BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE sixth in a series of town hall meetings with Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, held April 21, tabled a number of critical issues with the aim of sketching the government’s development plan for Constituency #5.
A wide cross-section of residents from Sandy Point and surrounding communities turned out to discuss matters of the economy and the way forward for the constituency. Douglas placed much attention on the current economic state, stressing the importance of maintaining a healthy investment climate.
“Despite these challenges, we continue as a people to move very steadily forward. Despite the economic challenges that we face, we have continued to ensure that the economy of St. Kitts-Nevis remains one that is still showing signs of growth, one that is conducive to continued economic activity and investment,” he said.
Guest speaker and candidate of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) for the constituency, Dr. Norgen Wilson, expressed his satisfaction with the success of the meeting, noting that the event had given him a clearer understanding of the way forward.
“From the response seen, I think people are understanding more about the issues that affect them, and they understand that the community has to work together in order to achieve certain things. I liked what I saw—many young persons came forward and showed great interest in sports and agriculture, which is good because these are very basic things we need to rebuild the community,” Dr. Wilson said.
A new police station, public cemetery, re-establishing the public market and strengthening the thrust for agriculture topped the list of prospective projects Wilson viewed as vital to human resource development in the area.
“Sandy Point stands out as a town in St. Kitts. What we have seen over the years is that infrastructural development has been coming, but not at a velocity which is good enough for the town that it is known to be.
“First of all, we have to develop the human resource, and then we can think a lot more about developing our infrastructure. This discussion has been open; we have had dialogue, but I think that this is just the beginning.”
Wilson noted that the recommendations and concerns put forward by the residents of the area would be used as the basis for future development on the condition of him successfully delivering the constituency to the SKNLP in the upcoming elections.
