 Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I see that the Prime Minister has given a very broad spectrum of this barrel concession and maybe deep down inside Mr. Speaker the Prime Minister himself would recognize how the state of the economy is impacting the people of San Francisco. He went to great lengths Mr. Speaker to explain to all of us that he is not going to include the two and a half percent levy on the barrels. But that is his standard policy. Anything that does not have that the two and a half percent does not apply. So there's nothing new here Mr. Speaker. Has none done any special favor for anybody? In fact Mr. Speaker I would have expected the special of favor that the Prime Minister member from Cass Trees East would have spoken about is that given how people are suffering in this country right now that he would have extended the barrel concession all the way until June of next year and certainly the members of the opposite side here would support any amendment to this particular motion that would allow the barrel concession to go to June because the fact is Mr. Speaker the Prime Minister when he was introducing the two and a half percent levy you were here Mr. Speaker repeatedly said that it was not on food and the intention was that the two and a half percent levy would not have an impact on food. He repeated it every single time Mr. Speaker every time in fact when he left the house every single press conference he did he said I want to remind everybody in case you you miss and meet me you misinterpret what I'm saying the two and a half percent levy is not on food and will not impact the price of food. Well Mr. Speaker we see that the price of food has gone up because the policy of the two and a half percent at this particular time Mr. Speaker is flawed because there's no way to have introduced this on goods and services Mr. Speaker and it would not have had an impact on food it's raised the cost of doing business for every office in this for every business in this country and is now having a significant dramatic effect on the cash flow people don't have money Mr. Speaker they're paying too much in taxes and so therefore I'm asking Mr. Speaker if in fact now the Prime Minister only after two months of introducing it from services but has had the benefit of seeing it on on goods for a longer period of time and recognizing that the price of food has gone up would he give some relief to the people of Saint Lucia at minimum to extend the barrel concession all the way to the June and if not suspend the tax and try again because it's not achieving what he wants and creating incremental revenue for the government and not impacting the poorest of the poor in this country the poorest of the poor that he is so adequately identified don't come here and telling me or tell us or try to convince us that you are caring government in a time when you have imported inflation taking place and you and you contribute and you allow that to multiply by allowing the price of gas to go up a price of gases on in the country and internationally it's 75 dollars a barrel we're still selling gases $16 a gallon and plus we're still selling cooking gas for almost $40 for 22 cylinder that's a wickedness in this country you want to come to this house Mr. Speaker and speak about politics and about me and I'm the target I want to reach it when we lost the election I took responsibility for my party I congratulated the government something that was never afforded me when I became Prime Minister but that's fine that's okay and I sat my on my side here and at no time I've had any animosity or any regret Mr. Speaker so Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker you see where we're going the priority in today's house at a time when unemployment is increasing when we have deals that are being made secret deals that are being made in which we're not being told what's being done where the patrimony of this country is being destroyed Mr. Speaker and this government wants to come now and talk about when they are allegations they're going to stand up for those allegations really that's where that's where that that's what the government wants to convince people I don't even have to get into the comments by the government by the Prime Minister of Grenada it's not for me the public has interpreted it so come here and want to say that we're influencing that opinion it speaks for itself what he said it speaks for itself is what he intended it to mean and it speaks to herself in terms of what the MP from castries central said so is he denying that the cat the member from castries central said that he wants to amend the Constitution given his own way to allow persons who are not born in St. Lucia go and try it go and try it go and see what the people of St. Lucia have to see about you and even the CCJ is a great example you all have so much faith in the people of St. Lucia that you all will go out to the CCJ and not have a referendum that's the confidence that you have in the people of St. Lucia you said the people of St. Lucia are on your side and they understand the issues how many solutions really understood what you've done and what we've what we've exchanged it for so Mr. Speaker I want to come back to the tax the fact is that this economy is reeling under the mismanagement of this government the Kara Chris report I'm so happy you read it because the Kara Chris report confirms all the lies that you all said when you all were in opposition that the country was being mismanaged and it was no money the fact is when you came in the economy that same year grew 12.5% and on the growth of the decisions that we made when we were in a government it grew another 18.5% and that's why I was looking over the Minister of Tourism and the member from Castresouth whether in fact he has he has informed his Prime Minister and his Minister of Finance as to what the state of tourism is today so the Kara Chris report says the assumption is Mr. Speaker that the economy is going to continue growing and that the fundamental biggest contributor is tourism and its expectation that tourism is going to get back to 92% of where it was in 2019 how since June Mr. Speaker this the tourism numbers have declined significantly in fact the greatest contributor which is the US market was down 36% in August and the expectation