NDP supporters march against proverty

Supporters of the New Democratic Party (NDP) created a sea of yellow as they flooded the streets of Kingstown during their protest march against poverty on Tuesday, September 27.

With candles in hand, the walkers left Sion Hill and converged on the Kingstown Vegetable Market where the candidates and supporters jumped and pranced in jubilation of the massive turnout. {{more}}

At the event, Party Leader Arnhim Eustace presented the nine new candidates who would be contesting the elections slated for 2006. At times problems with the sound system made it difficult for the candidates to be heard, but overall the message was clearly driven that the Unity Labour Party (ULP) must be voted out of office.

Eustace noted that the Party went through a democratic process to select all its candidates and he was proud to be leading a team of honourable people. He pointed out that his team would do its best to lower poverty through a Basic Needs Programme since it pained him to know that so many mothers would leave their children at home because they couldn’t afford giving them something to eat. He lamented, “I don’t care if George Bush can’t see me or not, but I can see poverty in this country.”

He lamented that the fuel surcharge was at an all time high of 31.1% a rate never before seen in the country and said more needed to be done to help those who would not be able to pay.

The opposition leader also got controversial and read a letter written by Noel Jackson of the National Workers Movement (NWM) who lashed out at the electricity company, Vinlec’s Chief Executive Officer Thornley Myers. In the letter Jackson described Myers as arrogant with a “know-it-all-attitude.”

Wrapping up his address, the opposition leader also called on NDP supporters to give President Chen from Taiwan a special welcome since during the 24 years of relations with that country, 17 years were built on relations with the NDP.

Meanwhile, lone female of the candidates, and the last of the NDP candidates to be presented Advira Bennette was announced. She will be running in the Marriaqua constituency replacing NDP Senator Gerald “Rasum” Shallow to make it a two-woman fight in the Marriaqua Valley.

Bennette, a former manager of the chicken hatchery in Georgetown was of the opinion that “agriculture left much to be desired” and told of an incident where she took some chickens to feed some people when they were going to be discarded.

Bennette complained that there was no market for farmers saying she intended to make her area the food centre for the rest of the country by making the people entrepreneurs and setting up a processing plant. She also outlined that there was a need for a fire brigade, a hospital and a developed playing field in the Marriaqua constituency.

Giving a woman’s touch to the event Bennette, “the yellow buttercup of the valley” also stressed that the country needed to go back to being a nation of love and peace and promised to stand up for her constituents.