Opposition Leader Describes Road Conditions As An Abomination

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Opposition Leader Jamal Pringle is decrying road conditions here calling them an “abomination” in his first budget debate.

“It is strange that the Finance Minister knows that good roads are a priority for our people when he seems content to drive on the abomination that passes for highways here,” Pringle told the budger debate which commenced on Monday.

He recalled what he said was a massive road rehab and expansion project in the first term of the former UPP administration.

He asked fellow legislators “What is the Gaston Browne Administration’s excuse for neither maintaining nor expanding the road network these past five years?”

 “There was no World Economic Crisis.  Instead, there was CIP.  There was extra money in the Consumption Tax kitty.  There were huge profits from West Indies Oil.  There is even a fat grant of US$20 million from the British Government.  What is the excuse?”

Pringle

He also took a swipe as government’s policy to grant tax concessions for the importation of used vehicles.

In light of record high vehicle imports Pringle said it was strange that Browne “casually allows his roads to wreck poor people’s vehicles on a daily basis.”

“Look at the congestion at all hours on the major roadways, Mr. Speaker.  Take note of the exhaust fumes being released into the “green” environment we are hoping to create” he said.

“The new tax on sugary drinks needs to complemented by good roads for us to ride bicycles, walk, and jog on – if a healthier nation is truly part of the national development program,” he added.

The opposition leader told the Lower House that good roads are needed to take visitors to the Heritage sites;  those that cannot be easily accessed by the taxi-drivers and tour operators.  They are needed for business people to expand into new locations.  And they are needed for emergency vehicles – ambulances and fire-tenders – to quickly save lives and property.”

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8 COMMENTS

  1. I believe that Antigua should strongly restrict the number of cars on the road. Our island is small and we don’t need so many cars – we need more nice roads and public buses. Tax cars heavily and use the money to keep the roads nice – just like Singapore does.

    Too many cards in Antigua will also ruin our beaches via pollution. Also, Antiguans are getting fatter and fatter because nobody even cares to walk 100m anymore, they get in a car to just go to the local store. Less cars = more happiness.

  2. Paying for votes and rewarding supporters with “jawbs” is expensive and the most essential expenditure of this government In addition creative enrichment sucks up a fair amount. Roads are pretty far down the list apparently, somewhere below water and affordable electricity.

    • On the subject of “supporter jawbs” credible word on the street is saying that James Fuller is receiving monies and 2 new vehicles out of the road contract. I have to ask what on earth his qualifications in road building are and why are we, the public, supporting useless cronies? We, the driving public, are ruining our vehicles on a daily basis driving on roads that are now in an appalling, abandoned as is, condition. The corruption in this island is absolutely disgusting and it doesn’t seem as if it will ever be stopped…no matter how bankrupt this island becomes the order of the day always seems to be “creative enrich” for as much as self can get and so what if the people starve; case in point Venezuela where Chavez had a net worth of US$1billion and Maduro in the millions!

  3. it is ridiculous for one party to claim that they they made road improvements on our roads when for the past five years its been the same roads that we’ve been driving on. the mistake the prime minister made it to give APUA the contract but we all gotta eat.yes we want betters roads and this takes time. enough bale game,upp shpuld have done this in the ten (10) years that they were in power.

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