Parliamentary Speeches from 1997-2001

By CASSIUS ELIAS

In 1996 Cassius Elias makes an impromptu appearance at a political party convention and almost upstages the man of the hour, Dr. Kenny D. Anthony, by delivering a maiden partisan political speech that endears him to party faithfuls, and in the process handing the Saint Lucia Labour Party its battle cry for the 1996/97 general election campaign.

The Labour Party wins the 1997 general election by a historic 16-1 landslide, crushing the United Workers Party, led by former prime minister John Comptons handpicked Dr. Vaughan Lewis, while Cassius Elias also makes history by winning a seat held by the incomparable John Compton for 46 unbroken years. MP Elias is appointed minister for agriculture, forestry, fisheries and the environment in the new government.

In Parliamentary Speeches, the second half of this publication, the writer shares with readers his contributions in the Parliament of Saint Lucia during his tenure as minister between 1997 and 2001.

A fitting complement to Enough Is Enough, these speeches highlight the ministers efforts at constituency and national representation, all that is dear to him, his successes and frustrations and prescriptions he proposes to remedy shortcomings in specific segments of his portfolios.

As is to be expected in this parliamentary model, these speeches are not confined to the ministers portfolios, but it is in presentations directly related to them that we glimpse his passion for the banana industry, self-sufficiency in food stock, new paradigms in agriculture and the way forward as a truly independent nation state.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 26, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514406717

CASSIUS ELIAS

Cassius Elias was born in 1943 in the rural community of Majomel, in the village of Laborie, Saint Lucia. Upon completion of his primary education, he was unable to take up his place at one of the two secondary schools on the island due to logistical difficulties. He traveled to Castries, the island capital and took up employment with a law firm, where he quickly rose through the ranks, until 1964, when he left as managing clerk, to join family in the United Kingdom and to better his education. Very early in his life Elias had nurtured an inclination toward agriculture and self-improvement and demonstrated an ingrained option for the poor and underprivileged. It is therefore unsurprising that his sojourn in the UK saw him quickly qualifying as a legal executive and spearheading initiatives supportive of West Indian immigrant children relegated by the English education system, while at home, he would end up as a minister for agriculture, forestry, fisheries and the environment. Cass Elias has been a leader and pioneer of many initiatives at home and in the UK during his stay there, between 1964 and 1974. Although one his first major business ventures, Cardevco, turned out to be an unmitigated disaster (due to no fault of his), his legacy in commerce and the social landscape is unquestionable. His entry into “combat politics” marks a radical shift, as partisan politics was never his calling, and it is this, ironically, that has left the bitterest taste in his mouth. Elias is married to Mary, and together they have four children.

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Contents

Introduction

Budget Speech

Bill: Poverty

Budget 1998

Saint Lucia Banana Growers Association (Dissolution)

Water and Sewerage Bill

Budget Speech

Education Bill

Budget: 3 April 2000

Bill: WASCO Resolution

Bill: Cultural Development Foundation

Bill: Justice

Motion to Purchase Collingham Gardens

Bill: Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control

Budget 2001

Bill: Resources to WASCO

Guarantee Loan to WIBDECO

Bill: Agricultural Credit

Bill: Vieux Fort Development

Motion: Roads

INTRODUCTION

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN critical of the two-party political system and have long been a proponent of a no-party alternative, or a government of national unity. When I decided to join the Saint Lucia Labour Party in 1996 and become a candidate for the ensuing general election campaign to unseat the United Workers Party government of Dr. Vaughan Lewis, I was abandoning every principle I had upheld and defended for decades.

Following a prolonged and arduous campaign not exempt from intrigue and deception, I was successful in capturing for the Labour Party the Micoud South seat, a stronghold of former Prime Minister John Compton, which he had held for 46 years without fail.

I thought my appointment as a minister, and assigned the portfolios of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment by party leader Dr. Kenny D. Anthony, was due reward for chalking a historic first for Labour. If I had been given a choice, I would have preferred the portfolios of say Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, in consideration of my long and successful background in business ventures impacting those sectors.

Upon assumption of the reins of government, the Labour Party, determined to demonstrate to the electorate and the people of Saint Lucia , both at home and abroad, that it was not going to be business as usual, set about to purposefully address the problems of state, which included a solid agenda of legislative reform and the insistence on a new management paradigm based on transparency and accountability. As a party with a historic mandate, we had a heavy burden on our shoulders and we aimed to deliver. The Cabinet constituted a slate of individuals—including appointed senators—who were considered highly qualified for the task ahead. As such, every session of parliament was highly anticipated equally by the citizenry as well as the elected.

