BASSETERRE, St. Kitts(SKNLPCU) - Despite claims by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, dr Timothy Harris that the economy is doing well, his PLP/PAM/CCM coalition is drastically cutting back on expenditure and closing down programmes that gave assistance to students, single mothers and poor families.
“This government really believes in deception. It believes that politics is something that you win by doing anything whatsoever to win and so the propaganda is what they have been relying on while there is no performance,” said opposition senator hon Nigel Carty.
He said while Prime Minister Harris claims that revenue collection is up and things are looking better and that the econony is growing, their actions signal that they are cutting back on expenditure.
“The abolition of the People Employment Programme (PEP) by saying that PEP is not a blessing because people are not well trained, they are sending hundreds of young people home to earn nothing – neither money or training,” he said, pointing out that the REACH programme where students get EC$2,500 on leaving high school and going into the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC), has been stopped.
“The Harris Government has stopped this programme at a time when there is a need for more youths to move into post-secondary education. The REACH programme has been cut by Harris and his government. The lap top programme has been stopped. Under the previous Labour Government, high school students have been getting their laptops on an annual basis and this year, we were going to give the sixth graders leaving the primary schools and going to high school their personal laptops,” said Mr Carty, pointing out that that programme has been stopped by the Timothy Harris government.
He said that the recent three percent increase for civil servants, pensioners and ancillary workers, instituted by the Labour Government before it left office, has placed those on minimum wage above the threshold for the deduction of the Social Services Levy, but the Timothy Harris regime has failed to pass the necessary legislation to stop the deduction.
”The government is saying one thing but everything that it does, shows that there is something amiss,” said Carty, further pointing out that the humongous fees against local fishermen is aimed at collecting well needed revenue to cover a short fall and one VAT Day last December curtailed the opportunity of persons to capitalise on cheaper purchasing.” Said the senator, adding:
“Tell me in which country where the government boast of massive economic growth, but passes legislation to collect hundreds of thousands in growth, reduce VAT days, stop the laptop programme, curtail the construction of affordable homes, stopping a programme to assist young people going to college and shutting down an employment programme for young people. Tell me in which country a government is making so much money yet its actions reduce expenditure.”
