The
UWP does not have to advertise or emphasise the well-known
fact that it was a UWP Government which first advocated the
introduction of gaming as an attraction for St.Lucia’s
tourism industry. Further, the St Lucian public hardly needs
to be reminded that the UWP Government did this in the face
of extreme hostility from various religious groups and the
St. Lucia Labour Party.
As
indicated in the UWP release,
published in the press last Saturday, the Party’s
position is that in the light of the confusion introduced on
this issue by the Labour Party itself while in opposition,
it is now the responsibility of the Government to take time
to bring the country into its confidence, explain to the
people the real reasons for its about-turn on this issue,
justify to the people the moral grounds for its current
decision to introduce gaming into St.Lucia, and so seek to
create a national consensus on the issue.
The
UWP strongly condemns any mischievous attempts to divert the
attention of the public from the Labour Party’s moral
dilemma by further confusing the minds of the St Lucian
public on the gaming issue.
***
 |
ABANDONED
FARMERS
The United Workers Party draws to the attention of the
public of St.Lucia the most recent statement of
Minister of Agriculture Cass Elias that the Labour
Government will inject no more money into the banana
industry. |
This statement is a clear abandonment of St. Lucia farmers,
bearing in mind that according to the Government’s own
statistics, 22% of the population is involved in the
agricultural sector, most of these being banana farmers.
The statement is bound to cause increasing fear and
panic in the farming community.
The UWP believes that the Government has now abandoned its
responsibility to consciously decide and plan what level of
assistance, including appropriate subsidies, needs to be
given to the banana industry at this time.
The UWP urges the farmers of this country to take extremely
seriously this statement of the Minister. It clearly
demonstrates a high degree of irresponsibility on the part
of Government, and a clear indication that the Government
has no intention of assisting the revitalisation of the
banana industry which has fallen into disarray following
Government’s so-called privatisation.
