A press statement from the Office of the Prime Minister says the House of Assembly “spoke loud and clear from Tuesday through the wee hours of Wednesday January 30th when Government MPs strongly reiterated their unequivocal support for, and confidence in, Prime Minister Allen Michael Chastanet. ”
The statement, issued yesterday following Tuesday’s House of Assembly debate on the Motion by the Opposition Leader against the prime minister, said, “Failure of the Opposition’s Motion comes just two years after the St. Lucia Labour Party was voted out of office in favour of the United Workers Party on June 6th 2016. “
Eleven Government MPs voted a resounding “no” following a day-long debate that called for the resignation of the Prime Minister.
According to the Government statement, “Several MPs also rose and spoke in support of Prime Minister Chastanet, stating that Saint Lucia was finally beginning to show true signs of recovery after years of significantly low growth.”
It continued, “MPs spoke to the road rehabilitation programme, the upsurge in the tourism industry, the rehabilitation of schools, the decrease in unemployment, the support to the police force, projects for the south of the island and the renewed investor confidence in Saint Lucia as a whole.”
It noted that MP for Choiseul Bradley Felix, “spoke about the caring nature of the Prime Minister and the investments the Government has made in the rehabilitation of schools, the maintenance of the roads and the extensive road rehabilitation programme and the investments in the equipment for the police and in measures to tackle crime such as the reopening of the Forensic Lab.”
According to the statement, MP for Micoud North Gale Rigobert “explained the dismal state of schools which was found following June 2016.”
Castries Central MP Sarah Flood-Beaubrun spoke to the Prime Minister and the Government’s plans for the health care system including the introduction of National Health Insurance and the completion of the Saint Jude Hopsital.
“A hospital is not just the walls,” the Minister explained. “Everything has to be technically done so that it can perform the functions. They are saying just do this and just throw Chemico there and just put the people in there. But we are saying we will make sure it is a first class hospital fit for purpose . . .
“This Prime Minister has pledged his commitment to seeing to it that we have National Health Insurance. So, we will not just have the building and have the equipment — the people will be able to access the services.”
Also speaking against the Motion was MP for Anse la Raye/Canaries MP Dominic Fedee and MP for Babonneau Ezechiel Joseph and MP for Castries South East Guy Joseph, both of who stated unambiguously that they rejected everything in the No Confidence Motion.