 Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to join my colleagues in expressing the support for the motion which is before this house. The member from Cassus East explained that this was a motion which started from the time of the leadership of the members of UFO South. It is a continuation of a benefit offered by the government for families that have relatives overseas who are able to send them barrels. And it even extended to persons in the middle class who go overseas to shop and to send their goods and other commodities to St. Lucia. And I want to express my support because I know many of my constituents are looking forward to this time of the year when they can benefit from the barren's concessions. Mr. Speaker, the member from Miku South in responding to the member of Cassus East sought to expand his presentation beyond the subject matter, the motion. And he justified it on the basis that the member from Cassus East had dealt with a number of issues. But Mr. Speaker, I too would like to take the latitude and respond to some of the issues that were raised. The member from Miku South says that they should be extended to June. He claims he is a champion of the poor. He is speaking on behalf of the poor and that things are hard in this country. Mr. Speaker, every single one of us will agree that things are hard. We know it is hard. It is hard globally, Mr. Speaker. Globally, there is a crisis facing the whole economy, rising inflation. Countries are struggling to bring it under control. And of course, as an open economy, we import inflation. He himself used the term imported inflation. So we all know it is hard. It is because it is so hard that this government has gone out of its way to give so much support to the poor people of this country, Mr. Speaker. Including the distribution of food vouchers to many of our needed constituents. So we know it is hard, Mr. Speaker. This member, and you would recall, never during the COVID period extended this to June. Never did. During COVID. When things were so difficult in this country, things were so hard globally. He never, as a champion of the poor, extended it to June. Do you know what he did, Mr. Speaker? They expanded the concessions under the barrels. It is only this government that brought it back to what it was. I don't know how many members remember that in here. It was expanded to include lights, personal gifts of parliamentarians, and a set of other items that they could have brought in duty free. We stood up in this house as members of the opposition and we decried it. We said that was not the rational for this benefit provided to poor people in this country. That's what they did. The same person standing up here saying he is a champion of the poor and they should be extended to June. Never extended it to June and it was most needed. And in fact what he did was to expand the benefit so they could benefit more from it. When we came into government in July 2021, we amended it and brought it back in line with what it was intended to be. Mr. Speaker, but he professes to be a champion of the poor. Mr. Speaker, in a later debate this afternoon under the Investment Amendment Act, I will deal with the GPH issue. I will take my time and go through the GPH issue because the member is notorious for his untruth Mr. Speaker. He is notorious for it Mr. Speaker. The member standing up in this house and saying you sold the pot. Why did you? How did we sell the pot? Well if you give a concession to somebody for 30 years or 40 years and they collect in the revenue then you have sold it. Does that make sense? Is that what sale is? But he is all over saying that we have sold the pot. But I will come back to GPH just after Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to give a couple of other issues Mr. Speaker. He says that slasper has been bankrupted by this agreement. Again Mr. Speaker, I will respond to it this afternoon. I will explain to you what percentage of slasper revenue is from cruise tax, what percentage is from seaport operations and I will explain it Mr. Speaker. I hope he is there. He won't be there. I hope he is there this afternoon. If I know you will not be there I will deal with it now. Or you will be right there. But let's deal with the issue Mr. Speaker that he brought our ticklish one about the leader must be a St. Lucian. And he called on the member from Cassie to sanction the member from Cassie Central because he said they should have a referendum on how we plan to change the law so that the leader of the country must be born in St. Lucia. So Mr. Speaker, what is wrong with the people in St. Lucia? Having a debate as to whether their leader must be born in their country. But what is wrong with this? In the US for you to be president you must be born in the US. Each one of us have our own views as to whether the head of government and head of state should be born in St. Lucia. We all have our views. Member from Cassie Central. Yes, member from Microsoft. Mr. Speaker, the member is misleading the house. I never said that the members of Cassie Central should be sanctioned for his comments about the citizenship. I said he should be sanctioned for being on his show in saying that he was receiving information from police officers on citizens of this country. And I was only bringing up the reference of the point that the member from Cassie Central made about citizenship because the Prime Minister says he doesn't know where that came from. It came from his own colleague. I just want a point of clarification. I have no issues with any debate to take place in this country. In fact, I think it's so important. I think we should have a referendum on it. Thank you, member from Microsoft. But please don't stand on a point of order and end on a point of clarification. You are entirely different. Member from Cassie Central. So, Mr. Speaker, I think it's a debate we should have in this country. We should have it. We should have it. We don't necessarily need to have a referendum. I don't know the constitutional lawyers will decide whether you have to have a referendum or not. I don't know. There are certain things in the constitution that requires referendum and there are those that do not require referendum. But