Former Tourism Minister Dominic Fedee has called on the government to clear the air regarding online reports that Saint Lucia will likely lose its visa-free access to the United Kingdom.
Fedee spoke one day after Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced Wednesday that Dominica passport holders now need a visa to travel to and transit the UK due to concerns regarding Dominica’s Citizenship By Investment (CBI) scheme.
Fedee said what happened to Dominica was sad and should serve as a wake-up call to the Saint Lucia government.
“The government has got to come out and to say, look, the reports that are swirling around, whether those reports are true that Saint Lucia is likely to also lose its visa-free access,” the former Saint Lucia Minister told reporters.
Fedee said that given the government’s penchant for Facebook posts, he was surprised that the labour administration had not clarified the issue.
Fedee, the second Deputy Political Leader of the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) declared that some people are anxious regarding the possibility of Saint Lucia losing its visa-free access sometime in the summer.
He asserted that Saint Lucia had made some fundamental errors that threatened to undermine the integrity of the country’s passport and the reputation of its citizens.
“The international community has always expressed concern about the transparency of banks in Iran and it is a fundamental mistake that the government has made to allow Iranian applications to come back into the programme,” Fedee told reporters.
He described the move as a fatal error, highlighting a government thinking only of the money and not its citizens.
In addition, Fedee said it was a fundamental error for the Saint Lucia government to take as long as it did to bar Russians from the Citizenship By Investment programme amid the war with Ukraine.
He explained that it sent the wrong message to Saint Lucia’s diplomatic allies.
And Fedee recalled that Saint Lucia woke up one morning to discover that a Saudi billionaire had a diplomatic passport but did no work.
“Just because he had enough money to buy a diplomatic passport from Saint Lucia. And we woke up when we heard that Mr. (Walid) Juffali was the representative for Saint Lucia on the International Maritime Organization,” he noted.
According to the former Minister, all such things undermine the credibility of any country, its citizens, its government, and the chain of democracy.
Yes we will lose visa free access. We ain’t losing much though. Their living standard has dropped since they sanction Russia. Crime is rampant just like us. And St. Lucians no longer have to go over there to get the full nine yards of the alphabet agenda. It’s right here at home. NO reason to go there.
boy those politicians always looking to fool people. ok fedee so tell.us how much corruption the previous government which you were part of contributed to what is happening right now. can we prevent the uk from imposing or implementing their laws ? stop trying to take everyone for fools.
He predictably chose Iran as the scapegoat. He is incapable of recognizing the intricacies of world events.
Everything has to do with Russia and bringing it down to its knees. The withdrawal of visas is a move to block the oligarchs and their surrogates. The West seeks control of both finances and persons who can assist Russia. It’s a NATO war done in the shadows. Fedee can’t tell a buffet from a food fight. By the way what website(s) is he referring? It’s always helpful when making those statements to provide a website for reference. Discerning readers can make an assessment to its validity.
@Just saying Ikr. I worked at UVF as passenger service agent use to go every year. Hasn’t been the same since Brexit. Thank god I got a job working on the cruise ship much better places out there to visit.
@Just Saying, do not be foolish on here. The crime in Saint Lucia is 3x worse per capita than in the UK. The UK is changing but with mass migration but do not compare what is happening locally to what is happening abroad. Stop making excuses for the failures of our leaders in this country.
How does CBI benefit us ??
Lets hear from overseas representation about how st lucia’s interests are represented in the UK. Must be Hilarious that allowed Iranians back into the programme. But the UK is notoriously two-faced anyways. So this is part of a money grab. Place visa restrictions on them as well. Have them complete ETA before they come into St Lucia. Then give flight rights (or whatever it is called) to another European nation in light of the any possible visa hassle to go through the UK. Negotiate with KLM, Lufthansa, Air France, Swiss Air, whomever to come directly to the Saint Lucia and other Caribbean islands to make up for possible loss of tourist numbers from UK when you place ETA on them. My advice is to have the Bajans and all other Caribbean islands follow suit with ETA to make money off the UK too. It is called TWO CAN PLAY THIS GAME. Problem solved.
I think this country is in serious trouble when you have a useless opposition. This gives the government the freedom to do what they want with a big part of voice of accountability aka the opposition cannot protect the citizens. No credibility or hypocrisy at its best . If we need visa access you all to be blame also . $100 grand for passports SMh the China man selling passports or representing us to sell passports SMH. God alone knows how many of you all lawyer party friends benefit from that .
Fedee go suck on an egg! The UK will do what the UK will do and there is nothing you, the UWP, or the SLP can do about it.
Dominic have you seen a dentist of late? You must. This is just an insane suggestion DUMBnix
Gollum go back to your lake
Dum, I hope the SLP will do the same thing Chas did for us. I don’t mean selling our passports and up to now we don’t know the quantity and to whom. I mean having St. Lucians to travel to the US visa free. Oh how great Chas was to us, leaving us to pay 863 million dollars and we don’t know for what.
@Crow well said argument done, well said. So if we have to get Visas to go there …..AND ???? Go and apply, I don’t see an St Lucians been turned down in great numbers if this should happen. Black Bway Feedee have nothing to do……… talking the usual yellow crap about Iranians and Russians…… it’s our CIP not the UK that’s why we will ALWAYS be in a MASSA state of mind. If everyone is going to “arm twist” us red or yellow in regards to CIP, then what the hell is the point in having it.
Old Lucian low grade is the one benefiting from the passport money. U saying basically u don’t care if UK put visa on an entire lucian population who don’t benefit from CIP as long as u benefit! What a sheet person u are!
@Choops sa la….like I have stated “ALWAYS in a MASSA state of mind ” I feel sorry for the likes of you if you are fretting you can’t go England just so anymore what will you do there there there the end on your life as you know it….bye. All my relatives live their for decades and I have NEVER felt the need to visit them. England is not what it use to be in 80s and 90s so I have been told.
@Choops sa la….like I have stated “ALWAYS in a MASSA state of mind ” I feel sorry for the likes of you if you are fretting you can’t go England just so anymore what will you do there there there the end on your life as you know it….bye. All my relatives live their for decades and I have NEVER felt the need to visit them and I still alive. England is not what it use to be in 80s and 90s so I have been told
Jafalli was a mistake. And yes, Iran was a mistake. Our passport has gone to the dogs. Look at the scandal at passport office recently?
St Lucian’s are not losing anything,The United Kingdom is a Sh.t hole ,high taxes ,increasing crime ,their are better places to go .
There are some beautiful stories about Julien Alfred and her exploits. This is more St. Lucian and more beneficial and makes for better discussions, instead of focusing on those nitwits. Seriously.
@Lucian High grade I know your SLP government won’t check your offshore accounts for CIP passport money. But hopefully some other government will. Maybe u will then get your day in the courts and bars.
i have a uk passport and a st.lucian one to. i dont care
@Bad mind Yopy…….woooie shhhh gasa. Missay mate just like to talk people business