The Big Issues

Analysis: Why Did Chastanet And The UWP Lose Badly in St. Lucia?

Listen Later

Poor leadership, out of touch polices, and a fractured party are some of what contributed to the defeat of former Prime Minister Allen Chastanet in the July 26, 2021 general election according to our analysts. His party went from 11 seats in the 17-member assembly to 2 seats. The Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) won the election and Phillip J. Pierre is the new Prime Minister. But where did Chastanet's United Workers Party (UWP) go wrong? Dr. Tennyson Joseph, Denys Springer, Stan Bishop and Carlon Knight joined us to discuss the outcome, and whether there are lessons for other Caribbean countries expecting elections - countries like Antigua and Barbuda.

The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

  1. Carlon Knight, Antiguan and Barbudan graduate student in an economics programme abroad. He is a political commentator.
  2. Dr. Tennyson Joseph, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill. He is Saint Lucian, and his PhD is on the politics of decolonization under globalization in St. Lucia. The history and politics of St. Lucia are among his research interests.
  3. Denys Springer, an educator and freelance writer trained in social sciences, labour studies, industrial relations, conflict resolution, and mediation.   He joins us from St. Lucia.
  4. Stanislaus "Stan" Bishop, a Saint Lucian journalist, freelance writer, blogger, photographer and entrepreneur. He began his career in journalism in 2008 as a reporter for The VOICE Newspapers in Saint Lucia. His assignments have taken him to Barbados, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Taiwan, Morocco, Martinique, Haiti, Israel and Panama. He was the editor of The Voice newspaper, and has more recently stated his own company, Definission Media, of which he is the CEO.

    5. This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on August 1st, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store
    The Big IssuesBy The Big Issues Production Team