Panic-sticken Kenny Brings In Estephan's venom

The writing is on the wall.For kenny to take Estephan, a Dominican to put on Tv to speak to St.lucians about where to vote is a low blow. One can well say that "Kenny Finni."

Castries, November 8, 2011 – The United Workers Party today expressed concern over the conduct of Dominican Lawyer Anthony Astaphan engaged by the St Lucia Labour Party to infect the election campaign with blatant lies calculated to deceive and insult the people of St Lucia.

Astaphan appeared on the Labour Party’s Red Zone TV programme Monday night, hours after party leader Kenny Anthony promised a clean campaign. But Dr Anthony’s imported attack dog wasted no time to plunge headlong into his campaign to malign, denigrate and destroy. The Astaphan chapter of the Labour Party’s election campaign continued today on RCI’s News Spin.

So far, he has invented “white consultants” to run the campaign of the United Workers Party in order to peddle the lie that “massa” is in charge. He has referred to supporters of the UWP as “jaundiced” and “intellectually challenged” persons suffering from ailments like “kidney failure” and “pancreatic cancer”.

In a disgraceful attempt to trivialize the Commission of Inquiry finding that cited Kenny Anthony for MALADMINISTRATION in the Rochamel corruption scandal, Astaphan unleashed the totally unfounded allegation that the UWP government has lost 500 acres of land at Black Bay.

As has become typical of him, the Dominican political activist is refusing to let the truth and fact spoil the lies, deception and propaganda he hopes will help get Kenny Anthony back in government so that he can benefit once again from sweetheart legal briefs that cost the people of St Lucia millions of dollars.

Citizens are no doubt observing with interest, as attorneys like Lorne Theophilus, Stanley Felix and others stand aside impotently while Kenny Anthony allows Astaphan to treat St Lucia as his family’s estate and St Lucians as his fools.

The United Workers Party calls on Astaphan to be an honest advocate for justice and accept the truth of St Lucia’s economic management successes in recent years as confirmed by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

• Astaphan cannot deny that under the UWP, St Lucia achieved 4.4% GDP growth last year compared to a GDP decline of 2.7% for the entire ECCU grouping

• Astaphan cannot deny that under the UWP, in the worst of times around the world, St Lucia achieved average economic growth of 2.6% per year compared to average growth of 1.6% per year achieved by the SLP in the best of times around the world

• Astaphan cannot deny that under the UWP, St Lucia has surpassed Antigua and Barbuda as the largest economy in the OECS

• Astaphan cannot deny that under the UWP, St Lucia’s exports in 2010 increased by 151% over the 2006 – the last year of the SLP administration

• Astaphan cannot deny that under the UWP, St Lucia exported more products in 2010 than the rest of the OECS combined

• Astaphan cannot deny that under the UWP, St Lucia’s tourist business increased from 695 thousand visitors spending 768 million dollars in 2006 to over one (1) million visitors spending one-point-five (1.5) billion dollars in 2010.

The facts don’t lie. Neither should Astaphan.

We understand the desperation which forced a panic stricken Kenny Anthony to summon Astaphan with an SOS to spew his flambeau hate. That is why we urge them both to understand and appreciate that there are more honourable ways to serve the interest of St Lucia and St Lucians.


Written by OSWALD AUGUSTIN
IST VICE CHAIRMAN.