 Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for the bill as presented by the Prime Minister and member of Ocasio's East. Mr. Speaker, you'd recall I stood in this house during the debate first on the estimates and then on the budget statement presented by Prime Minister, where I appeal for government to give dedicated focus for the state of healthcare in St. Lucia. That's probably even before the estimates, Mr. Speaker. I had expressed my experience as a parliamentarian where on numerous occasions I had to see persons who came to me looking for assistance. And I said to my colleagues in here that collectively we had to come together to ensure that this country develops the capability to provide a certain minimum standard of healthcare to our people. And Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister in his budget statement announced that we would be implementing a health and security levy for us to be able to raise some of some, not all, some of the resources needed for us to be able to meet the cost of healthcare and added to it security. Yes, and the member from Surreal, I must say, stood up and commended me and even privately said to me that he thought and he also expressed his similar sentiments that we really need in this country to give more attention to providing healthcare and not our conversation did not extend to security, but certainly healthcare and all of us in here would tell of constituents coming to you looking for help, for help with the healthcare. And Mr. Speaker, we've always said whereas as political parties we may have differences in how we approach solving some of the problems, but there are some common problems we all agree that we must find a way to solve it. You would recall Mr. Speaker in another life under the leadership of Dr. Kenny Antony, he attempted to come up with a solution to the healthcare issue. And I think he had from a committee chaired by the member from Cassius Norfolk was to be still on the committee to advise parliament as to how collectively both sides, both sides. And in fact, it probably said a lot about the member from Cassius Norfolk because then he was in opposition, but he had agreed as a former minister of health to chair that committee to help, even though he was not in government, even though he was not in government, of course he was not allowed to do so by his political party, but he was prepared as a member of the opposition to chair committee for us to solve this problem that we are trying to solve now. How do we deal with healthcare? Now this is not a problem unique to St. Lucia. You will, those of us who follow news would hear of Medicare in the UK, would hear of the NHS in the UK, sorry, Medicare in the US, NHS in the UK, that constant battle by those more developed countries, trying to have your appropriate mechanism for their people to get affordable and accessible healthcare. So you can imagine the challenges that we face in St. Lucia to make sure we have the resources. This bill goes a long way in assisting the government in raising the resources necessary for our people to get the necessary healthcare that they need. Of course, Mr Speaker, it also speaks of security. We all know the realities in this country. We all know that the police and other law enforcement agencies need more support. They cannot continue to have to wait on cash flow in the Treasury to find up on the stresses on the budget to get some of the resources that they need. This is an attempt to provide a more dedicated mechanism for raising revenue to deal with the issue of security. Now, Mr Speaker, I heard the member from Caster East give a list of all the instances of support that has been given to the police. And I can't oppose that with a statement made by the Leader of the Opposition about the state of crime in the country in less than two years that this government has been in government. I wondered where was the Leader of the Opposition for five years as Prime Minister because in his statement, he's calling on the government to provide resources to the police. And I am saying, and having listened to the member from Caster East, of all the support that has been given to the police in the last two years and compared with what was done for five years before, and I wondered in which reality does he exist in. He speaks of the need for us to come together collectively to fight the challenges that we face in crime. And you heard, and we all agree to that in here, but you heard the member from Caster East speak of a targeted, concerted campaign in the police force, Mr Speaker, against persons some believe for whatever reason are not suited to be in the leadership. Speaker, the member from Caster East, Prime Minister, has clearly indicated the principal approach of this government. If there is anyone at any level, anybody have any complaints about, put it on the table and let's investigate it. And he's made that very clear. You cannot ask me to investigate, to examine, to review. If you don't give me the details, the information. But the effect of what's been done is an undermining of the moral, undermining of the confidence of the institution, the Sandusha Police Force. The same people that say we must work together as one, we must do so collectively to fight crime. So one thing is said on one hand, but on the other hand, you see an action that is diametrically opposed opposite to what you're saying, they say, Mr Speaker. I want to come back to the issue of health, Mr Speaker, because Mr Speaker, I'm sure the member from the North, the Minister of Health, will speak of all the activities and actions that he has taken in his ministry. Well, he has led in his ministry to strengthen the health care sector. And may I say, Mr Speaker, for five years, 2016 to 2021, we probably had the worst Minister of Health in Sandusha, the worst Minister of Health. Or they probably didn't even have one, Mr Speaker. I mean, it is a real shame what happened to our health sector, Mr