The Saint Lucia Labour Party has expressed outrage over the decision of the Allen Chastanet Government to send armed SSU officers to patrol the DSH site to deter any public protest.
The SLP believes the action of the Chastanet government was out of proportion and hasty in response to a posting which appeared on Facebook. The Government did not send regular Police, to determine whether there was an illegal protest or sabotage, but instead sent a battalion of HEAVILY ARMED SSU officers. This is clearly an attempt to frighten Saint Lucians who are in opposition to the project. The SLP thinks it was a clear statement to Saint Lucians that any attempt to protest for the preservation of their heritage or patrimony will not be tolerated by the UWP government. It will indeed be a sad day for Saint Lucia for the Government to order the SSU to put the people of Saint Lucia under the barrel of machine guns, if they dare go near the DSH site.
The Labour Party notes that these tactics of the UWP are not new, as we remember that the farmers who stood up for their rights were shot in cold blood by the SSU on the orders of the UWP. The SLP had hoped that the UWP would have learnt from their past misdeeds and never again go down that road where Saint Lucian lives are threatened when protesting.
Once again the Police are being ordered to turn their guns on peaceful citizens of our country while the Allen Chastanet Administration has started selling our passports at an unacceptably low price to provide Saint Lucian citizenship to Chinese with an agreement that allows the proceeds from the sale to be kept overseas under the control of the DSH master developer. There is something very wrong when investment, is to be forced down the throats of St. Lucians, at gunpoint.
The SLP calls on the Police to use their discretion and to not be used for political purposes under the guise of ensuring law and order. Citizens have a democratic right to protest and the Police must not be used to suppress that right.
The Labour Party is adamant that it will organise lawful and peaceful protest against DSH and assert the rights of citizens to oppose corruption and unlawful conduct by Government.