MP RICHARD LEWIS SAID: π§ππ‘ ππ’π₯ π§ππ‘ – π¨π£π£ ππ¦ πͺππ¬ πππππ π’π π§πππ
As the failed Gaston Browne Administration celebrates 10 years in power with excuses and lies about the UPP administration, let us revisit some of the major programmes that were introduced by the UPP administration during a 10 year period (between 2004 – 2014) that put our nation on a path of growth and development.
π¨π£π£ π§π’π¨π₯ππ¦π ππ«ππππππ‘ππ The UPP stands on a strong track record of performance in tourism, having cleared many hurdles during a period of economic uncertainty. Under the UPP, the room stock grew by 20% with the construction of new hotels and locally owned properties.
This list includes:
– Sandals Grande (Mediterranean Village)
– The Verandah
– Sugar Ridge
– Hermitage Bay
– Tamarind Hills
– NonSuch Bay
– Lighthouse Bay
This provided a template for the ABLP to continue on a path of tourism growth and development. Unfortunately many opportunities for expansion and job creation have been squandered.
π¦π’ππππ π£π₯π’ππ₯ππ π¦
As part of its βPeople Firstβ initiatives the UPP launched a number of social programs to bring relief to the most vulnerable citizens. (Page 20)
Dollar Barrel Initiative
Allowed households to import food items, clothing and toiletries at a nominal fee of $1 during the Christmas season. Between 2004 and 2005, over 17,000 households benefitted from this initiative.
Free School Uniform Grant
Helped ease the burden on families with school-age children. The programme cost $12 million, or about $150 per child, over 4Β½ years.
School Meals Programme
To improved the physical and mental health of the nation’s youth through βnutrition for learning, the UPP provided free hot meals for school children, starting in 15 primary schools.
Utility Subsidy Credit For Seniors Through Petro Caribe
The UPP facilitated, through the Petro Caribe initiative
1. a $1,200 annual utility credit for senior citizens that was applied to any APUA bill.
2. the People’s Benefit Programme, which provided a monthly subsidy for the purchase of food to vulnerable households.
πππππ§ππππ₯π π§π’ π’π¨π₯ ππ’π’π₯π¦π§ππ£π¦ The UPP brought health care to the doorsteps of residents in our communities, with doctors on site even in the nights, thanks to the night clinic programme.
πππ¨πππ§ππ’π‘ππ πππ©ππ‘πππ ππ‘π§π¦ ππ‘π π¦πππ’πππ₯π¦πππ£π¦
The UPP Administration:
– Repaired most of our secondary schools
– Constructed the Five Islands Secondary School (the structure which now houses UWI Five Islands)
– Completed the National Library
– Established the National Training Agency (NTA) in an effort to certify our skilled workers
– Awarded thousands scholarships to our children during it’s 10 years in office, as against the few that were given by the ALP prior to 2004.
– Established the National Student Loan Fund (NSLF), which provided students loans of up to $50,000 at a low interest rate of 3% per annum for higher education
π§ππ πππ§π π£π₯π’ππ₯ππ π π (Page 16) This landmark initiative was designed to cultivate youth skills in ICT, produce a cadre of trained apprentices, and create the entrepreneurial opportunities critical for driving economic growth. The GATE Programme was singled out for its innovativeness throughout the region and farther afield.
π§ππ ππ’π‘π¦π§π₯π¨ππ§ ππ‘π§πππ¨π ππ‘π πππ₯ππ¨ππ ππ‘ππ§πππ§ππ©π (CABI) (Page 51) is another flagship UPP programme that continues to generate significant benefits to homeowners and contributes to the national economy. Spearheaded by former Finance Minister Harold Lovell, this policy sustains significant employment in construction and other related sectors, while lowering the cost of home ownership.
π¦π§ππ§π-π’π-π§ππ-ππ₯π§ ππ‘ππ₯ππ¦π§π₯π¨ππ§π¨π₯π (Page 17) The UPP’s handprint on several facilities throughout Antigua and Barbuda remains intact and is critical to the country’s infrastructure.
