DID LIGHTNING STRIKE BOUSQUET?

Look at Bousquet’s photo below. Does it look like him?

A DISFIGURED BOUSQUET

Note the swelling of his cheeks. If you look carefully enough, you will also see swellings around his eyes. Lately, he has been invariably hiding the left side of his face from the camera because of an eruption of rash.

Bousquet is losing everything, including his good looks. Bousquet is struggling hard to stay afloat and perhaps alive!.

Bousquet has no legitimacy to speak on moral issues. He has fooled the people of Choiseul/Saltibus for too long and we will no longer allow this to continue.

Compared to Fergy’s impressive achievements during the Labour Government, Bousquet’s achievements equals zero: not even the Saltibus/Gertrine Road which was earmarked for repairs by the SLP was done. Not one school was built; no improvement to the water supply; health services are terrible; unemployment sank to an all-time low. Yet they have the audacity to boast about 4.4% economic growth. Where are the proceeds of that growth?

Bousquet, (like Richard) is not fit to be a candidate. Where in the Caribbean would Ministers whose diplomatic and personal visas were revoked be eligible to run for parliament? Where in the world, would a jail bird like Bousquet who is persona non grata in the US be eligible to run for parliament? Convicted criminals like Bousquet should never be legislators; they belong to Bordelais. The POWERHOUSE is not comfortable with criminals running for political office.

LABOUR MANIFESTO HIGHLIGHTS

The SLP MANIFESTO HAS BEEN UNVEILED. IT COMPRISES 8 SECTIONS. THEY ARE:

Message by the Political Leader

The Foundation: Our Economic Development Programme

Pillar 1:  Our National Security Programme

Pillar 2:  Our Human and Social Development Programme

Pillar 3:  Our Infrastructure Development Programme

Pillar 4:  Our Sustainable Development Programme

The Building Blocks:  Our Youth Development Programme

The Roof:  Our Governance Programme

Today, we publish the Message by the Political Leader:

My fellow Saint Lucians

The Saint Lucia Labour Party is honoured to have the opportunity to share with you our Blueprint for Growth, our policies and plans for Building a Better Saint Lucia.

A Drop in Standing

Much has happened since our party last held the seat of government in Saint Lucia. Our citizens have had to suffer through what is easily the worst period in our country’s recent history.  They have seen the tremendous strides that were made in the period leading up to 2006 almost completely erased by a directionless and selfish government, devoid of ideas and lacking in capability, credibility and integrity.

Our people have witnessed our once proud country drop from being one of the most respected and admired nations in the Caribbean to becoming the subject of unflattering, embarrassing reports from foreign governments and international agencies.

For the last five years, Saint Lucians have had to bear the constant humiliation of regular scandals involving members of this UWP government who often have found themselves on the wrong side of the law - locally, regionally and internationally

Few Positive Developments

Most Saint Lucians agree that there have been very few positive developments in our country in the last five years.  No new schools have been built.  Labour’s promise of Universal Health Care has been killed by this government. Our national housing stock has remained stagnant.  Our roads and bridges, which have been in a deplorable state for the last four years, are now being hastily patched as part of a desperate election campaign.

Large sections of our country that were damaged by Hurricane Tomas have still not been repaired. Our fiscal situation has deteriorated alarmingly, yet the UWP persists with its reckless spending and ill-advised projects.  Crime continues to be a major problem for our country, and under this UWP government, Saint Lucia’s homicides rate hit a frightening new record high.

Building a Better Saint Lucia

The party that forms Saint Lucia’s next government has to focus on building a better, stronger, more resilient Saint Lucia for everyone.

Our Party believes that the goal of Building a Better Saint Lucia is similar to the task of constructing a strong home that can offer shelter and security in good times and bad, while at the same time

provide a nurturing environment to allow its residents to grow to their full potential.  This is why we are calling this manifesto Our Blueprint for Growth.  It contains the plans, policies and programmes that will allow us to build a better, stronger nation.

