The main opposition New Democratic Party says that advertisement to recruit management staff for the Argyle International Airport is expected to trick voters.
The state-owned International Airport Development Company said last week that the long-delayed airport, which has missed construction deadlines annually since 2011, will be completed this year.
The company has published, in some elements of the media, advertisement to recruit staff for two state firms that will manage the airport.
Head of the IADC, Rudolph “Rudy” Matthias told the media on Thursday that the government wants to have the management team for the airport in place by November, to help to put systems in place to have the airport ready for operations before year-end.
But NDP Vice-President and MP For the Northern Grenadines, Godwin Friday said on Saturday that the advertisements are a trick.
“I wonder if them people really see the airport, what condition it in? Who are they fooling? Who are they fooling? You want to tell me, you pass by here everyday. No lights on the runway, the Yambou River they ain’t span it yet, they ain’t fix the sea defenses and they advertising for jobs in November,”Friday told an NDP rally in Langley Park.
“But you know it is a trick because what they want to do, they want to give you the impression that they finishing the airport before they call the election.
“But that is a lie and anybody who tells you that is a liar and they are going to try to make fools of us and we must not allow them to do it,” Friday told the event held to launch the NDP’s Youth Empowerment programme for North Windward.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has said that he will call general elections this year, ahead of the March 2016 constitutional deadline.
“We mustn’t allow people to make fools of us. If you come to me and you say, ‘I miss the target date again, I can’t do it’, I might chastise you, but at least I will say you are telling the truth.
“But don’t come to me with a lie. And what they are saying that they are going to fly a plane in here sometime in November, which is probably what they would do, they could fly a plane in there now.
“That don’t (sic) mean the airport finish. So don’t let them make fools of us to tell us that airport going finish in November 2015. Nobody, no serious person believes that.
“And if the ULP acolytes want to take that and swallow it, well that is for them. But for us, thinking people, for people in the New Democratic Party and people throughout this country who think about things before they make decision, they will know that they telling them a lie,” Friday said.
Construction of the EC$700 million airport began seven years ago.
Matthias said last week that the airport will become operational by year-end, but said that some work will remain even after this phase.
“… there will be some things going on out there. As everybody knows, there is no project that is ever finished. There is always something to be done after,” he told reporters.
Related:
The whole thing is an Everest of lies by a fiscal dunce that could not clime a dung heap.
Peter,
You make everyone around the world call us Vincentians Fu****G stupid.
Time will tell us whether this is a trick ; However , it would be stupid , politically for the Government & the IADC would Publicly advertise positions for Posts at the Argyle International
Airport ; if there was not positive assurances that the Airport would be ready prior to the end of
the year .
My take is that Mr. Friday has jumped the gun ; and may likely end up with eggs on his face .
The NDP , it appears are very fearful that the Airport will indeed be finished by the end of the year . Its Members are trying to whip up a Frenzy , regarding the Argyle International Airport .
Let me remind the Members of the NDP , that they had an opportunity to build an International
Airport when they were in the Government of SVG . Evidently they did not believe or think
that it was important to build an International Airport .
By not building an International Airport , they presented the ULP , with a Golden opportunity to build an International Airport . Let me reiterate an undeniable fact ; had the NDP built an
International Airport , when its Members were in control of the Government , It would have cost less , and the Country would have had more Tourists dollars , Hotels & development .
I am looking forward to the Members of the NDP responses , when the ULP cite the above to them . My take is that , the NDP is going to get hammered regarding the Airport . The NDP
should have realized , that not building an International Airport , would come back to haunt them one day . That day is soon going to be here .
VERIDICAL
“As everybody knows, there is no project that is ever finished. There is always something to be done after.” Says Dr Rudy Matthias, CEO of the IADC and the man charged with delivering the largest-ever infrastructure ‘project’ in the history of this country. Heaven knows, this Argyle thing needs to be taken up by the UWI engineering department as a case study. In how *not* to do it.
There is nothing wrong with Dr. Rudy Mathias comments FYI When JFK Airport
was finished building , they needed more Buildings , so more buildings were
built , as new Airlines came into being , one of the latest being JET BLUE .
It is quite possible that 30 years from now , Argyle International Airport may need renovation . The problem with JFK is that it took a long time to get built
and by the time it was finished ; it was nearly obsolete . My take is that the
Argyle International Airport , will a long time before renovations are needed .