Mr. Speaker, because if you said you were born in Martinique because there were complications with your booth and if you then said you became a citizen of the United States and are you citizens of the United States? I don't know whether you gave it up or what not and that you are a product of Canada and you are a citizen of Canada and you are a citizen of Ireland. It gets complicated. So, Mr. Speaker, I didn't say you. I said I don't know if you said I don't know if you are this or you are that or that. But let's move on. Let's move on. But let's have the debate and I wish we would have the debate on whether the leader and the leader of government and state should be Sen Lushan. I think we should have the broader constitutional debates in this country as to how we structure our government, Mr. Speaker. And I know that there is an effort being made for us to complete that process that was started by the member from Villefort South. But the member said what he really spoke about was that the member from country central said that he was getting information from the police about private citizens and that's not true, Mr. Speaker. The member did not say that. The members from my recollection from my recollection, the member was referring to his times when he was a lawyer and he said that he had been he had gone to the police station and he had gotten information, blah blah blah. But, Mr. Speaker, this member has no shame. No shame. You want to speak about getting information from the police, politicians. This member, the member of the minister for national security in his government and non-spublicly that he as the minister of national security would have weekly meetings with the DPP and the AG at the time so they can coordinate the actions. Think about that. That is dangerous. The minister of national security, the DPP and the AG are meeting weekly to coordinate the actions. Isn't there a separation that's supposed to take place? He said so. But let me tell you more about that member from Microsoft that speaks about information from the police. Mr. Speaker, everybody knows my history in my short experience in so far in this Pulitzer Arena. The member has come after me full-blast. He tried everything, Mr. Speaker and I survived it and I will continue to survive it, Mr. Speaker. And one day in our private moments I'll tell you my secret, Mr. Speaker. Do you know what happened? He set up a special investigative unit to investigate me. Yeah. They went to the United Kingdom, Mr. Speaker. On their second visit COVID struck and the UK shut down and they were trapped. They were locked up in a hotel in the UK. I don't want to call their names. They went all over the UK. They asked the Scotland Yard to investigate me. I have the emails that were sent, Mr. Speaker. Emails that were sent asking people information about me. In the UK, he did it. It gets worse, Mr. Speaker. The second income man in the High Commission came back to St. Lucia and the investigative unit asked to interview him. Do you know where they asked him to come for the interview? At the residence of the Prime Minister. I am saying it in this house and I will say it in public. I said it in public before. The unit asked him to come to the residence of the Prime Minister for an interview. And his lawyer told him under no circumstances that would happen. He could not believe that. He could not believe that. He, the member of Miku South which has tied a member who is a lawyer who went to the police to get information on a client. It gets worse. This member from Miku South would write to the United States Government to ask them to get into my e-mail account and provide them with all my e-mail. My e-mail emails. All of them. So he can read my e-mail messages to see what I have been doing. He, the member from Miku South Mr. Speaker No, no, no. You say that Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker This member from Miku South This talks about politicians getting information from the police Send police to my house to search my house Mr. Speaker Yes. And you stood up in your little balcony watching Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker The member is making The member is misleading the house There is no way I challenge him to provide any evidence that a Prime Minister would have sat there and given any order for a person's house to be searched. There is a process that has to go through and it is not within the purview of a Prime Minister I would like him to withdraw that statement because it is categorically false and it gives the wrong impression of what transpires Mr. Speaker I said by saying to you that the Minister of National Security the DPP and the AG the Minister of National Security said his name is Mr. Francis Maybe you might know him Mr. Speaker that he and the DPP and the AG sat together and coordinated their actions He said so in public in public a very famous Mr. Francis Mr. Speaker very famous one but Mr. Speaker The member is he has asked that you withdraw the statement about the Prime Minister gave the instructions We draw the statement that Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker I can go even further Mr. Chico who was a former Consul of Customs wrote a report saying that the Prime Minister this man of a Mikusov directed him to go after UNSC that was in a report prepared Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker can I proceed Honorable member from Mikusov I have said to you Mr. Speaker member from Mikusov I have learnt in life that you don't have a hit you don't destroy who you are as a person for a hatred or disdain dislike for people you fight your battles and you move on but I have just started I have just started Honorable member I have just started you have a torturous future ahead of you Mr. Speaker let me go on Honorable member from Mikusov Mr. Speaker we have a long day here I will be coming back again the member from Mikusov speaks about the patchimony of St. Lucia being sold because of the lease arrangement of GPH can you imagine that the member from Mikusov he has so much disdain for St. Lucia he stood up in a global forum and dismissed the value of our country and our people and said all this talk about patchimony and preserving is nonsense