Ahead of a planned United Workers Party (UWP) protest march on Saturday in Vieux Fort, Vieux Fort South MP Dr. Kenny Anthony has declared the constitutional right of an opposition party to demonstrate.
However, Anthony has raised questions regarding the wisdom of the protest plan.
“An opposition party has a right to demonstrate if it so wishes,” the former Prime Minister noted.
“We always have to recognise the rights of our opponents to exercise the rights which the constitution bequeaths,” Anthony stated.
He recalled that when the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) was in opposition, it held very successful marches.
The UWP’s Public Relations Officer, Lenard Montoute, told an opposition Town Hall meeting that concern over St. Jude Hospital was one of the main reasons for the upcoming protest against the SLP administration.
“You may ask yourself, ‘Why would the opposition want to engage in a march on St. Jude when they are so responsible for what exists at St. Jude today?’ They were in office for five years. They damaged people’s reputations. They damaged people’s lives,” Anthony said.
He noted that the then UWP administration put up a building and promised completion before the general election, while refusing to disclose the cost.
Anthony also said the UWP administration gave particular companies the most direct purchase contracts ever in Saint Lucia’s history while no one knew what the endgame was.
“Why would they, given that history, want to march? But it is their right and we have to recognise their right to do so even if we may be displeased with the logic that they apply to the situation,” the Vieux Fort South MP stated.
Anthony said Saint Lucians did not understand the wisdom and logic of many things that occurred in the past, but in retrospect, many citizens are beginning to do so.
“Everything has a time and place. As a government, you do have to take difficult and hard decisions and people sometimes wouldn’t want to forgive you,” he explained.
” I am hopeful that when Saint Lucians look back that, collectively, we all can say we must never ever allow in this country the colossal wastage of funds that took place,” the former Finance Minister said.
Anthony said the taxpayers are paying for it.
“You know what’s going to happen? Between the experience of repairing the old St. Jude, rehabilitating the old St. Jude when I was in office and consider, at least $180 million had been spent,” the former Prime Minister recalled.
“Already, the Flambeau government under Allen Chastanet had spent about $150 million on the box, which is incomplete. So 180 plus 150,” Anthony noted.
“It is said that the box will take another 200 plus, so that means $530 million. To that now, when you are going to add what this government is going to spend on the current St. Jude and let us say for argument sake that it is 140 to 150 million. You realise that it would mean that over six, bordering on $700 million was spent on St. Jude Hospital?”
“How can we possibly justify this?” Anthony asked.
“When, if the former hospital had been completed, all we might have done is possibly have spent 150, 160 million and case closed,” the Vieux Fort South MP stated.
In addition he questioned how the UWP could decide to march, after leaving a mess behind.
Kenny stfu you have the heart they are responsible so you had nothing to do with it allu can’t fool the youths chass all the way John Peter’s said 10 million would finish the hospital now what
The SLP should be protesting and marching against the surge in gun violence in Vieux Fort. We are ok with the Saudi loan to complete some kind of St. Jude hospital. UWP had the chance to get the job done and they failed while trying to bluff Lucian with the notion of a hospital that meets international standards.
Why can’t these guys be held accountable for their lies or the words and figures they put out there. The guy is there saying figures and ppl just suppose to accept and believe it. I mean simply allow the media to view all the payments made. Obviously the treasury has all the records. I mean i don’t believe any of those parties deserve my vote but am very interested in the cost, money spent and to whom. The other thing he says the UWP gv out the most Direct Awards. I don’t buy that. Once again produce the evidence for each of the past administrations. Hw can i believe a word from KDA or any politician. Am not daft. The man secretly sold our sea bed, secured a loan for his trini friends who then claimed bankruptcy and we had to pay it back. So whta integrity does this man have? He should arrested and gvn time to produce eveidence for the figures he has put out there.
The thieves with the big houses in Cap Estate that will match
I am not sure what he means by a “box.” If one Google’s any new major hospital in the US, it will be shaped like a “box.” The other option is to ask anyone who resides in the US about hospital designs. The designers of hospitals are concerned about inside functionality and efficiency. There are definitely no huts for hospitals. These are some of the thousands of “box” hospitals.
-North Shore University Hospital (NY)
-NYU Langone (NY)
-The Kimmel Pavilion (NY)
-Jefferson Hospital (Cherry Hill) NJ
-Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (Philadelphia) PA
-Jackson Hospital (Miami) FL
-Memorial Hospital (Hollywood) FL
– St. Joseph’s Hospital (Atlanta) GA
-Mercy Hospital (Oklahoma City) OK
* The list goes on.
