From Gutter Scenes to Cash Scenes, The Downfall of Tommy Descartes: The Foreman

Saint Lucia: A political analyst from Saint Lucia, The Foreman, is slamming opposition United Workers Party (UWP) candidate Tommy Descartes, who was recently surrounded by controversy after being found with a large sum of money on election day near a polling station.

Through an opinion editorial, The Foreman described Descartes’ political journey as “a rapid unraveling” and argued that the young candidate’s campaign collapsed under the weight of missteps, miscalculations, and the election-day incident that triggered public speculation.

He pointed back to the early days of Descartes’ campaign which included the now well-known video of him standing in a gutter in Faux-à-Chaux. The Foreman said this became a symbol of “gutter politics” and noted that the moment made many people wonder what direction the campaign was taking.

He also highlighted Descartes’ trip to Bananes Bay, where he encouraged residents to resist eviction orders linked to the GPH project. According to The Foreman, this was another sign that Descartes had chosen a path that did not help his standing with voters.

The commentary also criticised Descartes’ claim that “Gangster is Yellow” and called it a misguided attempt to win over the block. The Foreman said that instead of building support, the statement ended up branding young men in his own community as gangsters, which only pushed people further away from him.

The Foreman added that by the time Descartes went up against Dr Ernest Hilaire, the damage was already done, and his chances were extremely poor. He pointed out that Descartes lost even worse than the previous UWP candidate in 2021.

The political analyst also referenced what happened on election day, when Descartes was taken to the police station after being found with a large amount of cash. Descartes has said he was not arrested, only “detained for counting,” but the Foreman argued that the incident sealed the public’s view of how his campaign ended.

According to The Foreman, Descartes’ political career “ended before it even began” and left behind questions about whether his downfall came from ambition, naivety, or simply bad advice.

As one political ditty put it: “Tommy, you just ain’t man enough to beat Ernest,” concluded the local political commentator.