The continued efforts by the SLP administration to silence me in Parliament are not just an attack on me but an attack on democracy and the right of the people of Saint Lucia to hear the truth. As Leader of the Opposition, I have a constitutional duty to hold this government accountable and defend the best interests of our citizens.
Yesterday’s incident was yet another blatant attempt to suppress my voice. The Speaker of the House, acting in clear alignment with the government, ordered that my microphone be switched off and my audio cut so that the public would not hear my response to the false allegations being leveled against the former UWP administration, But no matter how hard they try to silence me, the truth will always come to light.
Here are the facts:
- There are 3 separate agreements that are all interlinked relating to the Orange Grove Plaza agreement. 1) The development agreement, 2) the lease agreement and 3) the transfer of land document
- The speaker of the house and the representative for Castries Central selectively only made reference to the land transfer agreement, yet the land transfer agreement makes reference to the Development Agreement which is the main document.
- In 2012, the Government of Saint Lucia, under the then SLP administration, paid off the loan to the bank of $30 million, which included an additional 10-acre parcel of land as part of the deal.
- In 2020, under my administration, the Government entered into an agreement with Orange Grove Plaza to develop the property through Amazona Properties Limited, a government-formed company.
- Under this Build, Own, Lease, Transfer (BOLT) arrangement, the developer paid $13.5 million EC upfront which represented payment for the ground floor. The developer then assumed responsibility for the full renovation of the building.
- This arrangement is no different to other similar BOLT agreements entered into by the Government of Saint Lucia. Examples include the Ministry of Infrastructure building in Union, several police stations and fire stations across the island and the Halls of Justice project just to name a few.
- The Government agreed to temporarily transfer the building and the land to developer to allow them to fully develop the property. The government would then lease the top two floors from the developer for 15 years at just $4 per square foot which represented the cost for the retrofitting of the building and office space, after which the 2 floors would be transferred back to full government ownership. Upon this final transfer back to the government, we would no longer have to pay a monthly lease.
- This agreement would save taxpayers approximately $40 million in rent over the first 15 years and would further save the government atleast $6 million annually after that period.
This was a responsible, forward-thinking investment that prioritized long-term savings for the people of Saint Lucia—savings that could have been used to improve healthcare, fight crime, fix roads and ease the cost of living.
Instead, the SLP administration has abandoned the agreement, leaving the space vacant and unused for the last 3 years, while at the same time paying exorbitant rent to their financiers at rates between $7 and $12 per square foot. They have wasted $12 million over the last 3 years for a space that they have refused to move into. This is blatant financial mismanagement and political corruption. They do not want you to know the truth.
But let me be clear: I will not be silenced. No amount of censorship, intimidation, or manipulation will stop me from standing up for the people of Saint Lucia. The SLP’s tactics will not work. The people of Saint Lucia deserve accountability.
The government must answer: Why are they wasting taxpayers’ money on inflated rental agreements while keeping a cost-saving government asset unused? What are they trying to hide?
I remain committed to exposing the truth and fighting for the best interests of Saint Lucians. No microphone switch, no audio cut, and no parliamentary games will stop me from doing my job.
