 Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to make a very brief intervention in support of the motion to exempt import of certain items in barrels, and there are two periods that have been cited in the motion from the first of November to the 29th of February, and that applies to barrels that are shipped by loved ones overseas to their counterparts in Lusia. And the other part of the motion, Mr. Speaker, speaks specifically to members of parliament who are desirous of importing toys, food items and care products for distribution and use in their respective constituencies, and that period is from the first of November to the 31st of January. Mr. Speaker, I believe that this is progressive, notwithstanding that it has been in the making for some time, and when the Prime Minister presented, he did allude to the fact that this was the brainchild of his predecessor Labour Party Prime Minister and member for the Fourth South. But, Mr. Speaker, it would be remiss of me to express support for the motion and not reference the misguided, desperate and incoherent presentation that came from the former Prime Minister and Minister and member for Mikutsa. Mr. Speaker, what we saw here this morning was a brilliant exhibition of showmanship, a flawless display of parliamentary hypocrisy, and we saw a portrait of political desperation. And for those persons who were in the chamber for the first time and would never have seen him before in this chamber, you would believe that here is a man who means well, here is a man with policy. But this is the same individual. Today, hypocritically, posturing as a champion of poor people. Today, he has ascribed to himself the title of advocate of poor people. But what did he do when he was the Prime Minister, Mr. Speaker? When he was in a position to formulate policies that would have enabled poor people to rise out of poverty and improve their laws. Mr. Speaker, he does not like poor people. And history is repleted examples of things he did when he was Prime Minister, things that were at variance with policies that he found in government that were meant to improve the situation of poor people. Mr. Speaker, on Mother's Day, when poor people who could not find employment in the machinery of government decided to resort to trades as vendors to sell on the streets of castries and in the market on Mother's Day. Single mothers whose trades were packed on the sidewalk, Mr. Speaker. Under his Prime Ministerial Watch, he sent the authorities to collect the trades and to dump them in a place where they were not accessible by single mothers. And today the same hypocrite stands here and wants to speak on behalf of poor people, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in recognition of the fact that poor people, they will not be able to build or construct homes to the tune of $200,000 and $300,000, but they can sacrifice, they can save and buy a few sheets of tidal note and have shelter and comfort for themselves and their children. Notwithstanding the amenities may not be the greatest, but as a pride that lives or resides in those plywood structures. And we know on many occasions, Mr. Speaker, when we listen to the news, you hear of a house having been destroyed by fire and they didn't have insurance. Some of them had not even finished the small loans, pay off the small loans for the homes that they had constructed. And in his wisdom, the former Prime Minister and member for the South, he introduced as a line item in the budget the distress fund. So at those persons when the houses were destroyed, they would have gotten a lifeline compliments the government. As a line item, the distress fund under the member for me could south was withdrawn from the budget, Mr. Speaker. But today, who comes there and postures as an advocate of poor people. We did not withdraw the fund. The fund is a humongous fund and we broaden the amount of money that we spent. So the member going to go in and you're in government so you can go and check the facts with yourself. We were spending upwards of six million dollars a year on helping people with medical issues, housing issues and distress. And all the facts today for them to the system. That's where it came from. Mr. Speaker, I will repeat verbatim what I said. I said as a line item in the budget the distress fund disappeared. And I challenged the member for me could south to take copies of the estimates during the period he was Prime Minister and show me a line item in it where it says distress fund. That is what I said Mr. Speaker. It disappeared. But today Mr. Speaker, he comes and he postures as a champion of the poor. Mr. Speaker, we as an administration between 2011 and 2016. We recognized that there was a need for the children of St. Lucia to have been online and under the member for view for itself again as Prime Minister we introduced the one laptop to child program. Upon entry into government under his watch, this self-proclaimed champion of the poor, he stopped the one laptop to child program. And when Mr. Speaker, the pressure began to mount and I know you were there in the cabinet at the time. They quickly tried to bring in a program that they believed would have survived. Mr. Speaker, this champion of the poor, a self-proclaimed champion of the poor. When he is not well or members of his family are faced with certain medical challenges, he has the means to be able to fly them overseas. Upon entering this government as Prime Minister, he found