BLUEPRINT FOR GROWTH: SOME HIGHLIGHTS

Amidst a widespread and dangerous flu pandemic which threatens to level St. Lucia, the SLP has lighted our hearts with a brilliant, star-powered Manifesto. And all of a sudden, St. Lucia is breathing hope again. The Ti Canal paradigm of development which gave crumbs to constituents and fatten the pockets of the crooked politicians is about to disappear from the face of St. Lucia. Criminal ministers and the never-ending flouting our laws with impunity will soon end. St. Lucia is on the brink of the return of normalcy.

The manifesto is appropriately titled “Blueprint for Growth” and everything in it points toward G-R-O-W-T-H.

Forget UWP’s barrage of TV Ads; they are like plasters on sores. They know they have failed St. Lucia miserably and they know they don’t deserve another term in office!

Here are some highlights from the “BLUEPRINT FOR GROWTH”

JOBS: OUR NUMBER 1 PRIORITY

Through an effective combination of short term employment activities, an active public sector investment programme, the strategic use of incentives to encourage local investments, and the creation of an environment that attracted foreign direct investment, the SLP was able to reduce unemployment from 25% in 1997 to 14% in 2006.

Incompetent management by this UWP government has caused unemployment to rise once again.

                                                                                                                                                            A major priority of our government will be the creation of jobs.

                                                                                                                                                           Our Party will translate its comprehensive Employment Activation Programme (LEAP) into a National Initiative to Create Employment, dedicated to creating and finding jobs for Saint Lucians.

AGGRESSIVE RECONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME

Our Party views the reconstruction of our country as an immediate priority.  It is shameful that almost one year after the passage of Hurricane Tomas large sections of our country’s damaged infrastructure have not been repaired or rebuilt.

                                                                                                                                                            An SLP government will immediately inject an amount of $100 million into the economy to stimulate job creation and reconstruction. We will embark on an aggressive Post-Tomas reconstruction programme to put hundreds of Saint Lucians to work repairing our roads, bridges and damaged infrastructure.

IMMEDIATE RESUMPTION OF STEP

Our government will immediately reinstate the Short Term Employment Programme (STEP) to provide relief to the hundreds of men and women who have not been able to earn a living for almost five years.

STEP will be year-round in those communities that have been hardest hit by the recession and UWP mismanagement.

We will redesign and improve STEP so that it can also cater to those people who can be trained to find alternative employment.  The SLP will re-engage the private sector in a new public private sector partnership for job creation.

The SLP will re-engage the private sector in a new public- private sector partnership for job creation.