Dr Friday joins call for Minister of Agriculture to resign

Area representative for the Northern Grenadines, Dr Godwin Friday is calling for the resignation of Minister of Agriculture and representative for North Windward Montgomery Daniel.{{more}}

Speaking at a town hall meeting at La Croix last Tuesday, September 27, Friday, the Vice President of the Opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), said that the government had not held up its end of the bargain, as the agent charged with the responsibility to control the Black Sigatoka disease, and as Minister, Daniel ought to resign.

Friday also responded to a comment made by Daniel during a Unity Labour Party (ULP) rally at Sandy Bay last Sunday, September 2,5 that as the Minister of Agriculture, he had to accept the responsibility, but was not going to take the blame.

Daniel said that the arrival of the oil for the aerial spraying of bananas had been delayed because the documents prepared for the approval of the purchase of the oil remained on the desk of a worker at the Ministry of Agriculture, instead of being forwarded to the Ministry of Finance.

But Friday responded saying that the banana industry was significant as many farmers depended on it to earn a living.

“And to hear the Ministry of Agriculture, who have taken over the administration of the industry and who would have failed to deliver what they promised,” he said, adding that the government promised to provide the inputs for farmers.

“They are the government, they are elected and we are to take them at their word, and when they fail, they can’t come and say they taking responsibility, but not taking blame – they are to be blamed,” Friday contended.

He continued saying that the Minister was putting the blame on a bureaucrat in his ministry. However, Friday said that Daniel needed to resign, just for making that statement.

“A bureaucrat isn’t elected, he is appointed to do a job. The Minister needs to accept blame. That is his job. Whether he wants to accept the blame or not, he cannot avoid it.”

“People must not settle for that kind of nonsense, stupid talk because that is a catch phrase, the prime minister said it in Parliament and they all copying it, but this is no joke,” Friday said.

The government needed to be held accountable because it failed the people in what Friday termed an inexcusable manner.

“We are dealing with an industry that is the backbone of this country.”

The planes need to get to the fields in a timely manner or else the consequences will be unavoidable, and it does not take a lot of experience to know that, the Northern Grenadines area representative said.

“What they have done is an injustice to farmers, and they must compensate the farmers.”

“This is serious business, this is people’s livelihoods and we must expect better,” Friday said.

“You should pull him up on it…he should be blamed, he should be held accountable,” he contended. (DD)