Is Another General Election Around the Corner?
Another ruling party MP has given further indication that all might not be well in the United Workers Party.
This follows the denunciation of Prime Minister Stephenson King's budget last week (April 24th) by the MP for Choiseul, Mr. Rufus Bousquet.
Now another government backbencher, Dennery North representative - Marcus Nicholas, is threatening to withdraw his support for the government, if Economic Planning Minister Senator Ausbert d'Auvergne is not fired.
In an interview with BBC Caribbean, Mr. Nicholas hinted that he has the support of other disgruntled UWP Cabinet members.
"If Ausbert d'Auvergne continues to remain as a senator of the United Workers Party then we are going to find ourselves in serious problems and I believe he needs to go. I've now made up my mind and I believe if we can't get this thing right... because right now I am just there like a peg in the party, not me alone, a number of us - you heard it from the parliamentary representative for Choiseul, the parliamentary representative for Central Castries and now as the parliamentary representative for Dennery North I am saying I am there like a peg and you can not come together with people, run an election, put forward ourselves as those persons that are going to be fully involved in the management of the government of Saint Lucia and to date that is not happening," the Mr. Nicholas passionately stated.
Nicholas and Bousquet have made no bones about their unhappiness at being excluded from the Cabinet.
They are further upset that even as they are being sidelined, as they've put it - unelected senators like Minister d'Auvergne appears to be wielding enormous influence and power within the government.
The Dennery North MP said he's preparing himself for what could be a general election pretty soon.