 Mr Speaker, let me, first of all, thank my colleagues, particularly the member for Grozile, who had to be summoned back to capital on his birthday rendezvous. I want to thank him for putting country first. He, being a young politician, a young minister, could not see himself missing such an opportunity to speak, to take part in this historic moment in his honourable house. Mr Speaker, as I sit and reflect on my time in politics, and I sit and reflect on what has transpired, where I've been, what has happened to me, how I've progressed from a nothing in politics from someone who could never win the seat, someone who could never ever ever be in parliament, someone who would never ever ever be minister, not even a prime minister. And I see how this process has developed. I remember the pain of election losses. I remember the pain of defeat and the glory of victory. I remember that day in 1997, when Kenyans, when the members of Yufot South and 16 others, this historic 16-1 victory, when all of us were very young, when all of us were motivated and led by Kenyans to this historic victory. And I see where we are today and where I am today. I have a lot to thank God for. I have to thank God, I have to thank my parents, although some people want me to say that. I have to thank my colleagues, I have to thank the members of the St Lucia Labour Party, and more particularly I have to thank the men and women of this cabinet. But Mr Speaker, I am perturbed by what I see developing in the politics of St Lucia. Here we have a debate on arguably one of the most important moves in St Lucia's history. A constitutional debate on removing St Lucia from the shackles of the previous council to the Caribbean call of justice, a regional institution Mr Speaker. And the level of debate that I see and am meeting from the opposition is painful. It's a debate of character assassination, the names of serious jurists, the names of global figures, the name of a former president of the Caribbean call of justice, the name of someone who's got involved at the highest level of jurisprudence is being dragged into the gutter of Facebook by the United Workers Party accusing him of bidding to the Labour Party. Mr Speaker, what example do we give to our children? When we cannot go above, we cannot rise to the moment, we cannot meet destiny face to face when these important things are happening Mr Speaker. When I see another man who has got himself into a position because he is the president of the OECS Bar Association being dragged again into the gutters, being called all kind of names, being defamed on Facebook just because he happens to be an associate or friend of somebody in the Labour Party. Mr Speaker, it's a real sad day and I think our society should reject it. I think our civil society to speak against these things Mr Speaker because I sit and I say not about me but it's about the example that we are setting to our children, the example we are setting to the young people of Senusia Mr Speaker when we get involved in that level of nastiness. Mr Speaker, what has the Caribbean call of justice got to do with somebody who is a friend to somebody in the Labour Party? What has the previous council got to do with someone who has a case in front of the previous council now? Why are we setting ourselves short when what we are doing is connecting to our destiny, taking ourselves away from one position and going to another Mr Speaker? Why do we have so little faith in ourselves as a people Mr Speaker? Why can't we as Bob Marley said liberate ourselves from mental slavery? Why aren't we confident in ourselves Mr Speaker? We've got the best, this generation Mr Speaker or this civilization always in this civilization has turned out some of the best Mr Speaker, some of the best artists, some of the best academics, Rex, Nettleford, Afal Mizz, Terrick Walcott and Kyve Thomas. Thanks for George's, some of the best Mr Speaker, some of the best have come out of our region but we have no faith in it, we attack it, we condemn it and we refuse to see that the time has come when we can no longer hang on to our colonial past Mr Speaker. But how could we think different when a former prime minister can say that colonialism has a conscience? What do we expect from his followers if that's the example that he sets Mr Speaker? So instead of we debating or instead of trying to educate our people as to why it's going to be cheaper, why it's going to be better, why it's going to be more accessible for us to be able to get justice, the justice that we claim that we want through the Prefect Council, through the Caribbean Court of Justice, we want to soil it with propaganda and you want to soil it with politics Mr Speaker. But Mr Speaker, I'm heartened, I'm heartened because when I see the reaction of the young people who were there today, when I see the reaction, when I see how they sat and they observed the discussion and the presentation of the members of view for itself Mr Speaker, when I saw the thirst, the anxiousness in the eyes to absorb the knowledge that was coming from the members of view for itself, I'm heartened Mr Speaker. I'm heartened because I know that the young people of this country, the young people of this country Mr Speaker, they know very well what is right and what is wrong Mr Speaker. I mean Mr Speaker, I want to quote from a saying by Martin Luther King when he said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of brutality, tied in a single garment of destiny, whenever affects one directly affects all in directly Mr Speaker. And that is why it's important that justice is accessible to everyone. And that is what this kind of justice will do Mr Speaker. We heard, we heard that even the filing fee sometimes will be free. How many people who will demonstrate in this afternoon can find 2,500 pounds just to begin a process in the previous council? Just to begin a process, not just to begin it, 2,500 pounds, how many of them out there can afford it Mr Speaker. But you think their leader will tell him that because he can afford it, because he can afford it, he will not tell them that they will never be able to afford it. And he will not tell them that possibly their relatives who may be at Baudelaire, who may be there because they are on remand because they cannot meet bail, who may be there, may be, they are innocently, may be Mr Speaker. With the Kaiban Code of Justice, when the process continues has gone through, they may be able to get justice through the Caribbean. Kaiban Code of Justice, which they could never afford to get in the previous council. Never. They could never be able to afford it