Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre has expressed concern over gang violence, the cost of living, and youth unemployment during a radio interview.
Pierre spoke last week on Rev-Up-SLU 97.1 FM.
He said his administration inherited debt and massive deficits, mainly but not solely due to COVID-19.
Nevertheless, the Castries East MP said he was pleased with where Saint Lucia is currently.
However, he explained that things could be better, noting the need to strive for excellence.
“We are striving more and more,” the Prime Minister stated.
“We are hoping that some things would be better. We are very concerned about the rate of gang violence. We are very concerned about it. We are still concerned about unemployment among young people,” Pierre said.
“And of course, we are concerned about the cost of living, and we make no excuses for the fact that there has been an increase,” the Finance Minister said.
But Pierre observed that we do not live on Mars.
He indicated that inflation, the cost of living, and food security had become issues worldwide.
Pierre described food security and climate change as two global problems.
Regarding the former, the Saint Lucia Prime Minister asserted that more people now suffer from food insecurity than before.
He blamed the situation on climate change, the Russia-Ukraine war, and disruptions in the supply chain.
Pierre recalled that after the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a massive goods supply blockage.
In addition, he referred to problems with the Panama Canal, where the waters are drying up, affecting the passage of ships.
“So there are many global issues that Small Island States have absolutely no control over, and we are suffering,” Pierre explained.
He observed that aside from being concerned about the cost of living and food, his administration had taken ‘definitive measures’ to address the problem.
Pierre stated he was concerned that Saint Lucia imports most of its food.
As a result, he reiterated the need for the country to produce and consume more of what it eats.
He recalled advising increased use and production of local bananas and cassava but said the opposition and its surrogates made a fuss and behaved as though he was speaking ‘nonsense.’
However, Pierre said his remarks emphasised the need for Saint Lucia to feed itself.
He said if everyone could plant a little in their backyard, it would help with the inflation problem.
Pierre some of us lucians don’t have back yard and U add to our promble with your 1.5levy
😂🤣😂🤣….the PM says more people are suffering from food insecurity….how can someone suffer from food insecurity when food insecurity is not an illness that affects the body like cancer or diabetes…this is the level of politics in Saint Lucia…. everything upside down..even the PM can not express himself in a proper way….the PM should have said more people are affected by food insecurity…not suffer from it…big difference…boy our country is deep in it…
Then the Pm says he makes no excuse (his favourite phrase these days) he makes no excuse for the rise in the cost of living but goes on to blame Panama canal issues for the rise in cost of living… typicality saying one thing then saying the direct opposite in the same sentence… clearly the uneducated and unintelligent will fall for such blatant snake oil sound bites…I cringe every time the PM opens his mouth …
The man said via slip of the tongue “Eat more green figs” and today he is acting as if it were a policy statement of his government. Choops.
Ukraine War, Panama Canal drying up, just coming out of COVID yet still you amplify all this imported inflation with a 2.5% compounding VAT. And you claim to be worried about cost of living! Man Sit Down!
Biggest joke of the year
In that same interview Pierre deliberately missed the chance to bring the country together. We all know the country is well divided and is at the brink of a political war. Instead of cooling the temperature he was trying to explain and Justify the racism nonesense which was started by him. Pierre is a mess and not sure how he can lead this country – very painful to watch this guy at an interview
He never said anything about the enactment of the minimum wage, which was promise for early next year
Most Honorable don’t even talk too much because some people will never ever get it…….they choose not to get it deliberately.. They are dunce when it comes to global logistics and there of that affects St Lucia. Everything you stated is true, we depend on imports too much for our food security, and that is going to kill us some day. They don’t understand we were a TIC TAC IN A WHALES MOUTH big nation are looking out for themselves first, I am in Barbados for the weekend and man o man the cost of living here is crazy…….you see that Massy without a doubt they need to leave St Lucia for good they are worst in Barbados. Very expensive. We definitely need to grow what we need and eat what we grow it’s the only way because prices are not going down anytime soon. People like Chastanet like run off his mouth he has never felt what regular day to day St Lucians feels in his entire life. The government can only do so much without going bankrupt The gang thing these days young people and social media that’s guiding them it’s a problem on every island these days .
WHEN zobbies attack!!!
The Concerned PM. or the Concerned Labour Party. PJP is concerned, Emma is concerned Poyotte is concerned, Once upon a time Hilaire was also concerned. I remember Kenson being concerned, Anyone else in the govt is concerned. Can i plz be interviewed I too am concerned about the PM and his surrogates.
UNITED PAC YOU’LL CAN FART GO AS HARD AS YOU’LL CAN SLP IS HERE TO STAY FOREVER
NOW PUT IT UN YOU’LL PIPES AND SMOKE IT
As if you’re the only voter….Caution-less
If ‘am in over my head’ had a face….
Again we all no the PM can’t articulate very well however the sad thing about it is his not making any effort to improve on it 🤷♂️
we all Know*
Saint Lucia has too many ignorant people, please go and educate yourself using google, the PM said nothing wrong!!!!
This is one of the most common sense things I’ve heard of Prime Minister say for the long time as long as you are beholden on other people feeding you you are nothing You not a man You need to feed yourself you need to grow your own food and feed yourself the most embarrassing thing I ever had was when the Caribbean was short of sugar those in charge should be ashamed of himself shortage of sugar, they dragged our ass all the way from Africa to produce sugar for them and you can’t produce it for yourself
Backyard garden? With all the snails, slugs, and pests of every type destroying every darn thing a fellow plants in the backyard –AND WITH NO SUPPORT OR INPUT FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO ERADICATE THE SNAILS AND SLUGS, how can PJP talk about backyard garden?! Are the people in Government so clueless that they don’t know that snails and slugs are destroying everything Lucians plant in their backyards? Doesn’t the Government know it has a responsibility to the people to eradicate those pests from our backyards??? Yet, everybody playing ignorant –and beating aroind the bush! The Ministry of Agriculture needs a shake-up! It needs to make a commitment NOW to do something about the snails abd slugs that are destroying every little backyard garden!