Team UWP pads up
Opposition United Workers Party (UWP) selects 11 new candidates to contest new elections candidates
A new eco-friendly international airport by 2024; a new minimum wage; increases in salaries for civil servants and the police; a vibrant renewable energy sector; the road from Delices to Petite Savanne to be reopened immediately; 12,000 new jobs by 2025; Marigot gets its hospital; immediate criminalization of the selling of diplomatic passports.
This is a sample of the promises that the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) made on Sunday as it launched 21 candidates (eleven new) that will contest the forthcoming general election.
The UWP said its team for elections 2019 include: Nicholas George (Colihaut); Felix Thomas (Mahaut); Marcus Romain (Cottage); Davis George (Paix Bouche); Danny Lugay (Roseau North); Glenroy "Soso" Cuffy (Roseau Central); Ronald Charles (Roseau Valley); Joshua Francis (Roseau South); Noreen John (Grand Bay); Monell Williams (St. Joseph); Lennox Linton (Marigot); Ezikel Bazil (Wesley); Hector "Spags" John (Salisbury); Ernie Jno Finn (Castle Bruce); Francisca Joseph (LaPlaine); Dr. Pharaoh Cuffy (Grand Fond); Dr. Sam Christian (Soufriere); Rosana Emmanuel (Petite Savanne); Clement Marclin Jr.( Vielle Case); Dr. Worrell Sanford (Salybia); Jefferson James (Portsmouth).
"Our team includes engineers, environmentalist, project managers, medical doctors, healthcare administrators, lawyers, social service providers, information communication technology specialist, communicators, agriculture specialists, community development specialists, sports administrators, youth development specialists, human resource management practitioners, logisticians, supply chain managers," Linton said. "We spread the entire gamut of functions needed for the rebuilding, for the rescuing and the long term development of your beautiful country. And we are ready to start."
Linton said his party, if it forms the next government, will increase "the minimum wage and the old age pensions by no less than 50%. Nobody in Dominica should ever again have to work for less than $1,000 a month. And no pension funded by the public purse will be less than $500 per month".
He continued: "And that country has enough money to increase the minimum wage in Dominica. It is $4 and five cents per hour for 20 years under this administration that says they love people".
On the controversial issue of the legalization and commercialization of marijuana, Linton sad a UWP government "will enact legislation and regulations to legalize, to grow, to process and export cannabis and cannabis related health and wellness products. When we started this conversation last year, the leaders of government told us there was no economic benefit to be derived from cannabis notwithstanding what was happening with it around the world. What we didn't understand was they were telling us there was no economic benefit in this for us, the people of Dominica, but there was benefit in it for them privately with the deals that they're putting together with their friends".
On the issue of the sale of Dominica's passports Linton said the UWP will "criminalize the sale of diplomatic passport and the abuse and or misappropriation of revenues from the sale of passports".