A sitting of the Senate scheduled for Thursday has been cancelled. In addition to other matters, senators were expected to debate the controversial COVID-19 (Prevention and Control) Bill, which was passed in the House of Assembly on Tuesday — despite calls for deferment by the Bar Association and Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association (SLHTA).
On Tuesday, the only Opposition MP to speak on the Bill was leader Philip J. Pierre. Thereafter, the six Opposition MPs walked out of the House.
Present for the scheduled Senate sitting on Thursday were government senators Mary Isaac, Hermangild Francis, Fortuna Belrose and Francisco Jn. Pierre. Phera Polius — the United Workers Party’s candidate for Dennery North— was scheduled to be sworn in as a senator and was also present.
Opposition senator Guibion Ferdinand was absent, as well as Lisa Jawahir and Terrence St. Clair— who were both supposed to be sworn in. Independent senators Adrian Augier and Mauricia Thomas-Francis were also absent.
Addressing Parliament, President of the Senate Jeannine Giraudy-McIntyre announced: “Good morning senators. We normally start at 10:00 am and at this point we do not have a quorum as we only have 4 senators, so there will be no sitting.” The president and government senators subsequently left the chamber.
Senator Fortuna Belrose spoke to the media following the cancellation. “The government side was there as usual. We were there to make the country go on and we were anxious to make it happen for our country, but unfortunately we had some frustrations. The independent senators claimed that they were not well so we didn’t have a quorum, and when you don’t have a quorum you can’t move.”
Senator Mary Isaac stated: “These things happen, it’s life. You know there are people who have no respect for life here so it happens.” Asked whether the turn of events would encourage the government to defer the Bill, she responded: “There is absolutely no reason why we have to do anything with the Bill; it is a wonderful Bill. They should go and sit now and look at it. It didn’t pass so they should look at it, and come and say what the problem is, you see, because there’s no problem.”
Meanwhile, reporters converged on the office of Philip J. Pierre seeking answers as to why senators were a no show. “The position of the Opposition at the last sitting of the House was the government should have followed the request from the Bar Association and the SLHTA, and withdraw the Bill for adequate consultation. There are some serious issues in that Bill, that both of these bodies have called for further consultation,” he said.
Pierre said that the Opposition will use their constitutional rights to stop the “dictatorial and vindictive” government. “And I hope the government doesn’t try to use their majority, or abuse the Constitution, to get that Bill passed. Because in that case the Opposition will be calling on the people of Saint Lucia to take to the streets.”
Asked whether there was any collaboration with the independent senators, Pierre asserted that he has “absolutely no idea” what they were doing. “But if I know the independent senators, they have a conscience,” he said.
What will the Opposition do if a Senate sitting is scheduled for next week to debate the Bill? “We are hoping that good sense prevails and the government listens to the Bar Association and the SLHTA; we are really hoping that good sense prevails. This government must understand that they are not masters of the people, they are custodians of power for the time being,” Pierre said.
