The ruling Unity Labour Party’s (ULP) candidate for South Leeward, Sen. Jomo Thomas, has described Leader of the Opposition, Arnhim Eustace his New Democratic Party (NDP) as “a clear and present danger to St. Vincent and the Grenadines”, terms he used to describe the ruling Unity Labour Party in 2009, when he was general secretary of the non-partisan People’s Movement for Change.
“We must never chance the future of our children, their health and education with the New Democratic Party,” Thomas, a first-time candidate told the ULP rally in Vermont Sunday night, during which he outlined his vision for the constituency.
“The training and advancement of our public servants and our teachers, we can’t chance with the NDP.
“Our teachers, our nurses, our policemen, our firemen and women, must never chance the future of this country with the New Democratic Party and Arnhim Eustace.
“The people of this country, across this land must be persuaded and convinced to say no to the NDP and yes to Ralph Gonsalves and the Unity Labour Party government, on the record – this is no emotional plea – on the record of advancement.
“On what this government has done and this prime minister has done, the record of achievement tells me that we cannot chance with the NDP and we must go forward with Ralph Gonsalves and the Unity Labour Party.
Thomas told party supporters that the NDP has no leader, vision, plans, programmes, or policies that can lead St. Vincent and the Grenadines “into these complex and difficult times”.
Thomas said that the ULP has heard the people of South Leeward.
“The Prime Minister and the Unity Labour Party hears you. Everything that this party has done was done for you. It has been done to uplift you, to make you into better men and women, to make you into better boys and girls.”
He said that lack of money and scarce resources have prevented the ULP from doing all the things that it wants to.
He spoke of natural disasters, including hurricane and drought and accused MP for South Leeward, Nigel “Nature” Stephenson of the NDP of providing poor representation.
“So we have poor representation from Nature Stephenson and floods. So we have poor representation of Nature and the destructive force of nature.
“South Leeward deserves to develop and we are committed, I, Jomo Sanga Thomas is committed to take South Leeward to a higher level of representation and to ensure that this constituency, this fertile constituency, this beautiful constituency, gets all of the benefits its deserves. It is not to say that you are not getting benefits, brothers and sisters, but we want you to get more.”
Thomas said that with his election, South Leeward would have a representative who is strong, committed, determined and articulate.
“You will have a representative who studies the issues and come up with policies and programmes to further advance this beautiful constituency we call South Leeward.”
Recalling the ULP’s achievement in South Leeward, Thomas mentioned the Vermont-Francois and Hope bridges.
He said the playing field in Penniston is nearing completion and the ULP intends to make one where regional games are played.
Repair of the pavilion at Campden Park playing field has begun, he said.
“We may think, brothers and sisters, that we are not doing the things that we need to do as fast as we need to do them. The truth of the matter, brothers and sisters, is that we must never forget that St. Vincent is a poor, developing country. We must never forget that we don’t have all the resources that we want to have. We must never forget that we don’t have the monies that we need to have,” he said.
“So we want you to hold strain with us. But know that just as this government promised a bridge between Vermont and Francois and we delivered that bridge and we delivered the bridge at Hope, we are going to deliver every single thing that we commit to do.”
Thomas told the rally that the architectural designs for the Campden Park Centre of Excellence is in circulation.
“By the time that building is finished, we cannot simply call it a community centre. We are committed to making that Campden Park centre a centre of excellence and designs are out now.”
Thomas noted that Gonsalves has spoken about making Campden Park the nation’s seventh town.
He said that most of the cargo that comes into the country comes through the Campden Park Container Port, but added that the large containers are breaking up the roads into Kingstown.
Thomas, therefore, suggested that the Campden Park container port be converted into the cruise ship berth.l
He said the ULP is committed to ensuring that a major development comes where Emerald Valley Casino and Resort was located.
“We want to marry idle hands with idle lands, for all the youth in this constituency will join, and will do little agricultural production to bring the land to the youth and the youth to the land.”
The ULP wants to ensure that farmers get even more monies to do the kind of work necessary to build the constituency, Thomas said.
“We will do a road repair programme like nothing ever seen to ensure that all of the mountain roads are cleared so that our farmers can get clear access to these lands.”
The Vermont Nature Trail will be transformed into a premier eco-tourism site for bird and nature watchers, and the ULP will bring another hotel development, Thomas said.
Over the last 2 years, this government has offered more than $12 million dollars in agricultural support to farmers. There is more to come and the farmers of our South Leeward will get their fair share.
“I am committed and our team is committed to ensuring that a lot of money is spent on skills training to have our young people develop the skills of masonry and carpentry and plumbing, refrigeration and air conditioning, computer and telephone technicians,” Thomas said.
Yes Mr. Thomas, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is POOR! You know why? Because the present government has ignored and destroyed the very agriculture industry that use to take poor people from out of the trenches of poverty in this country, especially farmers, and turned them into some of the wealthiest folks. Those same farmers, who were able to buy vehicles cash off of agriculture are now poor again because the agriculture industry has been killed by the ULP, that’s why the country is so poor. This country used to be one of the wealthiest country in the southern Caribbean, if not the entire Caribbean, because of agriculture. So tell the people what ULP is going to do for agriculture in term of filing proper market for their produces. Don’t forget Jomo, you are talking to a farming community, where farming is the only thing most them know and care about, because it’s their livelihood, their way of life.