THE EDITOR:
The St Lucia Labour Party views with amazement a number of statements being made by small groupings of individuals calling themselves parties and movements while having no known membership, and seeking to ally themselves with hypocritical statements being made by elements of one faction of the United Workers Party, as they object to the efforts of the Government of St Lucia to further normalize relations between our country and the Republic of China on Taiwan.
As is well known, the St Lucia Labour Party, which had originally recognized the government of the People’s Republic of China on its assumption of office in 1997, decided on assuming office in 2011, that it would allow a continuation of relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan which the John Compton government had reestablished on its return to office in 2006.
As explained by the Prime Minister, the Government’s objective in taking this course, was simply to ensure a situation and international perspective of stability in its external relations, after the fracas created by sitting members of the then Compton Cabinet towards the then Prime Minister.
The present Government of St Lucia deliberately decided on the course of action of maintenance of relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan in order to avoid the impression, given to the CARICOM Region and the wider world over the years, that the St. Lucian people could not make up their minds on this matter. The Government insisted on creating a public impression to our people, and to the world, that St Lucia has a proper sense of stability, and of predictability in its politics and international relations; and in particular, that a St. Lucia Government was up for sale every time an election was held.
In addition, the government of Prime Minister Anthony was intent on being careful that the shameful picture given to the St Lucia people and the rest of the world, when Ministers of the Sir John Compton’s UWP last Cabinet verbally and physically assaulted the then Prime Minister, as a result of the decision which he sought to make, can no longer take place under what is now a responsible government.
Unfortunately, the new, and still inexperienced Leader of the United Workers Party Opposition in Parliament has, over the last few months, seemed incapable of understanding this perspective of ensuring international respect for maintaining continuity of policy, as she insists that the Government should not make an effort to now completely normalize its relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan, in accordance with normal international practice.
The UWP position is completely hypocritical since the people of St Lucia well know that, if God forbid, they should assume office tomorrow, they, among whom were persons witness to the assault on Prime Minister Compton, and lacking any sense of political and governmental continuity, will rush to appoint an Ambassador of their own in Taiwan, and forget to remind us about the cost, which in the present SLP administration is undertaken by the Taiwanese Government.
The St Lucia Labour Party only hopes that their efforts will not result in any negative international effects on our country’s reputation. For as the highly educated Leader of the SLP in the Parliament of our country well knows, no expenditure of the Government of St Lucia can be hidden from the people of St Lucia. She should assume her responsibilities, and resist any fear that she may have, of the behavior of the representatives of the old St Lucian aristocracy. Our country’s problems are to serious for hypocritical behaviour.
— Winston F. Springer
St Lucia Labour Party