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Contact:
George Jude
Wednesday, March 3, 2004 – Prime Minister, Dr. Kenny Anthony has said
that the priorities of his Government are to achieve sustained economic
development, and political and social stability. Dr. Anthony was at the time
addressing St. Lucians in New York, on the occasion of the island’s 25th
Independence Anniversary.
Recognising that every conscious administration wanted to have its own legacy,
he was quick to reveal his. “The legacy of this Government”, Dr. Anthony said,
“is to be visionary”, adding, “our task is to reposition St. Lucia to achieve
and sustain a rate of growth and development, which satisfies the desires of all
St. Lucians for self-advancement in an equitable and just society”.
The main elements of the present Government’s economic policy include the
acceleration of economic growth and improvement in fiscal management, while
those for political and social stability involve broad consensus on
institutional and legal reform, such as the Labour Code, the Civil Code, the
Criminal Code and new Evidence Act, Integrity legislation, Development
incentives, and Freedom of Movement of persons.
While acknowledging that sometimes, there would be doubt and despair, Dr.
Anthony said however, “We will keep our vision and priorities as we build on the
strengths and advantages St. Lucia enjoys”. In building on those strengths,
which among others include tourism and agriculture, the Government has
established The Tertiary Roads Rehabilitation Project. This initiative, under
which a EURO 10 million borrowed recently, to rehabilitate some 55 roads
island-wide has received much praise by Opposition Leader, Arsen James.
In the context of allaying doubts and despair by some sections of the society,
Dr. Anthony’s Government is known to have started a process of education reform,
with the development of appropriate curricular, the construction of
state-of-the-art schools, the abolition of the shift system, and a promise to
provide secondary school education to every child by 2007. In terms of human
resource development, this is being done through several training programmes and
other measures.
In the area of business, the Government is providing small business support
through the Short Term Employment Programme (STEP) and the James Belgrave Micro
Enterprise Development Fund (BELfund). It is also strengthening private sector
institutions through the establishment of the Small Enterprise Development Unit
(SEDU) and the Office of Private Sector Relations (OPSR).
Much of the despair to which Dr. Anthony referred in his N.Y. address related to
the scourge of poverty, the reduction of which has taken centre stage, with
independent parliamentarian, Marius Wilson recently praising the measures taken.
These include the establishment of the Poverty Reduction Fund (PRF) and the
Basic Need Trust Fund (BNTF).
In health, Dr. Anthony cited the new National and Psychiatric Hospital, on which
work will be far advanced by 2006. “We believe in the future”, he said and the
knowledge that “we are blessed with hope, determination and opportunity, but we
need collaboration and the support of all St. Lucians as we cross over to the
future”.
He assured the St. Lucian community in New York that “what we are building is an
economic and social future, not just for ourselves, but for our children,
brothers and sisters, the poor and elderly, the young people, and most
importantly, for generations of St. Lucians yet unborn”.
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