Boyea on airport: We can’t turn back now

The international airport should continue regardless of who wins the next general elections.

This was the general consensus of members of the audience at Tuesday’s People’s Movement for Change (PMC) open forum on airport development.{{more}}

“What I thought this meeting was for was to ensure that whatever happens next elections, the airport will continue,” Ken Boyea, local businessman, said.

“I thought we would have come here to say that we’ve come so far and spent so much money,” he continued.

“We can’t turn back now. We need to lift up and expand,” Boyea said.

This response was triggered after Senator Daniel Cummings of the Opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) stated his party’s position on the future of the project should they form government after the next general elections.

“It might go forward or it might stop,” Senator Cummings said in response to a question posed by a member in the audience as to what was the NDP’s position on the construction of the airport.

Earlier in Cummings’ address, he articulated the point that the NDP was in support of the idea of an international airport.

However, he accused the Dr Gonsalves led administration of starting the airport in a “cloud of secrecy.”

Cummings contends that the government has not given the public copies of the reports on the feasibility studies done.

“We are coming close to an election, and any organization looking to score political points simply has to say if you elect us into government, we are going to build an international airport, but we are a responsible organization and we are not saying that,” Cummings said.

“We are not saying that we are not going to build the airport, but we are saying that there are too many questions that have been left unanswered.”

“Every discussion that emanated, so long as it is different, has been branded as anti-airport,” Cummings said.

According to the Opposition senator, the NDP has been asking for a clear plan noting that it was his party’s plan, to instigate careful studies of the project, implement feasible studies and solicit the views of a wide section of the people of the country. (DD)