In the tradition of our parliamentary system, functioning as it does with an Opposition party in the corridors watching with the eyes of a hawk, sessions of parliament offer a platform for elected members on the government side to make important statements aimed at impressing the nation, their respective constituencies and the Opposition.

In the pages that follow in Parliamentary Speeches, I have brought together under one cover all my contributions in the Parliament of Saint Lucia during the period 1997-2001, when I served as Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, and latterly minus the Environment portfolio. This may very well be a seminal work, in that I do not recall any such documentation by an elected politician in the history of Saint Lucia.

This compilation is reflective of my vision for agricultural development and my views on national perspective relating to other issues presented to Parliament from time to time, during the stated period. They also give an indication of my various initiatives to improve life for the constituents of Micoud South, which I had the privilege and honour to serve.

As these speeches are recorded as they were presented and constitute part of Hansard, I have sought to reproduce them unedited. However, for purposes of this publication, it was necessary to make minor corrections of spelling and grammar and the like without altering the original text.

I think it is important as a preface to these speeches to highlight certain aspects of the environment that inform the politics of Saint Lucia and against which our parliament functions.

There is a seeming national conspiracy of silence that pervades the whole society, which prevents or frustrates any meaningful change, to improve the educational, social and economic life of the people of Saint Lucia and the Caribbean as a whole.

Politicians from all the political parties in the history of Saint Lucia have perpetuated the myth that the current divisiveness of the ‘Paramountcy of the Party’ as the best model for governance in Saint Lucia, but in reality, they believe that the sole purpose of a political party is to win or lose elections. At least, I can vouch that this was the considered view of the late Henry Giraudy, who served as Chairman of the UWP from 1964 until his death, in 1993.

Ironically, The Saint Lucia Constitution makes no provision for the existence of political parties. The political party system is an outgrowth of the trade union movement started by Sir George Charles, in 1945. The purpose was to mobilize the masses to secure higher pay, and act as a unifying force to win future elections.

It is instructive that after more than 60 years of party politics in Saint Lucia, none of the political parties has built a building of their own for posterity, or as a social or education center for its members.

I raised this matter at the level of the executive of both the United Workers Party and the Saint Lucia Labour Party, and found very little support for such a venture.

The divide and rule tactics of the party system continues to prevail, to the disadvantage and disenfranchisement of a substantial percentage of the populace, who must register with the Electoral Office for the right to vote in elections. Since the Constitution does not make provision for political parties, the legality of the provision for an Electoral Commission, and the management of the electoral process may be challenged by way of a Constitutional Motion. It could be seen as a further manifestation of man’s creation, principally to ensure political divisiveness and control of the illiterate masses.

Over the years, we have blamed Slavery and colonialism by the Spaniards, French and the British for our failures and backwardness. There is no doubt that Britain deliberately underdeveloped it’s Caribbean dependencies, and failed to elevate them to the status of Departments of Britain, as France designated its dependencies in the Caribbean and Africa.

Following the abolition of Slavery, we blamed the plantation owners, the neo-colonialists and the middle class. The real problem is we were taught to be a dependent people. In 1992, although John Compton knew the banana industry was in danger of being lost to more competitive fruits from Latin American producers, he carelessly told Saint Lucian farmers not to worry about the more objective assessment of the then Opposition Leader Julian Hunte, and recklessly conned his listeners into believing that ‘the British will always take care of our interests.’

To maintain control of the banana industry, the Windward Islands formed several alliances to deal with research and marketing, culminating in the formation of the Windward Islands Banana Development and Exporting Company (WIBDECO), a company jointly owned by the governments and the banana associations. Wibdeco was quick to establish a high profile presence in the United Kingdom and bought over the assets of Geest Industries and Geest Bananas (UK) Ltd. Over the years, the Windward governments appear to have relinquished control of Wibdeco to its Chief Operating Officer, who appears to have designed the industry in his own image and likeness, almost to the exclusion of the Saint Lucia Banana Corporation (SLBC), the successor company to the Saint Lucia Banana Growers Association, a statutory body through which government controlled the development and management of the industry .

