Opposition Senator Shevern John has noted that the government has announced another ground breaking ceremony for a playing field in Langley Park, four years after the same formalities were held.
The Ministry of Transport, Works, Lands and Physical Planning announced on Nov. 5 that it will hold on Friday, a ceremony to present offer letters for housing lots and the ground breaking for the sporting facility at Langley Park.
“On the 23rd of October 2020, there was a ground-breaking ceremony up on the hill up there for a playing field. And that is because I spoke of playing fields when I came on the scene,” John, the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate for North Windward told a campaign event.
The Unity Labour Party (ULP) administration had held the ground breaking ceremony which lasted for two hours and was chaired by Sehon Marshall, then press secretary to Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves.
However, it was already night by the time the ceremony was ending and Marshall announced that “because of the time and the unavailability of lights and so forth in the area, we would be forfeiting that; we will not be doing that this evening”.
John will make her second bid to win North Windward for the NDP in the next general elections, widely expected to be held by November 2025, ahead of the February 2026 constitutional deadline.
She told a campaign event in Chapmans Village on Thursday that she has been asking about the playing field.
“I came on the scene, and I spoke of playing field — ground breaking ceremony. 2020, 2021, the boys can’t go there to play. 2022, they can’t go there to play. 2023, same thing. This is 2024 and you’re coming to tell me a breaking ground again on the same piece of land?” the opposition senator said.
“Man, that is senility. Something nah right dey; something nah right. … I expected you to come and tell me we are going to start a pavilion and grade off the playing field, etc. This is what we want for the people. We don’t want any more ground-breaking.
“The boys want to go and play. We want them to expose themselves and get these skills out there so that they can go overseas and make money and come back into the community to help their parents. That’s what we are looking for. We don’t want another ground-breaking. Don’t give us the fanfare. Come and deliver to the people within the community here. That’s what we are looking for.”
John said that the NDP has committed in its election manifesto “that in every community, there must be a playing field.
“And there must be some light on the hard court or the playing field so that you can enjoy it whenever you wish to do so, because we value health and wellness, and we want you to be in the best of health in 2025 so that you can cast your votes and get rid of this government,” John said.
“We need the change too long that, and we need to get rid of them. We need a government that will deliver.”
Oh well, maybe it’s another playing field adjacent to one for which ground was broken in 2020. So, this one will make two. Why not? The more playing fields the merrier… playing is good
ar yo really believe the poor and exreme poverty people dem dotish eh , ar yo too brazen bold – faced and shameless….