is is that the number of arrivals are going to continue to decline all the way until November maybe in November we might see some reprieve and the reality is the lessons that he should have learned this summer he has not and therefore the same inadequacies we have with airlift this summer we're going to have it again next summer but guess what FCC gave a report Mr. Speaker that said the cruise industry is back in the Caribbean stronger than it was before 2019 we've not seen that you haven't even come close to the 2019 numbers Mr. Speaker not even close not even close we're talking about 20 we're talking about 2023 we're talking about 2023 because the Kara Chris report was the evaluation of the economy in 2022 we're now in 2023 and that's why Mr. Speaker I am again concerned and all solutions should be concerned that a Prime Minister would stand here Mr. Speaker refer to a report of last year to give us comfort for this year really a government that doesn't even understand doesn't even understand who does not even understand Mr. Speaker that's not even begin to understand the impact of taxation on this economy and when you talk about that you want to do things for the poorest of the poor they're suffering they don't have jobs it's now costing them more money for bus fares more money for bread more money to get cooking gas than ever it has ever costed in this country and the reality is by you allowing your government to allow those things to go up even when commodity prices come down those prices will not come down and you want to talk about that you're you're you're helping how and if you continue want to believe that 15 to yes it's a major victory in parliament but in part in popular vote Mr. Speaker okay you should be keeping your eyes open and particularly with the movement on the ground and the reality is there will be a march on November 30th Mr. Speaker a march to protest the GPH deal a march to protest the two and a half percent tax a march to protest the cost of bus fares in this country a march to protest the condition of the roads in this country because we have a we have a lazy roller not a heavy roller that's what we have mr. Speaker we're gonna be having a march to protest against what is taking place with crime in this country we're gonna be taking out a march to talk about the corruption in this country and the continued implementation of fear in the community of this country you have a minister of government that goes on a radio show mr. Speaker and says he's getting information from the police and the Prime Minister has not fired him yet so how do we take those words that he said oh if anybody points out any form of corruption in my government I'm gonna deal with it immediately well mr. Prime Minister that is not legal it's against the civil rights of people how can you have a minister of government admitting publicly publicly admitting that he's getting information from police men to come after individuals how can that happen mr. Speaker how can that happen and he says nothing you have a GPH deal in which we're selling off the revenue of our ports for 40 years you cannot explain what we're getting and then you're turning around now and you're destroying slasper you're the same go the same government that wanted to privatize the airport so you have an entity that is as successful as slasper national pride and a party that says that they are for the people and you're gonna take away all the jobs let mr. Speaker I have to look at what the facts are our people leaving slasper are there senior executives leaving slasper are there persons who were in slasper and we're negotiating the deal and today they are with the same company they were negotiating with is it true that the chairman of investment that his brother is the one who got the job and our and the justification by the ministers what he's qualified and so I'm sorry mr. Speaker if we're gonna talk about government vehicles I certainly would like to know I saw that there was a cabinet comproved approval for the purchase of a vehicle by CIP I would like to know where that where that where that vehicle is when I talk about government vehicles okay that's what so I'm saying mr. Speaker the optics the optics I have no brother-in-law we put on record I have no brother-in-law who owns any any car company none okay I'm saying mr. Speaker the things that they want to it's a bigger because it's a speaker on a point of order I think it is really unacceptable that a member can tarnish the name of someone who is not in this house it is one thing to say anything about any member sitting here where we have an opportunity to stand up and defend ourselves but to tarnish and solution who is a professional who was given a job and tarnish a brother who is a senior banking executive in this country and suggests that there is something untold that happened between them in the safety of this honourable chamber knowing that you cannot be sued for the things that you say inside there and I think mr. Speaker you should ask the honourable member to show some decency some dignity and some decorum and respect for this house you could say it about anyone of us we can stand we can answer you but do not attack solutions who are not present and cannot defend themselves because you have the safety of this house it is what cowards do be a man and take on the men and women are on this table but we can answer you it is an acceptable honourable member and mr. Speaker he denied your name but we'll get his answers in a while but mr. Speaker I think you ought to tell him that this is really unacceptable in this honourable chamber member of a castry solve I I don't think the member for Microsoft has crossed the line in pointing out the fact that there is a familial relationship between two people and asking familial and asking a question I don't think he's crossed the line yet this procedure I want to give the member from castry self-comfort that what I've just said I also said in public so and I think I was even more specific in public than I was in in the house but mr. Speaker if in fact that I'm to genuinely believe that the member from castry self is concerned when the same member from castry central attack the same managing director of the bank and said that the person was in a car accident and that he was drunk and that he did not call the