Lennox Linton Presents Package for a UWP Government

Opposition leader Lennox Linton has released the names of a number of candidates who will contest on a United Workers Party (UWP) ticket in the next general elections widely expected to be announced within the next three months.

Addressing a live press conference at the Dominica Public Service Union (DPSU) conference room Thursday February 21, 2019, Linton stated that as the ruling Skerrit led Dominica Labour Party (DLP) crumbles, the UWP Team Dominica stands as the only party ready and able to lead the change that Dominica needs after the colossal governance failures of the tired leader and his followers that reduced Dominica to the indignities of poverty, joblessness and dependency over the past two decades.

“Dominica deserves better. The people of this blessed nature island need a fresh start and real change. There is no question in their minds that the United Workers Party is the change,” Linton said.

He continued, “This is why we stand equipped and ready with our Vision 2020 initiative to receive the people’s mandate to lead and manage their affairs in government. We will reduce the size of Cabinet by at least forty percent; we will pursue the appropriate constitutional amendments and enact legislation to limit the time in office for any Prime Minister to 2 five-year terms and to establish a fixed date for general elections every five years.”

To loud applauses, the UWP leader stated that they will create a new sustainable Nature Island Economy with agriculture, tourism, renewable energy, ICT, the cultural industries and a water industry as major pillars. He also said that a UWP government will grow the economy by 7% per year, create 12,000 new jobs by 2025, and increase the minimum wage and old age pensions by no less than 50%. “We will restore livelihoods and bring back regular income to families in the farming communities of Dominica…and enact Legislation and Regulations to Legalize, grow, process and export cannabis, and cannabis-based health and wellness products,” he stated.

Linton further disclosed that his UWP government will provide agricultural inputs and farm labour financial assistance grants to farmers to boost output of a range of high value products for export and will purchase at least two refrigerated vessels to transport Nature Island branded primary and processed agricultural products in the Caribbean. They will also provide low interest loans, financial grants and appropriate fiscal incentives to deserving tourist service providers and manufactures for refinancing, refurbishment and expansion of their establishments.

“We will construct an eco-friendly, state-of-the-art, international airport, we will expand and modernize our sea ports, we will open the Delice/Petite Savanne road and complete the Roseau Road Reinstatement Project… Overall, we will and upgrade our road network and bridges to the highest standards of resilience to natural disasters, we will fully reinstate, restructure and operationalize the Public Works Corporation and will ensure there is fairness, equity, proper accountability, and no political interference in government’s housing assistance programme,” Linton remarked.

According to him, they will broaden government’s home assistance programme to include a one-time financial grant to deserving single parent tenants who suffered loss of house contents during passage of Hurricane Maria and will allow duty free entry of essential building materials for one year in the first instance; expand the port-folio of the Minister of Kalinago Affairs, and amend the Carib Act to meet the needs of our Kalinago brothers and sisters. “We will restore primary health care systems and upgrade tertiary care. The State will pay the tuition fees of all the sons and daughters of Dominica attending the Dominica State College,” he said.

“We call on our nature island people to continue to put the country first, irrespective of partisan allegiance. Let us not place party before people and country. Let us unite over this common desire for change, knowing that those whose failure and destruction we seek to change from cannot present us with the change which we need,” the UWP leader stated.

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