Williams compares NDP’s plans for Northern Grenadines to blank paper

HOLDING UP a blank sheet of paper, Carlos Williams, the Unity Labour Party’s (ULP) candidate for the Northern Grenadines in the next General Elections, says that is the New Democratic Party’s (NDP) plan for the constituency.

“Friday what is your record? I was wondering and what I came up with is something of this kind,” said Williams while holding up the blank piece of paper.

Williams, who will be contesting his first general election was referring to president of the NDP and Leader of the Opposition Dr Godwin Friday, who he will come up against in the November 5 poll.

He said that Friday lacks vision and the only thing the NDP is speaking about is selling passports.

“Give me your money and I will give you a passport. What you take us for? Now he (Friday) is being advised that our passports should be sold cheaper than the others.

“The people will not accept that. It is out of order. It is out of place…” Williams said.

Speaking during a ULP virtual meeting recently, his first since his candidacy was announced, Williams said he has a vision for the constituency but he is not naïve to the fact that if a change is to take place it is going to be hard work.

He said that Friday has adopted the thinking that people in the Northern Grenadines “are doing okay” but in his opinion, Friday is out of sync with the people in the Northern Grenadines.

“….for far too long…he (Friday) has taken the ferry daily, I have travelled with him between St Vincent and Bequia, sailing away, sailing away from what goes on in the Northern Grenadines, a disconnect,” said Williams.

The politician said that he was told that Friday is doing house-to-house visits on Bequia and to him that shows he is unfamiliar with his constituents.

“It is funny, it is clear to me and it ought to be clear to the people that Friday is not familiar with his constituency, is not familiar with the people of Bequia as he is not familiar with St Vincent and the Grenadines. So he must conduct his house-to-house,” Williams told the virtual meeting.

He said the ULP has a plan for the Northern Grenadines and he is ready to execute that plan and be ready to get rid of petty partisan divisions.

“We must build bridges and no longer will we in the Northern Grenadines be at the tail end of foreign wealth investment. We must believe in ourselves, in our dignity and in our people,” Williams commented.

He noted that he is ready to set up a business council in the Northern Grenadines that is made up of industrious people who will become the think tanks and will represent the interest of villages.

Williams said that this group will pursue projects that will yield jobs across all livelihoods and he will be held accountable.

“Hold Carlos accountable,” he stressed while adding that there is a plan for every village and plans to revitalize the airport and develop the Bequia port area.

He noted also that a modern sea ambulance and rescue vessel will be delivered by the end of this month to the Northern Grenadines while Friday has been drifting like a ship without a rudder for a long time.

“For a very long time, Friday has been asleep at the wheel. For a very long time Friday has taken the people of Northern Grenadines, Mustique and Bequia for granted,” said Williams while noting that much more can be done and it is expected that much more will be done by him.

He said that when the NDP was in power, there were unsanitary conditions in the constituency, no proper toilet facilities, no proper hospital facility while workers were exploited.

“It is time…no more of, ‘I’m not in power but give me a chance’, no more of that,” Williams said.