Where is the NDP campaign going?

Editor: I’m entirely confused about the direction of the NDP campaign. Earlier they launched plans and policies for women at a press conference at their headquarters. A woman by the name of Kate told of her experiences. It was well intentioned, but absolutely botched again. Whatever the proposals are now a fading memory, given the way in which Anesia Baptiste and Rishatha Nicholls were treated. They need to make amends with these women before they come to the populace and expect to be taken seriously on women’s issues.{{more}}

Then there was the Garifuna debacle. Another worthy cause but again severely botched by the NDP. Right thinking people would not object to the Garifuna people being recognized. Were it left to me me I’d construct a statue of Paramount Chief Joseph Chatoyer somewhere in capital Kingstown, and engrave the names of all the Garifuna wrongfully exiled from our isle. Those people will be posthumously declared honorary citizens. If I want to push it further I’d give a public holiday in their name. But Mr Eustace goes to the USA and has an epiphany. Without consulting the relevant groups or thinking through the situation, makes a bold declaration of honorary citizenship for the Garifuna. We are yet to know the exact parameters of this citizenship or what at all does it mean. Then, he brings Wellington Ramos to insult us and write to international organizations that letter filled with untruths about our sweet and blessed SVG. He should never again be welcomed to our shores. Then, true to the caring qualities of the NDP, they sideline and ostracize Anatol Scott, the mastermind behind the Garifuna-Tourism plan they were using. What a quandary.

Then, they continued to excite the youths at the Community College with this accreditation issue, being dishonest about the fact that the degrees are indeed worth the paper they’re written on. With full knowledge from previous discussions on this issue that what is important is that the degrees are recognized. An external institution such as the UWI or University of Cambridge cannot accredit the local Associate Degrees. Only the local accreditation board can. Further, the accreditation was ongoing! All this went fizzle and pop when Dr Jules Ferdinand stated that he would encourage the students to enrol in the Associates Degree programmes. But when you thought the onslaught on our nation’s youth were at an end, their youth ambassadors are on platform saying that young persons are selling themselves to go to school. What rubbish! It is time we stop viewing the youths as problems to be solved, but as harnessing creative energies and abilities, equipping them to soar with wings unclipped – Dr Ralph Gonsalves. I wonder if they are going to launch a Youth Policy next or a Youth Manifesto like the ULP led the way in doing in 2001? Or maybe a Tourism Plan with this same Garifuna business.

I don’t want to mention the lies and falsehoods they have been spreading, like the millionaires in North Windward, the selling of La Soufriere or Vinlec, secondary school in Mayreau, playing field in Rockies or airstrip in Baliceaux. They are so ludicrous, they speak for themselves. But you launch a health plan showing a new state-of-the-art general hospital design and you have no clue where it will be. How interesting. You estimate the cost to be 75 million EC and you are approaching funding agencies, but you have no quantity survey and cannot say whether this will be for the structure only or for the retrofitting too. But it goes further, you may have to relocate persons from the East St George constituency in order to construct it, even though you still have no clue where it will be built. I’m not even going to mention that this 3D rendering wasn’t even done in AutoCad, so you cannot ascertain the exact specifications of this structure. I mean, a health plan is a good thing. But you botch this too! God forbid that you are elected to government because given how critical the role of government is to our country we can’t afford for you to mess that up too, again!

Kezron JS Walters