Our Blueprint for Growth

We believe that the first step in Building a Better Saint Lucia involves strengthening our economic foundation. Therefore, a major goal of the next SLP government will be to develop a robust and re-energized economy. A strong economy will anchor the development of all the other sectors and facilitate the provision of a wider range of services to our citizens.

Our development plan will be supported by four major pillars, namely (i) National Security; (ii) Human and Social Development; (iii) Infrastructure Development; and (iv) Sustainable Development.

The youth are the building blocks of our plan.   A Saint Lucia Labour Party government intends to consult regularly with our young people to develop a comprehensive range of programmes to unleash the enormous talents in our youth and help them deal with the various challenges that confront them.

The final element of our plan is our Good Governance programme, which will provide protection for our citizens and create a favourable environment for them to succeed in their endeavours.

The SLP - An Improved Party

The Saint Lucia Labour Party comes to you a better party than we were in 2006.  We understand that every experience must be used as an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to get better. We have used our period in Opposition to connect with Saint Lucians across the length and breadth of our country.

You told us about the many good things that we started that you want continued. We have heard from you about the things with which you were not pleased. You also shared with us your ideas for new and different ways to make our country better.

We have listened and we have taken note and we come to you prepared to work even harder to make life better for you and your families.

A Joint Approach

We have also taken a different approach to the development of our plans.  The SLP recognizes that for there to be lasting and meaningful change in our country, everyone must be engaged. We cannot do it on our own.  This is why in developing our manifesto we invited citizens from all walks

of life to contribute their ideas and their dreams for Building a Better Saint Lucia.  This has resulted in a manifesto that we believe is representative of the dreams and aspirations of all Saint Lucians.

A Long Term Plan

The goal of nation building is a long-term exercise.  While we are confident in our ability to make immediate improvements in many important areas, we understand there are no quick fixes to several of the problems facing us. Therefore, in this document we depart from the practice of presenting a five-year manifesto and instead we set out our long- term goals and objectives for national growth and development.

An Invitation to You

The Saint Lucia Labour Party takes its responsibilities very seriously and we understand that we must always respect the confidence and the trust that you place in us. As the Political Leader of the SLP, I give you my word that our party will govern with honesty, integrity, dignity, competence and efficiency.

We believe that citizens must always hold their government to a high standard and we intend to set and maintain that standard.

We know that our country and our people have tremendous potential and it will be our goal to help bring out that potential.

We are confident that with inspired leadership, good governance and the help of all committed Saint Lucians we can create a strong, resilient and successful country.

We invite you, therefore, to join us in building a better Saint Lucia

I thank you. Yours sincerely,

Dr. Kenny D. Anthony

Political Leader

LABOUR LAUNCHES MANIFESTO

INTRODUCTION 

LABOUR’S EMPLOYMENT ACTIVATION PROGRAMME - LEAP

Inject $100 million immediately into the economy for job creation and reconstruction activities.

Provide an Employment Tax Credit for new companies that create a minimum number of jobs above a specified salary level.

Stimulate the growth of the local business sector and increase its employment generating capacity by reducing the rate of Corporate Tax and providing incentives to facilitate greater competitiveness and export-readiness.

Encourage new employment opportunities by exempting Small and Medium Size start-up companies from the payment of tax for their first 5 years.

Establish a Land Bank to provide land for agriculture and food-related services.

Create immediate employment by undertaking the comprehensive rebuilding of our country’s infrastructure that was damaged by Hurricane Tomas.

Introduce a grant programme for businesses to encourage them to provide on-the-job workplace skills training for secondary school students.

Develop the Creative Industries to create exciting new employment areas.

Create a Renewable Energy sector to generate employment at all skill levels.

Develop the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector and make wireless internet freely available in all community centres so that the power of technology can be harnessed for economic development and employment creation.

Initiate a Home Help Programme for the Elderly to provide employment for Single Mothers.

Re-establish STEP to provide employment for people who have difficulty finding employment in the established sectors.

Create more jobs by reviewing our investment regime and re-engineering our business services to make Saint Lucia a more attractive place for investment.

