Saint Lucia’s political space is no stranger to heated exchanges — but few could have predicted that the Speaker of the House of Assembly, the very guardian of parliamentary order, would trade that gavel for a Facebook keyboard to spar with an ordinary citizen. Yet, that’s exactly what happened this week.
It all began when Claudius Francis, Speaker of the House, published a lengthy Facebook post titled “The St. Jude Crisis and the Rhetoric of Opposition: Analysing the UWP’s Desperation.”
In it, he painted the United Workers Party as a “desperate opposition,” accusing them of weaponizing cost figures and trying to sabotage the government’s success on the long-delayed St. Jude Hospital project.
That post might have gone unnoticed — until I, Dedan, weighed in. My comment was simple:
“Saint Lucians deserve clarity on how hundreds of millions have been spent, why the hospital is still uncommissioned, and what exactly we’re getting for the money.”
And that’s when the conversation took off.
From Commentary to Confrontation
Instead of addressing the substance of the question, the Speaker fired back with sarcasm — mocking my stance, suggesting I was “drinking the kool-aid,” and implying that anyone who questioned the government’s narrative was somehow delusional or politically driven.
But the irony was striking: here was the Speaker of the House, a man constitutionally required to remain neutral, diving head-first into partisan defense mode — not as an observer of debate, but as a participant in it.
When I pressed for accountability, he shifted gears again — claiming to be “better located” to know the real figures, dismissing my sources, and then, when cornered, suggesting that Dedan might be a pseudonym.
At that point, it became clear this wasn’t about St. Jude anymore. It was about ego, partisanship, and an alarming inability to separate the Speaker’s office from party politics.
A Name, a Nerve, and a National Question
To his claim that “Dedan” was a pseudonym, I responded:
“Ask your brother Hermingild who Dedan is. He’ll tell you exactly who I am. I’ve been writing, speaking, and standing up for accountability in Choiseul long before politics turned into performance art.”
And yes, I meant every word.
Because the real issue here is not who’s speaking — it’s why the speaking is necessary. St. Jude Hospital represents one of the most painful and expensive chapters in Saint Lucia’s modern history. It has cost taxpayers over $400 million across successive administrations, yet remains uncommissioned.
When ordinary citizens ask legitimate questions about that, it’s not “opposition rhetoric.” It’s civic duty. And when high-ranking officials — especially one sitting in the Speaker’s chair — respond with partisanship and mockery, it raises serious concerns about how far political tribalism has gone in this country.
Accountability Isn’t a Crime
Let’s be clear: the St. Jude debate is not about red or yellow. It’s about the green of taxpayers’ dollars and the human cost of political gamesmanship.
If the government truly believes in transparency, let them publish:
- The final cost of the project;
- The timeline for commissioning;
- And the list of contractors and expenditures since 2021.
Saint Lucians are not asking for favors — we’re asking for facts.
The Exchange That Got Saint Lucia Talking
What began as a simple comment turned into a fiery, public debate between a citizen and the Speaker himself — a discussion that quickly revealed the cracks in Saint Lucia’s political civility.
Below is the full transcript of that exchange, shared for transparency and context. Readers can judge for themselves who argued with reason and who resorted to ridicule.
👉 Read the full conversation: St_Jude_Facebook_Debate_Dedan_vs_Claudius.docx
Choiseul on the Move
Because truth should never be silenced by titles. 🇱🇨
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