During my tenure as Minister of Agriculture, I recall some officers from OXFAM (UK), coming to Saint Lucia, and pleading with me to intervene, and cause the Wibdeco CEO to co-operate with them to introduce the Fair Trade Marketing System to Saint Lucia. For reasons best known to him, the Wibdeco boss was vehemently opposed to the Fair Trade Foundation.

For some time now, there has been some speculation that the Windward banana industry might suffer the same fate as Jamaica, where a businessman, who was once the CEO of the Jamaica banana industry, maneuvered himself into the ownership of that industry. The Voluntary Liquidation of SLBC, the purchase by Wibdeco of a large plantation in the Dominican Republic and other developments in the industry appear to give credence to the suspicions of those still presiding over the demise of the farmers’ bread and butter. Ironically, it is the Fair Trade System that has saved the banana industry of the Windward Islands.

The battles between the French and the British did not change anything! Over the years, we continue to speculate as to whether we have been better off under the French or the British. There is a trend of thought that speculates that Saint Lucians would have been better off under French rule; but that is because the social security benefits offered to the Departments is a carrot and compounds the dependency syndrome of Black people on the State wherever they roam.

The relics of Colonialism and Slavery left in its wake a fragmented people, divided by class and wealth, which over the years has become a ‘who you know society’. The ‘what you know’ factor has been relegated to the scrap heap of a vicious nepotism that robs the poor through a process of unbridled free trade system, with no control on mark-up on essential goods, thereby requiring the old and retired, the indigent poor, the unemployed and the disabled to pay the same prices in our supermarkets and community shops as the rich and famous. I have long advocated a system of food stamps as obtains in the United States of America and elsewhere to aid the poor and unemployable citizens.

The lack of a supervisory authority over the implementation of Minimum Wage Legislation, allows the practitioners of commerce and the manufacturing sectors to pay wages that virtually make it cheaper for our youth to stay home, instead of scrounging for menial jobs in the cities or various industrial estates that operate like sweat shops in subhuman environments. The transportation and other costs associated with available jobs surpass the paltry wages paid in most cases. As one enraged worker put it, it is cheaper not to work. We are working mostly in modern day slavery conditions, and the government must move to stop the exploitation of Saint Lucian workers.

The influx of Korean and Chinese garment manufactures which flocked to Saint Lucia following the passage of the Caribbean Basin Initiative that granted duty free entry in the United States of America, closed their doors when they realized that even Minimum Wage legislation passed in 1976, was higher than that promised by the National Development Corporation. It is shameful that Saint Lucia has not reviewed and updated that piece of legislation, in spite of the promises made by both political parties. This writer was a member of the 1976 Wage Commission, and can attest to the flagrant abuse and violation of the said legislation by Chinese, Indian and some local employers. The UWP Government commissioned a Minimum Wages Council, and its report is awaited with baited breath.

Unfortunately, none of the more established locally owned commercial enterprises has ventured to invest in manufacturing, in spite of the CBI and other trade concessions from Canada, Europe and other friendly countries. Traditionally, they have limited their investments to the wholesale and retail sector. They are mostly family owned, and business graduates and other trained persons have found it difficult, if not impossible, to secure management positions within those companies.

In recent times, a Barbados conglomerate has purchased three of our leading family businesses, namely, Peter & Company, Minvielle & Chastanet and Bryden and Partners. J.Q. Charles has limited their concentration to the sale of motor vehicles and real estate, having merged their supermarket operations with Michael Chastanet’s Super Foods and Consolidated Foods chain, thereby operating a virtual monopoly in the supermarket retail business. (At the time of updating this manuscript, it was reported that Consolidate Foods had been bought over by a foreign interest.) Whereas Saint Lucian nationals appear to control the commanding heights of the economy in the wholesale and retail food and beverage sectors, the clothing, real estate, tourism, banking, services and the manufacturing sectors are controlled by foreign interests.

