 All right good morning Well as you know the Prime Minister is out of state attending the carry-on heads of government meeting so Should be back on fuzzy And he will resume his duties as Prime Minister. I think there's a lot we can talk about this morning But I'll probably let you start by asking any questions that you may have I'm not sure what you mean You can state your own views I'm not sure You can state your own views Possibly You're throwing mail? Possibly So I just wanted some kind of information on that Yeah, well in 2016 there was a proposal from the Constitutional Boundaries Commission To alter the boundaries in solution as you know the Constitution provides that I think every seven years There should be a review and recommendations made for the establishment of constituency boundaries in St. Lucia A proposal was adopted then by the commission supported by both parties in 20 Before the 2016 election that he was in 2015 Subsequent to that former representative Guy Joseph did file a motion against it saying that it was going to prejudice him The the case has gone on the first there was a procedural motion Which he lost eventually And the case itself the substantive case has still not been heard yet But of course since then seven years has passed because I was 2015 They were supposed to be another review in 2022 So because the Constitution says no more than seven years You have to do a review of the boundaries. We've not had boundary changes in St. Lucia for 50 years Let's think about that the last major major change we had was in 1974 when we moved from 10 constituencies to 17 We've had little realignments along the way. So we add duo for a review of the constituency boundaries And like I said, they it's on the table and there are discussions taking place as to what the boundaries should be If you just imagine Rosalie is by far the largest constituency Rosalie is many times the size of the Henry south Um and certainly larger than the the next largest which I think is cash to his office I think the the largest constituencies are Rosalie So cash to his office cash with East Babuno in terms of population size So it has to be so I guess once they Census report is released and will give us a sense of what the population spread is because according to the constitution It's not voters. It's the population of the districts Not voters not registered voters population of the districts So once we get the census report we can then decide What's the best arrangement and the constitution says you should try to approximate equal number in every constituency subject to population Transportation network and a number of criteria, but it really calls upon you to have as equal as possible the number of people Living in a constituency and we know you're totally off because Rosalie by itself Is the size of many other constituencies? So yes, the answer is you we have to do it constitutionally to review the cons the boundaries Can we see that coming before the next election and what are the concerns from the current administration How that affects the Then going into the well is up to the commission the commission comprises, you know five persons chaired by the speaker and You know too nominated by the leader opposition to by the prime minister And they will decide and they will advise parliaments to well through the speaker So if they decide there should be no changes there will be no changes and if they decide there should be changes It will be presented to the House of Debates and we can or not accept what they recommend Concerns from a party perspective On the if it's proposed that Rosalie is to be separately for is self Um Well, I have no concerns really. I mean elections elections to be fought and if you see if they if they reduce Constituencies if they increase it, that's just what's before you and you have to deal with it You know when he recently I was watching using England In fact, there was just a by election in England two weeks ago And if you do some research on it that constituency will not exist in the next in the general election Because of the realignments that will take place in England So imagine somebody we need to see two weeks ago We need to be told by the time they call the general election your constituents will no longer exist But that's the reality So no matter what comes before us we have to deal with it as political parties You strive to win as many seats as you can and that's just what it is Jerry mannery, I'm thinking that you know people might cut it just to table political party. What would you say to that? No, we don't believe in generate mannery. In any case, it's a commission that has to make the recommendation and the commission has to present a Viable, you know Proposal which has to be debated by the house and that report Has to be made public. So if somebody says, you know Take out this area from that area and put it in another area But we've had gerrymandering in the past in San Lucia. I mean if you look at some constituencies PAI sometimes has been in library As soon as has been in um, srozel For sejaka's swung. I mean they've been attempts to take out certain communities and put them certain constituencies to try to Swear at the voters, but generally in San Lucia. We don't have gerrymandering. We don't have that We've had a very very distinguished record when it comes to voting and change of governments Um, and I I think we will certainly want to see that tradition kept alive in San Lucia That if there are going to be changes to the constituencies that the proper report is prepared by the commission and submitted to parliament for this for debates Well, I just think we've not been true to the the constitution and and it's That's the point that was made governments might have been afraid that people will consider gerrymandering and that you are changing They just to favor you. Um, but that's not what it should be the constitution says no more than seven years every Every cycle