 Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In fact, I feel almost like at the end of this presentation to say there's nothing more to say. But to meet me, Mr. Speaker, to just sympathize with a few friends and family and persons. I speak of Ralph Henry, my cousin who just passed last week, an employee at the Ministry of Agriculture. Infrastructure, sorry. A cousin, a brother, a friend, John Francis from Agad, whose family is in there for the great Lolloy from behind the College All-Stars, Norbert Williams, and so many others. It is the pain and suffering, Mr. Speaker, of the family members and children that concerns me. I also need to reflect on Doreen Gustav and family who is still mourning and aggrieving the loss of their son. And, Mr. Speaker, it is difficult times for families when they lose a loved one, somebody that close to them. And if you have not experienced grief, I understand and I understand why you may feel the way you feel. But when somebody passes, whether the person is a gunman, a murderer, or wherever that individual is, they live behind children, they live behind family members who mourn their loss. And my heart goes out to those who remain behind, for I know too well what it is to grieve. So may the God of comfort visit and comfort the families, children, and other loved ones of those who have died. So, Mr. Speaker, with these words of consolation, I rise to support the resolution provided by section 63.1, 1A of the Public Management Act, number 14 of 2020, to allow the Minister of Finance to borrow US 102 million, 120, 294 from the Export-Import Bank of Taiwan to provide budgetary support for the fiscal year 2022-2023. Mr. Speaker, I want to provide a brief argument to support my argument, my position on this resolution. But, Mr. Speaker, it is really captured not in some of the academic textbooks. Of course, I have recognized the support from the IMF, from the Caribbean Development Bank, from the ECCB, and many multinational organizations who provide funds, who have argued and support the trajectory and the policy of this government. But I find it necessary, Mr. Speaker, to borrow from a verse of scripture. And, Mr. Speaker, I'm not doing it from a theological standpoint, but more or less just reference and context. And it's really taken from Luke chapter 14, verse 28 to 30. And I said it is not theological. I'm not preaching a sermon. But I want you to listen carefully, Mr. Speaker, to this verse of scripture. And for those of you who are in business, those of you who are in construction, those of you who lead and want to lead this country. So, here was Jesus speaking to a crowd of individuals. And he said, suppose one of you want to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lead a foundation and you are not able to finish it, everyone sees it will ridicule you. Say it, this person began to build and wasn't able to finish. Luke chapter 14, verse 28 to 30. And I want to read it again, but I want to repeat some words for emphasis. Suppose one of you, one of you, and think of it. Suppose one of you want to build a tower, a tower, something of magnificence, something of recognition. Won't you first sit down, sit down. And this word sit down, I've heard it over and over again, but I will come back to it. Would you first sit down, estimate, estimate the cost, the cost to see if you have enough money, enough money to complete it. For if you lead a foundation and you're not, and you are not able to finish it, everyone will ridicule you saying this person began to build and wasn't able to finish. Mr. Speaker, as I contemplated on the words of this scripture, more or less for context in making my brief contribution and supporting the resolution, I am, I spend all my life at church, and I'm not doing everything the Bible says, but there are some that I do, but there are some that I stay close with, and I've always gotten inspiration from scripture. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, the fact that Christ made the statement, it means therefore he was saying it is common sense when he referred to the entire, the entire crowd and he said, suppose one of you, one of you, there were children, there were politicians, there were farmers, there were scribes and Pharisees, there were all sorts of people in the crowd, but he asked the question to them, it was a general statement and it spoke to common sense. Suppose one of you, and if you look at the seats here today, and if the leader of the opposition, it would also apply, suppose you want to build a tower, and he asked, wouldn't you first sit down? Now I love this word and I ask myself, maybe my, the grandparents say, you do not know your place with grown-ups, they have that way of asking you to sit down, assist. At school, sometimes the teacher have to tell you, sit down, strange enough, but it is not strange for us, even in parliament, there are times they have to tell people, sit down, sit down, but why is it important to sit down? But before I get to why you must sit down, why you must sit down? In fact, the text says you must estimate, estimate cost to see if you have enough money to complete the task. And I tell you, to sit down means you must focus, to sit down means you must consult, to sit down means you must investigate, you must look closely, to sit down means you must decide where you are going and which path are you going to take the people to? To sit down sometimes, if it is said in the voice of an alphabaptist, it may not sound too nice, or the Honorable Richard Frederick, when he says, sit down, or even when my grandmother said, assist, but the chastisement is important, they're saying to you, think again. So here was Jesus Christ, he said this very important word to sit down, estimate. And I love this, I said that, you know, Christ must have been a quantity