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Bath residents turn out to hear Mr. Hensley Daniel |
There was standing room only on Wednesday 17th May 2005 when the Nevis Reformation Party held one in its series of Town Hall Meetings at the Bath Community Center. Residents of Bath Village turned out in their numbers to hear the plans of Hensley Daniel the NRP candidate for St John's as well as to ask a few questions. There were representatives from the Bath Football Team, Netball team as well as many of the youths of Bath Village as many commented that they had never seen so many young people at any town hall meeting.
In his presentation Mr. Daniel spoke specifically of his Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) and the Youth Enterprise Scheme (YES). The Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) he explained is a three part program which speaks to the provision of land to youth at considerably reduced rates as well as the provision for scholarships and training in specific subject areas and provision that a young person under an NRP Government will be a board member on every private corporation board that is run by government. This was greeted with roars of applause from the people in attendance who have been oppressed by the ruling CCM government. He went on to explain that he knows of an estate which is presently being sold for a song of a deal that if he were in government today would buy and then sell to the people of Nevis at significantly reduced rates.
The youth Enterprise Scheme he explained s a program aimed at turning young people into entrepreneurs through training, exposure and start up capital as well as tax incentives to encourage business. He made the point that he had written to the CCM government eleven years ago in 1995 asking them to consider the program which was being implemented across the Caribbean and they never took the time to consider the project. He said under this program young people will be able to make their own money, provide for their own families and the dependence on government and social services would be less. The crowd erupted with applause when he said that under this program (YES) he wanted a young person in Nevis to become a millionaire.
Mr. Daniel also spoke to the revitalization of the fishing sector making the point that the cost to fish in Nevis was too high and was becoming unprofitable because of the squeeze placed on fishermen by government. Mr. Daniel pledged that under an NRP government the squeeze would be released and fishermen would be able to bring in their engines with duty free concessions and the price of fishing wire will come down in NRPs attempt to cut the cost of living. Mr. Daniel made the point that some of Nevis' best fishermen were now presently employed in the construction field because fishing was unprofitable. Mr. Daniel aid his plan was to bring them in from the field of construction and put them back into their first love of fishing.
The crowd looked on in amazement when Mr. Daniel point after point eloquently put his point across for electing him and helping him form a Better and brighter Nevis. Questions and comments were raised regarding the mismanagement of government by CCM, questioning NRP's plans for sport development and how we could curb crime in our community. Many heaped praises on Hensley Daniel but the most ringing endorsement came from a young man named Javier Charles who took over the mike and the podium and pleaded with the people of Bath to look out for Hensley Daniel by voting from him as Hensley was the man who had looked out for the youths of Bath Village. The meeting officially ended at 10:40 p.m. but Hensley was not able to leave Bath until 1:30 a.m. after the young men of Bath Village spent time engaging him outside the community center asking him questions about the future of Nevis and how they could work together to develop Bath Village.