your patchimony is measured by your credit rate written and other prime ministers had looked at him shocked in fact one described him thereafter as a not too smart prime minister you as a prime minister of St. Lucia stood up in a global forum and rather than protect the heritage and the patchimony of your country you dissent Lucia said it was nonsense those people in St. Lucia were talking about preserving and that your patchimony is measured by your credit rating and you want to come here today you want to come here today and to say that you Mr. Speaker care about St. Lucia and that we are selling the patchimony of St. Lucia and we are going to this Mr. Speaker a final comment Mr. Speaker because I know the member from Cassius want to tie up this debate tourism arrivals Mr. Speaker you know I'll tell you something else Mr. Speaker I have had some wonderful teachers in my life academic wise professional and even political Mr. Speaker and you learn sometimes Mr. Speaker to stay focus on what's important and don't let the noise distract you this is a member who was minister of tourism got 50 million dollars a year to promote tourism the member from Cassius north was his prime minister gave him 50 million he promised him 7 hotels he promised him 7 hotels and a lot of things Mr. Speaker what he was most noted for what he was most noted for was a monthly telephone bill of about 60,000 dollars and he travels and hotel expenses that's what he was most noted for Mr. Speaker nothing distinguishable about him during his time as minister of tourism and he's supposed to be a tourist guru tourism guru he came back as prime minister he lost one investment 20 million dollars we don't even talk about that I believe that this afternoon he came back as prime minister came back as prime minister and has nothing to show in his 5 years as prime minister of tourism not one hotel was built in solution during his time as minister of tourism or as prime minister on the point of order I've heard the member from Mr. Speaker on the point of order I've heard the member several times and you know what I've chosen not to say where he says that not one hotel was built during my tenure that's not true the new high end hotel the 40 rooms okay yes in kukde be the second hotel that they have there you don't know that a brand new hotel 40 rooms 40 rooms 40 rooms 40 rooms the cabin was taken place okay the Marriott courtyard that's broken ground who did it you did it you did it did you do it yes I did it's already being built it's on the fifth floor so the member continues to say it Mr. Speaker that no new rooms were built that's a categorical lie you know Mr. Speaker can I continue please you know the member is so delusional the developers building the hotel at Marriott was brought to Sennosha under Dr. Kenny Antoni's administration they came they wanted to build a number of hotels in Sennosha a number of hotels they came to build a number of hotels I can tell you that Mr. Speaker because I was involved in the discussions the first hotel the photo starting was Shabusha in St. Rosel and they were going to look for other properties to build a number of other hotels in Sennosha of course they built in the second hotel now at Point Seraphim and they will start the third next year in Sennosha they came under Dr. Antoni's watch Mr. Speaker so the same group that came they started this one they decided because there were issues with Shabusha environmental issues they decided I was getting too difficult for them they started a second one and they will start a food next year because they came from the start to build a number of hotels in Sennosha they were diversifying from construction into hospitality there is nothing new the only thing that was brought into Sennosha under the last government was Ujo Labs and we all know the arrangement that was put in place for them so anyway I don't even want to remind you about the origin let me go on he is speaking about tourism arrivals and Mr. Speaker I know that every day they are longing to have bad news about tourism they want bad news about tourism the truth is Mr. Speaker and I will present it at the appropriate time tourism arrivals so this year will increase over the last year we had a difficult summer like almost all other countries in the Caribbean I can give you the data Mr. Speaker this afternoon he says nobody else had a difficult summer this afternoon I will make a document of the house the arrivals for all the other countries to show you how bad the others did because the summer was tight there was no equipment and the number of seats declined Mr. Speaker now all of what is happening Mr. Speaker I am no guru in tourism I never worked in the hospitality sector I am no guru I have some good teachers I have some good colleagues in the cabinet who share advice and opinions with me and I learnt well Mr. Speaker and I try to be a fast learner we make mistakes but we try to correct them as quickly as possible so we can move on in the business of the government we do not start off by saying I am going to write a document of the house I am going to write a document of the house I am going to write a document of the house but we do not start off by saying I am going to run this country as a business I am a CEO Prime Minister yeah that's how they started off they were not going to run this country for the people, I am putting the people first he was going to be a CEO prime minister and he is going to run this as not a business and his first act was to say to serboushians they had ordered all the items, all, and they came to the house about three weeks before Christmas. Remember that? In early December to pass the resolution, not telling us that. And they backdated it from September because all their stuff had already been imported and was in St. Lucia and they came in December and said parliamentarians can order things for Christmas. That's what they did. That's what they did the last time he had a chance to pass this motion. Very deceitful. So Mr. Speaker, I expressed my support for this motion and I look forward to we contributing as much as we can over the Christmas to bring some cheer and goodwill and to make it a little easier for our constituents. Thank you very much.