Asim has Failed
By: Glenroy Blanchette
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Minister Asim Martin has failed to deliver proper representation to the people of East Basseterre. He has been the elected Parliamentary Representative for over fifteen years yet the East Basseterre Community cannot in good conscience say, “Here is a representative in whom we are well pleased.”
Of course, the Minister will disagree with me and perhaps he will try to convince us that he has brought significant development to the East Basseterre Community. However, the overriding question that each resident must ask himself/herself is whether or not their life has been made better as a result of the actions of Minister Asim Martin.
There are several projects that the Minister will quickly point to as his personal achievements.
The construction of the Basseterre Fisheries Complex is one such project. But has East Basseterre residents benefited from the Fisheries Complex? How many residents are working there today? How many residents go there to buy fish? Why do our fishermen have to pay such high fees to use the facility? Is the facility managed by East Basseterre people?
The construction of the Newtown Football Stand is another feather in the Minister’s cap but residents are not happy with what they got. The Stand was finally built after years of broken promises by the Minister and public pressure. The end product has been a disappointment. The players’ dressing rooms are poorly ventilated and the covered stand provides little protection from rain and sun for spectators. The government ignored the advice given by the local contractor.
Today, the Newtown Sports Ground remains poorly developed and largely ignored due to political incompetence. No stands have been constructed to accommodate basketball, netball and lawn tennis players and spectators. The tennis courts, once a prime venue for tennis players throughout the island was allowed to deteriorate due to government neglect and spite. The government has a policy that any thing that was built by P.A.M. must not be maintained. I am again calling on Minister Asim Martin to look after the interests of the young people who patronize basketball, netball and lawn tennis.
The Minister might say that he improved the drainage system of East Basseterre. Really? I am sure if the Minister was spending quality time among his constituents he would be aware of the drainage problems they continue to experience. Newtown becomes flooded every time two raindrops fall. Part of the problem stemmed from the ill-advised covering of the drains along Pond Road and the government’s failure to address surface drainage issues upstream. Residents still need a solution. They will not get one from the Minister for sure.
East Basseterre residents were somewhat happy that Minister Asim Martin was given the portfolio of roads because of the dilapidated nature of community roads. Sadly, they have been disappointed because their community’s road network remains in a terrible state despite the patching up here and there. It is obvious that the Minister cannot adequately address their many concerns. However, they are expecting to see a flurry of activity as the next General Elections approaches.
My advice to the Minister is to go ahead and patch the roads, build a wishy-washy spectator stand, and give out the usual shopping vouchers because this is his last term as the elected representative. The people will elect a new parliamentary representative come the next General Election. They will be voting for real change. They will vote for Glenroy Blanchette.