police where were the voices remember from Microsoft you do have a motion before you to debate I'm trying to make the nexus between what you just said there and the motion I was just I was responding to the member of of castry only thing you ought to respond to is the motion before you very well mr. Speaker but I'm just saying we cannot have a double standard in our house if we're going to want to make statements and say that they're coming from a piece of integrity and morality then let's be consistent with it the fact is is that a port was sold the revenue stream for the port was assigned to a foreign company for 30 years with an extension for 40 years of course because the revenue is gone and on the member and the member the members they are talking about and again I want to retreat to the member of of view for itself when he came to this house and spoke about an accountant Panama you want to speak about Microsoft just remember guys we saw okay he is he has withdrawn this procedure mr. Speaker again here we go you know you have you have you have a deal in which the revenue stream from the port all of it has been assigned to a foreign company that means that you keep the land but the land is of no use to you because they're all the revenue potential for the land has been given to a foreign company a foreign company that does not even have the balance sheet that they can come and borrow the money here in San Lucia they have to come to a local bank so the question begs why would you do that why wouldn't you've allowed slasper to have borrowed the money that's what you wanted to do and keep control of your own revenue stream and pay them a management contract if they're so good and give them a management contract where you can pay them for their costs and give them an incentive if they're able to improve but no the geniuses y'all wanted to go the same thing y'all wanted to do for the airport and privatize the airport you are you're with certain in such a way to do that you've come now and done it to our seaports and in doing it you are destroying slasper a statutory agency that has been successful for over 40 years employing and developing solutions the same solutions that are now leaving slasper to go and work for the foreign entity and now they can afford to pay them because you've given them a sweetheart deal a deal that you've not even been able to explain to the public of San Lucia the question is why and I really am looking forward to seeing what the Bank of San Lucia is going to use as collateral for the loan because I know that when we were doing the loan deal for HIA we had to come to this house and do a bank guarantee so if you've not sold the land what what what equity you're going to give the bank what is it in this deal right so mr. Speaker I'm so happy that the member from castries east is spoken about the carrot Chris report carrot Chris report is a very good evaluation as what has transpired I'm proud that even during the covert period that we did not see a decline a reduction in our credit rating and I want to say that the credit rating has not changed bbb- and it's not until this government is able to perform over the next two years and I hope that they do but certainly all the signs are mr. Speaker we're not performing because if we're going to be depending on tourism to grow it's not growing if we're depending on our culture if we're depending on construction where is it this government is going in reverse gear you know mr. Speaker I look over at St. Vincent St. Vincent is managed to build a brand-new airport not just a terminal you know mr. Speaker a whole runway took down two hills and built an airport they took they took they took the Englishman the British money mr. Speaker the same money that we're using for the Millennium Highway and the West Coast that we can't seem to get off the ground we have a bridge is built but we can't seem to get the roundabout done if I was the member if I was the minister of infrastructure actually would be embarrassed to show my face in public mr. Speaker okay so the fact is is that you know the end of the day at the end of the day the box stops with the minister if there's a problem get rid of it and solve it because you are working for the people of San Lucia don't come and give people excuses I would be embarrassed to come in public if I was the minister of infrastructure so all I'm saying mr. Speaker all of these things are taking place and this government is not performing and they want to know why people are upset not because of lies it's because people are feeling it people are feeling it in their pockets I see the minister from the member from from view for itself he said I must provide proof mr. Speaker that view for does not include in the deal he's in government he's in government how come nobody from this government can say categorically that they're going to develop the self it's in your manifesto who could not see the sense in building a port in view for it to help the people in the south who could not see the sense in doing a home port to be able to get the airport tax all these things need to be explained mr. Speaker and the carrot Chris report shows the economy was well managed during COVID that we gave you a foundation y'all said it there would be no money you have had more money than in any time in the history of San Lucia by 2022 we had generated more tax revenue than we had in 2020 2020 in 2019 more based on the fundamentals we put in place at a time when we were saying open the doors labor said close the doors and the moment they got in state of emergency is gone to hell with protecting the people of San Lucia and their rights and open up as quickly as possible how many more people died how many more people died over 800 people died during COVID I'm proud of the fact that when we left office it was 88 and that was 88 too many too many too many 88 too many who said that good horses before hospitals let me hear it the same member who want to talk about horse I said we had I'm proud of the fact we only had 88 and 88 was too many in case you don't remember 88 is too many now if 88 is too many how much is 500 how much is 500 your policies your policies your policy when we had COVID we had nothing we didn't even have ventilators we had nothing we had nothing we had no ventilators we had nothing we didn't