BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LINDSAY GRANT, the People’s Action Movement candidate for Constituency Number Four in the imminent General Elections, has promised citizens of St. Kitts that lands would be sold at drastically reduced rate as long as he secures a seat in the Federal Parliament.
This promise is one among many he had made during the 2010 election campaign which did not bear fruit, as he was unsuccessful in winning the seat he contested.
At the political party’s public meeting held in Old Road on Thursday night (May 2), Grant reiterated his promise, stating that lands would be sold at 99 cents per square foot once he is elected into office.
"I promised you in 2010 you were going to get land for 99 cents per square foot, and I said that because...if Stanford could get land for 68 cents 'round by the airport, Old Road people must get land for 99 cents. I want to tell you, land for 99 cents is still on the table."
Grant said that voting for him means that the morning after election, as long as there is a unity government that he is a part of, " your life, your children's lives and your grandchildren's lives are better off" because that is the type of government that is needed.
Speaking exclusively to SKNVibes following the meeting, Grant explained that while the selling of lands for that price would not do justice to the public debt, it would however reap rewards as it would not only allow citizens to pay for the lands sooner, but generate economic activity.
"On the surface it looks as if it is not doable. You have to look at the strategy. When you give the ordinary man and woman land right now, they pay about four to five dollars per square foot and they take about 15 to 20 years to pay off for it before they can start to build.
“What we are saying is...if we give you for 99 cents you are able to go to the bank almost immediately and say, 'Look, I want to build.' And that is going to stir economic activity. It is going to create jobs, it is going to generate money for the building places because there would be need for materials and so on. So there would be economic activity.
"So the 99 cents as against four to five dollars...we are creating an economic environment that is going to bring growth in the country and at the end of the day. A country needs growth to develop and that is the idea behind it.
"By getting land for 99 cents, you are able to stir immediate economic growth."
