The man who has been endorsed by Prime Minister Mia Mottley and the outgoing Member of Parliament for St Michael North Ronald Toppin to take over as the candidate at the next general election has released a glimpse of his “manifesto”.
A day after Toppin officially informed his constituents during a branch meeting at the Grazettes Primary School that he would be quitting elective politics after more than three decades of working with them, branch president Davidson Ishmael on Thursday shared his vision for the constituency.
While Ishmael has not been formally chosen by the branch as the prospective Barbados Labour Party (BLP) candidate, he has already formulated his programme of representation, which he insisted would not seek to alter the legacy of his “mentor” Toppin.
However, Ishmael, who is the Operations Manager of the Barbados Teachers’ Cooperative Credit Union Limited said there are a number of areas in the constituency which he has identified for special attention.
“We have to do quite a bit relative to our physical environment. I am always in the area, always on the ground and I must say that, not only St Michael North, but across the island, we still have a challenge with a lot of unkempt areas…a lot of bush, a lot of areas that could do with some special attention. Garbage collection is an area that continues to plague certain parts of the constituency. It is markedly improved since 2018, but there are still some pockets within the constituency that require some attention,” he told Barbados TODAY.
He said he would work with the relevant agencies to try to get a more frequent Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) collection.
Ishmael has also pledged to have a de-bushing programme undertaken seeing that several sections of the constituency are overgrown which creates a nuisance for residents.
“More particularly when it comes to transformational agenda, we have two play parks in St Michael North, one in Eden Lodge and the other one in Grazettes…they are in need of some urgent attention,” he added.
“I have some ideas in my head as to how those spaces can be better used and to become more communal in nature and to support not only the recreation of our people, but also the inspiration and development of our people as well. I believe a play park should be somewhere a child doesn’t only go to have fun, but he or she should be able to see some sort of symbols, some sort of information relative to our history,” said the educator and entrepreneur.
The Deputy Chairman of Export Barbados listed a number of eminent Barbadians, past and present who he would like to see on display in the play parks. They include the late national heroes Sir Grantley Adams and Errol Walton Barrow, late Prime Minister Owen Seymour Arthur and Prime Minister Mottley.
He said he would like to see local community leaders from St Michael North who have done exceptionally well in different areas on that list as well.
“So I want that when that little child is playing in the play park, they see within themselves the ability to be able to reach for the stars. So I really have a big vision for those things in particular,” he said.
Jobs, particularly for the young people in the area are also on top of Ishmael’s agenda.
“There are some other areas in terms of employment. This again is not unique to St Michael North; we have a lot of joblessness especially among our youth. So I look forward to engaging with our youth on a lot of those issues and to see how we can navigate that path more effectively. I really want to see a transformation among our youth where they are driving towards skills, driving towards academic pursuits, whatever might be their calling,” stated the political hopeful.
Conceding that everybody is not academic or skills or trade-oriented, Ishmael has promised to work on creating avenues and opportunities for all types of people, “so they can be excellent in their own unique area”.
Public transportation is another concern which he plans to address based on complaints of constituents.
Ishmael, who has been at Toppin’s side for several years as the MP traversed the constituency, also paid tribute to him.
“I am absolutely grateful to Mr Toppin for his mentorship and guidance over the last several years that we have been working together in the service of the people of St Michael North. I don’t see it as a case where I will be seeking to, in any way shape or form, change or alter or take away from his legacy. I think it really is a continuation of service to the people,” the branch president declared.
“He would have set a perfect example of what representative politics is all about,” Ishmael pointed out. emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