even know what we were dealing with by time you had Delta you knew what the policies that would work but you all ignored it yet you ignored it and you deliberately allowed people to be exposed in this country why why and then now the economy is growing you want to take credit what did you all do all the projects that the minister from finances spoken about every single one of them was started and done by United Workers Park every single one but they were in process and you inherited it the ones that the ones that you could stop you stopped Rodney Bay Road HIA Airport St. Jude's okay roads in the south we keep going all the things that you stopped right there's a speaker this is a government that wants to continue to believe in its own imagination that it cares about the people it doesn't care about the people there's nothing in the policies of this government that show me you care if you really cared and you want to turn and you said today you want to start afresh allow the concessions on the barrels to go to June allow it to go to June or better yet agree that your policies were misguided and and the two and a half percent tax which was not supposed to impacted the cost of food and has that you're going to rethink it and you're going to figure out a better way and again you know mr. Speaker you come to the house you want to fool the people two years 66 million dollars that's what you're looking at you're gonna put everybody through this kind of pain for 66 million dollars and you're boasting as to how well CIP is doing up to now y'all can't give a report how you spend the money in the economic fund how it's not even at a consolidated account all the claims you made that we wouldn't providing the reports all the reports are there you said that Tara King received money you've been in government for two and a half years show the people where where you have somewhere to go mr. okay this is beaker I'm grateful that the Prime Minister broaden the scope of discussion so we can speak not just about the barrels but about holistically his policies and strategies as it pertains specifically to helping the most the poorest of poor in this country and I want to talk about and I've spoken about that your policies are not working the things that that impact the poorest of the poor the price of bread price of electricity price of bus fairs and now the price of basic food commodities everything has gone up regardless of whether it is price protected or it has that on it or not because the cost of operations of the grocery stores has gone up and the profit margin has gone up and therefore it's being passed on to those goods indirectly not because of your tax directly but indirectly because of the tax and so that I'm saying to the Prime Minister if he has a heart if we are to genuinely believe him that he cares about the poorest of the poor yes we're to go the church services not until Saturday okay so and what you're doing is not petty mr. Speaker this is a government that's full of bluff this is a government that continues to want to believe its own propaganda the reality on the street if he cares to listen mr. Speaker as people are suffering in this country and if you genuinely cared you would extend the barrel concession but even better yet mr. Speaker you would take away the two and a half percent tax because it's not working it's having a detrimental effect on households in this country mr. Speaker people are suffering even the sanitary napkins I agree with it but what we are laughing at is why for two years so what women are only going to suffer for two years make it permanent make it permanent stop coming here with piecemeal solutions so problem mr. Speaker that is where people are taking a happy show of the government and sadly there are too many things that the government promised the member the prime minister when he was in opposition promised mr. Speaker if you remember that instead of the $500 we gave for three months he said that he would triple it you give them $1500 you're now giving $1500 also I'm just saying that's the first month come for the next two months three thousand dollars forty five hundred dollars is what you promised the people not fifteen hundred you said we gave 500 you would give 15 so we gave 15 you have to give 45 and you're in a better financial position today to give that to the people and if you care about the people who are the poorest the poor that's what you're going to do mr. Speaker it's your policies that are impacting the policies that you have are impacting the living standards of people in this country and you are depressing people people are people mr. Speaker I've told you drop the two and a half percent tax allow the battle to be extended to six months okay give reprieve to the poorest of the poor and the things that you're supposed to be doing go and do them instead of selling out the assets of the state and creating a PPP to a foreign company to give them access and control of our ports build ups a slasper allow slasper to have invested it because that they they're the ones who built they want to point seraphine at the extension what's the big deal about extending the North Warf that's not what that's not outside of the purview a slasper and the revenue we would have here and as I said to you if GPH is so great let them manage it and give them an incentive if they get more cruise ships let them get a bigger bite of it but do not come and fool the people of this country and give a concession out of all the revenue for the next 40 years of slasper that you're going to cost hundreds of millions of dollars to this state and you're crying you and you're crying that you're poor so that's over 400 million u.s. dollars in revenue you've given up over the 40 years okay 400 million us yes so mr. Speaker this government has shown that they've lost their way they're out of touch with what is going on in the ground and on November 30th mr. Speaker they will find out what the people really have to say that people are not happy with how you're governing the country they're not happy with the fear and intimidation that you're using in government they're not happy with the double standards that are taking place in this country and for sure this is not a government that is putting anybody first this is a government that continues to protect the victory thank you