Someone is talking smack.
@ kenny while i agree with you on the hospital you have neglected Vieux fort with empty promises.
From a resident:
Please when last you drove to Cedar Hights ? When?
The roads are now impassable.
Heavy trucks are carry soil and using this path for the past 5 weeks . Redidents sre now leaving the cars home snd walking to town and work.
Please come visit Cedar Heights. This place is in a deplorable condition. Drains and canals are all blocked with bush as tall …. Smh
Please help the people
The “Box” ha ha ha ha ha ha Saturday hurry up and come…they want to come in the lions den expect to get bitten.
Poule Foo, the man referring to an empty box will walls barely attacked.
Kenny resign, resign gasa.. you just no good .. i mean seriously!
@Bwet. Sorry. I have actually heard him talk disparagingly about the shape. Likewise many in government. This is gold dust for semi-illiterates.
All roaches are out!!! Hahaha 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Y’all may March but in the end, the score will be 15 -0. Y’all will be in opposition for the foreseeable future.
dont come with that kenney five years ago before uwp came in you guys were the one that was in power right? so why didnt it complete in your fives years prior? yall basically made the hospital not to world standards this is why everything had to be redone again cause what yall started was utter rubbish and now both of yall just playing blame game with the hospital. Residence in that are actually donated their personal moneys to see this thing completed and yet nothing. I hope the money yall got from Saudi Arabia yall finish the hospital before yall five years are up eh BON!!!!
@For st lucia march until you get to Moule a Chique then jump off
The former PM and other politians should be fired for being unable to do what they promised..
Should be fired for being unable to do the job that they are being paid for..
A mouthful of????
False Prophets.
Folks, our country has been lost since 1997 when PM Kenny Davis Anthony took over. The shocking fact which most people do not realize is the homicide rate in 1996 was 8 per year and that increased to 40 per year by 2002. This represents a 400% increase. Similarly the Debt to GDP Ratio increased astronomically in that same period to little benefit for the country. The SLP government has be in power for 4 of the last 6 terms, they are responsible. You can find these facts with a simple google search, please go make yourself wiser.
@CARBAY it’s amazing how lazy Saint Lucian’s have become. In a community where each house is so close to each other in Cedar Heights, you are going to blame the government for blocked drains and tall grass? Zorte Salop twoupe. Growing up every person along our street would clean the gutter next to their homes to keep it clean. How can a country grow when simple things like that we as citizens can’t take responsibility for. I’d understand if the place was empty. The roads I agree, that’s definitely an issue, the government has to fix it, but the grass and gutters nah man pull up y’all socks.
The reasons there are so many crimes in this country is to most people criminals are saints. Anytime any man breaks the law he automatically becomes a criminal.
The police act is law. The constitution is law. The finance act is law. That is just to name a few. Have money to Panama is breaking the finance law. When we support breaking this law we are criminals too.
The ones who refer to Chas’s Hospital proposal as a Box, obviously know nothing about modern Hospital design. This so called box, has only one Roof, one Foundation, one Emergency entrance & registration, one operation room with many beds for immediate & multiple wounds, equipped with all the amenities for immediate life saving; whereas the main Operating Theatre / Theatres are for the permanent Patients. Almost all the Hospitals I’ve seen in my travels is one building, with some with an attached wing;(for storage?)
What I do know is after the Americans left in the early 1950’s, they left behind what was a convenient Health Centre, for minor wounds not meant for major Surgery, and was not designed as a Hospital. The Corridors were much too narrow, the structure was of wooden Frame – not solid Concrete – at the first instance of fire that wooden Frame Health Centre burned down. Then the amateurs went to work; who were the Architects & Engineers, Why did the Depart of Planning give the O.K. to build a bunch of disconnected little Huts here & there, each with separate Roofs, Foundations, walk ways, car parks, water supply, Sewer with waste water – solid waste of Body fluids, contaminated waste of surgery fluids – the safe disposal of contaminated material.
Professionally designed modern Hospitals (Box type) are self contained, disposed of Professionally, noncombustible, fire alarmed & prevention. From what I see each of these huts & that improvident one used as a Hospital is a farce.
@Oh Really Blah Blah Blah, put a sock in it!