ST. LUCIA-Government and opposition differ on the progress of St. Lucia over the past two years.

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – The ruling St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP) Wednesday marked its second anniversary in office with Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre acknowledging “many challenges” but also “many victories.

“We have much to be grateful for, but our work has just begun. As we embark on year three, I ask that we recommit to making our country safe and prosperous. We all have a responsibility in building the St. Lucia that we love,” Pierre wrote on his Facebook page.

But Opposition Leader Allen Chastanet said that over the last two years, it has become “increasingly evident” that the SLP administration has failed to deliver on its promises and uphold its commitments to the people of St. Lucia.

Pierre led the SLP to a convincing victory in the 2021 general election, winning 13 of the 17 seats, while the UWP, which had been in power under Chastanet, lost nine of its 11 seats, its worst result since 1997.

The other two seats were won by former UWP government ministers, including that Stephenson King, a former prime minister, who, like his colleague, Richard Frederick, contested the polls as an independent candidate and then joined the SLP administration in senior Cabinet positions.

In his message, Pierre recalled that voters had trusted his SLP in the last general election, and “together we have faced many challenges and shared many victories. Thank you for the journey thus far”.

He thanked the constituents of Castries East, whom he has represented in Parliament for the last two decades, saying, “Our bond has been unbreakable, and I am forever grateful for the trust that you have reposed in me.”

Pierre said the party supporters would gather in Patience, south-east of here, on Sunday “when we can finally celebrate our victory as a country.”

But Chastanet, who served one term as head of government, said that the present administration had failed to keep to its election promises, including the removal of property tax, as well as income tax relief for those making EC$4000 (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents).

“Instead, we have witnessed increased taxes, rising prices, and a lack of accountability for the misuse of public funds,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

Chastanet has also claimed that the SLP’s administration has borrowed more than EC$700 million over the past two years, expressing “ concerns about our national debt and future economic stability.”