we have to review it. It doesn't say we have to make changes, but we have to review Um, and therefore we should do so. That's what the constitution requires because a constituency that has You know 50 000 people You know as against another that has 9 000 people. There's a vast difference No I started off making the point that no matter what happens to that case The seven-year Cycle has this back on because it says no more than seven years So if in the last change was proposed in 2015 We're supposed to have another seven years would be 2022. So we should have had already A review by the commission. It's overdue. But it says no more than seven years So it's overdue already. We have to do it I feel like, um, a normal Alliance, uh, planning to increase FAA, I think, um, particularly from the european market For the summer, um, what are the concerns from a tourist tourism perspective? How will that affect, um, if any, um, how will that affect these ten rivals in cemeteria Considering the successes Well, I think, you know As an industry that has some sensitivity to price Any significant increase in price will affect demand And especially if you're speaking about europe, which is going for its own economic challenges, particularly the united kingdom Where inflation has not been reduced as quickly as other parts of the world There will always be some effect and as much as individuals are traveling like never before Especially since covid and it continues to to to grow You know, there's only so much people can take because you know, especially when it comes to family travel You know, uh, a family of six traveling for the summer vacation and increase of 100 pounds per person is an increase of 600 pounds Really? And it will have its effect and of course some of the room rates are also increasing if you compare the roommates now to what they would Before covid they to have increased So you can understand the challenges people will face for traveling now Um, so we will always be watching very closely. Um, those developments already the the rates to send us to the fs to send us high But it reflects a lot the demand For the destination and the the whole question of supply of equipment and And crew and whatnot. So yes, we will always be concerned Well, I think there there has to be a discussion of all stakeholders in terms of how can each Contribute to make sure that central remains competitive um, remember, you know in terms of just basic Economics, you know, you you want to remain competitive And therefore you have to always figure out that you cannot allow yourself to fall out of Or the competitive range And therefore any thinking and response has to be to make sure That, you know, we are still in the forefront as a destination of choice And No, I think Saint Lucia has stated publicly its position is that we support All the private sector and public sector Initiatives to improve connectivity in the region and as a government we are committed to supporting connectivity of the region and once there is place before the government a viable Initiative, we will be prepared to support it Yeah, there was a Study done by the OECS And at the last meeting I attended the OECS ministers of tourism and the next meeting will be in the next Two to three weeks or so where we are the OECS actually identified Ferries that can be used to have that with that connectivity So, um, I will get an update at the next meeting. Um, the issue was the financing of the the The ferries so we will be looking at that In view of what? Yeah, I think the the minister of national security will be advised by The police and other security You know personnel as to what's the best response and I think we must always make the point always make the point As a government our position is clear We are policy the police's operation The police decides what is the best responses from a law enforcement perspective That is that are needed from time to time based on the challenges Our response was to make sure they have the resources and the capability and the support to make it happen So if you know if it reaches a point where the police believes X1s that should be done as mentioned by you it is for ourselves as policy makers to respond and support them We cannot tell the police what the operational responses should be We can share the concerns of citizens with them. We can share with them the the the Feeling that our population the citizens are expressing and to ensure we push them to To to to undertake the tasks in the most efficient and effective manner And therefore the government continues to do so But we you will not see us as a government, you know operationalizing what has to be done That that's not our responsibility per se, but trust me. We are citizens And we have constituents and they speak to us and we have to be able to say to the police This is what You know our constituents are saying to us. This is what the public is saying And for us to hear from them what are their responses and how they're going to deal with the situation So we will continue to push the police to take the strongest possible action necessary To ensure that we have you know safety and security in this country and we operate, you know within the bonds of Of law and we will always want to protect that But the police has to respond and ensure that our citizens feel safe in this country Within the second half of last year It was noted by the The prime minister in the national security that would have seen an incline in the Weather trip that to Well the actions taken by the the police and I guess the contributions from government to the support their work So then from since then what has happened in the first two months of this year that is that they need to change Did they change something? I think it's best for the police hierarchy to deliver those operational matters I can tell you that the government continues to provide all the support Necessary to the police and the police can rest