Establish a Job Placement Centre that will match available skills with local and regional demand for labour.

Provide support for private sector youth entrepreneurship initiatives like the Junior Achievement Programme and the Saint Lucia Youth Business Trust.

Increase the availability of technical and vocational training in our formal school system and ensure that during their time in Secondary School our young people acquire the necessary soft skills, analytical skills, entrepreneurship skills, and professional skills.

Upgrade existing vocational training centres and develop new centres in rural communities.

Ensure that more Saint Lucians are trained to Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) level and are able to compete for attractive jobs regionally and internationally.

Provide support to CARE and help them to establish a fully-resourced Learning Centre to assist at-risk youth and young people who need a second chance.

Introduce a National Youth Mentoring Service to provide guidance to young people.

THE PERFECT PUBLIC MEETING . . . AS LORNE UNVEILS HIS SOCIAL CONTRACT IN LA MAZ!

Perhaps, all candidates – including his opponent Rufus Bousquet - should consider taking a page out of Lorne’s political playbook for public meetings – albeit, it is unwritten.

PENSIVE, THINKING LORNE BEFORE HIS DELIVERY

I have been following political meetings “for ages” and never have I witnessed a political meeting that was so inspirational and so enlightening.

Perhaps, it had to do with the setting at La Maze (Choiseul) on the night of the meeting. Lorne’s bosom supporter – Mr Anthony “Derek’ Francis passed away 3 night before the meeting and the community was obviously still in mourning.

CREATIVE ARTISTRY WITH LORNE'S POSTERS

Hence, the meeting began appropriately with a minute of silence and a small tribute, as a mark of respect to Derek and his family. This was followed by prayers.

The first speaker was a local hero and he started his presentation with a hymn being played in background. He went on to do a dissection of the community problems facing La Maze, Montete and Roblot and went on to make recommendations for their amelioration.

MORE CREATIVE ARTISTRY: CAN YOU OUTDO THEM?

He was followed by a retired public servant who worked in the health sector. She enlightened the audience with a presentation on the state of health in the country. She singled out St. Jude’s hospital as being central to the health sector in the South and implored the government to deal with its rehabilitation with a greater sense of urgency. She also spoke about the economy, universal health care, care for the elderly and the provision of social services. Other speakers also made contributions.

A SECTION OF THE CROWD IMMERSED IN LORNE'S MESSAGE

Then, it was Lorne’s turn. He spoke comprehensively on a number of wide-ranging issues. Obviously, he has developed a profound awareness of the critical areas of development both within his constituency and at the national level – areas such as health care, education, agriculture, infrastructural development, youth and sports, the economy, tourism and the social services, among others.

ANOTHER SECTION OF THE CROWD

Lorne told the well-attended meeting (comprising mostly members of the community) that he has been on the ground non-stop for more than 500 days, during which time he has listened to the people’s problems and issues of development. He thanked them for opening their doors and letting him in.

He said, in a mellow, erudite tone:

 “I have listened to your problems; I have taken them and analysed them carefully; and I have transformed them into a vision and development plan for our constituency”.

He continued: “I do not seek perfection; none of us is perfect . . . I seek to make a good constituency better”; and the crowd roared. Somebody whispered to me “Is he a little Obama?”

Indeed, his oratory was brilliant but conversational, quiet and self-effacing. He was not talking down to the people; he was engaging them in a profound conversation.

The brilliant city attorney who has a vast family network in Choiseul/Saltibus drew an important parallel between legal and political representation and pledged to bring into politics the same quality of representation that he affords to his clients: “My clientele is a microcosm of my constituency; I will do for you what I do for my clients and I pledge to do it even better. I am Lorne Theophilus, one of us for all of us!”

For an hour and half, the audience listened to him as he unveiled his “social contract”! You could hear a pin dropped. There was no mépwi, no roro, no bad blood; not one criticism of Tucker, not for once mentioning his name! Lorne Theophilus was truly honourable and we look forward to him being overwhelming crowned by the people of Choiseul/Saltibus with the honour of parliamentary representative.