Tuesday 2nd December, 2014, 2014 - A comprehensive program of development for the people of Central Basseterre was outlined on Monday night, (1st December, 2014), by the Deputy Leader and candidate for the People’s Action Movement, and member of the joint opposition group, Team Unity, lawyer Jonel Powell.
The agenda was presented under the theme, “Better Days are Coming.”
In what many are calling one of the most progressive and unique style of campaigning, Powell unveiled a long list of programmes, policies and initiatives that he hopes to pursue, on behalf of the residents of the constituency when he is given the chance by the people to represent them in the National Assembly of St. Kitts and Nevis, after the upcoming elections, now expected for the first 60 days of 2015.
Many in attendance complimented the candidate for the clear vision that he outlined, saying it was the first time this has been done by any candidate, and that it shows just how prepared he was to take up the mantle of leadership for the district.
He told a packed audience of over 200 persons from the constituency and few others from nearby political districts that “today we are living in a country that is struggling to find its way and is heading in the wrong direction.” But he assured them, that they should have no worry because his campaign is about People Caring for People and that Better Days are Coming!
He said it was his personal mission to help others and to give something back to the place where he was born.
“Our party has always believed in the mantra of “Putting People First”. And I promise you, if you elect me as your next Member of Parliament, my service will be centered on “People Caring for People”.
“I have come here tonight to outline my vision…my plans for the future development of Central Basseterre. I have also come here to reflect on some of the great achievements that we of this party have made while we were in office. But more importantly, I hope to illustrate the benefits of working together, as one people with a common cause,” said Powell.
Program of Revitalization
Powell pointed out that the time has come for his generation to take the mantle and continue the great fight on behalf of his people. “If you elect me as the new Member of Parliament, I pledge that there will be a Program of Revitalization for Central Basseterre. We must re-energize Central Basseterre.”
The candidate suggests that in the pursuit of this program of prosperity the first task must be to tackle crime and violence.
He said we need to end this vicious cycle of murders and shootings and again create a community that is free from fear and not worried about who will be next.
He said the police too must adopt a more harmonious approach when dealing with some of young men. “Too many innocent ones complain about police harassment and ill-treatment. If we want the community to help, we can’t abuse them.”
“Crime must not be a political football and we all must blow the final whistle on this attitude because the success of our collective efforts depends on a united community approach.”
He said a safer community in Central Basseterre is critical for its prosperity and development.
Moving forward, Powell indicated that if elected he intends to undertake the following:
URBAN RE-DEVELOPMENT
He said Central Basseterre needs an urban redevelopment program to rid he area of the over 500 old and abandoned buildings and empty fields that not only make it unsafe and a haven for criminals but also unsightly.
Working with the owners, the funding will be found he said to replace these with new structures of affordable homes and businesses. Instead of always clearing cane fields to build low income houses for some of the people, those who wish to remain in their area, the same money could be directed to renovate and rebuild the facilities they already own and occupy.
A massive effort will also be made to clean up the empty lots as part of a beautification initiative.
Basseterre Ferry/Bus Terminal
Part of the process of urban re-development will be a new bus and ferry terminal. There is no doubt that Central Basseterre is the gateway to St. Kitts, via sea. It is also the main vein of public bus transportation. Sadly we have one of the least attractive water fronts and it is time to correct this.
If elected as the Central Basseterre Representative, I will spearhead the re-development of the ferry/bus terminal, said Powell.
Central Basseterre Centre of Innovation
The people of Central Basseterre are in desperate need of jobs and business opportunities. This problem of unemployment is growing and urgent steps are needed to create new opportunities especially for our young.
Powell therefore is committed to creating a Central Basseterre Centre of Innovation, which will provide assistance to our old and young who are innovators, entrepreneurs, and researchers to launch new businesses and secure access to funds from private and public sources.
The Centre will include computer labs providing training for young people develop creative 21st century computing skills, such as coding, app design and network building and management.
The focus of the Centre will be on entrepreneurship and capacity building for young people within the community. This will truly be a PEOPLE EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM and not a PEOPLE BEGGING A WUK PROGRAM.
Help will be offered to those with car-washing businesses, vendors, store owners, shop keepers, tailors, hairdressers, contractors, painters, landscapers, mechanics, day cares, and all other types of establishments.
