Straker outlines plans for constituents

The most significant issue going forward, for the Unity Labour Party (ULP) candidate for Central Leeward, is that of jobs for his constituents.

And with this in mind, Sir Louis Straker has outlined plans to give constituents a measure of hope.{{more}}

“I know a lot of people here, young people are looking for jobs. And I want to give you a measure of hope, because we have 500 acres at Mt Wynne/Peter’s Hope. We are working hard in order to get a credible investor to invest and build a resort even larger than Buccament Bay so that people here could get employment,” Straker said at a rally held in honour of the ULP’s 21st anniversary in Layou on Sunday.

He said his opponent, the candidate of the New Democratic Party (NDP), said he would create 30 jobs in the constituency.

“…Ben Exeter said that he has four little boys working under him and he would bring 30 jobs. NDP said they would bring 500 in all of St Vincent. I am looking for almost 1,000 jobs in Central Leeward here, because with that resort, we are going to have chefs, wine stewards, food and beverage managers, bartenders…,” he said.

Straker also spoke of plans to build a modern black fish shed at Bottle and Glass, Barrouallie.

“You can’t hang black fish on a pole with flies going on and off. That is not sanitary enough for the outside world and we want to build a modern black fish shed that we can have lights coming through the roof in order to dry the black fish and though I don’t eat it, the black fish must taste sweeter when it is done in a modern way that the people can enjoy.”

Sir Louis, who had represented the Central Leeward constituency from 1994, before stepping down in 2010 to make way for Maxwell Charles, disclosed that in the new year, the ULP will open a major health facility at Buccament Bay, which he claims the NDP is against.

“They say it should have been up in Sharpes or some place. But when you go over there and see the polyclinic that a place like Buccament is getting, I think that it is a hospital. So, when pain strikes you, you don’t have to drive all the way to Kingstown, a doctor will be there to give you your delivery.

“People will be employed and Buccament that was once famous only for tri tri and plum, is now famous for major healthy facility, famous for the resort they have at Buccament, famous for the Buccament Bay Secondary school, famous for the Golden Years Centre, so it’s a major village with a world-wide reputation, thanks to the ULP,” he added.

The veteran politician said the ULP will continue to distribute lands and noted that in the coming months, they will be giving lands to persons in a number of different communities.

He also claimed that during the reign of the NDP, no bus shed was built in that town.

“The first bus shed that has come to Layou, I am the one who got that bus shed. I have two bus sheds in the Straker Resource Centre to get erected in Layou… We hope we can see those two bus sheds put up by the end of the year or early next year,” he said.

Straker, who returned to active politics this year, also disclosed that he had requested that the Government build a pedestrian bridge across the river in Layou.