Huggins says ULP taking Central Leeward for granted

The New Democratic Party’s (NDP) candidate for Central Leeward, Conroy Huggins has accused the Unity Labour Party (ULP) administration of neglecting Central Leeward, a seat it has won for the past 30 years.

Huggins said that he would prove that a Barrouallie resident can win the seat, saying that there has been an “exodus” of support from the ULP since he was announced as the NDP’s candidate last month.

Huggins, an educator and agriculturalist who was fired under the ULP administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate in 2021, has entered politics in what has been regarded as a ULP stronghold.

However, speaking at the NDP’s convention in Petit Bordel, on Sunday, Huggins, citing scripture, contrasted the ULP and the NDP.

He said one is “a party that has lived its time; a leader that has already expired, is on his way out but doesn’t want to acknowledge it” while the other is “a party which is renewed as it gets older”.

Huggins noted that the NDP turns 50 next year, adding that the party continues to renew and that is why he and NDP candidate for North Leeward, Kishore Shallow, are part of the team

“… lightning struck twice in the same place in September, and what it did? Hurt up boss man head,” he said, referring to their candidate selection and the response of Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves.

Huggins mentioned former MP for Central Leeward, Herbert Young, of the NDP, as well as the party’s candidates in the constituency over the 30 years since.

“…  the ULP has Central Leeward as a seat 30 years now — since 1994. They have it almost 24 years in government, and today, Central Leeward is worse off … than it was 30 years ago and I find that to be shameful.”

He said that Central Leeward lacks “proper representation”, adding that people reached out to him after the 2020 election to become the candidate.

“I gave it prayerful consideration but still it was a tough decision to make. But on Sept. 5, 2024, everything got settled,” Huggins said, referring to the date when he was selected as the candidate.  

He said history is against him, noting that people have told him that constituents would not elect a Barrouallie resident as their MP.

“I said that is going to be a thing of the past,” Huggins said.

“And from the day I stepped forward, there has been, immediately, an exodus from labour; immediately after my announcement, immediately, there are great conversions taking place right now, and those who are coming over are bringing their children, grandchildren and friends with them.”

He said constituents have complained that Central Leeward has been underrepresented over the last 23 years.

“… and since the 2020 elections, they have not been represented,” Huggins said.

In 2020, the ULP’s Orando Brewster, who holds a degree in medicine, was elected to a five-year term as MP for Central Leeward.

Huggins said that he and other members of the NDP were campaigning in Buccament Bay on Friday and residents complained that 100 feet of road is yet to be completed one year after work began.

He said an NDP administration would complete that road down to the beachfront and pave the road from the gas station in Pembroke to the Buccament Bay Playing Field.

He said that in Bottle and Glass, Barrouallie, things are going to “tun up” as an NDP administration would pave within the first 90 days in office, the road from Silima’s shop to the gas station leading to the fisheries centre.

Huggins said the road should have been completed in 2019, adding that the government could not blame the COVID-19 pandemic for the delay.

“But you see when you don’t have love and care for the people and respect for the people,” he said adding that the government takes it for granted that Central Leeward is a ULP seat.

“And we are saying enough, no more.”

Huggins said there is little to no economic activity in Central Leeward.

“Where are the jobs?” he said, noting that agriculture and fisheries are main features in Buccament, Layou and Barrouallie.

“Now, hardly anything productive going on. Nothing happening,” he said and asked the audience to keep in mind agriculture, tourism, the blue economy and the orange/new economy, which the NDP has identified as the pillar of the national economy.

“… under the NDP, we will be separating fisheries and agriculture so that fisheries can get the true attention that they deserve.”

Huggins said that when he was a boy, Wallilabou was a big yachting destination.

“Today, that is a thing of the past. And, we will work with the private sector to ensure that the enabling environment is created so that they will get the support that they need to attract back the yachties, not only in the Grenadines, but back to Central Leeward, back to North Leeward, and in South Leeward.”

As regards the new economy, Huggins said NDP leader, Godwin Friday talks all the time about the nation’s sportspeople, entertainers and artisans.

“They can’t recognise them, because they nah have interest in that,” he said of the ULP. “Under us, it is a pillar to help drive the economy.”

He noted that many national sportspeople are from Layou and Barrouallie.

“These are the people that we are saying that under this pillar, these people will be looked after and will be facilitated so that they could earn and that we don’t have to have the nonsense talk and look down on people who are sportsmen and sportswomen and entertainers and artisans and … those in the tech-voc sectors and so forth and look at them as if, like they’re backward, and then they don’t have brain,” Huggins said.

“Under the NDP, they will be recognized, and the environment will facilitate their growth and development,” he said.