“If I was to stand here and say that I’m going to have a merry Christmas, I’ll be a hypocrite because my spirit has a weight on it. And that weight comes because of the many sufferings in my community right now,” Fraser said in the House of Assembly recently.

The legislator shared that he lost some members of his community recently, and commented that a ‘weight of sorrow’ troubled him at this time.

According to Fraser, one of the persons who passed away recently held a wealth of knowledge about past events in his community; allowing him (Fraser) to refresh his memory whenever he visited their home in times gone by.

“I’m sure my community is no different from any other community. But I feel my weight, I feel that weight from my community on me,” Fraser expressed.

Fraser also revealed that another member of his district was hospitalised due to illness and shared that he was hopeful they would recover in time for the festive season.

“So, it’s not as simple as some people may have it — enjoy[ing] yourself, having fun. No, it’s not that simple,” Fraser said. “For some of us, these things have meaning and they take a toll on us.”