Following Dr Anthony's pronouncement that the position of AG will now be a public service appointment; and after a few weeks of speculation, it looks like an announcement is imminent; perhaps as early as this week.
But the question is: Who will it be? I predict she will be a "Saint"! Indeed, we need a Saint to clean - and even to rebuild - the legislative Augean stables which the "Mighty Doddy" left behind as his legal legacy to St. Lucia.
The choice of Doddy as AG was perhaps not representative of the "legal field" in St. Lucia. There is no doubt that we are blessed with an abundance of legal minds and some of them are veritable powerhouses. Prominent ones include David Cox, the Fosters, Thaddeus Antoine, Petrus Compton (who served as AG before) - and I almost said Phillip La Corbiniere!
Arguably and in my humble opinion, Senator La Corbiniere was perhaps one of the best AG's we have known. In his previous tenure, I had reason - in the pursuit of legal counsel on behalf of my ministry - to network with him on a range of legal issues. In retrospect, I have to admit that I was thoroughly satisfied with both his legal and administrative competence as AG and equally the quality of legal advice and guidance he proffered to my ministry.
Senator La Corbiniere's fortitude was once tested in a dispute between my ministry and a High Court Judge. I was highly impressed by his professional approach to the resolution of that dispute. Ever since he made his mark on me! Then there were the consultations on the “Movement of Factors” Bill to facilitate the realisation of CSME where he once again demonstrated his profound knowledge of the law.
But what impressed me most about him was his accessibility. There was hardly a failed attempt in reaching him – perhaps a page that our politicians can take from him.
It's unfortunate that Dr Anthony's policy-shift has rendered Phillip a non-candidate; but I have to admit that the move to de-politicize the post is one in the right direction and must also be applauded - especially in the context of what passed on in the name of AG in recent times.
Now that Senator La Corbiniere no longer holds the portfolio of AG, the question is who might be the “best fit” for that job? Will we see the return of Petrus Compton? Will the Dr Anthony Administration go for one of the high profile city lawyers like Thaddeus Antoine, David Cox or Marcus Foster? Will he go for youth such as Rene Williams (currently employed with Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority) or Maureen John (of John and John from VFort)? What’s about Veronica Barnard (of Richard Frederick and Associates), Ephraigm Edgar, Leslie Mondesir, Alvin St. Clair? Will it be former magistrate Kim St. Rose?
There is no shortage of "legal talent" in St. Lucia. Perhaps, that may well be one of Dr Anthony (and his wife - Professor Rose Marie Belle Antoine) shared legacy to the legal profession in St. Lucia and the Caribbean, generally. In fact, there is a view that our legal profession may well be saturated with lawyers; hence, the choices for AG will be far and wide and my shortlist is only a modest outsider perspective; nonetheless, I am tempted to predict it will be a female who has had experience in both the public and private sectors; and although my list is by no means exhaustive, I will pull a “PowerHouse” rabbit from the hat and boldly predict it may well Kim St. Rose.
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