assured and the public can rest assured that the government is Always willing to provide the resources and the support needed for them to be able to do their work And all they need to do is to indicate to us what their needs are and we will step up and provide it But in terms of what may have happened or what's happening I think it would be best if I leave it to the police to So to address those issues We understand that the police had an operation in Newport and we learned this morning in a news report that police came Not gunfire, but projectiles were sent out to them and so they had to seek refuge as the government had said Well, I read a story we just carried in the loop nose news and I must say it's a shameful story I think the image that is created and presented to the public is a little outrageous. It's just not True from all the reports that we've gotten and I've gotten a briefing from the police as to what happened And I think the story was really exaggerated And I and I think you know as much as persons want to Make sure they can exercise their right to Carry news and to present to the public what's happening in the country We must also be mindful that how we write And how we express it Can be harmful as well And I'm not taking anything away from the reporter who wrote it And the intent of the reporter Because they probably have no reason to believe there was any intent to be malicious But when you read the story the story speaks about the police was under attack Was undertaking an operation and that the situation rapidly escalated And it gives you the impression that the police was undertaking an operation that the public and the citizens of bruceville Attacked the police for in projectiles in them and they had to retreat And that's not true. That is not true From all the reports we have and all the evidence I have seen the police undertook an operation And the police exited The the side in exiting somebody through a projectile. It may be two. I was told one And it you know struck the police vehicle. I think it landed in the back of the police vehicle There was no public that attacked the police. There was no escalation and there was no retreat by the police I can tell you I would be very disappointed I'm sure the prime minister and the government would be very Disappointed if that had happened the way it was described in in the story And I think it's very unfortunate That that that loop carried a story like that and like I said, I'm not taking anything and not trying to present The intent of the reporter as anything else But trying to carry the story in the best manner that he thinks but it is wrong I should not be done in that way And I think I have an issue with loop news Last week I had reason to complain about loop news carrying a story that there was a travel advisory From the Canadian government against St. Lucia. That was not true Now you'd wish and you would hope that loop news is not going to descend Into the depths of you know misinformation and just sensationalizing Everything for the sake of creating, you know I don't know if if it's fear or if it's Whatever, but it's just totally unnecessary and I have a difficulty that we are facing challenging times The media is supposed to carry information The media is supposed to let the citizens know what's happening in the country But equally it has a responsibility to carry the stories in a manner Which you know best portrayed what happened and certainly not to create unnecessary Sensationalism and I think that's what has happened. I think that's what the loop has found itself doing You know on the last two occasions and I want to appeal to to loop news To at least pay regard to the huge responsibility that they have on their shoulders as part of our democratic country I mean we we are based on the free speech on the right to Persons conveying their their sentiments and you know expressing their opinions But let's also be mindful of the consequences of how we do it This one was totally unnecessary and again, I repeat it was not true That is not how it happened And if you want to write it like a cowboy the novel The challenges we're facing in this country does not require us to Be so lax You know the latitude that we have Um when it comes to freedom of speech and freedom of expression of the oak of opinions The operation had ended the police will leave in The operation was never inhibited or hindered in any way And that's from the information I have gotten and the evidence that was presented to me So, you know the police was not stopped and it's also a very poor reflection to under I mean we know bruceville has its challenges and responsibilities But if you read that story you will get the impression that the citizens of bruceville are just a set of lawless people That even when the police comes to try and put order in their community. They're attacking the police That's how it comes across So it's also unfair To the residents of bruceville And already they face in very difficult times They are traumatized by what's going on around them to now present them to the rest of st. lusia As residents who attack the police that come to put law and order in their own community Think about that What are you doing to an already traumatized community? The police will deliver it in the appropriate law enforcement practice You just spoke up in wake of the rising gun violence. If you could appeal to the public treaters of these crimes, what would you say? Well, I think we need to to make it very clear that You know We have to understand the impact that crime has on our society. We need to be very clear that For our country to move forward for us to ensure that our citizens can live Civilized standards of living that our society can develop We need to ensure citizen safety and the person that are involved in criminal activity should take note That we are not going to surrender. We're not going to It is challenging. It is difficult, but we're not going to give