WHERE HAS CIVIL SOCIETY GONE TO?

By Anthony Serieux

Repeatedly over the past 18 months of rule by the St Lucia Labour Party, there have been articles and suggestions in the media that civil society organizations need to speak out against some of the ongoing developments in our country.

Conversely, when the United Workers Party was in power there was never any need to make such requests. Critics came out of the woodwork, as we say and were loud and wild in their condemnation of anything they didn’t like. We now see that it was all politics, because these same critics are now nowhere to be seen in the face of the serious atrocities that have been taking place since Mr. Pierre’s merry band came to office.

Who would expect that in a country, a government could suddenly stop a multi million dollar airport development project or give away by lease or sale, vital infrastructure like ports and a Chamber of Commerce would have nothing to say about it?

Who would have thought that a government could stop construction of a modern hospital to replace one destroyed by fire more than 10 years before and the island’s Medical and Dental Association, which had been vocal in the past, would simply sit by and watch this happen, without uttering a word in protest?

Who would expect that in this so called Christian country, Churches would stay mute while hatred and racism was allowed to be preached and practiced without calling it out and urge its practitioners to stop?

Who would expect trade unions to sit on the sidelines while hundreds of workers are put on the breadline by the careless actions of a government in stopping projects simply because it didn’t like the arrangements for them, including the people executing the work?

These are the things that have been going on in St Lucia these past 18 months. All this is taking place while the country slides on a downward trajectory from which it may never recover.

It is a very sad day for St Lucia as the most productive assets of the state are flittered away by an administration which remains clueless and with little or no vision.

The parting of the nation’s seaports at Castries and Soufriere, the sale of several acres of prime waterfront property within the Bananes area perfectly located for expansion and the pending handing over of the HIA to private hands, have not stirred the guardians of our democracy to take a stand against wrong doing by persons with power.

In most countries, civil society organizations represent another tier in the structures that are supposed to keep an eye on the performance of government to ensure that things do not go off the boil and people’s rights are not abused. It is another guarantee for good governance but in St Lucia, civil society only functions when the United Workers Party is in power.

If this is not madness how else can it be described.

The Chamber of Commerce, civil society, the Trade Unions, the Bar Association and recognized business leaders of the nation need to come forward to address the unfortunate situation that is now before us where the government is acting in manner that constitutes a threat and detriment to the national good.

The thing is the Labour Party is beginning to push St Lucians into a corner and I believe it will not be long before the fight back begins. In the meantime, however, it will be a good thing if these civil society organizations find their voices and stand up to a government that is visionless and corrupt. In this way we can avoid a situation where the whole country descends into anarchy.

A word to the wise is enough.