Documenting tribalism in Caribbean politics

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

But for the bloody Grenada revolution of 1983, life in the small territories that comprise the Windward Islands is considered docile compared to larger Caribbean countries like Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

That is not the way former 'Mr World' bodybuilder Rick Wayne of St Lucia, portrays the Windwards in his new book, Lapses & Infelicities. He portrays an old-boy network of corrupt and incompetent politicians who have stymied growth in their respective countries.

"It's primarily a contemporary history of politics in St Lucia and the interaction of people like Ralph Gonsalves, Kenny Anthony, John Compton and James Mitchell," Wayne told The Sunday Gleaner, last week.

"They all practice the same politics, same tribal stuff and things like that."

Compton, who was actually born in St Vincent, is St Lucia's first prime minister. He was elected to that office on three occasions.

victory

The much-younger Anthony served nine years (1997-2006) as St Lucia's fifth prime minister.

An ailing Compton was too ill to occupy office after his third victory which came in 2005 when his United Workers Party defeated Anthony's St Lucia Labour Party. He died two years later.

Mitchell, Compton's cousin, was prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines for many years. Gonsalves has held that office since 2001.

St Lucia gets the lion's share of coverage from the 72 year-old Wayne who was appointed to the country's senate by Anthony in 1997. In 1999, he and two other senators were subsequently removed from their posts after, according to Wayne, they refused to support the government's guarantee for a struggling St Lucian airline.

Compton was one of many Caribbean leaders who fought passionately for independence from Britain in the 1950s. He is regarded as highly in St Lucia as Norman Manley is in Jamaica or Eric Williams is in Trinidad and Tobago.

Wayne moved to Britain in the 1950s to pursue a career in bodybuilding. Along with Abdul El-guindi and Arnold Schwarznegger, he was one of the top bodybuilders in the sport during the 1960s. He went on to become editor of Muscle Builder magazine, and was also a senior editor at Flex, another leading bodybuilding publication. Wayne currently operates The Star newspaper and SHE Caribbean magazine in St Lucia with his wife Mae.

Lapses & Infelicities, which will be released locally in early November, is Wayne's third book on Caribbean politics. The previous titles are It'll Be Alright In The Morning and Foolish Virgins.