Within 100 days of coming to office Powell will convene a special meeting of all small business owners and those who want to be entrepreneurs. This will be the first step to compile a data base of business owners and to begin the process of helping them to start or strengthen their enterprises. The focus will be on the development of Business Plans, sourcing loans and grants, book-keeping, marketing and management practices and computer skills.
PUBLIC BATHS
Powell expressed his concerns over the fact that old grand-mothers and young teenage daughters of Prickley Pear Alley have to suffer the indignity of bathing in a public bath.
Why is this happening in the 21st Century?
But I say to the people of Prickley Pear Alley, have courage; Better Days are Coming!
If elected as your new representative I will do two (2) things about the problem. The first will be within 90 days of taking office, said Powell.
One, I will take my first salary and donate it to the Department of Social Welfare, to provide running water and to build a brand new bath and toilet facilities, for the most deserving and needy person or family in Prickley Pear Alley.
He said “I will have absolutely no say in who that family will be; that will be left up to the experts in Social Welfare to identify and use whatever is the best criteria, to determine who will be that recipient. It will not matter which party they voted for or supported.”
“Secondly, I will work with, and lobby my colleagues to devise a more comprehensive plan for other residents in the constituency to use available funding to assist all residents who do not have running water in their homes and by extension, private bathroom facilities.”
He asked, “If we can use hundreds of millions from Social Security and SIDF to give to foreign investors then why can’t we use a few millions to provide running water and eradicate these public baths?”
EDUCATION
Powell said Experts have long held the view that citizens who are better educated, are less likely to engage in violent crime and violence. That is why a new approach to education is needed.
It was Nelson Mandela who said “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”
It shall be my effort to work with relevant groups and government agencies to ensure that the pursuit of education by our youth is a priority. We need, and I will work to ensure that we reduce the number of high school drop-outs from our constituency.
With respect to the Irish own Primary School Powell said he will work with parents, especially struggling single moms and dads, who are finding it hard to meet the high cost of education.
To help, he will provide scholarships for books, uniforms and for the high school students, scholarships for overseas exams will also be provided.
So too will he develop an “after-school” home work program to help those primary and high school students who are challenged with their class work.
For those students seeking university education and a student loan, it will be his effort to fight on their behalf for better interest rates and terms and conditions, especially from our Development Bank.
“Too many of our students are drowning in loan repayments they can’t afford. They complain that the stiff loan policies of the banks are keeping them in a state of poverty. We must make it easier for our students and I shall work to make it more affordable,” vowed Powell.
In terms of sports assistance for the school, Powell will work with the Sport Department and former athletes in all disciplines, to develop a pool of volunteer coaches who could work with the students and teachers, to help prepare them in the fields of athletics, basketball, football, cricket and netball.
Similarly he will support their participation in elocution and effective speaking competitions and carnival, so that the schools in the constituency, Including Maurice Hillier and Dr. Williams Connor Primary, but especially Irish Town, can once again be number one.
One other area of assistance to be given to our young students is a Breakfast Program. “I am advised that too many of our students at Irish Town, especially those from very poor families, go to school without a proper meal at mornings. This has to stop,” said Powell.
“I will work with the school management, the PTA and groups in the area to help develop and fund a daily breakfast initiative, quite similar to what the PTA at the Washington Archibald High School has been doing so successfully.”
He said all these are important to him because if we are serious about building a future, we must take care of the people who will lead that future…our children of today.
Powell reminded that it was the great philosopher Aristotle who said, “Good habits formed at youth make all the difference.”
RECREATION & COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
Powell said there is great need for us to lift the community spirits of the people of Central Basseterre. We need to feel proud again about ourselves for the right reasons.
“We need to give more assistance to our artistes, sportsmen and women, and to take more pride in the way our community looks, while also making life more comfortable for residents.” He said the following will be implemented when elected:
• Establishment of two new community centres one to cater to the people in Pine Gardens and New Road and the other in Market Street, Dorset and Soho.
He will spearhead the re-development of the old and destroyed Mutual Improvement Society building (the MIS Hall) on Market Street to turn it into a community centre that can be used for meetings, classes, training in dance and music, hosting of elocution and effective speaking competitions, debates, small weddings, religious activities and public forums.
