NDP launches manifesto of ‘bold, transformative plans’

The main opposition New Democratic (NDP) has launched its manifesto for Thursday’s general election, with party leader Godwin Friday saying it outlines the NDP’s “bold, transformative plans” for St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) for the next five years.

He told party supporters in Keartons, Barrouallie, on Thursday that the NDP has outlined its plans at small village meetings and big rallies across the country.

“You have listened to the plans we have put forward for our own constituencies and for the country at large. We have now summarised them in this wonderful document we call our manifesto,” he said.

Friday, who is seeking election to his sixth five-year term as MP for the Northern Grenadine, is also making his second bid to become prime minister, after his first attempt failed in November 2020.

He said the 48-page document is “a manifesto of hope.

“It is a manifesto of change, of progress, one that is built on the trust that you have placed in us. So it will be, and it is a document that says this is what the New Democratic Party government will deliver for the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”

He said an NDP administration will not waste time.

“… we will start creating that better future for all of us, from our first day in office. No longer will the people of this country, especially the young people, be waiting for a future that never comes.”

The opposition leader said he was proud of the manifesto, adding that it outlines the party’s plans to create thousands of jobs, raise the salary and wage rates and cut the high cost of living that has been “crushing you for many months”.

He said the document outlines the NDP’s priorities, namely to create better-paying jobs for Vincentians and an environment that raises the standard of living. Adding that Vincentians are the lowest paid in the region, he noted that the country’s brightest and best migrate in search of greener pastures.

Friday also said that the NDP will focus on public safety.

“We will also make our country safe, our communities again places where we can enjoy an evening out and go to the places that we used to frequent, but now are afraid to do because of the high crime and violence that plague our society.”

He said an NDP administration will invest in critical infrastructure, including roads, bridges, jetties, public buildings and public spaces, to make them more functional and safe for the people.

“The thing that strikes visitors to our shores, even our own citizens, when they’ve gone abroad and come back, and they look around or they drive on the roads, they can’t believe the level of neglect and the poor condition that they have fallen into. We will fix that,” Friday said.

He said there are many things that need fixing in communities across the country, adding that potholes, missing grates, broken parts of bridges and pieces of metal sticking out from public infrastructure are safety hazards.

“And they seem like small things, but your foot goes in one of them, and you are in the hospital for two months. Small things that can result in serious injury and harm to people.”

The opposition leader said that there are other things that beautify communities but do not get done because parliamentary representatives have no means to do so.

He said this is where the constituency development fund proposed by Central Kingstown incumbent, St. Clair Leacock, an NDP vice president, comes in.

“… we will establish, on a statutory basis, a constituency development fund that will enable elected representatives to select projects that they wish to get done in their constituency,” he said.

Friday said that in Northern Grenadines, where the people have elected him for 25 years as their representative, “unelected people, who could barely save their deposit, trying to decide what is best for my community.

“These are things that deny the essence of our democracy. If you elect somebody to represent you, that person should have the means to represent, and that is what is enshrined in our policy of adopting the constituency development fund.”

He said that in many cases, the nation’s roads have become obstacle courses, adding that the cost of repairing vehicles is a tax — in addition to the licence and registration fees.

“So, we are going to, in government, immediately, roll out a plan to repair and fix the roads and all those things that can easily be done throughout our country, not just in favoured places.”

He said these are things that make life easier for the people, adding that an NDP government will engage with them throughout the term.

“You didn’t send us there by voting for us, and so that we can forget you until we return to greet you again when elections come five years from then,” Friday said.

“No, I am asking my colleagues, when you elect them to Parliament, they should be as humble and as ready to give service as they are now, when they come to your doorstep and they beg you for a vote because, unlike some other people, I believe that you are the real boss and we will govern likewise.

“Someone said a long time ago, democracy works well or best, not when the people fear those who are in power, but when those who are in power fear the people.

“Realise your power and your strength. Hold politicians accountable. Make them work for you because you hire them. Do not ever surrender that to anybody who drives in an SUV, spends his time in an air-conditioned building and drives fast with his windows up and his foot down on the pedal. That’s not the kind of representative you want, you need, or that you vote for.”

He said the NDP team was offering themselves in service to the people, adding that he and some of his colleagues had for many years been “toiling not as sacrifice but as a duty and obligation that we have to our people.

“I do this out of love for my country and for my fellow Vincentians. I don’t need any reward to do it, and I do believe in a brighter future for this country, but things will not change until we change things.”

Friday said that Vincentians have a date with destiny in Thursday’s election.

“We have the opportunity to grasp the possibility of a brighter future in this country, and we have the opportunity to bring an end to arrogant and out-of-touch government.

“We have the opportunity to say to those who feel that they are lords and masters, that ‘No longer; you are fired!’ We have the opportunity to say to our children, ‘We have in Dr. Friday and his team a government that cares about us, that works for us every single day that they’re in government.’

“We have a chance next Thursday to usher in a new dawn in this country. I believe it is possible, and I know from your presence here and the way in which you have embraced our campaign over the course of this election and even before then, that you, too, yearn for a brighter future. But more than that, you too, realise that the possibility of making that happen is here and now,” Friday said.