BASSETERRE ST. Kitts, December 21st, 2012 -- The Dr Denzil Douglas led Labour administration , according to a release issued by the CUOPM, will be launching another employment programme on Friday.
The release stated "The Labour Party Administration has announced that the National Skills Training Programme (NSTP) will, on Friday, launch a People Employment Programme (PEP), which will see the creation of 1,000 jobs in the local economy. According to official information, the NSTP will receive funding from the St. Kitts and Nevis Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF) to make PEP possible."
In 2009 a similar programme called the Youth Empowerment through Skills or YES was launched . Some 500 youths were accommodated by the programme which ended soon after the 2010 elections.
Opposition People's Action Movement Leader the Hon. Shawn K. Richards has labeled the latest Employment Programme as 'political gimmickery".
"The scheduled weekend launch of this new Employment Programme is nothing more than another one of the Political Gimmicks of Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas’ Labour administration, "said Richards.
"In 2004 there was a Jobs programme launched months before the pending election then. In 2009 another similar programme was launched leading up to the 2010 . Today we hear of another such programme which in my view is a clear indication that elections are near as the Labour Administration has in the past only launched such programmes during the lead-up to General Election. We cannot continue to be fooled by these obvious and blatant political gimmicks," Richards lamented.
"This begs the question if only during the lead-up to a General Election do the thousands of unemployed persons in the country need or deserve employment ," Richards continued
The 2 term parliamentarian indicated that the offer of 1000 jobs in the programme confirms the point made by him and the PAM that the unemployment is at a all time high.
"In 2009 500 persons were offered and given employment and training through the YES programme and The fact that 1000 jobs are being offered this time around only helps to add credence to the point that our country's dire economical straits and unemployment has gotten even worse and is yet another clear indication of the failure of the Dr Douglas-Led Labour administration," said Richards
The CUOPM release indicates that the programme will be funded by the SIDF.
Richards commented "Now we are seeing the real reason Dr Douglas created the SIDF fund and why moneys from the sale of a national asset , our passports or citizenship, is funneled directly into the private Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation and not the government consolidated fund or treasury. Our view is that the fund is essentially a "slush" fund that will be used to finance many pre-election and election gimmicks which will be guised as legitimate projects. But I can advise Dr Douglas now that he will need much more than the millions in the SIDF fund to be able to continue to force himself on the people.
His lies, gimmiks and tricks are becoming much to blatant . Last evening I was emailed a photo of a labour party branch constituency meeting which was scheduled by him for constituency#4 and it showed Dr Douglas and one other personat the front of an empty hall. Another indication that his time has expired as his own people seem not to want to hear anything he has to say."
It is widely believed with mounting pressure from within and outside his ruling labour party, the pending "NO CONFIDENCE" motion in parliament and the continued bad economic performance of the country , that Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas will call an early election within the first quarter of 2013.
Photo:
Dr Denzil Douglas sits in front a virtually empty hall at a recently called Labour Party Branch Constituency#4 meeting.
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