Cox outlines agenda for St Michael Central

A St Michael Central sports academy and an academic programme are just a few of the plans Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate Courie Cox has in store to improve the lives of residents living in that constituency.

Rolling out some of his plans at a spot meeting in St Michael Central on Thursday evening, Cox said he has at least eight developmental programmes listed to implement in that constituency.

He said that despite competitive sports not being played at this time due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, sporting programmes should be introduced to harness the skills and talents of the youth in the meantime.

“We might not be able to play a cricket match, but we can teach cricketing techniques. We can create cricket nets, we can create soccer nets, sports are a very big opportunistic area. Mathematics and English are not going to work for everybody. And those who want to excel in the avenue of sports must be given that opportunity and that is why we are going to launch the St Michael Central Sports Academy.

“It doesn’t make any sense that we just got a pasture down there and sheep running across it, bush running across it and everybody coming and putting a little something on it. Just now we aint gine got no pasture,” he said.

Cox also intends to introduce a job counselling placement programme in the constituency. He said, while canvassing, many people have pointed out that they want jobs but noted that they are in need of help putting together their resumes.

The candidate said some constituents have informed him that they have lost employment opportunities because they were not prepared for the interview process.

“We will also be establishing in conjunction with someone in the constituency, a St Michael Central Orchestra. Those young people who are interested in instrumentation, bands, singing, etc. Ladies and gentlemen, I have about eight here listed and as I go along, I will be bringing more programmes.

“These programmes are not from the brain of Courie Cox or the mind of Courie Cox. These are the programes that have been brought from canvassing in this constituency,” he said.

Cox told constituents to ask themselves what their Barbados Labour Party (BLP) representative Arthur Holder, who they elected in 2018 as their parliamentary representative, did for the constituency.

He has accused Holder of doing limited things for constituents over the past three and a half years.

“One or two people have even been selected to work in the debushing programme and the ash programme. But I want the representative and the rest of the ministers in the Government to stop taking advantage of the young people even in that same ash programme.

“You giving people a little pay, fantastic. But pay some NIS [National Insurance Scheme] on behalf of the young people because if any of them go out there and they break their hand or they break their finger, not a cent they can’t get from the NIS. If a lady becomes pregnant and she wants maternity leave she can’t get it,” Cox said. (AH)