Allen Chastanet has never been known for consistency, but his latest revelation takes political hypocrisy to new heights. The Opposition Leader, who once presided over a government that flatly refused to allocate constituency funds to opposition MPs, now proudly admits he’s receiving and spending the very same funds under the current Labour administration.
It’s the kind of twist that would be amusing, if it were not so shameless.
In a recent interview, Chastanet attempted to rewrite history, insisting that his administration did fund opposition constituencies, just not through the MPs themselves. According to him, the money was “channeled through ministries and town councils.” In other words, the funds were tightly controlled by his government, leaving opposition MPs powerless to respond directly to the needs of their communities. That is not equity; it is exclusion wrapped in administrative doublespeak.
For five years, Chastanet’s United Workers Party government treated constituency funding as a political weapon, something to be withheld from opponents while rewarding allies. Now, finding himself on the other side of the table, Chastanet suddenly seems to appreciate the virtues of fairness and inclusion. How convenient!
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He admits to receiving $100,000 per quarter under the current administration, and even claims he questioned whether to accept it. Spare us the performance of moral hesitation. The truth is, he took the money, directed the projects, and boasted about the results. What he once denied others, he now enjoys, and that’s the very definition of hypocrisy.
This is not simply about budgets or bureaucratic procedures. It’s about the kind of leadership Saint Lucia deserves. When Chastanet was in power, he used constituency development funds as a tool of political control. Now that he is in opposition, he is more than happy to pocket the fairness he never practiced.
And that’s the real insult, not to the government, but to the people. The voters in opposition constituencies were the ones punished by his politics. They were denied the representation they elected, simply because their MP wore the wrong color shirt.
Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre’s administration, to its credit, has broken that pattern by extending constituency allocations to all MPs, including those who once weaponized the system. That’s governance. That’s maturity.
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Chastanet’s attempt to defend his record only exposes what Saint Lucians already know: when it comes to fairness, he preaches one thing and practices another.
Perhaps the former Prime Minister should take his own advice and look in the camera again, this time to admit that his government’s refusal to empower opposition MPs was wrong. Until then, every dollar he spends from his current allocation stands as a reminder that political integrity cannot be selective.
