The United Workers Party (UWP) Micoud North Constituency Branch and its candidate, Elisha Norbert, have strongly condemned what they describe as politically motivated acts of aggression after UWP flags along the Micoud Highway were vandalised.
The flags, mounted on 12-foot wooden poles, had been placed at the Troumassee and Praslin bridges, marking the northern and southern boundaries of the Micoud North constituency, as a symbolic “welcome” to members of the St Lucia Labour Party (SLP) attending a Town Hall event in Micoud on May 20.
In a statement, the UWP labelled the flag destruction as “a shocking and cowardly act of vandalism,” noting that the poles were broken, the flags torn down and in some cases discarded in nearby rivers and bushes. The party said that the incident appeared calculated as the locations targeted were nearly four miles apart.
The party also referenced a similar incident in April this year, when it claimed UWP flags put up for the UWP Micoud North Community Night event held on April 5 were vandalised just days later.
They expressed disappointment that such actions continue to occur in the context of a modern election campaign, calling them “not only disrespectful and unlawful, but also sends a message of violence and intimidation, which has no place in our community”.
The UWP voiced concern that the acts are particularly troubling given that the current parliamentary representative for Micoud North, Jeremiah Norbert, is the Minister for Crime Prevention.
Candidate Norbert and the UWP’s Micoud North Branch want Norbert “to publicly condemn these acts of vandalism and urge his supporters to refrain from continuing to pursue such behavior, which undoubtedly reflect negatively on him both in his capacity as Parliamentary Representative and Minister of Crime Prevention”.
The party reiterated its commitment to peaceful and respectful campaigning and urged all political actors to uphold the same values.
Historically, most of you Lucians are extremely disgusting when it comes to politics. There is so much ignorance involved – some family members don’t even speak to each other over political affiliation – IGNORANT and DISGUSTING don’t even begin to describe the foolery involved.
Classic example of citizens fighting each other whilst politicians laugh and rub shoulder with each other,2 Norbert from the same constituency must be highly related,agreeing to disagree politically but the foolish citizens waring each other…open your eyes people.
Well first of all who said it was Norbert’s supporters who did this….wait we are taking about 2 Norbert’s. So why are we dividing up a family in half again….for greed, money, power and position. Not worth it. Second, next time you want to ‘welcome’ someone just put up a welcome sign. Finally…please stop degrading the nation’s environment with red or yellow paraphernalia. Put up Saint Lucia flags, national colours or Madras instead. Stop diving families and this country just for power.