Parliamentary Speeches from 1997-2001

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.