Micoud North MP Jeremiah Norbert issued a bold challenge to his United Workers Party (UWP) opponent, Elisha Norbert, during the Saint Lucia Labour Party’s (SLP) town hall meeting held at the Micoud Secondary School. In a passionate address, the first-term MP called on the UWP-endorsed candidate to demonstrate true confidence in his political aspirations by resigning from his current post as a teacher.
“If you know you’re going to win the seat in Micoud North, resign and come and run,” Norbert declared to the gathered constituents. “Resign and come and run. If you want to run the seat in Micoud North, resign.”
Norbert drew parallels to his own political journey, recalling that he made the decision to leave the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force before contesting the seat in the 2021 general election. “When I wanted to run for the Saint Lucia Labour Party when I went to Prime Minister Pierre I bet my life on it that he would never allow me to run as a policeman. So you know what I did? The rightful thing. I resigned,” he explained.
“I come in wholeheartedly to represent the people of Micoud North,” he added. “I’m not doing one foot in, one foot out.”
The MP questioned the principles of his opponent’s political backers, suggesting that a leader with integrity would have advised Elisha Norbert against keeping his teaching position while campaigning. “If you were following a man of principle, he would have told you that he would never allow you to do the nonsense that you’re doing there,” Norbert said.
Beyond the political challenge, Norbert reiterated his commitment to his constituents and to a style of representation grounded in empathy and lived experience. “What representation is about: I see you, I talk to you, I feel you because I am one of you,” he said. “I was not born with a golden spoon. I know what it is to struggle. So when you tell me, I can empathise with you.”