Mr Speaker. But Mr Speaker, that is what we are not telling the people of this country. We are not speaking the truth to them Mr Speaker. We talk about judges are going to be appointed by politicians. There is no way, there is nothing in the agreement. It is almost impossible for politicians to choose a judge Mr Speaker. But we listen to CNN every night and may have our Trump judges and Biden judges and we accept it. We accept Trump judges and we accept Biden judges. We think it's right for the Americans to be able to say that judges who appointed directly by a politician, so much so that the opinions and the judgments that he will give will come directly from the philosophies of the Republican Party. We are proud and we say that's the developed civilization because we have, they are from America and they have Trump judges. We can sit and we can absorb that in the supreme court, the highest court in the United States. People can see that judgments will come from one set of judges because they are conservative judges and the other judges are liberal judges. So when an issue like what's happening now, the issue of student loans in front of the supreme court, people can predict that the liberal judges will go one way and the conservative judges will go another way. But we can never, we can never in the Caribbean court of justice ever see that one judge is liberal or one judge is conservative. Never because all of them are chosen because for other reasons not by votes, direct votes by politicians. We can accept that. We can accept it because it comes from North America. We can accept it, that's good. But we can tell our people here that because the people that we will choose as judges, people we know, people who look like us, people who went to the same schools as us, we can say they are not suitable. When there is no evidence that a politician will choose them, there is no evidence, absolutely no evidence. But don't accept them, don't trust them because they are chosen like by people. They are people that we know, they are probably going to the same school with us. They are people who went to the same universities as us, don't trust them, don't trust them. But we can trust Trump judges and Biden judges. Mr Speaker, that is where we are and it's very sad, it is very sad Mr Speaker. So Mr Speaker, as I said earlier when I, when I introduced this bill, I said this process started with a member of view for itself outlined it Mr Speaker and he, in his own style Mr Speaker, made some significant points, some significant contribution on the process, the historical process Mr Speaker. And I want to read a letter from the right, from the right Honourable P. J. Palisin, the former Prime Minister of Jamaica Mr Speaker. The most, his exact, his exact title is Mr Speaker, the most, the most honourable P. J. Palisin. And he said, and he on a letter written me on the 5th of February Mr Speaker, he said to me, trust that you will have a straight forward passage to the legislature. But please remember the vital importance of a concurrent public information programme so that the electorate is fully locked in. And he further said, Mr Speaker, fortunately, and that's his quote, Kenny was the curriculum chair responsible for the creation of the CCJ and has all the background material necessary to answer any questions which might arise. Should there remain any area which requires a sharing of the unique Jamaican experience that can be readily supplied on request, continuing best wishes for successful passage. And Mr Speaker, when I get to work tomorrow, I will write the right excellent to the right Honourable P. J. Palisin and tell him Kenny did give us a lot of his knowledge and we will pass the bill this afternoon. So Mr Speaker, we today, this afternoon or this evening, we are part of history. And the history books will record that on the 28th of February, St. Lucia broke from one of the shackles of colonialism Mr Speaker. And I am sure and hopefully the other shackle, the other shackle Mr Speaker, we will also liberate ourselves from the other shackle very very very short limit. Because our civilization, our country deserves it Mr Speaker. Our people deserve it Mr Speaker. The next stage Mr Speaker is in the process, we will write the British government and tell them what transpired as I said in the letter. And all the cases that are now in the Privy Council, they will continue. All the cases that are now that are there at this moment, so all the propaganda here is not true, that they will continue Mr Speaker and then any new cases, new cases will proudly march to the Caribbean court of justice Mr Speaker. Where we are going to be judged by people who know us. Where we are going to be judged by people who know the Caribbean experience Mr Speaker. Because I'm not a lawyer, but law is a product of the society Mr Speaker. Lawyers know what's happening as judges are people who live in the society. They understand this, understand the nuances of our society Mr Speaker. So Mr Speaker, I want to thank you, I want to thank the members of this parliament Mr Speaker. It's a pity Mr Speaker, it's a sad day that a former prime minister is not in this honorable house to debate such an important constitutional amendment Mr Speaker. It's very sad, it shows you the contempt and the scorn that he has for the people of this country. That if I'm not there, if I'm not the boss, I take my ball and I go. Because I must be the boss, I must be the boss. I'm Mr Speaker, somebody told me that there was a discussion in New York where the gentleman said if there was somebody who could run the country he would resign. You want to believe that? If they could find somebody who could run the country he would resign. So there is nobody, there is nobody in St. Lucia who can run this country. So he must be. Even though people kick him he must be. Mr Speaker, I thank you. I thank Dr Kenney, the member for me to serve Mr Speaker. So he wants to serve. Apologies. Apologies again. Mr Speaker, I thank the member for me to serve Mr Speaker. But Johnny as I said he signed the document in 2001 and where we are today, as at this level party is a stream it flows and now it's our turn to bring it to the end to its end Mr Speaker. So Mr Speaker let us enjoy this moment. Let us reflect on the seriousness of this moment. Let us reflect on the significance of this moment Mr Speaker. Let us say to ourselves we trust our people, we trust our judges, we trust the judges Mr Speaker. And together this St. Lucia and West Indian civilization will survive and will take our people to higher and better heights. I thank you Mr Speaker.