Basseterre, St.Kitts (June 22 2013):- Popular newly announced St.Kitts-Nevis Opposition People’s Action Movement Candidate for Constituency #1, Ian “Patches” Liburd has announced a major commitment to the young people of his constituency. In a move reminiscent of the benevolent bravado of former Deputy Prime Minister in the Rt. Hon. Dr Sir Kennedy Simmonds administration Micheal Powell, the current East Basseterre political hopeful, promised to allocate half his salary to a scholarship fund for schools in his constituency, when elected.
“I pledge here and now to serve you. And I also pledge here and now, just like Michael Oliver Powell… that when elected, I will give instructions to the Treasury to deduct 50% of my salary to be lodged into a scholarship fund for every single school in this constituency…”
The candidate’s reference to Powell is a nod to the former deputy PM’s popular and storied representation of East Basseterre from 1980 to 1992. During his tenure as area MP in the then ruling PAM administration, Powell pioneered a school scholarship fund with half of his salary paid monthly to the cause. The first person to benefit was Edris Lewis, who went on to become the designer of the National flag of St. Kitts & Nevis.
Liburd, who made his announcement at a spirited Taylors Village rally on Thursday night, also identified the private and public schools in Constituency One that could benefit, such as Tucker Clarke Primary, Seventh Day Adventist School, Immaculate Conception Catholic School (formerly Convent High), Beach Allen Primary, Basseterre High, Washington Archibald High and vocational academy AVEC.
Liburd had support at the meeting from former area representative, Michael Powell. As one of the featured speakers at Taylors, the past candidate was also on hand Thursday night to see his populist pledge come full-circle on the lips of the current candidate, Ian “Patches” Liburd.
As the last PAM MP to occupy the East Basseterre seat, Powell had kind and supportive words for both the current PAM hopeful and the party in general.
“I am solidly behind Patches,” Powell promised. “I am going to do everything in my power to get Patches elected in East Basseterre. Everything… and I am going to do everything in my power to get PAM as a major part of the government of national unity.”
Liburd, a former senior government official under the Labour government, laid out other plans which included forgiveness of electricity bills pre-2011 and pre-SKELEC, the reconnection of all electricity debtors and the elimination of VAT on the dead.