East St George will be a cleaner place once I am elected – Velox

East St George, especially Calliaqua, currently under attack by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, will be a cleaner place with better roads, if the people elect the New Democratic Party’s (NDP) Laverne Velox as their parliamentary representative.

That’s according to Velox, who speaking on the NDP’s Monday night live Facebook streaming program, said she recently recovered from dengue fever and would not wish the illness on anyone.

Velox, who will try to take the constituency from the Unity Labour Party’s (ULP) Camillo Gonsalves during the next General Elections said the area is in dire need of new roads and proper drainage.

“On both sides of Calliaqua there is a river, then there is like a drain and they both are still bodies of water before they get to sea.

“At the mouth of the river is a still body of water and still bodies of water are real breeding grounds for mosquitoes and those are things we have to deal with,” Velox told the program’s host Collin Grahame.

The Ministry of Health announced recently that the Calliaqua district is one of the areas that has recorded the most cases of dengue fever in the country.

Velox said if elected to parliament, she would seek the knowledge of engineers so that they can properly and permanently fix the drainage issue, especially in Calliaqua.

The former banker said in her opinion, education is the key in the fight against dengue.

“Telling people how to treat garbage and receptacles around the yard that can hold water and breed mosquitoes … and even in Calliaqua the cleaning up of those drains, and so, I think is really pivotal to this because Calliaqua has a serious outbreak of dengue,” Velox stressed.

The politician who described herself as an “experienced, hands on kind of person” said she is serious about representation and any task she would give to someone, she would do it too, as that is how you encourage people to do more.

“The constituents are the most important people. They have needs and the representative has to take care of their needs.

“I am applying for a job to represent you and if I don’t do it well you can fire me when the next election comes around, but that is not going to happen as I will be the best representative,” Velox said during her interview.

She noted that her constituency office will be officially opened tomorrow and that is part of her planting roots in the area.

“I can’t wait to meet people,” Velox said while inviting both supporters of the NDP and the ULP to the office opening, “It doesn’t matter which party you support.”

Velox, new to party politics, said that walking around in East St George, she has been able to ascertain that among the biggest issues are unemployment among youth and women and the state of the roads.

She also said that 46 per cent of the young people are affected by unemployment and many women, the heads of households, are not working.

“Everywhere you pass, ‘miss we not working’ and you just get that feeling that you need to do something to help these people and that is why the NDP is speaking about jobs.

“Some have skills and we will make sure they have their skills enhanced,” Velox said.

“In East St George, we have to get the people working and in return for a vote for me, as part of Dr Fridays’ led government, we will offer jobs,” Velox said.

She noted also that many of youths say they are being asked for experience when they go looking for jobs and with this in mind, the NDP will get apprenticeship positions for persons, therefore allowing them the opportunity to build experience.

“The young women and men need to be empowered so that they can have a role in society and help themselves and as a result they need to have sustainable skills.

“Cooking skills, baking, sewing, carpentry everything possible…the education revolution has forgotten about skilled people, carpenters, plumbers, electrician, masons…we are a developing nation and we need all hands on deck,” Velox stressed.

She said that people need the truth and not pipedreams.