DLP leader says St Lucy neglected

President of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and candidate for the St Lucy constituency, Verla De Peiza, has called on authorities to swiftly address the water woes affecting residents, as she alleged that the northern parish has been neglected by the current government.

Her call came as she canvassed the area on Wednesday, two days after Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced that general elections would be held on January 19, 2022.

DePeiza said several of the residents’ concerns have been ignored, but none was as dire as the water situation. She said despite promised upgrades to the water network in the parish, there have not been any notable improvements.

“From Pie Corner and Date Tree Hill, all the way over to where we are right now in Half Moon Fort, you can’t tell what colour the water will be on any given day. These are citizens of Barbados, they pay their water bills faithfully even though they have to also go and buy bottled water.

“Of late, because of the agitation on my part, the water truck has been coming through, but again that is not what they are paying for, they are paying for water to come through their taps. That is a major consideration that has to go forward and on behalf of the people of St Lucy,” DePeiza
contended.

She said she was confident in her chances of winning the seat for the DLP, as she stressed that St Lucy was one of many constituencies that continued to be ignored by the Mottley administration.

“It’s not just about securing a vote, it’s about representing people. You can’t represent them if you have not built up a rapport with them, if you have not listened to what their concerns are and then spend the time working on solutions,” said the DLP leader who will be going up against the Barbados Labour Party’s Peter Phillips in the upcoming polls.

“It is one of the forgotten parishes, and the intention going forward is to make sure that St Lucy gets its due. It is long overdue, and the need for change is great in St Lucy because they simply have not had the representation that they deserve,” she added. (SB)