Speaker. And the member from the North has had to come in and provide the leadership necessary to get that sector going again, Mr Speaker. And he will tell you of all what they have done. And even of late, Mr Speaker, to make available free ultrasound and lab tests for pregnant women in Sandusha. And we must not underestimate the importance of this, not underestimate the importance. There are children being born in this country and the mothers would have never done an ultrasound before both, would not have done basic tests before both. And how is it that we will find out whether they are pending problems, whether there be challenges? And the member will also tell you that he started the 80 plus plan. And he knows I'm one of those who keep saying to him, bring down the age, bring it down. It is a little too high, Mr Speaker. Yeah, come closer to my age, Mr Speaker. But he has said, in a sense, he's almost a pilot. They will implement it. They will learn lessons. And as they gather more resources on this levy, we can then bring on the age group, bring it down gradually. And all of these things are steps to what's provided universal healthcare. And I didn't know that, but I learned from the member when he made the point that no country has implemented universal healthcare. Amas, in one instance, it has been graduated, Mr Speaker, incremental additions, Mr Speaker, until you offer that package that's reflective of your capability, the resources you have, and of course, the needs of your people. So I'm very confident, Mr Speaker, that this move by this government is designed to make sure we meet the needs of our health system. And it is based on a plan that the ministry has under the leadership of the Honourable Member. But, Mr Speaker, we must put this levy in a broader context. In a broader context, so much has been said about it. And that's why we're going to go into the raw politics. The raw politics and the member from Cassius is said a lot about it, so I don't want to go through everything that he said. But the people of St. Lucia have been given the impression that this is designed to impose hardship on them, hardship on them. Now, the member from Cassius keeps saying it, and all my colleagues would agree. When you're in political battle, you try to hold the government to account. You try to. And we always say that when we were in opposition, we will ask the hard questions. We'll expose shortcomings where they have to be exposed. But beyond that, Mr Speaker, we're seeing the creation in this country of a kind of accentuation of misinformation, a kind of deliberate distortion of things that are happening in this country. So a letter will be written by the Leader of the Opposition. We've blatant mis-truths, untruths in it. We've blatant misrepresentations in it. Deliberate. I mean, when somebody can state openly that he calls on this government because we have a very slim majority in the House, a slim majority, 15-2. The slimmest of margins. Think about that. I wonder how the member from Chosez feels when he has his leader saying those things. The slimmest of majorities that we don't have the mandate that we think we have, and he's warning us. And you know, the member from Cassius said to him, do not underestimate the capabilities of the St. Lucia Labour Party. So he's going out there spreading all kinds of misinformation and distortions, and that Reno has pulled out from the St. Jude site and work has stopped, and we sold the pots in St. Lucia. We gave it away to GPH and just saying things, saying things, saying things. Is this really imposing hardship on the people of St. Lucia? And the member from Chosez asked an important question when the member from his Cassius, this was presented. He said, how is it going to be applied? Because it's an important question. It's an important question because you don't want to apply a levy that will create challenges in implementation and maybe cause unintended consequences in terms of rising costs beyond what you would have projected or anticipated. You must get it right, but put it in context. This government, whilst applying a 2.5 levy on selected goods and services, selected is on a basket of goods and services, is the same government that is removing 12.5 percent on construction items. Same government. So you've been asked to pay 2.5 percent to help you get free healthcare. I'm asking you to pay 2.5 percent on some goods so that you can get free healthcare on certain services to help the police to better the security situation in the country. And you are told don't support that because it's going to be a hardship for you. But that same government is giving you 12.5 percent off on construction materials and they are condemning doing so. Now tell me, where is the soul of that opposition? Where is the soul? I mean removing 12.5 percent on construction material in St. Lucia in this present time is a godsend. It's a godsend. We in the rainy season, I ask any parliamentary rep in here to deny that there are seen constituents who come to tell them about how their roofs are leaking, that they need plywood because the plywood is rotten and they need a change, that the flooring is sinking. Exactly. The other good buckets are different strategic points. Right now in St. Lucia, in fact we even had a discussion among ourselves, some of us parliamentarians, whether we should not move into cement boards as against plywood because it might be even more durable. For poor people, as poor people we are talking about, these are not people with houses, five bedrooms, six bedrooms, and they even have their country house, Don Trussell or Souffre or whatever. Mr. Speaker, we are not talking about those people. You know, no, no, there are people like that and they line by the river, they have their lines and things. Mr. Speaker, sorry, they don't invite us. No, they don't invite us, you know. But Mr. Speaker, all I had is Speaker go down there every now and then. Yeah. But Mr. Speaker, poor people