in because to do so is to lose our country to lose exactly who we are as a people and What we what we exist for So we have to control it and person that are involved in crime should take note that we're not going to surrender It's not going to be easy I said not when you have stories like what look news carries It's not going to be easy But we are going to fight and we are going to to ensure that law abiding citizens in this country can feel safe And we are going through difficult times, but we are going to win this battle This is not just about us. That's for the generations to come as well Because if we cannot stop it now Think of what's going to happen in years to come Think about it So persons who are involved in criminal activity Cannot be seen as our allies. They cannot be seen as persons that should get a free pass They have to be held accountable and we must support the police to make sure they have the capacity To be able to deal with those situations I mean all social problems individuals have They must always be aware which government can support them to ensure we address it I'm not saying people don't have social problems But we have to find a way as a government as a society to address those You know social problems, but it cannot Descend into total lawlessness and chaos. We will not allow that to happen We do not get that information Is it for national security reasons they're not giving it? Because you also have to be sensitive to the fact that there's not everything can be shared because Well, not just that but sometimes responses, they have to be very They have to be very Aware of what they say and again, like I said, you know, maybe to engage them to also find out What are the limitations in sharing information, but I can convey to the police your sentiments that you believe as the media They need to be more forthcoming with information No, no, that's different now and that one is a rush to be first Let me let me let me tell you what happened is a rush to be first And also a desire to be the most dramatic No, no, it's true Let me tell you it's exactly that You know, it's almost I don't want to describe it any further than that, you know But there's no need to rush to be first But in the media, you understand why that's done. Nobody wants the other station to carry the story first And nobody wants to carry a story that appears to be boring So you want to be dramatic and you want to Present when you read the headlines you woke up. It's when you saw those headlines. What? You're rushing to read first line. This was under attack You want to read, you know, but there's no need for that the emitter. This is different. This is life and death This is the destruction of our society This is not a cricket match where you want to see how brilliant was a shot of a football game How glorious was the free kick? That's not what it's about. This is life and death So, but in everything that's been said, um, put it like she says this may be the reason why we get, um This this issue. Um, yes, the media has responsibility. Um, I think last week I asked you about the freedom of information and the need for the sharing of information Critical I think operation was Last week when we saw the 12th guy being apprehended being charged Um, which I mean tells a bigger story of the town warfare that's going on in this land At this point with everything that's happening, we receive the country at 90 There's something that that is scary and conversation with the people especially both in the south who not just Seen murdered but the fact is there's always this shootouts happening. Those people may not be injured or maybe injured, right? If there are time it is this not the time to really engage the media in getting to the information out Quite that the 12 guys will arrest them. Who are these 12 guys? We don't have a faith to put to all these names, right? We've seen the victims, but who are the people who are doing the things? We don't see it There's a law allowed for that to be done I don't know So you're saying to me help me understand it because I can't pretend I know So if somebody's charged and bail You're saying the media should get the foot of the person to be able to show that person One of the individuals is charged I think the don't think don't think Okay, based on based on the the last police press conference that issue came up and based on what the police has said You cannot identify individuals unless they are formally charged for You know However, even after this individual charge We don't get All right, so what what I can do what I can do is arrange for the police to have a session with you and let's establish Let's say establish an understanding of how we deal with those issues because trust me I must have I'm a citizen and sometimes I want to to know more than what I read Especially when I read news I always want to know if I'm reading the truth Um, you know, so you you can imagine Um, you know, I I agree with you. We can have a very clear and I would suggest it to the um Minister of national security when he comes back and to the police commissioner to sit with the media and almost have a working session of how do we address those issues because The the first two broadcasts and the most dramatic story can't really work for us Can I take the last question because You know international Yeah, I mean put it that way based on the characteristics of what's happening. We don't see a threat We don't see it in one day. It seemed to be very particular in what's happening But we're not taking chances and I announced recently that we are going to reactivate the rangers unit to make sure That's, you know, certain areas in san lucha are protected the beaches the Areas where we have mass crowd events and whatnot. Um, just to you know, be proactive But you know, the characteristics of what's happening As such that, you know, it's not spilling over into those areas It's very localized of its own Dynamics, but you are