UNEP gives insight into plans for country if elected

By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

Leader of the UNEP Dr. Henry Browne

The UNEP has indicated that it would be contesting the next general elections, which is constitutionally due by October of this year. The party’s leader, Dr. Henry Browne, told SKNVibes of three areas the organisation holds as priority if the country is to make forward strides.

One of his first steps, he said, would be to level the playing field for non-established government workers, which would put them on par with established government workers.

 “All those people who are on the establishment, so to speak, for all those people hired by the government and working for the government, they will be on a single plane. I would not have established workers and non-established workers, because all work is work. Let me give you an example. There are those on the establishment, after 15 years they will get a pension but there are those who so-called are not on the establishment who have worked for the government for 30 years, albeit in lowly capacity, if they leave tomorrow their benefits are not as good as those in pro rata terms as those who have worked on the establishment for 15 years. That is unwise and it is unkind.”

As Dr. Browne explained, the unlevel plane is unwise and unkind because it opens the proverbial door to potential victimisation by any new government.

“Why I say it is unwise and unkind, because if a new government is to take over tomorrow, forget UNEP, that government might be sufficiently vicious to dismiss all those persons whom Labour took on in 1995 and are not on the establishment. So, how are they going to pay for their homes and lands and so forth?  How are they going to do that?”~~Adz:Right~~

The second area touched on by the UNEP’s leader was that of healthcare. 

“What is the position with all those ordinary poor people in the country who, when they feel pain in their chest and or their abdomen, they don’t have the wherewithal to get proper medical attention; and these are weighty matters which need to be considered.”

Though not the least of the three, Dr. Browne’s final point dealt with the use of land to empower the people of the country while boosting the agriculture sector.

“I have a real big problem with foreigners getting the benefit of our lands while ordinary poor people in the country, who have worked on and for these lands, and money from them was paid for the lands are in a funny street. Whereas, if you reorganise the issue of land tenure and you get your technicians in, you would find the country would be better of giving 10, 12, 15 000 square feet of land. Give them a safety net of tenure and you get your agricultural technicians to advise them; they will be planting a kitchen garden. The net effect of that is you won’t have to be ordering two three tons of onions. You wouldn’t have to be ordering all these lettuce, all these tomatoes, because you can plant them here.  Carrots, you can plant them here, but somebody has to sit down and think the matter through.”