentious issue. Many citizens view it as poorly conceived and poorly managed, primarily due to the lack of transparency and accountability. Stanislaus argues that the program’s administrators often lack the necessary qualifications and are driven by personal gain rather than a commitment to the country’s welfare. This has led to inefficiency, corruption, and poor service delivery, tarnishing the program’s potential benefits for Saint Lucia.

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Economic Consequences of Mismanagement

Stanislaus highlights the economic fallout from the administration’s decisions, particularly the abrupt halting of several key infrastructural projects. The stoppage of the Hewanorra International Airport Project, St. Jude’s Hospital Project, the Tavern and Choc Housing Projects, and the Rodney Bay 4-lane Highway Project has cost taxpayers approximately $800 million. This has resulted in significant job losses, stunted business growth, and a severe blow to the economy, underscoring the adverse effects of lacking Saint Lucia political transparency.

The commentary notes that the reduction in cash flow has pressured the government into excessive borrowing and additional taxation, further burdening the citizens. The halted projects, which had the potential to generate revenue streams, could have alleviated these financial pressures if they had continued.

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The Role of Guardians of the State

Stanislaus calls upon the guardians of the state, including the Bar Association, the media, civil society, the Chamber of Commerce, and tourism associations, to voice their concerns and hold the government accountable. He argues that their silence on these critical issues has allowed the administration to operate without sufficient checks and balances.

The divestment of maritime assets to foreign hands is another point of contention. Stanislaus believes that retaining control over these assets would have been more beneficial for the state’s finances in the long term, emphasizing the importance of maintaining Saint Lucia political transparency.

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A Call for Common Sense and Honesty

In his closing remarks, Stanislaus appeals for a return to commonsense and honesty in governance. He warns that without these principles, the nation risks further deterioration. His commentary serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of transparency, accountability, and democratic values in maintaining a healthy and prosperous society.

When We Stray From Democracy and Transparency

From the time the SLP won the 2021 elections, the opposition has been preaching the importance of democracy and transparency in government. Yet, despite the compelling case made by the opposition, their reasoned counsel has been rejected, ignored, and, on more than one occasion, utterly ridiculed by the Prime Minister and his team. Notwithstanding, the Leader of the Opposition has remained undeterred and relentlessly persists in his quest for transparency, accountability, democracy and good governance in the Government of St. Lucia to this very day.

Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Justice William O. Douglas opined, “Secrecy in government is fundamentally anti-democratic, perpetuating bureaucratic errors. Open debate and discussion of public issues are vital to our national health. On public questions, there should be ‘uninhibited, robust, and wide-open’ debate.”

It is blatantly obvious that this administration is oblivious to the wise instruction of the learned Supreme Court jurist. In St. Lucia, a minister of government prides herself on having negotiated a “Secret Deal” with a private entity involving the lease of our lucrative cruise ports.

To all appearances, secrecy is the modus operandi of this administration. Major and consequential government projects, contracts, and agreements, such as the Global Ports Holdings (GPH) Agreement, the Halls of Justice Project, and the Citizens by Investment Program (CIP), among several others, are clandestinely shrouded by layers upon layers of mystery, speculation, allegations of corruption, and overt incompetence.

Any normal level-headed person or green-horned politician ought to understand the importance of democracy and transparency in the good governance of a country’s affairs. So, it is indeed very sad that our entire nation for whatever reason or reasons has remained totally quiet in light of all the evidence of dubious dealings in government and government agencies provided by the opposition and others. Questionable conduct and acts of deliberate circumvention of established laws in this government’s undertakings and agreements, which are incongruous to good governance and potentially detrimental to the reputation of our country.

Many citizens believe that the CIP program was ill-conceived. They identify the problem as being the non-compliance by the program’s administrators to the principles of transparency and accountability. The members of the boards of Statutory Organization and government agencies, such as the CIP, should comprise competent and uniquely qualified individuals. Men and women of good character who are experienced and trained in the fields pertinent to the organizational culture, aim, mission, objects, and the effective running of the organization.

Unfortunately, what generally obtains in St. Lucia is, government, and quasi-governmental organizations are used by politicians to reward their supporters and election campaign financiers. Consequently, the board is usually manned by inexperienced, uneducated, unqualified individuals who are driven not by commitment to the aims, aspirations and objectives of the organization but mainly by greed, personal gain, and selfish ambition. The unfortunate result of the infiltration of partisan politics into these organizations and institutions is inefficiency, corruption, wastage, poor service delivery, and overall inept and usually embarrassing performance.

Sadly, the above-described outcome perfectly depicts the present predicament at St. Lucia’s Citizen by Invest Program. The program has the ability to furnish our treasury with much-needed revenue without the corruption and confusion which presently plagues it. What is alleged to be taking place in that organization is scandalous and of grave concern.

St Lucia is a lovely country. What is desperately needed is that our people, particularly our leaders, respect the law, follow basic rules and regulations, and adhere to international standards and principles. We have the resources to take care of our people – but power corrupts. It is also evident that the power derived from a two-thirds majority in parliament has magnified corruption in this administration. Unfortunately, St. Lucia is paying a very dear price.

The guardians of the state viz. The Bar Association, the media, civil society, the Chamber of Commerce, and the tourism associations have said nothing about the stoppage of the Hewanorra International Airport Project, St. Jude’s Hospital Project, the Tavern and Choc Housing Projects, the Rodney Bay 4-lane Highway Project, and numerous other infrastructural projects throughout the length and breadth of the country. These projects were all shut down at a cost to taxpayers in the amount of approximately $800 million!

How could a small economy like ours sustain that kind of a financial blow within ninety days after a general election? Causing approximately 3000 needy St. Lucians to lose their jobs, retarding the growth of businesses associated with these projects, and in many instances dealing a death blow to many other small businesses.

The loss of the financial contribution of those workers and small businesses through tax revenues and general day-to-day spending has been responsible for the drastic reduction in cash flow in the economy. This reduction in revenue has ultimately pressured the government into excessive borrowing and unnecessary additional taxation which will be difficult to redress without the resurrection of many of these projects which had the ability of creating their own revenue streams.

Finally, it was unnecessary for this administration to have divested our maritime assets into foreign hands. The state’s finances would have been that much healthier in the long, medium, and short term with SLASPA. In closing, can we now rely on our guardians to voice their concerns in the future in light of what we have experienced to date?

“Without commonsense and honesty we shall perish.”