Saint Lucia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Ernest Hilaire, has indicated that opposition leader Allen Chastanet’s ‘Walk for Democracy’ on Tuesday was a demonstration of democracy at work.
The activity commenced at the leader of the opposition’s office in Vigie and culminated outside the House of Assembly.
“There are people right outside parliament demonstrating. You remember under the last government, under the leader of the opposition there were barricades preventing people from even coming within one hundred metres of parliament,” Dr. Hilaire told reporters.
He said that, for Chastanet, represented democracy.
“This is democracy,” Hilaire asserted amid chants from Chastanet supporters in the background.
“The people are upset for whatever reason – let them come and demonstrate,” Hilaire declared.
“That is democracy. We’re not going to stop it. But remember, the same leader of the opposition had caused there to be a statement that anybody with a red shirt should have been arrested for protesting. It wasn’t even a protest then – it was a drive around Saint Lucia,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
“Just think about it deeply. This is supposed to be a march for democracy, and you are outside, in parliament yard, expressing your views? There can’t be a bigger expression of democracy than this,” the Castries South declared.
Hilaire said it was right to allow political parties to express their views.
What was the objective of yesterday’s March? Was it to tell the nation the number of passports Chas sold during his reign? I was was so surprised to see a white man walking with so many blacke chant support for him. It reminded me of the slave trade.
Politicians MUST understand that the constitution is the supreme Law of the Land and they (Politicians) serve at the will of the people.The people decide how their country should be run. The DPM must know that any attempt to restrict or infringe on the rights of the people will be met with possible consequencial reactions.The freedom of association and a,citizen rights to protest are enshrined in the constitution.
I hope all those who posted their idiotic comments earlier on especially the racist ones about the former PM will see this comment from Hilaire.
@Troy Francis Your comments says a lot about your education level.
tony it reminded you of the slave trade really were you at the slave trade
One love people stop the hate . Mr chasnet has no one supporting him in the house , so we the $37,000 plus the 40% platinum votes still need representation. One man is not an island . They need to stop bullying the man in the house . Trust me he will not stoop to that level. Big up Mr chasnet. Do not call st Lucian’s poor people . We are not a poor nation. Develop our country , provide jobs for our intelligent citizens.
Yes Troy…I can’t remember in history lessons the slaves marching with owners on anything…just another idiot with a smartphone
Chastanet and his followers put democracy to the test yesterday, Tuesday, and democracy won overwhelmingly. Ironically, the fact that it took the SLP-led government to revitalize democracy in St. Lucia shows how confused and dimwitted Chastanet is about the existence of the democratic state. Indeed, Chastanet does not know that democracy will not exist without extensive government regulation and intervention to alter toxic behavior like his toward others. Chastanet’s demagoguery should not be confused with democracy. Democracy works within limits whereas demagoguery operates with impunity.
The Speaker’s treatment of Chastanet was an infringement on his democratic constitutional rights as evidenced by the court outcome. However, I do not see any threat to democracy posed by the current administration. In the House former Prime Minister needs to support his allegations with factual evidence and not just cheap tactics to score political points.
All one can do is Just laugh at the yellow Clowns ha hahahahaha they look so damn stupid. Dr. You are 200 percent on the money @HN that’s the reason why we are the Supreme Leadership Party. @Troy Francis it’s more like The House Negro Syndrome…..the house negros marching with their master to recapture those run away slaves….Harriot Tubman and Nanny of The Maroon must be shaking their heads with disgust.
Nothing is happening in St. Lucia. More people are hungry. So many problems and slp is bringing the whole country down because of one man they fear.
Their tactics worked the last time but will not work again.
Tell them to go and pay some of the workers who are working at a particular institution and are not getting paid.
These workers are disgruntled.
These workers are fed up and very soon will explode
SMH. Hilaire realised that they SLP COULD NOT STOP what was going on. in fear of another lawsuit. Soon all u will realise Saint Lucia belongs to ALL of us no matter what is our skin colour. I don’t like Chas but when our leaders continue to go down this skin colour thing i for one will not support this. These guys behave like Lucia belongs to them and their supporters. I am a supporter but an Educated one to know if we allow the govt to do as they please we the average man that will suffer. Look at our prices. We hv the highest in the OECS and lowest salaries whiles those guys secretly increased their perks costs the tax payers with their lavish and selfish lifestyles.
A lot of people want to take the street to express their dissatisfaction about this administration.
A lot of people are fed up.
A lot of people will show that at the polls.
Just wondering if this administration is hearing the cries of the elderly people.
Slp running scared.
@Lucian high-grade, here’s my issue with your comments and others like you who still push this slave/slavemaster narrative.
For you to imply that those who support Allan Chastenet are house slaves, is also to suggest that you are a field slave. Are you a slave? Who has enslaved you? Who is oppressing you?
As long as you think you’re a slave, you will continue to act like one. You will think that everyone is out to get you and you will continue to have this victim mentality which is keeping us back as black people.
Highgrade who are enslaved in st. lucia? are you enslaved? you all just jumping on this fake BLM nonsense goin on in the US and trying to apply it here. We never had that race issue in stlucia before so don’t try that. And who sold out the black man, wasn’t it the black man himself, and who was instrumental in abolishing slavery, wasn’t it the white man. Stop regurgitating crap and go to make a positive contribution to society.
The house Negro always looked out for his master and he loved his master more than his master loved himself. They would give their life to save their master’s house–quicker than the master would. If the master said, “We got a good house here,” the house Negro would say, “Yeah, we got a good house here.” Whenever the master said “we,” he said “we.” That’s how you can tell a house Negro.
If the master’s house caught on fire, the house Negro would fight harder to put the blaze out than the master would. If the master go sick, the house Negro would say, “What’s the matter, boss, we sick?” We sick! He identified himself with his master, more than his master identified with himself.
@Uh-hun you should change your name to Malcolm X… lol
Choopse. Yet this SLP chose to change our beloved constitution solely for the purpose of denying the 180,000 citizens of this country their democratic right to a referendum on the CCJ. An appalling act justified because somehow they may have believed that their compromised cabal was entitled to make this decision because they perhaps believe themselves superior to the masses. This was not putting the people first. This might have been putting Mario and Kenny first. The silencing of the opposition and the nefarious manipulation of the press is sad.