Edmund Estephane, who served as Minister of Youth Development and Sports under the last United Workers Party (UWP) administration stole the spotlight last week, during a brief cameo at a Saint Lucia Labour Party’s (SLP) town hall meeting.
Estephane, a member of the UWP, represented Dennery South from 2006, losing his seat at the 2021 polls to the SLP candidate.
His unexpected appearance at the Babonneau town hall meeting last week was intended to lend support to his brother John Paul Estephane, the selected SLP candidate in the upcoming general elections.
His appearance, however, created a firestorm on social media, drawing the ire from some UWP supporters, while SLP supporters used it as ammunition against the opposition.
On September 15, Edmund Estephane called in to the popular midday radio show NewsSpin to first profess his love for Saint Lucia and Dennery South, before explaining his position.
“It has been one of the greatest honours of my life to represent and serve my people,” the former Dennery South MP said.
“Throughout that journey, I was never, never alone. My brother, all my family out of Babonneau, they stood with me firmly, they were by my side offering me unwavering moral and material support.”
According to the former minister, his brother had previously set aside his own political ambitions to support him.
“That’s the spirit of true blood — he chose to serve through me, recognising the greater good of the community. It mattered more than personal recognition.”
Estephane went on to claim that following his appearance “some UWPs who are hurting want to kill me.”
He went on to state that the time had come to return the support shown to him by his brother, “with pride, with humility and with confidence.”
The talk show host then asked whether he believed his brother, John Paul Estephane, was opportunistic as he had applied to be the area’s UWP candidate in September of 2023, was not selected and then became the area’s SLP candidate.
His response: “If I was running in Dennery my brother would not be running in Babonneau, because he would not come up against me, he would not put himself up for service for the Saint Lucia Labour Party.”
The host later asked if Estephane aimed to be endorsed as the UWP candidate for Dennery South again.
“I’m not even going to deal with this now, in the near future this will be dealt with, we will not be able to deal with this right here now, on this program,” he responded.
John Paul Estephane was selected a few weeks ago to replace the sitting Labour Party MP, Virginia Albert- Poyotte. The UWP opponent is Titus Preville.
While John Paul Estephane has the support of his brother Edmund Estephane, a line appears to have been drawn between his opponent and his brother Claudius Preville.
Claudius Preville has publicly opposed the UWP leader Allen Chastanet and ahead of the 2016 general election challenged him for the leadership title. Claudius Preville was recently appointed Ambassador at Large by Phillip J Pierre’s SLP’s administration.
You folk need to understand that blood is thicker than water – however, some of you who resent your own relatives in St. Lucia certainly will not be able to relate.
On a personal note, I would certainly support my sibling(s) in their quest for any office. By the way, I am neither SLP nor UWP. Also, the Guy Joseph character sounds extremely unintelligent talking about witchcraft and bowloms on television regarding the opposition party.
The whole world is watching what appears to be a circus with a bunch of clowns in 758. Don’t expect to receive any respect from other world leaders when you all have made yourselves such idiots on live television in the political arena – it’s embarrassing on every level.