surveyor, if not understood his father was a carpenter. So he knew what it is to build, estimate, find out how much is needed, how much time. But when you cost, you must also take into consideration the consequences of your action, what risk to sit down, to estimate and cost before you build. It is to assess a number of factors that could influence what you do. You see, Mr. Speaker, upon winning the election on July 20, 2021, the prime minister had already considered, I had, and in page two of the manifesto, putting people first, he stated, my task, together with my team of able men and women, and I suspect he may have gotten that from Bible as well, because it was Jeff Crow, the father-in-law of Moses who told Moses in the wilderness, get able men and women, or else you will kill yourself. My team of able men and women to restore St. Musher to a level of financial stability to create an enabling environment for wealth creation and employment, particularly among the youth. This was said in the manifesto because the prime minister anticipated the task ahead. The prime minister embarked on a mission of macroeconomic stability. He halted this sort of borrowing, as if it were an uncontrolled bar wealth that have you rushing back and forth to a parliament as if the parliament wasn't taught it. I mean, this is what it seemed like in the previous administration, borrowing as if it were a diarrhoea. You're rushing, always coming back. The prime minister didn't come back because he sat down and he contemplated, and we are here today, to determine the power of economic stability, growth and prosperity. And much to the chagrin of persons who were expecting the immediate rollout of jobs, contracts, small, medium and large, we began to investigate where we are and where the people want to go. So the St. Musher rescue mission of our economy was on the way and it was captured by the IMF because they came in here on September 7th of 2022 and the executive board of the IMF concluded an article for consultation. It reads, the executive directors noted that St. Lucia's tourism dependent economy was severely hit by the pandemic and while there was a significant rebound in tourism in 2021, the recovery remains incomplete as the surge in import prices and high inflation following the war in Ukraine way on economic growth. The directors noted the significant challenges ahead of the public balance sheet and it remains under pressure with a sizable fiscal deficit, high rollover needs and a sharp increase in public debt as well as the looming threat of natural disasters. Against this backdrop, they emphasized the need to address fiscal and financial constraints to public and private investment to foster sustainable inclusive recovery. Directors concurred that in the near term fiscal policy should focus on protecting the most vulnerable from food and fuel price increases. The IMF concurred with this government that in the near term we should focus on our vulnerable population. Now Mr. Speaker, I listen to my colleague, I guess a friend from Strosel, the parliament rep, the member for Strosel Saltybus. Yes, speak to how similar, how similar things were with them and some of the things that he are hearing here, it sounds similar of course and if you go through Hansard for many years there are some similarities on the air but what makes the difference is the priority of a government. That's what makes the difference, not how similar we sound. Of course we have the same civil servants working preparing documents. You know I recall from secondary school to university I had one theme of writing my compositions and it was on science and technology so I got good marks for it from secondary school so I'm not leaving that topic so when they ask to choose a topic I look for it. So of course the civil servants who are there over many years serving St. Bush would write and would provide documentation to various governments so there are similarities but there is a profound difference in approach. We did not speak to vulnerable populations, there was action and more action to come. We didn't speak in terms of what do we do with unemployment there's action taken and Mr Speaker for all of the things mentioned by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance as to what these funds are for. I want to represent to this house in a very capsule way the life of a ordinary solution as experienced by myself and I will show you how it is necessary for the actions of this government and how it plays out. So here was this young mother coming to me a mother of five. The eldest is 17 16 17 the youngest is six five children unemployed the fathers are not supporting but they are some of them are unemployed but she's working came to 700 a fortnight renting at $800 a month. The fathers are the first three said they're not supporting because the first she's using the money for the for the last two and the father of the last two said they're not supporting because she's using the money for the first three. Lucille disconnect Vasco has moved in disconnect this mother comes to the St. Lucia social development fund this mother comes to the Ministry of Equity multiply that by a few thousand and I ask the question to you Mr. Speaker based on where this mother lives and what is happening in the community if it's a young man with something isn't it a reservoir for those who in the guns to attract them because he or she wants to help mump the bills isn't that the situation this prime minister will not postpone to grow the economy and wait later to address these problems as said by the leader of the opposition and this is what makes the difference priority because he said it the leader of the opposition said it that we should grow the economy we shouldn't use money and do other things on and then we will address these problems my