– Award Winning International Airport
– National Stadium
– National Parliament
– Facilitated the construction of the Friars Hill Road “Golden Mile” business sector, which continues to expand to this day.
π§ππ π πππππ‘ππ¨π π‘ππ§π¨π₯ππππππ§ππ’π‘ πππ§ (Page 15)
Brought security and integrity to immigrants living among us.
For the entire π¨π£π£ πππ¦π§ π’π ππππ’π π£πππ¦ππ ππ‘π§π¦ 2004 – 2014 click on: http://online.anyflip.com/cwok/appg/
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Well highlighted UPP!
Everything wasn’t as gloomy as Gaston Browne likes to portrait. I’ve always thought that what he was trying to do was to cover-up his own and the ABLP’S many shortcomings and broken manifesto promises.
Hopefully, before the ABLP acolytes, sycophants and Gastonites start wailing and crying foul, they should login to the link provided in the article for the facts and figures.
OUTSTANDING ARTICLE ππΎ
I agree with the writer, I hope that many people eyes will be open and see the truth
Kudos UPP. Continue to highlight your accomplishments which these same Labourites are benefitting from today. Consider rebutting the endless lies Gaston Browne is parroting about negotiating (The DAWG negotiating deals?) the WIOC deal,the Port deal and compare the one time IMF loan with the endless borrowings of this administration.
Remember Grabston is a twister of facts, I hope this hurricane season we do not get as devastating as him
Good stuff MP Richard Lewis!
And kudos to ANR for sharing MP Lewis’s insightful Facebook post defending the UPP’s track record, and reminding us to read the UPP Accomplishments Book.
I encourage all patriots and haters of Gaston lies to share the post far and wide:
https://www.facebook.com/voterichardlewis/posts/pfbid0MysBmgvoBXPCgXQGeDXkRBFHt1wM4gJMhkQrc3HTpaXSKyZyA81FkLTK3Fv5oNj6l
While no government is perfect, the UPP delivered a much higher percentage of what they promised than the failing/ailing Grabston Browne Govt.
Gaston’s failed projects list, in particular, is totally embarrassing!
Upp is not in a real world.
ABLP on a mission to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. I’m not impressed with their performance at all!
HOW YOU MEAN???
@ Dragon π², I see that an articulate response is way way beyond you. Typical ABLP soundbite!
No wonder Gassssston love unna so …
@ Dragon
Your name fits you quite nicely. Obviously you must have lived in a pre-historic time, prior to DRAGONS, because I do not know what kinda world ABLP and GB is living in, as if Antiguans and Barbudans are stupid. THEY PATRONISE US SO MUCH, AS IF WE ARE DUMB AND CANNOT READ AND UNDERSTAND FOR OURSELVES, compared to the minions that follow them.
UPP forgot to list an important one, the CIP which Gaston now presides over like an overlord. I understand though, there is so much UPP can’t list all. It was confessing to hear, and probably a good thing as he nears his maker, Robin Yearwood say and I quote-ABLP cronies- “Tank Gad for the CIP!”. Or, Gaston saying he did not have much things to cut in the Finance Ministry since Lovell had done all of it for him. So, despite the rhetoric designed to continue to fool the faithfuls, ABLP leaders must quietly continue to praise the UPP era. And I keep saying, if they were smart and could move away from self-enrichment just a bit, the Car Park is there to finish which could put serious revenue into the “raided” Treasury.
I take no pleasure in siding with any party in celebrating white monopoly capital domination, it means that both party are merchant politicians, what I find impressive with the upp back then was the amount of small businesses that prop up under their tenure, but for creating that vehicle for foreign wealth extraction is a no! No. And the world is dictated by this example of GDP ratings, which doesn’t take into consideration that lets say your granny sells sugar cake from her tray on the side of the roads, it only recognize white wealth transfer, so all white companies are the reason for the world bank and IMF Rothschild family sit and rate the countries financial system from a racist ideology that we the people don’t exist, or even notice in their financial world. We have the ongoing PLH saga in Barbuda which will give Gaston a hard on when that rating is generated as though those ratio of growth are the actual black people, no way it means more white domination hegemony over the black people, who can only aspire to be gardeners or maids.
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