 My dear constituents of Castry Central, on June 6, 2016, amid the pouring rain, muddy pathways and slippery hillsides of Monde Udon, Black Stars, Poipatat, Leslie Land and Lastic Hill, you made your way to your various polling stations and waited for hours to cast your vote. Some of you had to be carried from your sick beds or brought on wheelchairs. Some with little encouragement, some with much encouragement and others at their own resolute insistence with shared determination. At the close of the day when the votes were being counted, as each vote was called in my name, I prayed for the person who had cast this vote and begged Almighty God for His grace and blessing to respond to that person in a unique and personal way. Each vote mattered at that moment and more so the person who cast the vote. You responded to my request for support and you elected me as your parliamentary representative. Yours was a deliberate act in response to my request for your support. I continue to thank you for this singular honour and privilege. In my thank you speech following the election, I dared to publicly share a bold aspiration. I said that I wanted to know each constituent by name. You might ask, how am I coming along with this? I smile and say, I am trying very hard. I thank you for your patience. In 2017, many of you visited me at the Constituency office on Showsay Road, sent emails to my direct email address or WhatsApp messages. I thank you for taking the time to visit personally, message me or email. You have taken me into your confidence and openly shared with me your dreams and aspirations, your goals and your challenges. I very much value that trust. Over the past months, our team in Castry Central has been able to respond and assist in many ways. Many matters were resolved and others are in various stages of implementation. We have been able to generate some employment, assist with building footpaths, retaining walls, walkways and bridges, advocate for constituents on a number of community or personal matters with various agencies. The workload remains heavy. There is so much which needs attention every single day. As we begin this new year, I would like to share with you briefly my vision for the way forward in the short to medium term on some key matters of importance to us. There are many issues which affect us within our city. Poly constructed and maintained sidewalks and drainage, poor garbage disposal and collection, noise pollution, to name a few. I will continue to work with the Castry City Council to ensure that maintenance of these essential services continues to improve so that the quality of life of the residents and visitors to our city is improved. I thank the Mayor of Castries and the Castries Constituency Council for their continued efforts and assure them of my unwavering support. I trust that you will agree with me that among the many priorities for our constituency are unemployment, crime and poor housing. These go to the heart of our quality of life. They are very serious and urgent issues to be addressed and there are no quick fixes. These are national concerns which require comprehensive and deep-rooted solutions. I assure you that as a government we are working hard to address these in effective and sustainable ways. For a moment, as your parliamentary representative, I would like you to reflect with me on the issue of housing as it relates to our families. I need to say frankly that on my frequent visits to the constituency it has been heartbreaking to witness the conditions which too many constituents live under. Older persons whose roofs are leaking, whose floorboards have gaping holes who live in partly collapsed houses where to remain in occupancy is a danger in itself. Unacceptable. Overcrowding and the lack of basic amenities in the home which affects the ability of parents to provide structure and discipline and to properly nurture children in their tender years. The continued inability of families to own a home of their own makes it impossible for people to make key decisions about their future in both big and small matters and affects overall stability. This too is unacceptable. I am committed to addressing the issue of housing in Castery Central in a decisive way during this term of office. On the issue of crime, a lot can be said. First of all, I wish to thank the Royal St. Lucia Police Force for their tireless efforts in combating crime. As the MP for Castery Central, you are assured of my whole-hearted support and cooperation in ensuring that all persons who commit crimes are prosecuted and brought to full justice in accordance with the law. Dealing with crime means dealing with the causes of crime, one of which I have already addressed. Our behaviour is an outward reflection of who we are inside A violent crime does not start with a violent action. It starts with a violent thought, a violent word. A person's actions on the outside will not change unless the person himself changes on the inside. In our homes, communities and in our personal lives, each one of us needs to examine closely in a way we have never done before, who we are and commit ourselves to changing all the bad in us and replacing it with good, rooting out vices and replacing them with virtues. One thing at a time, one day at a time. This is a tough task and it is a challenge for all of us, not some of us. Fortunately, as Christians, we are not alone. As we have, as our Lord, our brother and our friend, Christ himself, whose birth we celebrated during the festive season. He became friends with the hardest sinners and guaranteed salvation to a thief and a robber just because he was asked. He has shown us a remarkable example which he commands us to follow. I now turn to the issue of unemployment. By far the most urgent issue to address as it contributes to and compounds all of the other issues which we have reflected on today. The hardship, anxiety, sorrow, and sheer frustration of the unemployed looking for work is inexplicable. By far this is the greatest challenge facing constituents, the majority of whom want to work to earn an honest living. Although our government has been able to reduce the level of unemployment, it is still much too high and youth unemployment is particularly high. As individuals we have been commanded to and are expected to work. Work adds value and meaning to our lives and allows us to live with dignity and provide for our needs and that of our families. Our gifts and talents have been given to us by God for this purpose to be used to develop ourselves and the world we live in to produce and be fruitful in all aspects of our lives. Each one of us is good at something. Each one of us is capable of using our gifts and talents to contribute to national development, to assist others by working with them or to create opportunities for others to work with us. In Castry Central as your MP, I am committed to working with each one of you to discover, define, and refine your talent to help you reach your full potential no matter your age, circumstances, your past, or indeed your political affiliation. Within the next few weeks, we will begin a personal development, training, and recruitment project called Synergy in Castry Central. We will offer uniquely tailored services to constituent sick in employment in a way which has never been done before in our communities. The Synergy program will be tailored to each client's personal needs and provide the best opportunity for personal development geared towards work readiness. We will work with you individually to identify job opportunities to prepare you for them and to explore avenues for self-employment. A full website for the Synergy program is now being developed, which you will be able to log into and to register your interest. Please continue to liaise with our office, monitor the news and social media for details of this program and how you can participate. I have taken time today to share with you some thoughts that have occupied my mind ever since you elected me as your Member of Parliament 18 months ago. Our journey started in 1997, more than 20 years ago, and though there have been interruptions, our relationship has never been severed. We have come to understand each other well and I am sure you will appreciate the approach which is characterised by less talk and more action. The approach which takes time to find real and lasting solutions to problems and which does not engage in window dressing. With this approach, planning takes time and so does setting up structures. A strong foundation requires a longer time to dig deep and well to ensure the structure is properly anchored to withstand knocks and bruises. I thank you for your patience during these last few months which has involved much planning and preparation and I look forward to an exciting and productive 2018 with my castry central family. Happy New Year! May God bless you and keep you. I thank you.