Incumbent Member of Parliament for the St Michael West Central constituency Ian Gooding-Edghill has showered praises on his colleague Neil Rowe, as he called on residents of St Michael North West to re-elect him on January 19.
During a Barbados Labour Party (BLP) spot meeting Wednesday night at Deacon’s Farm, Gooding-Edghill said Rowe has made a significant contribution to St Michael North West.
“Neil Rowe has been able to make changes that were absolutely necessary. Neil Rowe was able to put several people to work in this constituency. Neil Rowe was able to improve drainage in this constituency. Neil Rowe came to this constituency and he ensured that he also had his fair share of roads,” Gooding-Edghill said.
“But I come to you to say to that after three and a half years, you have found a man in Neil Rowe as a representative. A person who’s capable of representing your interests. A person who will give his very last to his constituents. A man who’s deeply committed to his people. And as we walked through Deacon’s Farm, Goodland, Free Hill, the one thing that people tell you, they tell you that ‘we see Neil Rowe. Neil Rowe is never missing in action’.”
According to Gooding-Edghill, in this general election, the choice is clear.
“Neil Rowe has been truly an outstanding son of the soil in St Michael North West, and I want to say to you that with such talent, with such a record of accomplishment, I can only ask you when you go to the polls on January 19th that you return Neil Rowe as a duly elected Member of Parliament for this constituency,” he said.
Gooding-Edghill also took the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) to task over its handling of the Barbados economy during its last two terms in office.
“This Barbados Labour Party inherited a government that had broken infrastructure. They had neglected the infrastructure in Barbados.They had so ruined the Barbados economy that there wasn’t one good credit about Barbados. Everything was downgraded to junk,” Gooding-Edghill said.
“The Democratic Labour Party did nothing to restore confidence in the public transport system in Barbados. The Democratic Labour Party did nothing to improve unemployment, to increase employment, to reduce the levels of unemployment in Barbados. The Democratic Labour Party left us with few reserves to cover any expenses for imports that we wished to buy.
“That is what they left us with, and now they come to you to ask you for a vote. And when they come over here knocking on your doors In Deacon’s Farm, I want you to ask them and I want to remind them of the sorry and sad state that they left Barbados. I want you to remind them about the credit ratings that they left Barbados with — down to junk. I want you to ask them and remind them about the public transport system that was broken that the Barbados Labour Party had to fix. I want you to tell them that you don’t want them to come at your door because their time in office was so disastrous,” he added.
Gooding-Edghill said the BLP made the job of managing the affairs of the country look small, even though it was “a massive undertaking”.
“And I dare say to you that on the basis of what we’ve accomplished … you will be left with no choice but to return the Barbados Labour Party and Neil Rowe,” Gooding-Edghill said. (DLB)
