The Daily - Antigua Observer Newspaper

Page 20 Saturday March 13, 2010
THE DAILY OBSERVER
United Progressive Party (UPP) Chairman Leon Chaku Symister
PM from page 2
receive high quality education
through the
Students Loan programme
and other
spending on education;
• We provided some relief
to transport operators by
removing taxes on tyres,
batteries and other spare
parts for taxis, buses and
tour operators;
• Persons who own homes
valued under $100,000
have benefited from
being exempted from
paying property taxes;
We have reserved 25 per
cent of government contracts
for the procurement
of goods and services
for small Antiguan
businesses to help stimulate
the local economy;
• Many farmers have been
granted 25 to 40-year
land leases to expand
their agricultural businesses
as part of a
national production
expansion plan;
• Many families continue
to benefit from the Dollar
Barrel initiative which
provides important tax
relief in clearing household
supplies from the
port at Christmas time;
• Although faced with
resource constraints, we
have done, and are continuing
to do, important
road and infrastructure
improvements works in
some areas.
The next steps
Our government
recognises that there have
been severe dislocations in
the national economy as a
result of the global economic
downturn.
We are focussing on
measures to first stabilise the
economy and secondly, to
return to high levels of economic
expansion, growth
and job creation for our people.
As we are embarking
on the second year of our
current term in office as a
Government, we recommit
ourselves to working to
improve the lives of all
Antiguans and Barbudans
and to competently and prudently
manage the affairs of
the country on your behalf …
We have started the
process of delivering on our
promise to divest certain
commercial activities now
controlled by the State
Gov’t from page 19
for what he termed as 28 years
of unprecedented growth at
about 5 per cent per annum,
with the exception of 1995
when Hurricane Luis struck
the island.
Regarding the government’s
efforts to combat
crime in the nation, Symister
said that everyone can attest to
the fact that the administration
has made strides in this regard,
especially in the reformation of
the police force. He acknowledged
that more could be
done, but said the government’s
work is commendable.
Browne, on the other
hand, pointed the blaming finger
at the Baldwin Spencer-led
administration for the hike in
crime. While conceding that
there was a reduction in crime
over the past year, he said
crime is very much a problem
through direct private investment,
public private partnership
or common ownership
by the people of Antigua &
Barbuda. That was a central
plank of our 2009 manifesto.
We are starting with
the State Insurance
Corporation and have
engaged a team of consultants
to do a detailed evaluation
of the assets and operations
of the entity. The consultants
will present a report
to the Cabinet, which will
then make the final decision
about exactly how State
Insurance will be divested.
No decision has
been made so far in the matter.
We welcome the
debate on the issue that is
taking place. I assure you
that the Government welcomes
your views on the
matter and when the appropriate
time comes, we will be
taking the decisions that are
in the best interest of the
nation.
While we are aware
of the need to raise income
from such divestment exercises
in the short term to be
better able to provide social
services for the people, the
NEWS
plaguing the country and the
government has made little
progress in addressing the
matter.
Referencing the
police force, the opposition
chairman said it is in “chaos”
and that there is no evidence
that it has been reformed.
Asked about the government’s
handling of the
smear campaign against
Antigua & Barbuda - which
has been launched by international
investors who lost
money through the Stanford
debacle - Symister attributed
the Stanford fiasco to the ALP.
“I think that the ALP
can take full credit for that
debacle that they have welcomed
Stanford, wrapped up
with him, had him running
this country as if it was his
own and what they sowed
during the time with Stanford,
UPP Government remains
committed to enabling the
people of Antigua & Barbuda
to participate in the ownership
of national assets such
as State Insurance.
Openness, transparency,
consultation and
dialogue will always be central
to any divestment exercise
undertaken by the
Government that I lead.
I have personally
spoken with the workers at
State Insurance about the
process that is now taking
place. I have assured them
they are vital to the continued
success of the
Corporation now and whenever
it is divested. I am
expecting that they will give
their full co-operation to the
team of consultants which is
assisting the government
with the evaluation so that
they can report back to the
Cabinet in the shortest possible
time.
As we move forward,
the Government
remains committed to actively
encouraging national
development and the creation
of economic opportunities
and wealth among our
people.