Former Senate President Stanley Felix, who was dismissed from his position in 2022 following criminal charges that were later dismissed, has announced that he will contest the Castries Central seat as an independent candidate in the next general elections.
In a candid interview on News Maker Live on Wednesday night, Felix spoke openly about his fallout with the Philip J. Pierre administration and his motivation for returning to frontline politics. He said his decision stems from what he described as unfair treatment by the government and a lack of leadership from current MP Richard Frederick.
Felix recalled the circumstances surrounding his dismissal, describing it as “an embarrassment”.
“They made up this bogus charge,” he told host Timothy Poleon. “But what really hurt me, Timothy, is that the government specifically the Prime Minister did not have the decency to at least give me a hearing. The principle of fairness and natural justice demands that everyone should be given an opportunity to tell their side of the story. I was unceremoniously fired.”
He recounted how, after being arrested, he was granted bail in the sum of $15,000, which he “posted immediately.” But before he could even return home, he said, he learned from the news that his appointment had been terminated.
“The Prime Minister never had any conversation with me,” Felix said. “He never caused anybody to see me to tell me anything. I just heard that I was terminated.”
The case against him, he noted, never made it to trial.
“The matter went to the High Court and the matter never made it to trial,” Felix explained. “In fact, the judge said, ‘I’ve taken my time with this matter because of the sensitivity and the widespread attention it has gotten. I wanted to be sure. But I don’t understand, Mr. Felix, why you’re here. Mr. Felix, you were discharged. Case dismissed.’”
Despite the fallout, Felix insisted he is not running to spite the Labour Party but rather to answer a call from the people of Castries Central.
“No, I am not an independent Labour. I am not an independent UWP. I am an independent because the people have asked me to be,” he said. “They asked me last election. A lot of people were disappointed when I was not chosen to run under the Labour Party banner. And those same people continued.”
Felix added that after years of encouragement from constituents, he felt compelled to act. “Throughout the entire five years, people always kept on telling me, ‘You have to run, you have to run,’” he said. “Based on what I see, the performance of our current representative, Richard Frederick, I think there’s a lot to be desired. So because I always wanted to represent the people, I felt I could not let them down. I listened to the call.”
Responding to claims that he is being used to split the vote in Castries Central, Felix dismissed the idea as baseless.
“You cannot be used if you’re not aware,” he argued. “The Labour Party had made it clear that they were not fielding a candidate and were already campaigning for Richard Frederick. So it cannot be true that I’m being used. They may be happy that I have thrown my hat in the race, because frankly, I believe that the Saint Lucia Labour Party does not really and truly want Richard Frederick in the fold.”
This marks Felix’s third attempt at securing the Castries Central seat, which has historically been one of the island’s most closely watched constituencies. He said this campaign will be one of renewed purpose, fueled by the people’s call and a personal mission to “restore dignity and fairness” in public service.
