News
January 21, 2005

O’Neal: ULP, NDP the same

Ivan O’Neal took a swipe at the Unity Labour Party (ULP) administration and the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), saying he saw no major difference between both parties. He said the NDP during its time in office gave the economy “real blows” and the ULP administration “is doing far worst”. {{more}}He charged that the ULP is pushing up the national debt twice as fast as the NDP did and four times as fast as the St. Vincent Labour Party which preceded the NDP. He charged that the ULP was desperate for money, hence the reason they were imposing taxes on kerosene, diesel and mobile phone cards. He said if the government had collected the millions of dollars from Taiwan there would have been no need to impose those taxes.

Asked the difference between the SVG Green Party, the ULP and the People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) to which he previously belonged, O’Neal said the new party will focus on achieving an environment that is free of pollution, free of violence and free of oppression.

Questioned about the fact that, according to history, third parties rarely get elected, O’Neal conceded. He added that in order for his party to succeed one of the major parties would have to be “pushed down”. He also said there was quite a number of persons who did not vote in the last elections and are now fed up with the ULP administration.

According to O’Neal, the SVG Green Party was conceptualized about six months ago.