PAM chairman Powell told Team Unity is “an uncaring administration”; have failed farmers and students
The governing Timothy Harris Team Unity coalition has been called out for being an “uncaring administration” and given failing grades in agriculture and education.
A caller to Freedom 106.5 FM’s “Issues” programme told PAM Jonel Powell, whose party has four seats in the three-party coalition, that the recent term limits bill, education and agriculture are examples of the THUG falling way short of looking out for the people of the federation.
“Mr Powell, the (Term Limits) Bill do not mean really much to people. It seems to be a bad-minded bill and came about because Douglas served 20 years,” said the caller.
“In agriculture when Douglas went out, (fencing) wire was selling for EC$400.00 a roll over 20 years. In Unity four years, wire gone to EC$700 per roll. You all telling people must go and farm,” said the caller who accused Team Unity “of extorting money from farmers.”
“Every time a product comes in the cost goes up (and) the cost of production continues to rise. People have been selling carrots for two dollars per pound for the past 40 years and more,” he lamented.
He pointed out that farmers cannot unilaterally increase the cost of their due to stiff competition on the world market and complained bitterly that “animals are dropping dead due to the high cost of bayticol, while the government representatives were laying the blame on the farmers instead of remedying the problem.
“In 20 years of (Prime Minister Dr Denzil) Douglas, bayticol went from free to EC$50. In four years under Team Unity, bayticol rose from EC$50 to EC$200 at a time of serious crisis and there is no effort in doing the right thing,” the male caller told Powell.
The caller also slammed Powell and Team Unity for depriving the primary and secondary school children of their personal laptop computers under the one-to-one laptop programme which they benefited from under the previous Labour Party administration.
“Team Unity said it was a waste of time,” said caller who was also critical of Powell and his Team Unity Government for eliminating the REACH programme which gave students the opportunity to go to the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC), AVEC and the Nevis Fifth Form with financial assistance