WHY OPPOSE EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVES? Jadia Jn. Pierre-Emmanuel Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Does the United Workers Party really want a progressive nation? Do they want our children to be educated? Do they want our people to be employed? Do they want our young people to be trained for future opportunities? All these questions may seem rhetorical to some, but the recent vacillation of the UWP has left me wondering whether there is any interest in the well-being of this country. On one hand the UWP keeps reminding the country of the unemployment rate, which by the way, the Prime Minister has repeatedly said, is too high. Yet, on the other, they oppose every single employment initiative that has been brought to the public. STEP The Government of Saint Lucia has repeatedly said, STEP is not the answer to our unemployment problems. There must be opportunities beyond the provision of cyclical employment if we are to tackle this problem. However, the importance of a programme which serves as a means of survival for over 2, 000 households cannot be ignored. How to you incorporate the uneducated, unskilled into our society? Do they not deserve to pay their bills too? Should those who are poor and uneducated be denied the right to provide for their families? What is the United Workers Partys alternative? What did they do to assist these families when they were in office? Does STEP not provide an important service to our communities? NICE Over 3, 000 jobs created at various levels, within the public and private sectors. Of course, the statistics say the Government must do more. This is why there is increased focus on reducing taxes and introducing more incentives to attract more foreign direct investment. In the meantime, there were thousands of Saint Lucians, young and old, educated and skilled, who were hopeless. Nice has created employment for Saint Lucians with no formal education, people with CXCs, Diplomas, Certificates and Degrees. What was the alternative presented by the UWP? Why would they oppose a programme that provides care to our elderly? Why would they oppose a programme which caused the very same people who are employed under the Home Help for the Elderly Programme to be trained in first response and the administering of medication for common diseases such as diabetes and hypertension? What sensible Opposition will criticize training in such a key area? Nice workers were used to reduce the bottleneck at the civil status registry. Is that not something to commend? Nice workers are coaches and have caused a more comprehensive sports programme to be introduced in all Primary Schools. Is that not worthy of applause? Nice workers maintain community facilities to ensure our playing fields and community centres are at a high standard. They organize district sporting and social activities. They are the added support in the hospitals, schools, bakeries and other private companies. They are contributing to society. Why are these people under constant attack by the Opposition? SMILES For decades, society as a whole, has complained about the direction of our youth and blamed it on poor parenting skills. What about a programme that identifies, trains and certifies single mothers is worthy of opposition? How can a Party criticize a programme that teaches single parents how to be better persons, how to correct their children, how to become entrepreneurs? This programme gave job training opportunities to participants and provided care for their children. Through this programme seventy single mothers who have been unemployed for many years are now gainfully employed and over one hundred and fifty more are now certified and ready for the work place. Is it that the United Workers Party does not believe in second chances? Do you have to be born with a golden spoon to matter? Why would the Opposition not applaud a programme that gives a second chance to young mothers? NURSES Then there was the announcement that nurses will be provided with jobs in Trinidad and Tobago. My goodness! For years the UWP was in Government and rejected the Cuban Trained Nurses. They found every reason the nurses who were trained in Cuba could not be absorbed. The Government agrees that the current structure of the public health sector makes it difficult to absorb all our trained nurses. Why would the UWP want to deny young, educated men and women an opportunity to work? The nurses are here. The nurses are trained. They are unemployed. The Government does not have the resources or structure to employ them. What does the UWP recommend? Should the nurses remain at home and become a burden to their families and society? Just why would the UWP be opposed to young people gaining employment in CARICOM? The nurses studied hard and made sacrifices! They deserve to work too! CRUISE SHIP EMPLOYMENT Now unto their new horse-Cruise Ship Employment. The UWP is riding a wave that is designed to instill fear in the people of Saint Lucia. All of a sudden, the UWP has no faith in the cruise sector. All of a sudden the UWP does not believe young people will be employed on cruise ships. Before I go further, let me encourage all young persons who are interested to contact the Saint Lucia Development Bank (456-7532) or the Spring Board Training and Development Centre (450-0198) to sign up for this opportunity. What is the inherent discomfort with a programme? Is it because Allen Chastanet tried and failed? Everyone knows somebody who has been or is employed on a cruise ship. Only last year 229 young persons gained employment on cruise ships under a similar initiative. Yearly, thousands of Saint Lucians are processed and trained by MAMPA for such opportunities. What has changed between last year and now? What has changed between last month and now? Is it because an announcement was made to expand the programme? Is it that the Opposition thinks such an initiative will make the Government look “good’? What is it that causes an Opposition to be so insensitive and uncaring? If young people will benefit, why try to pour cold water over it? Why try to discourage the young people? Is the United Workers Party happier when they are desperate and unhappy? Will the Opposition feel better if there were no opportunities for our youth? Why didn’t the UWP take a cue from former Prime Minister Stephenson King to applaud yet another step towards providing jobs to the youth? I am yet to understand why a Party that claims to be interested in taking this country forward constantly opposes opportunities for the people. Their actions do not paint a picture of a United Workers Party. Their actions classify them as an Anti-Workers Party. Meanwhile, the Government continues to work towards recovery, attracting investment and implementing measures aimed at providing jobs to the people of Saint Lucia.
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 15:07:01 +0000
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