The Daily - Antigua Observer Newspaper

Page 2 Saturday March 13, 2010
THE DAILY OBSERVER
PM outlines UPP Government’s
accomplishments
The following is an
excerpt of Prime Minister
Bladwin Spencer’s address on
the occasion of the first anniversary
of the United Progressive
Party’s second term.
What has been the
track record of the UPP
Government?
There are some critics,
mainly in the Opposition
ALP, who have said the UPP
government has raised
taxes, collected more money
with nothing to show for it.
That is not true.
In the four years
between 2004 and 2008, the
UPP Government spent $446
million providing health
care for the people of this
country, spending an average
of $100 million a year.
This is more than the average
$69 million a year the
previous ALP government
spent on health care in the
four years between 1999 and
2003.
In 2003, the ALP’s
last full year in office, they
spent $17 million on agriculture.
In 2008, the UPP
Government devoted more
resources – $35 million in
fact – to supporting our
farmers and improving the
agriculture sector.
In the area of
Dear Editor
“Thank you” to two
women who delivered service
today; not extra special, but
service as it is expected globally
and is so rarely received in
Antigua.
Beatrice James at
Scotiabank, Woods branch,
met me with a smile, quickly
Foreign Direct Investment
the UPP Government
brought into Antigua &
Barbuda, $715 million in
new investments in the four
years 2004 to 2008. This is
more than four times or 210
per cent more than the $230
million in investments the
ALP attracted in the four
years 1999-2003.
Our record of growing
the economy has been
better than that of the previous
ALP Government.
Economic growth averaged
3.2 per cent between 1998
and 2003 under the ALP
compared to 6.5 per cent
between 2004 and 2008
under the UPP. Even with
the devastating impact of the
global economic crisis in
2009, the average economic
growth between 2004 and
2009 was 4.4 per cent under
the UPP, higher than the 3.2
per cent recorded between
1998 and 2003 under the
ALP.
From the taxes the
UPP Government collected
we have spent $20 million
providing school meals and
uniform grants for our
school children. There was
no such programme before
we came to office.
We devoted $7.5
Time to institute Service
Recognition Day
ascertained and used my
name throughout the transaction,
invited me to follow her
using words, not a perfunctory
hand gesture, made eye
contact throughout, and
thanked me for my business.
Miriam at
Townhouse who stepped in
when another female barely
million through the Board of
Guardians to indigent, mentally
challenged, visually
impaired persons and other
vulnerable groups in our
society.
We increased total
minimum payments including
Social Security for pensioners
from $250 per month
to $1,150 per month. The
UPP Government increased
minimum pensions to $700
per person in 2007 from as
low as $100 per person in
2003. In 2008 we devoted $58
million to paying our pensioners,
almost twice the
amount ($31 million) in total
pension payments the ALP
previous Government made
in 2003.
The UPP
Government has in the years
since we came to office, done
the right thing for public sector
workers, providing a
total of $87 million for back
pay and salary increases
owed by the previous ALP
government.
In addition to these
increases, we have improved
the salaries of various public
sector groups, including the
Police (23.5 per cent);
Customs (33.3 per cent); Air
Traffic Controllers (36 per
cent).
looked up in answer to my
question about a chair, saying,
“No” and continuing to speak
to her male colleague.
Miriam took the
chair, said she’d check in the
warehouse, then went to the
owner and came back to me,
apologised, offered further
assistance and maintained eye
contact throughout.
How about a weekly
Service Recognition Day
where talk show callers and
letter writers are invited to
GUEST COMMENTARY
Even if you are not a
civil servant, chances are
that a member of your family
or a close relative is, and
has benefited from these
measures.
These actions
demonstrate our ‘people
first’ philosophy and shows
that as a Government, we
have remained true to our
promises to the people.
Let us now take a look at
a few of the things that the
UPP Government has done
since being re-elected last
year.
• Through our economic
plan, which we presented
to the people via
national consultations as
well as in the Budget
Debate, we have laid the
groundwork for national
economic recovery;
• We have announced
some measures to stimulate
economic activity
and employment even
as we focus right now on
maintaining economic
stability and ensuring
that we don’t spend
more than we earn.
• Once that economic
foundation is laid, the
Government will move
more aggressively to
create opportunities
for greater employment,
economic activity and
growth.
• The Government has
continued to ensure that
our young people
Continued on page 20
LETTERS
commend a solid and internationally
acceptable service
encountered in the past week?
In this way we recognise
individuals who do have
pride in their professionalism
and an understanding of the
value of their customers’ dollars.
We positively influence
all service providers to step
up their game. This is not
about workshop certificates
but real-life delivery.
A satisfied customer – today!