Sunday 6th May saw the last in a series of public meetings scheduled in the week leading up to the May Day observance organized by the People's Action Movement.
The meetings were an effort to sensitize the public to the gross dereliction of duty on the part of the Denzil Douglas led Labour Administration especially with respect to the treatment of workers and to counter the propaganda campaign of the Labour Party that usually surrounds Labour Day.
The week was a resounding success as the PAM traveled the country and attracted substantial crowds at each meeting where the leadership ably chastised the Government for its criminal negligence of the affairs of state.
The week reached a crescendo in Central Street, Basseterre where residents congregated in their numbers despite a chilly night to listen to the leaders of the People's Action Movement describe in bruising detail just how this country has been mismanaged by this Labour Administration. In what was the longest meeting, the crowd listened attentively even as it was vocal in its response with rousing cheers and applause as points were made while six speakers in turn, took this Government to task for its abject failures in office.
The Hon. Shawn Richards was the crowd pleaser as he displayed his talent for wit and satire while lambasting the Government for repeated deceit of the people of this country for political gain. The crowd roared as the hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers" was given a make " over with the lyrics "only friends and family can march with Dougie, only them and foreigners can get land for free!"
He reminded the crowd of several instances of blatant pandering and lies as he ingeniously came up with reasons that workers can give for refusing to join the Labour Party and march on Labour Day. ~~adz:Left~~
He recalled the promise of bus passes for elderly citizens and advised that they should tell the Prime Minister that since the passes could not be found they were unable to travel to starting point of the march. The crowd favorite was the reference to sugar workers whom he told to tell the Prime Minister that they are afraid of "jumbies" and since he said that the sugar industry would close over his dead body and it is closed he must be a dead man walking!
The Candidate for Central Basseterre, Mr. Roy Fleming, was passionate as he enumerated the daily privations suffered by the residents on account of the lack of real representation. He recalled the difficulties residents have acquiring land to build their own homes while hundreds of acres are being given away to foreigners and the lack of basic services in the community like efficient garbage collection.
He gave a preview of the policy platform of the People's Action Movement which showed just how it is focused on empowerment of the ordinary man rather than having him dependent on handouts. As usual he had documents on hand to show just how badly this Labour Administration betrayed the sugar workers when it precipitously closed the SSMC.
The meeting was wrapped up with a rousing speech by the Political Leader, Mr. Lindsay Grant, in which he described the ways, too numerous to list, in which the workers of this country have been mistreated. He again decried the abuse of non - established workers and Industrial Site workers, who while at the lowest pay scales, have been shamefully left in the lurch as none of the lofty promises for increased pay to a meager $300 per week for the latter and better working conditions such as security of tenure in the civil service for the former have been fulfilled.
He reiterated the support of the People's Action Movement for the police and civil servants who have had to watch while their salaries have lost value due to inflation while this Government has taken a 34% pay hike with the option of review every three years. There can be no doubt that the writing is on the wall for this Labour Administration.