right. We have already thinking of taking actions and you will see Certain actions being undertaken Thank you very much and my look friend my very good friend You know Well, the the doctors medical professionals and Those who work at the hospitals and the wellness centers Over the last few weeks have really been I'm sounding the alarm about the possible negative effects of the saharan dust and The the chief medical officer and her office. They've also put out a number of Of bulletins and also warnings so to speak about what we should do to protect ourselves wearing of masks avoiding Certain conditions, especially if you're out in the open To protect yourself from from excessive exposure to the saharan dust And these warnings continue I think you will recall that the chief medical officer and other health professionals have also worn Especially those who have respiratory problems To avoid to do the best that they can to avoid exposure. So again, it's it's a general warning that goes out Almost every week And we are hoping that individuals continue to to adhere because it it is posing a problem Especially to individuals who already have respiratory issues Well, certainly the the issues with violence and crime continue to pose Um immense pressures on the on the medical Continue to pose pressures. Um Just a few days ago. I visited Some of the doctors and some of the nurses at the st. Jude hospital Um, especially in in the emergency department. I wanted to speak with them myself to Of course express support and solidarity And the the reports that are coming out of the hospital clearly indicate that they are under pressure You can well imagine when you have incidents of violence Whether it be in VA for in castries or souffle or denry The nurses and doctors at the medical facilities other ones Together with the fire service and the police the other ones who have to face those situations firsthand So in addition to the the pressures on pharmaceuticals and and the professionals the fatigue And so on you also have the mental the mental situation the you know the mental wellness and clearly the doctors nurses Those who work as security professionals at the hospitals those who work in The professionals who do the cleaning and so on all of it really Adds pressure not just as I said on the the technical expertise and the clinical expertise But our mental wellness the mental wellness of of the professionals. What are we doing? I can tell you that in the case of the st. Jude hospital over the last couple of days last week additional security West police at the st. Jude hospital We should thank the the the special services unit of the st Of the royal senator police force. They reacted swiftly to provide additional service I also visited the the view for wellness center and had a discussion with nurse Duncan who showed me A particular area where you can see clearly that there are marks of of You know, obviously the result of of of incidents people running around With with implements and tools and that kind of thing So clearly it is it is a it is a very grave concern to the ministry and to the government You have heard the prime minister speak about the impact of violence On on the health sector and recently the st. Lucia medical and dental association did Put out a statement about the impact of violence on nurses doctors people who clean the hospital security Everybody the health aids everybody. It's really a serious problem and we are working Both on the security front in terms of additional security But also on the wellness front What can we do to to to enable the doctors and the nurses and everybody who work in those situations to To have a better grip on on their own mental health when I visited the st. Jude hospital A few days ago. I saw dr. Swami and he did Pledge the support of of the team To having Some sessions with our professionals. So, yes, it is an issue. It is one that we are working with the professionals who did it is Public awareness campaigns that sort of thing, but we don't we're not seeing the same reflected Well, clearly and the prime minister would have, you know spoken about this many many times What the government is doing to address crime clearly We have to operate on many different fronts one of the most important things have to do with support for the police And the record of this government in relation to support for the police is very clear and very visible There are other aspects. Obviously Social aspects and and other things that have to be done the ministry of health wellness and elderly affairs all the agencies Obviously have to pull together But this is clearly Fundamentally an issue of security and an issue of citizen security and safety for our residents and the government Has done quite a bit to to cause There to be change in terms of resources to the police Training and and so on many areas of that that were neglected. You can see that the government Clearly has worked to improve these areas We see violent crime continuing and that continues to be a major issue for the government and obviously the citizens I'm from I'm from v4 And um, although I am the rep for v4 north I mean I spent most of my my early years in the town of v4 And I know v4 very well. I'm from v4 and clearly all the people of v4 and the people are saying we shall Continue to be very concerned about what is happening And I can I can tell you that the government too is extremely concerned and working with the Security agencies and working with the other partners to ensure that there is an abit meant To this to the situation your question may May be related more directly to the ministry of health wellness and elderly affairs And I'm sure you recall that if you speak of pss You recall there are several pss that the ministry has put out on the issue of violence and how it impacts Wellness and how it impacts the hospitals and so on that is something Possibly we need to do more of but yes, there are pss and I can ask the