‘Strangers’ say ULP neglected Marriaqua — Jimmy

The geography of Marriaqua makes it vulnerable to natural hazards such as landslides and flooding and threats from rivers.

“There’s always something to be done in that constituency. And since 2015 and even before that, I will say since 2001, something has always been done in Marriaqua,” the district constituency representative, St. Clair Jimmy Prince told a campaign rally Wednesday night.

And, he said that while the Unity Labour Party has been working in the constituency at a feverish pace, “strangers” to the area are saying nothing has been done there.

“Some strangers were passing through Marriaqua some time ago say they campaigning. All ah them were strangers. Everyone ah dem were strangers. And they said nothing was done in Marriaqua for 22 years. And that was mouthed by one of the main strangers. So they missed a lot,” Prince said.

He was speaking in apparent reference to his contender, Bernard Wyllie of the main opposition New Democratic Party.

Wyllie, who was voted out of office in 1998, after two five-year terms, has returned to politics as the NDP candidate, who will try to prevent Prince from being re-elected to a second five-year term.

In one of his public speeches, Wyllie identified a number of public infrastructure projects, which he has said are as they were when the NDP was voted out of office in 2001.

But Prince said that the strangers have missed a lot during their campaign.

“Let me just recap some of what they miss:  Belmont-Ginger village road restored; Greenhouses back at Montreal; satellite warehouses in Mesopotamia; Zenga … River defence; River defence at Collins Village; Red Dog bridge and river defence; McMillan Road; early childhood centres at Richland Park — ongoing now; Gurley Hill Road – new; Cotton Ground road – new; Carriere village road — going on now; Montreal road — going on now; Levi Latham Health Complex; lands for Evesham complex; lands for Evesham park — that is being done now immediately; Glenside slope stabilisation.

“Every single village in Marriaqua has been touched by this government; these four and a half years and strangers can’t see them. I don’t understand. The strangers can’t see it.”

Prince said that other things have been done in the constituency, including the Richland Park main road, Dickie Main road, and La Croix village road and self-help.

“A lot of things happening. We will continue to do more. We have an intervention in our particular village that we have to do. We have things that we have to do with respect to housing, things to do with respect to feeder roads, etc., which we’ll do,” he said, but added that the could not speak about everything at the meeting because of limited time.

“There’s so much to talk about. But let me just say that I, since I have known myself, have been in the service of the people of this country, particularly in the service of the people of Marriaqua, and I will continue to be in their service. I will continue to be in service especially for the next five years. This government will continue to be in service to the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines for the next five years and beyond that because we have programs, policies, projects, we have leadership; we have a party and we have candidates,” Prince said.