In a forceful and wide-ranging address delivered on Tuesday night, November 25th, former Prime Minister Dr. Michael “Mikey” Pilgrim announced his full endorsement of Independent Candidate Stanley Felix for the Castries Central constituency, urging voters to reject what he described as a dangerous alternative on the ballot.
Dr. Pilgrim opened his address with a reflection on his uncompromising stance on corruption during his early political years.
He recalled standing on the SLP platform at the Castries Market steps advocating the harshest possible penalties for corrupt ministers.
“I preached the necessity to punish persons in the most severe manner for their involvement in corruption whilst being ministers of government,” he said. He added that he once declared that corrupt ministers “should be convicted if found guilty and the sentence should be death.”
Those statements resulted in a sedition charge and the possibility of execution. “I was prepared at that time to die for my country. That was the extent I was prepared to go in an effort to attempt to wipe out corruption in government,” he said.
Dr. Pilgrim said he does not normally address personalities but noted that in some cases “the personality of this particular individual has become an issue.” He invoked Shakespeare to frame his criticism with a local twist, asking, “Why should the name Frederick be sounded more than the name Felix?” Adding that “Felix will start a spirit as soon as Frederick,” he questioned “upon what meat doth this Frederick feed that he has grown so great.”
He made clear that he was speaking “as a St. Lucian and a citizen of this country in support of Stanley Felix as an independent candidate to contest the forthcoming general elections for the constituency of Castries Central.”
Dr. Pilgrim then compared the candidates in the race, saying they represented “the good, the bad, and the gentle,” and urged voters to choose their representative based on character and integrity. “You must vote for the candidate who possesses the following qualities,” he said before listing humility, sincerity, honesty, respect for women, and the absence of corruption, greed, arrogance, or criminal associations. A candidate, he insisted, must be someone who is “honest and trustworthy.”
He warned voters to pay attention to candidates who had been “rejected, dismissed, or fired” by political parties, noting that when both major parties refuse to embrace an individual, it signals that “such a person is not suitable to be a member of either political party.”
Dr. Pilgrim compared such candidates to “one rotten apple” that will eventually contaminate the whole.
He argued that the rejection of a particular candidate by both political parties “is a good enough reason why that candidate should not be voted for,” and suggested that some political forces may secretly wish to prevent this individual from entering Parliament. He presented a scenario where the two major parties each win eight seats, leaving the balance of power in the hands of a candidate he described as unfit. “Just for one moment, pause to imagine the possibility of this happening,” he said. “This would result in a tidal wave of economic and social destruction in our country.”
To avoid this outcome, Dr. Pilgrim called on all Castries Central voters “irrespective of party affiliations or colour” to cast their ballots for Stanley Felix. “I appeal to all voters in Central Castries to vote for Stanley Felix for a better St. Lucia,” he said.
The former Prime Minister also made a special appeal to communities across the constituency, including Mont-de-Lan, Bois Patate, Rose Hill, Leslie Land, Wilton’s Yard, Waterworks Road, Lastick Hill, Patterson’s Land, New Village, La Pansee, Georgeville, Sans Souci, Darling Road, Conway, Barnard Hill, Lanse Road, Vigie, the Darling Road Apartments, the old CDC apartments, and Riverside Road.
He urged them to “come out in great numbers to vote for Stanley Felix to be the next representative for Castries Central,” saying that his endorsement comes from a place of “love, goodwill and affection” for the people he once represented.
The endorsement is expected to add momentum to Felix’s campaign as the race for Castries Central intensifies.