THE NEXTGEN SKN LABOUR PARTY IS POISED TO WIN A DECISIVE VICTORY

June 4, 2020

Dr. Denzil Douglas and his NextGen SKN Team are ready, prepared and excited about the prospect of winning the General Elections on June 5, 2020. Dr. Douglas is seeking to mentor the next generation of young leaders to take the Federation to unprecedented heights of economic growth and prosperity one village at a time. His persuasive message to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis is simple: “This Election is all about You”.

Despite the many attempts being made by the outgoing Prime Minister, Dr. Timothy Harris to rig the elections to give his regime an unfair advantage, the Labour Party is still poised to win more constituencies in St. Kitts than any of its rivals. In Nevis, the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) is also riding a high wave based on polling projections and the mood of the people in Nevis and across the Federation.

The NextGen SKN team has promised to deliver several practical initiatives in the first 100 days on taking office in the post-COVID era. These policies are aimed at people empowerment and creating an enabling environment for businesses large and small to thrive in the present environment.  The NextGen SKN Labour Party will:

1. Restore the vibrancy of the economy and stimulate growth again; it will put the economy to work for our people by providing opportunities for investment and wealth creation.

2. Build and empower small businesses to ensure economic empowerment for all by:

a) Implementing a “Start from Zero” Package providing duty-free concessions on furniture, tools and equipment, even a company vehicle.  This will be facilitated by a new Ministry of Small Enterprise.

b) Establishing a fund of $25 million in the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis to provide grants and loans to existing small businesses. The amount and terms of such loans and grants will be conditional on the number of persons that would be employed or re-employed by the enterprise.

c) Establishing a guarantee scheme through the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF) or through a special state-sponsored vehicle to guarantee loans required by small businesses in order to restart operations and meet their immediate working capital requirements.

3. Institutionalize Diaspora engagement in order to enlist the active citizenship and participation of our overseas nationals in local investment opportunities and community development projects.

4. Attract economic activity to every constituency and village to create jobs and business opportunities at the community level.  This will be done by exploiting the natural endowments and rich heritage of each community.

5. Implement economic relief measures to ease the squeeze during these difficult times, where so many are now unemployed or are receiving little to no income, such as:

a) One Duty-Free car for every adult citizen;

b) Providing a credit note of $3000 that can be used to pay electricity bills, water bills, NHC rents and mortgages and other obligations to the Government in the upcoming months

c) Providing a monthly stipend to workers who have lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19 from $1,000 per month to $1560 per month which is equivalent to the minimum wage of $360 per week.

In speaking to the pressing needs of citizens and residents at home and in the Diaspora, Dr. Douglas and the NextGen SKN candidates have pledged to humbly serve the people with integrity and honour. The NextGen Agenda for Prosperity and Good Governace will ease the burdens of all citizens especially our students, farmers and fisherfolk, civil servants, police and security personnel, nurses, small business owners and self-employed professionals, hotel and restaurant workers and owners, taxi drivers, single fathers and single mothers, sports people, entertainers and those who hustle daily to eke out a living selling home-made products, food, drink and condiments.

Dr. Douglas, in an exclusive statement said that “Decision 2020 will be one of the most important that our people will ever make. They must decide what kind of country that they want to wake up to on Saturday morning on June 6th. They deserve to wake up to a country where our citizens can be free from fear and oppression as a result of rampant nepotism, corruption, victimization and intimidation. They deserve to wake up to a country where hope, excitement and opportunity abound and that would unleash the full potential of our citizens. They deserve to wake up to a country where our young people have a seat at the table in the policy and decision making processes at the highest level and where they can apply their creativity, energy and ideas towards nation building. They deserve to wake up to an economy that is vibrant and thriving and where our businesses can prosper once again and our workers are well taken care of and empowered”.

“Over the last five years our opponents have been all about themselves.  They have used the powers accorded to them by state to advance their own self-interest and to line the pockets of themselves, their families and select cronies and friends.

In this next General election, I want say to the people “vote your interest by voting for the NextGen SKN St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party because our next term will be all about you! Vote for the caring hand of Labour.”