member from the other side I'm telling you that's what makes the difference that we give priority to intervening in the lives of these individuals while we attempt to rearrange our balance sheets while we're we take the time to fix other fiscal situations within our economy Mr. Speaker I have to share with this house another little one who is disabled chronically disabled my good friend here and I asked members of this house to pay attention to disabilities because we this prime minister has given me more support for persons with disabilities and for persons who are homeless this prime minister has provided additional resources through the borrowing and very soon you will see that the people in the city of castries we will not be feeding them by handing them food we will be serving them because we'll get a place for them to eat because we are concerned about the dignity of all people but here this Mr. Speaker chronically disabled person physically facially mentally this child is disabled and we and yet you go to the donator school and they tell you this child is bright be careful what you say because she understands but cannot speak and even when we celebrated this 102 years lady in straw cell to my surprise as soon as she heard that there was a priest in the midst she asked Esmer Sahan Communion and again I was sure we usually decide for people like that but here what she was able to say I want communion and I asked myself to what extent that we do not serve persons we decide to give them what we believe they want to what extent that we believe people who are disabled do not understand and we say anything in the presence and we hurt them even more this prime minister has provided support to uplift our people to take them to the level of dignity not just to hand them food in the in the boulevard but to find a place for them to sit and serve them minister to them have them to say the grace of me as if they care too because we care about the least of our people that makes a fundamental difference that's different you see it is different when this prime minister will borrow to reinstate the fund the distress fund whereas the former administration said it's not too important it's just a little bit of money we can do something else with that money there is a difference there are similarities in sound but difference in heart and that is why mr speaker I understand the work of all of the various agencies of government but this prime minister has charged me with the responsibility to lead a critical agency and I stand here to support this resolution to borrow because it also represents a critical and important demographic within in St Lucia and like our prime minister said no one will be left behind no one everyone is included in this mission he is going to restore St Lucia that prosperity is for everyone that can be prosperous and that everyone will be served so my colleague and I dare say today that you represent not just your constituency but even the leader of the opposition who is not there because it's just the two so I'm sure that he may have left some instructions for you I am telling you that we are concerned and I can tell you when you made them when you made mention that all all parliamentarians should be treated equally I almost just ties the member force for for for sajak Soufre who intervened with the SME program in Soufre before castry southeast and I heard had successful it was and so many persons who now on the program that's assured this is a government that is not in retreat but by the heart because had it not been for the principle of this prime minister we probably would have said all of the 15 constituencies first but you came in before so many others I saw a photo with you advertising the government program well done I saw it and you got licks for that I knew your your leader wouldn't like that I knew your leader wouldn't like that for advertising our programs you know you got licks for that sorry about that you don't know I'm sorry about that you should not advertise the government's program so he just ties you for that and that's expected but you should stand stand up against him and tell him this is a good program for the people of Soufre you know so you got licks for that I'm happy Prime Minister you heard that he got licks for for advertising the program point of order point of order point of order point of order point of order yeah just remember I'm enjoying his contribution but he's this lady in the house because I thought he would just finish with it when he said my leader just ties me but it was not my leader which has ties in Mr Speaker just for the records okay okay sorry about senior leader somebody just ties in for sharing a good government program yeah but what I'm what I'm sharing with you Mr Speaker is that this government this administration in this borrowing is putting people first and as explained by the member for central castries we are not just borrowing recklessly this is part of the mission of this government the setup the arrangement of the estimates of expenditure the way government accounts work so we come in here to do due diligence on the work of the ministry of finance and setting the law straight but to tell conclusions that we are concerned about emptying this reservoir of young people who continue to participate in deviant behaviors and therefore the resources and you will just start seeing what on what what is what will unfold in the social sector in the life of ordinary Senbushans because we move with our heart as it relates to the work of Senbushans so I wish to applaud the prime minister and support the resolution that is before us and just remember that suppose any one of you wants to build a tower you would first have to sit down count the costs sit down and work out the estimates before you build it thank you very much