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