2ND SESSION OF 10TH PARLIAMENT OPENS WITH TRADITIONAL THRONE SPEECH

On Tuesday April 24th The Governor General Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy delivered the Throne speech marking the official commencement of the annual National Budget Presentation and debate. The Saint Lucian public have eagerly awaited the presentation debate as it provides insight into Government’s plans for year and the state of the country’s economy and finances. In her speech the Governor General noted, that the economic challenges faced by our country is not unique to Saint Lucia or the region. The Governor General said “With the Eurozone expected to enter into mild recession, returning only to modest growth in the second half of 2012, and even this tentative outlook is clouded by ongoing uncertainty, concerns of high sovereign debt and depressed demand. This outlook will continue for as long as the sluggish global weakens demand for European exports keeping business and consumer confidence at low levels despite some stabilisation observed in the financial sector”, The Governor General cited the example of the collapse of the Greek economy as a predicament of the world’s finances. Despite the financial realities noted in her speech Her Excellency offered hope to her audience. She said, “though we may not have the vastness of financial wealth that others possess, we have and can champion within ourselves a uniqueness, a genius, a pride that far overshadows our currently humble means. Let our history be written by none other than ourselves, Saint Lucians”. The speech which was broadcast live on NTN on the 24th of April 2012 precedes the live broadcast of the presentation of the 2012/2013 estimates of revenue and expenditure, scheduled for April 26 and 27.

Click http://stlucia.gov.lc/addresses_and_speeches/governor_general/throne_speeches/throne_speech_april_24,_2012.htm  to view complete speech.