Richard Frederick Strikes Back!

Richard Frederick has long been the easy target for the St Lucia Labour Party, therefore no surprise if the party saw the recent revocation of his US visa as the final nail to be driven in the Castries Central MP’s political coffin. It turns out that Frederick may have more lives than the proverbial cat. On the evidence, and despite his having resigned as a Cabinet member, he is now more than ever popular. Which may explain his opponent Stanley Felix’s assertion at a recent public meeting that it had cost him US$350 to find out exactly why Frederick’s visa was revoked. Whatever the reason was, Felix chose to keep it to himself, if only “for the time being.” Typically, Frederick responded at his first opportunity, last Sunday’s William Peter Boulevard rally. Addressing Felix’s statement before what was arguably the largest crowd ever seen in Castries, Frederick said: “I want you to tell me why they cancelled the visa of your colleague candidate’s mother and why they deported her!” While he did not name the “candidate-colleague’s mother” in question, Frederick added that she was deported from Puerto Rico and her visa cancelled. Our investigation of the matter led us to Robert Lewis, the Labour MP for Castries South. Uncharacteristically, the normally outspoken Lewis refused to say whether he was the “colleague candidate” fingered by Frederick at last Sunday’s UWP rally. “I will not comment on the matter,” he said. “If Mr Frederick wants to, he will make known to the public who he was referring to.” At last Sunday’s rally, Richard Frederick also took a swipe at the SLP’s Choiseul/Saltibus, candidate, when he challenged Stanley Felix, a lawyer who once worked out of Frederick’s chambers, to investigate why another “colleague-candidate was arrested and charged with rape” and why the case never came before a judge and jury. Lorne Theophilus was arrested after he was accused of raping a female colleague at his law offices on Brazil Street, Castries on Saturday January 15th 2005. At first he was refused bail. The decision was reversed after his lawyers convinced the High Court that the law denying rape suspects bail was unconstitutional. The issue made headlines, with Mario Michel insisting to no avail that the law enacted in the time of Kenny Anthony’s Labour administration was indeed supported by the Constitution. At the time Mr Theophilus was associated with the United Workers Party. He later joined the Labour Party as their candidate for Choiseul.