Santa Lucía: oposición advierte sobre la urgencia de avanzar en una reforma judicial
Gov’t could suffer more foreign sanctions if it doesn’t act now – Prudent
The move made by the local French Embassy to boycott Saint Lucia’s Independence Day parade over what is cited as the poor performance of the country’s judicial system came as no surprise to many.
Leader of the Lucian Peoples Movement (LPM), Therold Prudent, said he is however disappointed that Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony has allowed the issue to escalate to this level.
Prudent told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) on Tuesday that this move should not be taken lightly and encouraged the Prime Minister to “act now or you are going to suffer the political consequences.”
He said, “I believe it finally shows that not only America, but the European Union (EU) have come to the conclusion that our government has no idea or serious plans of restructuring our judicial system, and in this regard they have taken a stand to let Dr. Kenny Anthony know it’s not business as usual.”
The political leader is urging the government to do what is right for Saint Lucia, by appointing a Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), a Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions (DDDP), restructure the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) and clean up the local judicial system.
“One would have thought that as a lawyer himself, this would have been easy for him to do. One would never have imagined that a lawyer who understands how the judicial system operates here and throughout the wider Caribbean wouldn’t want to do what is right,” Prudent remarked.
The LPM said the world is watching and suggests that by not working towards making stringent changes to the judicial system, the government is letting the people down and tarnishing the image of the country.
Prudent recalled when the United States (US) stopped training police officials here and barred them from travelling to their country, there were talks that the government could get the same help from other places like France and England, but it turned out to be far from reality.
“They are not going to receive the kind of help they believe they would receive, if they ignored the US. Saint Lucia’s place in the world is a very small one,” he asserted.
The LPM leader told SNO that he is not advising the government to be subservient but is urging them to adhere to international law that speaks to the principle for protection of human life and democracy.
France has also raised concerns about the country’s tardiness in implementing recommendations based on the IMPACS findings.
St. Lucia has been experiencing fallout since the findings of the IMPACS report were made public.
