Too many broken promises in Christ Church East, says DLP candidate

With just 12 days remaining before the February 11 general election, utility, transportation and infrastructural issues were on the front burner for Democratic Labour Party candidate for Christ Church East, Amoy Gilding-Bourne.

Speaking on the DLP platform on Thursday night at the presentation of candidates in Oistins, Gilding-Bourne pointed to what she described as “broken promises” made to residents of the constituency.

“What promises were met? They tell them they’re going to get natural gas; Pilgrim Road, Fairy Valley, Parish Land and parts of Gibbons. We are in 2026 and they still don’t have natural gas.

“Ask the people in Fairy Valley what promises were made to them about public transportation. They were promised that their public transportation woes would be dealt with. We are in 2026 and people are still walking from the gas station in Pilgrim Road down to Fairy Valley,” Gilding-Bourne lamented.

“You could get off the bus with groceries, an elderly person, a child on your hand, two on the ground, you still got to walk, unless you got transportation of your own, [and] everybody does not have private transportation.”

Gilding-Bourne, an attorney-at-law, also raised issues surrounding unresolved infrastructural problems at public service facilities.

“Ask the people right here in Oistins. Ask the workers at the Randal Phillips Polyclinic. I should know, I used to work there. They say they have been refurbishing that building for years now. The roof still leaks during heavy rainfall. The doctors and the nurses are still asking for them to come and deal with the asbestos,” she revealed.

Gilding-Bourne further pointed to poor road conditions, high levels of unemployment, challenges facing the elderly, and issues affecting young people, rejecting claims that young people simply do not want to work.

“The roads bad. Yes, we still have elderly persons who need assistance. Yes, unemployment is high. The youngsters want work. This election is not about us candidates. This is about you, Barbados. It is about your interests. It is about your rights,” she said.

Gilding-Bourne, who is also the party’s spokesperson on agriculture, said there was a direct correlation between government’s failure to invest in that sector and the high cost of living.

“When agriculture fails, food prices increase. When food prices increase, we can’t feed our children, we can’t feed ourselves, and you know what I say,  a hungry man is an angry man,” she said.

Gilding-Bourne promised representation rooted in integrity and duty, rather than political rhetoric.

“On the 21st of January 2025, my colleagues and I took an oath, an oath to serve you, the people of Barbados, to serve you, the people of Christ Church East. 

“That is my duty and it is not a promise, because we know what promises are. Promises are comfort to a fool. That is my duty. That is my responsibility as a person who wants to go into public office. It is my understanding that I am here to serve you,” she maintained.