UWP Town Hall Meeting ....Synopsis.....

The turn out said it all..St Lucians in the Diaspora are not happy with the status quo and are ready ,willing, and able to be part of the CHANGE that ST LUCIANS want and need to see. The Town Hall Meeting held at the Flatbush Avenue YMCA, got off the to the usual innocuous “Lucian Time”, 15 minute late start. (side note- we have to do better with our punctuality My Fellow St Lucians). After being denied use of our St Lucian House (for cliche party political expediencies), the obvious venue of comfort for St Lucians, I must say the feeling of patriotism and love of country was no less absent at the intimate setting furnished by Flatbush YMCA as St Lucians came to parlay with the Leadership of the United Party. Lesson for our Politicians across the divide…You can keep the home from a Lucian, but you can’t take Lucian from his home (but I digress)….

The meeting of like minded PEOPLE as it was advertised on the flyer was honest, no Party bashing, no mapwis “ain’t nobody got time for that”…… Just pure harsh reality on the facts and exchange and sharing of ideas on how WE the PEOPLE while not physically present are can assist in charting and planning our way out of the current mire. And its not like St. Lucians don’t already know all is not well in fair Helen there is also the realization that St Lucians have lost faith in band of good Doctors, who have no remedy for the conditions of malaise that is currently plague or beloved Home Country.

The evening started with invited guest speakers Brian Figeroux, founder and CEO of the New American Chamber of Commerce sharing with St Lucians the power of forming a local chamber of commerce of business minded people and how this in turn can assist with trading opportunities with our St Lucian business counterparts. There is power in numbers my Fellow St Lucians and we need to learn how to use that power to our advantage……


Allen Chastanet and Lenard Spider Montoute fielded questions from the audience which consisted of young and old St Lucians on, How they would do things differently; What strategic plans the United Workers Party had to tackle some of our pressing issues; What was the status of the internal relationships of the party especially as it related to the perceived tension with the opposition leader and former PM, Stevenson King. Spending , debt, education, tourism, social welfare, agriculture were all touched on. Allen and Spider were frank and didn’t mince words in articulating the facts and their thoughts on the issues facing St. Lucians and by extension those of us in the Diaspora. My conclusion….The United Workers Party is not perfect and any political party the claims they are...well SHOULD BLOCK THEIR HOLE and come back to reality. Acknowledges it is better to work with and are willing to work with the present administration to seek resolve on some of the issues.... Would continue to pressure Labor Gov't on behalf of the PEOPLE, on its blatant infelicities. Humbly acknowledge that they have made mistakes and are making concerted efforts to rectify. They do not have all the answers, but is willing to work and source the PEOPLE knowing that any policy or decisions ultimately in effect would affect them so the impetus of the PEOPLE was not only necessary its is what is needed…. St Lucians left energized and showed their willingness to participate.

Lao Tzu wrote “Go to the people. Live with them. Learn from them. Love them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. But with the best leaders, when the work is done, the task accomplished, the people will say "We have done this ourselves". The United Workers Party wants to return government of the people, by the people, for the people……not government for party…