in Monkey Tongue, in the old cemetery in Fuwa Show, Mr. Speaker, in Chinatongue, people that need that assistance, giving it to them at 12.5% cheaper cannot be something to be condemned. And then these poor people, these disadvantaged people, these vulnerable people are ridicule. They are told, they are giving you help to get cheaper materials, but is soup, what soup? What soup they want you to drink with it? Think about that. Think about the state of mind that goes about spreading that political propaganda. They're not going to ask difficult questions by what the member from Souffre asked, which is how are you going to apply it? That we support it because we believe people benefit from it, but tell us how you're going to apply it. Make sure you do it right. Make sure you collect it right. Even say have a lock box, whatever you want, but a constructive engagement on it. Instead, it will be said to poor people that is for rich people they do it. Imagine plywood is for rich people they do in it. Think about that. So poor people will better be able to change the flooring, change the plywood on the side of the house, change the galvanized, but it's for rich people they do in it. But if you should get, it's going to make plywood soup with it. What kind of derogatory, you know, exchange and engagement is that? But that's what they are trying to tell the poor people. Don't accept the benefit. Don't accept it. Condemn it. That can never be a party with a soul, a party for an appreciation for the plight of struggling people. So I am happy it is getting done because when I get my allocation for housing repair, I want to know I can stretch it because it will be a lot cheaper. A lot cheaper. And I hope the member from Schroesel, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, you know, but the head is again, let's keep it in context. Let's keep it in context. So once you import, you're going to have the 2.5% levy, you're getting the benefits with the removal of that and construction material. But there are businesses and middle class that are also benefiting. The Prime Minister announced for the outstanding tax liabilities that are owed that all the penalties and the interest will be removed. Just pay what you in the first place. Do not underestimate the value of that to businesses and to middle class individuals. So you've been asked to pay the 2.5% levy. But just like the poor people are getting something, the rich people are getting something too. This is not a government that doesn't take care of the sectors, all sectors of this country. All sectors are benefiting. All sectors are benefiting because we believe fundamentally that we need to create economic activity in this country. We need to generate more activity. We need to earn more so we can develop this country further. No country can develop if you do not earn. You cannot. You must earn. You cannot spend on the social programs if you do not earn it somewhere because nobody is giving out grants and handouts anymore. You must earn it and we're going to earn it. Which is why we take care of all the sectors. Because all those outstanding taxes are not for people that owe it. Think about it. Not for people that owe it. Not for people that owe those taxes. So when they want to criticize what poor people get, watch what the better off are getting. Watch what they're getting. But the Prime Minister explained earlier this morning, removing those tax liabilities on your books is important for those businesses and their viability and their balance sheet. Removing those because some of them have those as liabilities and that's better for them. So it's not just for people that's benefiting. The businesses are benefiting. Middle class are benefiting. Everybody is enjoying the benefit, Mr. Speaker, of the economic policies of this country. So when we say to contribute 2.5 percent on selected goods and services, we're saying there's going to be a universal benefit. Better health care in this country. Better security services in this country. But all of us must contribute to it. And even in doing so, government is giving you relief in other areas. And some still want to portray this as a policy that is designed to hurt people. And I will not go into some of the other benefits that this government has given from the SMN me, from the youth economy, from this community tourism project, from the laptop program, from payment of the facilities fees. In so many instances, I can give you where this government has reached out and supported the poor working people in this country over and over. And it will not stop. At every instance, there is fiscal space. This government will support the poor people in this country. And similarly, this government will always make the incentives, the concessions and the support to the productive sectors to ensure that they can thrive. That is it. That is it. Again, we start off with a very clear understanding. This is not a negative sum game. And if one said get, the others must suffer. It's a positive sum. If we make the pie bigger, there'll be more to share. This is not keeping the pie the same size and fighting for the same shares. Let's make the pie bigger. And these policies, of which this one is part, is making the pie bigger. So everybody can benefit. So, Mr. Speaker, I have no hesitation in standing and expressing my support for the bill. And I look forward, Mr. Speaker, to the Ministry of Health getting the resources that they need so they can fix up the Cicero Health Center. They can fix up the Lacroix Health Center, Mr. Speaker. The old people in the constituency, I don't want to call some names and don't call other names, Mr. Speaker, but they can get their free medication. Vaka Man came to see me last week's Wednesday for his usual support. I told him, no, it's free now, you know. You don't have to come every Wednesday anymore. It's free now. Yeah. So, Mr. Speaker, I'm looking forward to this and I support this bill. Thank you very much.