7th District under economic depression- Oleanvine Pickering-Maynard
It was not a whipping that came only from the mouth of Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Seventh District candidate Oleanvine Pickering-Maynard but several others who spoke last night, May 18, 2015 at Pickering-Maynard's campaign launch at The Stickett in Long Look.
But it was Pickering-Maynard who took full control of the whip as she asked, “Why is it that almost every other district can claim a growing financial or commercial sector but the 7th District cannot?” and further said, “This district is under economic oppression and no one has done anything to remedy this situation.”
A District of inactivity & neglect
“We cannot let this administration, this NDP Government, get away with putting the needs of our people last and their needs first. Here in the Seventh [District] we see the results when an elected representative puts himself above the people he claims to represent,” she further stated.
But she said that for this election, don’t let, bribery and trickery dictate. “Reclaim your community, demand better representation, choose the Government you deserve. Don’t stand for inactivity and empty promises from disconnected and disinterested representatives. Vote Team VIP, taking you Forward.”
“The 7th District, of which I have called home since I was born, has been neglected for years. In fact, it seems that our elected representative has forgotten that he was elected to represent us, not himself,” said Pickering-Maynard in her address to the district people.
Where is the District Representative?
Pointing to the many challenges that the NDP has failed to address in the interest of the people she alluded to the claims that there are no incentives for entrepreneurship, educational and vocational training for youth of the district. “How can the representative of this district and the sitting Minister of Labour be satisfied with having the highest rate of unemployment in the district he is supposed to represent?” she asked
She said the district still battles societal ills such as youth imprisonment, early motherhood, teenage pregnancy, and unemployment as she proposed organising workshops for youth to be exposed to information as a possible solution.
“But where is our representative when we, the ordinary people, are hurting?”
Multi-purpose facility & mentorship programme proposed
The former Labour Commissioner proposed building a Civic Centre with a multi-sport court, an enclosed area to host indoor basketball and volleyball games, dance and music classes, after-school tutoring programmes, among others.
She said students of the district are not graduating from the high school at the same rate as students from the other parts of the island. Dropout rates are higher, “I propose we fix that! I propose a mentorship programme that will pair our young men and young women with esteemed members of the community.”
She added that the VIP has already set forth plans to lower taxes and to spur the entrepreneurial spirit within the ordinary man. “Within the community, I have heard cries of the disenfranchised youth, who want to own their own business and who want an opportunity to work for themselves. But where is the person who is supposed to represent them?”
Spurring entrepreneurship
Pickering-Maynard also proposed to bring a ‘Saturday Marketplace’ back to the Seventh District. “The Market will allow our local produce growers, fishermen, and craft makers to come to the 7th and make a living for themselves.”
“The Virgin Islands Party has already pledged to work with the banks to help lower interest rates, to encourage the ordinary man to get a loan and start their own businesses. That my friends and family is responsibility,” she said.
She also proposed that they become players in the field of tourism by developing the beaches at Beef Island and Brandywine Bay to become the host of locally-owned businesses, bars and restaurants and to also develop the first waterpark in the VI.
“Does your present representative realise the health hazards of garbage left on our streets and gutters left full in the Long Look area? I propose a ghut cleaning cycle every 3 months,” she said while touching on the issue of health.
The opening of the present clinic to about 10pm and adding a mini pharmacy were also proposed.
According to Pickering-Maynard, the district has no proper lighting on the roadways. “Well, on the eve of elections some work was done on the main road but can we really fall for that?”
‘Stating the facts, not mudslinging’
Other things the VIP Seventh District candidate highlighted as lacking are programmes to stimulate the local economy and support of the Government to revitalise and keep historical sites intact.
“Now my opponent might see these points as attacks especially as there has been a whole lot of mudslinging and name calling this past week, but we are stating the facts and we are simply saying that you deserve a concerned and involved representative who will fight for you, who will identify your needs and will not rest until they are addressed. Somebody who will represent you and represent you well,” she stated.
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