BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew has announced a new initiative which he says is aimed at breaking the impact of poverty among school children on the twin island Federation.
Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew addressing supporters at the 92nd annual convention of the St. kitts-Nevis Labour Party (CMC Photo)Addressing the 92nd annual convention of the ruling St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) on Sunday, Prime Minister Drew said that two years after his party came to office, the government has embarked upon a policy to reduce students loan from nine to five per cent for every child.
“We have made sure that we freeze the interest payment so that while you are studying you do not have to pay high interest which is difficult for many families here in St. Kitts and Nevis,” Drew told party supporters.
He said the new initiative to begin in September this year,” every child in St. Kitts-Nevis between the ages of five and 18 will get their account of EC$1,000 (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents).
Drew said half of that amount would go towards savings with the remainder being used as an investment “breaking the back of poverty once and for all for our children.
“Never again, the script is clear. I understand the mission. The mission has been set centuries ago and the mission is work hard to uplift the people always”
In his address, Prime Minister Drew said that workers who have had their benefits slashed by the previous administration would benefit from its resumption in July.
“They went to the hospital and took away the maid’s benefits, they took away your GAE, workers’ beefits by cutting it by two-thirds. In other words if you were to get one hundred dollars, they only gave you EC$33.33 cents.
“And that is why when the Labour Party got in we reinstated all of your money…and many have received their EC100,” Drew said, adding “as a result of that we are about to start for the first time in this country, a pension for the GAE workers which s due to start in July 2024”.
Drew said that one of the means of breaking the back of poverty is through land ownership and that the SKNLP had embarked upon land reform :making it possible for our people to be land owners in our own country”..
He said the party had also introduced free higher school education allowing for children of cane farmers, the unemployed, the down trodden, the unforgotten “to have an opportunity to have a secondary school education”.
Prime Minister Drew said that is is also necessary that his government ensures that the Development Bank here must not fail adding “the government is pumping millions of dollars into the Development Bank to save it so that it can save your pension at Social Security,” noting that the bank owes in excess of EC$330 million because of the failure to conduct an audit there over the years.
“And that’s why we are saying whoever involved will be held responsible,” Prime Minister Drew said, adding that the bank owes Social Security in excess of EC$100 million.
“This is a mess that we inherited. Comrades we also inherited a government sponsored state corrupt programme where money was embezzled to the tune of tens of millions of dollars that they called the Peace programme.
“Tens of millions of dollars gone missing comrades using a corrupt programme for corrupt reasons to fill the pockets of those who are well connected, comrades, and therefore this too must be looked at,” Prime Minister Drew added.
