OPINION: The Saint Lucia Kenny Anthony Shaped, and The Vieux Fort He Leaves Behind

On May 21, at a public meeting held next to Vieux Fort’s Independence Square at which Dr Kenny Anthony was, apparently by design, the sole presenter and unaccompanied by his parliamentary colleagues, the incumbent Vieux Fort South District MP announced that he would be bowing out of elective politics.

It was a sombre and momentous occasion, for Dr Anthony had become a political institution in and of himself. He served the constituency for six consecutive terms and as prime minister for three terms. Persons under the age of 40 would be hard-pressed to have met any other Vieux Fort South District Rep. Indeed, it is fair to say that Dr Anthony has dominated the Saint Lucian political landscape for the better part of three decades. In 2022, he celebrated 25 years of political representation with a thanksgiving church service followed by a fete.

Kenny Anthony wasn’t just a colossal political figure, but also a transformative leader. He presided over the country at a crucial juncture—at the advent of the explosion of social media, online streaming, personal telecommunications devices and artificial intelligence, and the sharp decline of the almighty banana industry.

As discussed in my political treatise, No Man’s Land: A Political Introspection of St Lucia, one accusation against Sir John Compton, regarded as the father of the nation, was that he prioritised economic and infrastructural development to the neglect of social and people development. Another accusation was that, as a result of political victimisation, non-UWP voting communities were often neglected in terms of such basic infrastructure as roads, water, and electricity.

Consequently, when Dr Anthony came into power in 1997, he found many rural communities in darkness and without running water, police stations and health centres crumbling and inadequate, highways and urban areas poorly lit, and though nearly 20 years into independence large numbers of eligible students could not attend secondary school because of insufficient classroom space.

In sharp contrast, and as if waving a magic wand, Dr Anthony’s administration fostered a kinder and gentler country, providing universal secondary education, bringing electricity, water and telecommunications services to every nook and cranny of the island, renovating or building health centres, police and fire stations, and establishing footpaths and affordable low-income land and housing development.

Besides these social infrastructural developments, Dr Anthony’s administration introduced a greater level of discipline, professionalism, accountability and transparency not just to the civil service but also to government and governing. He moved the country away from the archaic strongman government of the era of John Compton to a government run by professionals.

Moreover, he brought greater respectability and competitiveness to the St Lucia Labour Party and solidified the party into the nation’s predominant political machine. In a period of great uncertainty and crisis (note the 1993 banana strike that culminated in the police shooting death of two farmers), he oversaw the country’s transition from an agricultural-based economy to a service economy. His government led the way and was instrumental (with Sir Callixte George in the lead) in the liberalisation of telecommunications in the OECS. In his last term as prime minister, he pursued the most ambitious employment programme in the history of the country. At the regional level, he raised the profile of Saint Lucia and elevated the country to an enviable status. In brief, Kenny Anthony professionalised governance in Saint Lucia, brought greater respectability to the country and the St Lucia Labour Party and fostered a kinder and gentler nation. He modernised Saint Lucia and led it into the 21st century and the information age.

George Charles spearheaded our labour movement, presided over the colony from colonial rule to universal suffrage and self-rule and the transformation from the sugar industry to the banana industry. He laid down the political foundation of the country and established the industrial relations on which the nation was built.

John Compton completed the decolonisation process that George Charles had started, established bananas as the island’s predominant economic activity, and laid down the economic, industrial and infrastructural foundation of the country.

Kenny Anthony could make the case that, compared to his head of government predecessors, he wasn’t too shabby, for he transformed Saint Lucia into a modern polity, engendered a more egalitarian society, led the country from an agricultural-based economy to a service economy, and shepherded its transition into the information age.

As Dr Anthony enters the twilight of his political career, Saint Lucia and the Caribbean have much to thank him for. I want to take this opportunity to thank him for his service and wish him the best in his future endeavours. I must applaud him, however, for making the right decision not to contest the Vieux Fort South seat in the next general elections. I think he had already offered what he had brought to the table.

Quite a few Vieux Fortians think that although nationally and regionally Kenny Anthony’s performance and accomplishments were applaudable, his record in Vieux Fort (as revealed in The Promised Land) is anything but stellar as he hasn’t set the socioeconomic development of the district on fire.

With the UWP candidate Leanna-Johannes-Paul and all potential SLP candidates (Tresha Lionel, Augustus Cadet, Danny Butcher, and Kentry Frederick) hailing from Vieux Fort, the town is guaranteed to elect a bona fide Vieux Fortian as its next MP. This outcome fulfils the long-held hopes and aspirations of many in the community. As a result, the next general election will mark a new beginning for Vieux Fort.

Dr Anderson Reynolds, who was born, raised and now lives in Vieux Fort, holds a PhD in food and resource economics from the University of Florida, is the author of several books and has written extensively on Saint Lucia’s socioeconomic history.