As Saint Lucia prepares for an anticipated general election within the next year, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture is taking steps to foster informed political discourse.
In a bid to equip its members with insights for critical business decisions, the Chamber’s board of directors will launch the Chamber Political Forum, a series of engagements with the country’s major political parties.
Allen Chastanet, Leader of the Opposition and the United Workers Party, has confirmed his participation in the inaugural forum.
The event aims to provide a structured platform for political leaders to address key policy issues directly with the business community.
Chamber President Ross Gardner expressed concern over the lack of substantive, issue-driven debate in the current political climate and believes the forum will fill a vacuum.
The first forum will take place on Thursday, August 21, at the Coco Palm Hotel, starting at 6:00 p.m. Attendance is restricted to Chamber members, though a recording will be made available for later broadcast.
The event will follow a structured format: after a brief introduction by a moderator, the featured speaker will deliver a 15-minute opening statement. The moderator will then pose targeted questions on priority issues identified by the Chamber, with each response limited to five minutes to ensure a broad range of topics are covered. The session will conclude with audience questions, allowing for direct engagement between the business community and political leaders.
In a press release, the Chamber emphasised that its board of directors believe that this type of forum and format will encourage more intelligent and reasoned discussion and debate, and encourage the sharing of information and perspectives that will reveal the thinking and policies of the political parties.