The professional classes, the lawyers and doctors, are merciless as they charge fees that are mostly not regulated, especially in the case of doctors and other health care professionals. Lawyers see and hear no evil, until their narrow self-interests seem threatened. A case in point is the challenge by lawyers, when a member of their profession was accused and charged with rape. They made millions from the transgressions of the poor of the existing legislation, but challenged the constitutionality of the said law when a member of their fraternity transgressed. Such hypocrisy and double standard cries loud for redress. I wish to make it abundantly clear, that I am not here condemning the ethics, or professional practice of doctors, lawyers or any other professional callings. I make no apologies for what I have written, and will defend what I have written to my grave, because I believe my perception of those goodly persons to be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

These two professions create very few employment opportunities, but can and do employ the best accountants to violate the tax laws of the country, as they amass substantial wealth at the expense of the poor. No one wants to die, and given the escalation in the price and value of land, lawyers are known to create the situation that would prolong land disputes. After 10 years abroad, when I visited the chambers of my legal mentor, I found some of the old clients sitting in the waiting room. Some lawyers will do anything to attract at least one drug dealer to their client list. It is commonly referred to as Engine Grease. The doctors bury their transgressions; but the lawyers, ironically record their evil deeds (no pun intended). Herbal medicine has been replaced by drug companies who spend more on advertisement of drugs of doubtful healing value, while they reduce budgets for research.

The local medical fraternity has shown no interest in alternative medicines, and have instead opposed and ridiculed one of their own qualified practitioners who has shown an interest in local herbal medicines. Thanks to her local company Eden Herbs, the likelihood of a breakthrough in some areas of medical cure may not yet be discounted.

The financial and political influence of drug companies has caused state legal systems to jail persons who dare to challenge the lies and myths propagated by drug companies about the benefits of certain drugs.

The withdrawal of the anti-inflammatory drug Viox is a case in point and the industry continues to produce drugs whose side effects on the human body far outweigh their benefits. Politicians need the courage and willpower to protect the common peoples of the world against the mighty and wanton destruction of life by those unscrupulous drugs cartels.

All other sectors of the economy take their cue from the charges imposed by those in the professions and commerce, since those fees dictate one’s ability to afford the high costs of services. Governments have tended to turn the proverbial blind eye, since most of them are members of the transgressing class. In Saint Lucia, the more things change the more they remain the same.

While we tend to criticize Cuba and other Socialist governmental systems, it is a matter of conjecture, whether the indiscipline of the masses would not be better contained by a benevolent dictatorship in most Caribbean states to facilitate more orderly development. The abuse of freedom of choice at all levels seems to have brought a wave of indiscipline throughout the Caribbean, and our once ‘peace and love’ communities have slowly disappeared before our eyes. Cuba now boasts a health care programme that has made it self sufficient in the training of doctors and other health professionals. In spite of the American trade embargo, Cuba is virtually self sufficient in many areas of production, chief amongst them is the revolution in the agricultural sector. They produce more bananas than the Windward Islands combined, but do not export one kilo. In fact, in Cuba, the stem is more valuable than the fruit. The juice of the stem is used to produce at least four medicinal preparations for the treatment of indigestion, post operation depression, asthma and bronchitis.

Free world trade and democratic elections are conducted in such a way that money dictates the results, which further compounds the dominance of the professional and middle classes.

Drug barons and other deviant characters are elected to parliament by intimidation and the use of ill-gotten money, and become members of the Cabinet, charged with the responsibility to make and implement the laws that ostensibly control drug dealing, possession, trafficking, abuse and consumption. It is inconceivable that any government that harbors criminals within its ranks can ever control the rampant gang warfare that is principally responsible for the high rate of homicide in the country at this time.

The rapid development of technology has rendered the traditional role of parental supervision effete. Local legislators take their cue from international standards, which not infrequently contradict the needs of vulnerable Small Island States. The Internet has become the weapon of good and evil, and promotes the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. What you want is what you get! Most parents are powerless to supervise, let alone control, what their children and their spouse watch. Traditional government sponsored legislation has been superseded by international conventions and legal rulings relating to choice.

The advent of instant communication and the cell phone age is causing even greater family stress in Saint Lucia, and indeed the Caribbean as a whole.

In a recent study in the Economist, it was reported that the Caribbean leads the world in global phone density. Bermuda has 89 cell phones per 100 persons, the BVI 82.9, Saint Lucia 75.5, Barbados, 58.8. In an even more recent survey, Barbados placed 6th on the worldwide listing with 150: 1 mobile phone per 100 people.

In effect, there are telephone lines in almost every house in the country, while on average there are 1.6 cell phones for every person in the country.

In both telephone lines and cell phones, Barbados had more connections than Britain, France, Canada, Spain, Italy, Ireland and any African or Latin American nation.

Caricom should get together and cause the phone companies to stop charging a dialing fee for the use of each other’s network.

The politics of divide and rule has failed our people. National unity continues to elude men