staff to to send you Those pss and certainly everyone certainly can do more But the government is taking it seriously and we are working with the agencies Okay, um Let me just go over it again The ministry of health wellness and elderly affairs has addressed this matter But in you know briefly I will go over it the 80 plus program is It targets individuals who are 80 years and older and what it does it supplies Or it offers to these individuals Medical attention at our health and wellness centers throughout St. Lucia the grocery poly clinic Pharmaceuticals doctors visit and farmers especially pharmaceuticals when they are available we know that In the initial in the initial announcement The intention was always for these people to get medical care throughout the health system We did come out to say that the work with the hospitals continue Because before we can extend the service to the hospitals We must ensure that we have all the financials in relation to the visits of the 80 Plus individuals at the hospitals are they going for cancer treatment? Are they going for surgeries? Are they going for major medical interventions? And therefore we will have to obviously prepare in the budget allocations to deal with that as we have to pay the Hospitals for those services, but all the other health and wellness centers What we call the primary care centers 80 Individuals 80 years and over do get these services without pain Some individuals say to you and I've heard it in the media that oh There was never a time when people pay for services at the health and wellness centers And that was always free. That is not the case. In fact, our records show that individuals were 80 years and over These individuals paid certain services and certain pharmaceuticals at the health and wellness centers To a tune up to an amount of 1.6 million dollars annually So this 1.6 million dollars annually we have removed that burden from them Now there are cases when the individuals would go to the health and wellness centers and do not get a particular medication Over the last few months. We had a challenge and I did speak to this in the press We had a challenge with diabetic and hypertensive medication and that had to do with with supply chain issues It had to do with with you know, you paying for the medication and then we're not getting the medication on time but we had some other processes and procedures which caused A lot of this medication to be distributed over the last few weeks We do not have all of it yet But something is being done to to ameliorate the situation and cause the situation to be much better There are times when you don't get all of the medication But this is the policy with the 80 plus in the upcoming budget We should be in a situation in the upcoming budget to to to explain how we are going to extend the service again, all of this is within the the the understanding and and and trying to Focus on the objective of universal health coverage Where incrementally we are introducing services to different parts of the population We have said before as a government that we know we cannot implement universal health coverage One time in all departments for everybody But at the same time we are not waiting 10 years to begin to offer Individual services simply because we do not have all the money to do all one time. That's why we started with Maternal and child care We had some challenges, but most of it is going very well and we have the results to prove it We have seen an increase of About 57 percent of individuals who are coming to the health and wellness centers to get the ultrasounds um to get coupons for the ultrasounds and the blood tests and so on and we have also seen An increase in individuals accessing services for child and maternal and child care As we move on to to the next budget you will see allocations for for Early cancer diagnosis different kinds of cancers So our our universal health care project is moving apace and the 80 plus is is a way of bringing in Another group of individuals who did not get that service before And I know there may be challenges. There are some challenges in some areas But there was never this opportunity for individuals who are eight years and over So we have this opportunity now and what we have to do is to ensure that it's working Better and better as we go along before I go before I go I just want to mention and I'll take the two questions, but I before I go. I just want to again Um indicate that we have with us once again the u.s. Military medical mission who are now at the Owen king u hospital as we speak they have started this morning And there it is the u.s. Military medical mission of the lesser antelis the lesser antelis medical team for short We say lamat and they are here again to perform surgeries free of charge to about 50 individuals Vascular surgeries, especially individuals who are on dialysis and so on so that is another opportunity for our people To get medical care and on behalf of the government I really wish to thank the u.s. Military medical mission and they will be here for for a week So i'm hoping that the press will have an opportunity to meet with them and to speak with them. I also want to say That um last week we delivered many pieces of equipment and and different supplies To the rosanna napoleon medical center at the bodily correctional facility And of course I was asked by many individuals to explain why bodily Why would the ministry of health wellness and elderly affairs Have supply medical supplies to bodily well for the first time We have a permanent A doctor who is permanently stationed at the bodily medical facility. What does that mean and why is that important? It's important because if we have a well established medical center at the bodily correctional facility You can well imagine there'll be less pressure On the oku hospital because when you transfer Inmates from bodily to oku or to st. Jude hospital or to the denry hospital for medical care