GDP of National Debt reduced
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - GOVERNMENT workers in St. Kitts and Nevis have been promised an increment on their salaries and wages.
This announcement was made last evening (Jul. 12) by St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister and Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas while speaking at a Full Confidence Rally held on Bank Street in Basseterre.
The rally was organised by the ruling St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party of which Dr. Douglas is the Leader.
“Let me tell you all something. You are getting $320…that is minimum wage, but just on Wednesday my Cabinet has said the time to review salaries and wages is now.”
The news of the increase was met with loud cheers and thunderous applauses from the audience.
According to Dr. Douglas: “It ain’t only the PEP attendees that going get pep in dey step; the civil servants as well . They going get pep in dey step because we believe that this is a movement of the people. We gotta move! We gotta move up! We gotta move forward! And so we want everybody in this country to be pepping in their steps.”
The Finance Minister also gave details of the reported Gross Domestic Production’s reduction in relation to the National Debt.
“I told you all months ago when we had the new economic development plan. I told you that we had to do certain things if we were going to move forward. We said we had to bring down that ‘bamancoo’ debt right down. Gotta come down! Gotta come down! It was 200 percent of GDP. Thank God, last week, it went down to 100 percent of GDP. Now we can move forward.
“And so I emphasise we are moving upward and forward. Comrades, the vision is what they don’t have”, he added.
Before making the announcement of the increment for civil servants, Dr. Douglas talked about the ongoing global financial challenges which have caused instances of recession.
“All over the world banks are closing down, big, big businesses are closing, housing markets collapse in America. It affect Europe, Africa, Asia; all over the world being affected by the global financial and economic crisis. Hospitals close down in the United States of America as if they closing a store. Schools being closed down because the US Government has no money to continue to keep them open.”
The Finance Minister went on to speak about his government’s move to have the People Employment Programme (PEP) amidst the worldwide financial challenges.
“What does St. Kitts and Nevis do? We came here seven months ago and we announce to the world that we will want to bring opportunities to our young people, and we launched the People Employment and Empowerment Programme. We said we are going to bring pep into the step of young people.
“Today, you try to get into de bank you got to be in a line outside. De youths dem in dere ah change dey cheque. Youth empowerment under Labour! That’s what it’s all about.”
Dr. Douglas praised his administration for being visionary which, he claimed, has led to financially empowering the people.
“Visionary, people-connected, caring, understanding what we have to do to take us where we want to go. Labour is what is doing that! And today 2 000 young people and others, among them, over hundreds I would say, women, involved in that. Each of them now able to have their own pay cheques.”
