Things to address in the budget

Tue, Nov 27, 2012

Editor: Soon it will be budget day in SVG. As usual, we look forward to hearing the plans and programmes for the upcoming year and also the Opposition criticizing the proposals and offering a solution as to what they would do and also what should have been done by the governing party.{{more}}

I take this opportunity to express thanks for repairing of some of the holes from as far as Layou right up to Gibson Corner. I know it is not the perfect fixing, but it is nonetheless a help to motorists travelling on those roads. However, we hope that in the upcoming budget we would hear of plans to fix the roads in Green Hill/Liberty Lodge area and other areas of road programmes such as the Spring Village road on the leeward side of the island and also the Calder road, leading from the cross-roads up to Calder. I am certain there might be other areas not mentioned in this article.

I believe the honourable minister of social development is aware that the Liberty Lodge Boys Training Centre needs more attention in the form of increased staff, and security in terms of a completed gate and security at the gate. In terms of agriculture, while we applaud the honourable minister for doing a good job in bringing back agriculture, I would like to hear the minister’s plan to make agriculture part of the curriculum of all secondary schools and in some secondary schools a place to do agriculture.

I know these are hard economic times and the North Leeward representative is on the Opposition. However, it is important that some monies be found to place about two street lights between Troumaca and Rose Bank, just above “JUMBIE HOLE”, for it is usually dark in those areas and in these modern times of crimes, it is important for the safety of those travelling on that road.

The old Tokyo for some time now is in deplorable condition, in terms of the shops and the washrooms. I am hoping that some concrete decision would be made to deal with this situation and also to remodel it with limited sale of alcohol by the shops.

Finally, for sometime now, schoolchildren from North Leeward going to schools in Kingstown have been without reliable transportation. The school bus has only worked briefly and, as it stands, only a few vans which run in the area carry these children to school. I, therefore, hope that in the budget, we will hear this problem addressed by the government and also that the area representative would give his two cents on the matter.

Of course, there is more that can be said, but we look forward with interest to the government plans and the contribution of the opposition members. Of course the members’ presentations on both sides of the fence will tell us what kind of politicians we have in the house.

Kennard King