• Pine Garden Bus Shelter: For too long the people of Pine Gardens have been made to wait in the hot sun and sometimes rain, as they await their public transportation. They have been ignored when they ask for help.
He said he is ready to help them. And within three months of being elected as the Central Basseterre representative he will build a bus shelter for the people of Pine Garden. This will be his first community project said the candidate.
• New Playfield: There is more for the people of Pine Garden. They, along with New Road will see the establishment of a shared playfield to help develop their sports men and women, in cricket, football, basketball and netball.
• Sports Festival: Given the wealth of talent we have in Central Basseterre, Powell said the time has come for a major Sports Festival. This will be the Mini-Olympics for Central Basseterre. It will include athletics, tennis, football, netball, basketball, cricket, and baseball or Soft Ball (involving mainly our brothers and sisters from Santo Domingo).
Gardens Housing Project
Powell said “I wish to let the people who live at the Gardens Housing Project know that Better Days are Coming for them as well and he intends when elected to do three things”:
1. We shall work to improve the physical conditions of the complex.
2. We will move forward to make plans for the tenants to become owners of their apartments.
3. We will work with the tenants to establish a co-op system that shares the cost in the regular upkeep and maintenance of the complex.
It is time the people of the Gardens Housing Project to get some relief and assistance, said Powell.
HABITAT FOR OUR ELDERS
He said it is time for us to give back to the senior citizens in our community. They have worked long and hard to build this community and many in their golden years, live in conditions that are deteriorating. These are the same persons who have, and some still do, continue to pay into the coffers of our social security and housing funds.
“I will establish our own habitat for humanity program to help the elderly in areas of health care, food distribution, improved housing or living conditions and recreational activities”, said the Central Basseterre candidate.
While closing, Powell said that the people of Central Basseterre are saying that last election, they made a mistake when they placed their trust in someone who has now abandoned them and forgotten about their problems and struggles and now that they are hurting that person is never available.
“The good news is that, an election is coming and we will have the chance to correct the mistake. No more election time representation. It is time for full time representation.”
For those constituents who are still unsure about who they want to vote for, Powell said But I know there are some of you who may still be unsure who you want to vote for, he wishes to ask them the following questions:
Do you think our country is heading in the right direction?
Do you think it is time for new leadership?
Do you want a better life?
Do you want lower taxes on VAT, electricity, cable television, medicine and food?
Do you want to have more money in your pockets?
Based on your answers he said, then that is your reason to change the government and vote for Jonel Powell. “If you don’t this and the government is returned to office this is what will happen”:
1. More countries including those in Europe will follow England and Canada to place more visa restrictions on us;
2. Electricity rates will increase;
3. Cooking gas will increase;
4. Water will go up;
5. Cable Television will increase;
6. Income Tax will return; and they have already discussed this as a plan to raise more revenue;
7. Hospital fees will increase, even further;
8. VAT will increase;
9. There will be more government lay-offs, just as they did at Port Authority and other government agencies after the last elections.
“For those who hate the current political system, help us improve it. But let us start by removing the government,” said Powell.
We will be a government that will have Integrity in Public Life, Term Limits, Reduced VAT on certain foods and medicines, lower taxes, Fixed
Election Dates, Freedom of Information, and a return of our sugar lands to the people.
This must be enough for you to vote for change and Jonel Powell, said the candidate.
The meeting was held at the PAM Central Basseterre Constituency Office located on Cayon Street and Thibou Avenue. Remarks were also made by Deputy PAM leader and Member of Parliament for Cayon, St. Peters, Keys and Conaree, Eugene Hamilton and former PAM leader and candidate for Constituency Number Four, Lindsay Grant.
The newly elected Chairman, Lester Hanley and Deputy Chairman Azziwah Niles, of the Central Basseterre Branch addressed the meeting which was chaired by PRO Leevar Flanders and Mrs. Avenice Jeffers-Thompson. The new executive was also introduced to the membership.
A powerful tribute in poetry was rendered by a constituent, Ms. Kimi Lee Knight who produced the best results in the recent CXC exams. The vote of thanks was offered by former Deputy Branch Chairperson, Hazel Webster, while the invocation was delivered by Pastor Jason Moses.
The event was carried live on WINN FM and streamed on MiyVue.com.
PAM…Moving Forward in UNITY!
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