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By Dr. Charles Warner

The evening of January 29, 2019 saw the groundbreaking ceremony for the reconfiguring of the section of the Main Road, running across Old Road Bay.

It’s another example of the Unity government stepping up to the plate, solving a problem ignored by Douglasism, for the two (2) decades it held power.

A problem ignored despite the glaring difficulties, danger and loss of life.  An area without any satisfactory alternative pathway, a critical area as it relates to communication on the western side of the island.

The shorter (est) distance between the two main hospitals, an important part of the tourist route and the main conduit as it relates to traffic and the flow of people.

Douglasism came into office in 1995 and it is well known that Dr. Douglas used the hurricanes as an excuse for his failures.

Basically all those hurricanes damaged the Old Road Bay section of the Island Main Road making it impassable.  Yet Douglasism did nothing to solve this problem.  Many times the road was severely damaged, forcing traffic via Dieppe Bay, ie for ambulance, police etc.

Boulders have fallen off the cliff, killing persons, but Dougalasism did not yield.  Ignoring the safety of the people.

The position of Douglasism was that Old Road Bay is in the second class St. Kitts.  While boulders were rolling off the cliff and landslides were occurring, the sea was eroding the road, dangerous to the people at the western end of the road. Douglasism cared not.

However, in its (Douglasism) preferred part of St. Kitts, the Southeast Peninsula, beyond his Mason-Dixie line, when boulders began to fall off the hills, Dr. Douglas rushed into action.

Millions were spent to build a tunnel so that the safety of his preferred people could be ensured.  While that was being built, the locals travelling on the Old Road Bay area were dodging boulders and landslides.

The tunnel was built and his preferred people got security while out here in the country the people continued to be exposed to danger.  To this day the danger exists but January 29^th, 2019 brought the formal processes, designed to bringing an end to the problem.

Douglasism will probably agree that the tunnel was built to facilitate tourism.  However, tourism was going on, on this side of the island, long before Christophe Harbour and the likes.  Even locals had businesses on the Southeast before the likes of Christophe Harbour and the big apartments and special homes.

But ignore these people, not the Buddies and the Darbies.  Douglasism was preparing the way for the two St. Kittses and for the preferred people, not locals.

Even the corner at the Challengers Methodist Church was ignored.  For years Mr. Wilfred Welsh went public, asking for the problem to be fixed.  Douglasism ignored him.  In came Unity and today the problem has been solved.

In like manner while the stones were rolling off the Old Road Bay cliff posing danger to our people, unknown microorganisms, fumes, and toxins were damaging the health of our students.

Rather than solving the problem Dr. Douglas personally displayed callousness and misled the people.

The Unity government came along and in short time erected the present building; plans are now in place for the modern high school, the final solution to the problem Douglasism ignored with contempt.

Dr. Douglas enjoyed a free ride from St. Paul’s to Basseterre.  So the expense of going via Dieppe Bay mattered not to him.

The Douglas brand of Labour does not like to see good done for the people, ie local people.  So all are waiting to hear what the criticism will be as it relates to Old Road Bay.

Congrats to Dr. Harris and the Unity government for spending money on protecting the people.  No stones/boulders are falling on the heads of those travelling on the Southeast Peninsula and soon not on the heads of those travelling to and from St. Paul’s and areas in No 6 who have to use the Old Road Bay section of the Island Main Road.

The Unity government continues to spend on the protection of the people.  If Douglasism could find a way to put an arch at Camps – an arch not really needed – the Old Road Bay problem should have been solved long ago.

Over five times the amount it will take to do the Old Road Bay, was wasted by Douglasism at La Vallee.  The Bypass Road went over Budget by near 40 million.  Again, an amount that could have fixed the Old Road Bay problem.

When Old Road Bay is completed citizens will stand in wonder, asking why couldthis not be done in the 20 years of Douglasism but in just 4 years of the Unity government.