CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) — The ruling St Lucia Labour Party (SLP) says it will soon outline its position regarding public debates ahead of the general elections likely to be held later this year.

“We are certainly not afraid of public debates and as the general secretary said, the Labour Party candidates are men and women of substance with options, who are unafraid,” SLP chairman, Claudius Francis told a news conference.

Francis told reporters that it was the SLP that had introduced political debates here dating back to 1996.

“In 2006, one candidate attempted to debate the political leader and was given a public rebuke of telling him to debate a vagrant,” the SLP chairman also recalled.

The main opposition United Workers Party (UWP) has said it is prepared to participate in political debates, but would only do so under certain conditions.

UWP leader Allen Chastanet dismissed reports that the party’s candidates had not turned up to participate in a debate organised by the South Castries Youth and Sports Council.

He said that while the Council had invited two UWP candidates, both had indicated their disagreement with the time and date for the debates.

“When you haven’t confirmed the person’s participation and putting their name out to attend the event, it is wrong. Neither one of them have responded, but they are saying they were supposed to be there,” Chastanet said, adding that while there was need for such debates, the organisers need to understand that there are certain processes that must be followed.

“All of a sudden, when the situation is reversed and politicised to the extent it is, it is going to make people extremely wary to want to be able to participate,” he said.