that a hospital that had been damaged by fire was being repaired. Mr. Speaker, that started during the reign of the member for castries north. And after the United Workers Party was voted out of office and the St. Lucia Labour Party entered in 2011, the member for view for itself for our Prime Minister, he continued with the plans he made there to give the people of the south a hospital. But came then came in 2016 the member for Mikudself, self-proclaimed champion of the poor. What did he do? He stopped construction on the hospital. Not for two days or two weeks, you know, for two years. And whilst construction on the hospital had halted Mr. Speaker, less than 100 yards away, he was busy facilitating construction of facilities for horses to come and gallop. You did not remember at the time that the poor people on whose behalf you want to speak today needed healthcare facilities when you are busy preparing for horses. But you come and you posture here today as if you are champion of the poor. That is the hypocrisy that characterizes his politics Mr. Speaker. And Mr. Speaker, let me tell you what he did. This champion of the poor, let me tell you what he did Mr. Speaker. When he came into government Mr. Speaker, he found a program in government known as the constituency development program, the CDP. And when the CDP was established as a program in government, every single one of the 17 members of parliament would have received resources to execute projects in their constituencies, whether you were opposition or in government. He came in Mr. Speaker and he found the program entrenched. What did he do? There were six of us in opposition and we had poor people in our constituencies as we still do today. We used to come knocking at our constituency doors asking for help with basic things Mr. Speaker. But as a deliberate policy ploy from him, you know what he did? He starved us of resources. And after the five years were up for elections, he dragged us into a six year. And for six years he did not give a single project to anybody in opposition to help the poor in their constituencies. But today out of convenience he stands here and wants to lecture us about poor people. Mr. Speaker, there is a shamelessness that characterizes the politics of this particular member and he needs to stop. So don't come in posture as an advocate of poor people. You don't like poor people. All he did prior to election was to take selfies and photos with poor people so it can resonate on social media. You don't like poor people. You don't dump the trays of poor people and come into the amplitude and pretend you are poor people. You don't starve opposition parliamentarians of resources to help poor people. And as it is convenient, I know this like to be in opposition, you know. I start across there and you just halfway through the term and you have more days in opposition to come. So don't come and bump those people as if you are champion of the poor. I believe this intervention by the prime minister is progressive, it is necessary. And for constituents like those in January north that have had the pleasure of representing after free general elections, I know Mr. Speaker this will touch lives because they rely heavily on remittances throughout the year. And when Mr. Speaker, when in December to help spread the Christmas chair, they look forward to receiving barrels and other items from overseas. Mr. Speaker, what's up with the whole day? When Mr. Speaker was nēpōkle ala nēya. Mē nū tūk sāv, Mr. Speaker. Lēk āveni pli pui pūnwēl, tēle nū kāen pli bārel, ām kāsotilot pii. Mū le pui lū kāziopū o sī di jāsēt li sī, that we have to use the concession responsibly. And as the Prime Minister would have indicated in present, during his presentation of the motion, let us ensure that all the items in the bārels are items that do not contribute in the laws of solution. Leave the illegal items out. There should be no guns, no weapons in those bārels, Mr. Speaker. The explanation is clear. It is simple in terms of what we expect in those bārels. And so I want to say, Mr. Speaker, that I only equivocally support this particular intervention on behalf of the government. And I need to say to those of you in the chamber, notwithstanding what you would have heard, do your research, and you will know who the real champions of poor people are in this country. You will know which government has made it possible for poor people who cannot even access healthcare. We know who Mr. Speaker has made it law in this country for them not to pay the ambulance fees. We know which government is responsible for that. So we will come here today and think that you can speak on behalf of poor people and that will be your path to victory. Poor people are not as stupid as you think, you know. Poor people are more discerning than you believe. And from a poor family, and several of us are. So be careful, Mr. Speaker, with who wants to come and lecture us on poverty. And when they were given an opportunity, a very solid mandate to come and stand up for poor people. Almost every policy initiative that they, Mr. Speaker, put forward in this country was inimical to the plight of poor people, the well-being of poor people. And today, Mr. Speaker, I want to support, as I said on it vocally, this motion by the Prime Minister to waive certain duties on barrels to help spread the Christmas chair and to give our people, Mr. Speaker, a merry Christmas and a prosperous start to the end of the year.