[dropcap]A[/dropcap]lmost from the moment he took his seat in parliament, the representative for Anse la Raye-Canaries has been targeted by House opposition comedians, most of their barbs directed at his relationship with Guyana and his physicality. On Wednesday, Dominic Fedee gave his tormentors good reason to reconsider the notion that intelligence resides only in figures over six feet tall and with bellies close to their knees. Indeed, it was the MP himself who, as he mounted an accommodating small elevation at the speaker’s lectern on Wednesday evening, chided members on the other side for concentrating at every opportunity on the size of his body rather than on the content of his character and the quality of his mind, not to say biting wit.
He then proceeded to challenge one opposition member’s assessment of the 2018-19 budget, noting along the way that West Indies cricket had suffered greatly under his management, the board forced to pay out millions in consequence of court cases brought against it by disgruntled players—until the House Speaker intervened with his reminder that arrows fired from one side of the divide at targets on the opposite had to meet the stated specifications of the Standing Orders of the Honorable House. In plainer language, comments by MPs had to be relevant to the bill before parliament. Of course, there had never been a House bill related to Fedee’s height, his weight or his professional life before June 6, 2016.
On Wednesday evening Fedee alleged the member of South Castries had issued statements via an online publication that was unlikely to help Saint Lucia’s image in the eyes of potential visitors. The opposition MP retaliated with a request that the publication be made a document of the House, in the circumstances impossible. Afterward, at the STAR’s request, Fedee provided proof of the pudding that the opposition MP had sought to reject.
The publication Fedee cited was headlined “Miami Herald Insider Guide to St Lucia,” with a contribution by the MP for South Castries, part of which read: “The fact remains that small-scale economies like ours cannot survive extreme weather change. When economies like ours, which are so dependent on the natural beauty in order to attract the world’s attention, it begs the question: Have we done enough to preserve it? My concern is that my country to date is seeing internationally questionable developments being toyed with on our island. From large-scale race courses looking to be built in local farming communities to the tune of US$2 billion of our government money (and potentially damaging our chances of food security), through to a potential marine circus (dolphin park) being built on one of our historic natural sanctuaries that has drawn international condemnation including that from the Catholic Church.”
To his credit the writer also had observed: “Saint Lucia is known as a paradise for both adventure seekers and travelers alike. But if we lose our natural beauty to seasonal escapades which put our environment at risk, we also lose our ability to provide visitors the opportunity to see the natural wonder of our island, an industry worth over US$226 billion worldwide.”
On Thursday morning, shortly before the budget session resumed, Fedee reminded this writer that “it has become Labour Party policy to take away its marbles whenever they’ve lost a game. In fact,” said the MP, “even when they have won the SLP has resorted to chaos, as it did in 1979 and in 2007, and is doing at the present time. Who will ever forget Kenny Anthony’s public threat in 2007—when his party was in opposition—that he would steer as many potential investors as possible away from Saint Lucia? Chaos regardless of cost has become the SLP’s policy, in or out of office!” Hours earlier, with reference to the above, Fedee fired the following unforgettable double entendre: “Obviously, it pains to be in the red!”
—RW
