Dr Anthony made these statements during Tuesday’s House Sitting, when Parliament met to borrow $11.5 million from the International Development Association to finance the OECS Skills and Innovation Project.

Anthony recalled when his administration borrowed monies to facilitate the redevelopment of the William Peter Boulevard. He explained that the extensive processes stalled the project’s implementation.

“Up to this day, you don't know what projects were financed, what projects were funded, what projects were discarded. Because there were problems in implementation, nobody knows. Nobody knows. A noble and necessary project like the pedestrianisation of the Boulevard, redesigning the whole flow of traffic and cleaning up the city, which is a problem. Nothing ever happened, Mr. Speaker, nothing,” he explained.

The Former Prime Minister says these strict procedures are due to agencies’ distrust of local politicians. Anthony asserts that loan funds should be disbursed directly to the governments of the receiving countries.

“Why do they have to be trusted with implementing projects and programmes which, properly speaking, belong to the realm of government? I don't know what are the internal arrangements for the monies to shift from the OECS onto the ministries of,” he said.

These extensive processes, he says, prevent Saint Lucia from meeting their development goals regionally and internationally. Dr Anthony bemoans the many rules and regulations required to do simple things in the Caribbean.

“We love bureaucracy in these islands, you know. We just love bureaucracy and one of the reasons why Saint Lucia is not performing as well as it should regionally and internationally in key indicators is because we have enmeshed ourselves in bureaucracy. Every living thing is an application. is a rule. We are not seeking ways and means to minimize bureaucracy.”

Dr Anthony is urging the government to work with the public sector to address the implementation deficit so that crucial projects are completed in full.