UWP Criticises Secrecy In Halls Of Justice Project

The opposition United Workers Party (UWP) has called out the government, claiming secrecy and mismanagement regarding the multi-million dollar Halls of Justice project. A release from the desk of UWP Public Relations Officer Lenard ‘Spider’ Montoute has demanded transparency from the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) administration on the matter. The complete release appears below: The United Workers Party (UWP) strongly condemns the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) Government for its ongoing pattern of secrecy and mismanagement concerning the new Halls of Justice project. On April 19th, a sod-turning ceremony was held, shrouded in secrecy with no local media invited, contrary to the principles of transparency and accountability expected in a democratic society. As is typical of this SLP administration, they opted to manage public communication through controlled narratives, excluding our local journalists while details of the project were released to and published by the Trinidad Guardian. According to reports, the new Halls of Justice, with a staggering price tag of US$61 million or EC$162 million, not including financing cost, for a 33,000 square foot facility, equates to an exorbitant cost of $4,930 per square foot. This cost is nearly ten times the construction cost of the most expensive building...