BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS (MMS-SKN) — The St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party’s Caretaker for Constituency Number 5, Ambassador His Excellency Kenneth Douglas, who is also the Federal Government’s Sports Advisor, has pledged to use sports to bring the people of Sandy Point, and the Constituency on a whole, together.
“You all know that I am a sportsman – that is what most persons know me as here in Sandy Point or around St. Kitts and Nevis,” said Ambassador Douglas. “Presently at the new recreational ground, we have the semi-finals of a 7 vs. 7 Jones Group of Companies football tournament that are in the semi-finals.”
The Ambassador and Sports Advisor made the remarks on Sunday evening, December 10, when he addressed the Executive Meeting of the St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party Branch Constituency Number 5, which was held at the Unique Touch Christian Centre’s auditorium in Cleverly Hill, Sandy Point.
Moderated by Constituency Number Five Labour Party Branch Chairman, Mr Leroy Benjamin Jr., the meeting was held under the theme ‘Developing our Community through ideas and Embracing the Challenges Together’. The guest presenter was Senior Minister, and former Prime Minister of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Right Hon Dr Denzil Douglas.
“Our Branch Chairman, Mr Leroy Benjamin Jr. is the President of the Sandy Point Football Association, and we have played five preliminary rounds,” said His Excellency Douglas. “These are some of the activities I would like to be doing to make sure that we bring people together here in Sandy Point, in Constituency Number Five.”
Some time back Sandy Point boasted of having the best basketball league outside the St. Kitts Nevis Amateur Basketball Association league, and he noted that he had discussed with Mr Benjamin as they intend to start the league again, where young men could be occupied by playing the game.
“I am the President of the Cricket Association here in Sandy Point,” he told the attentive audience. “Just last week we played the finals of the T20 competition in St. Kitts. We got to the finals to play Cayon, who have a combined team. Unfortunately we lost in finals, but we came second, and I just want to give the boys a round of applause, we happen to win ourselves $2,500.”
In the area of education, Ambassador Douglas said that he has started an award to honour the person who has the best results in physical education and science which are his area. He started this year, making the award to the Best Male and the Best Female to those graduating from the Charles E. Mills Secondary School.
While he congratulated all those who graduated from the secondary school, he singled out Master Kayin Thomas of Fig Tree as the male from Constituency Number Five who returned home the best results in CXC Examinations, and Miss Lesinique Daniel who received the award for the best female for the CXC results in Constituency Number Five.
The award, he explained, will be extended to cover the Sandy Point Primary School, saying that the children are the future and that he intends to make sure that they too are well prepared by encouraging them.
“Our children’s party is coming up on Sunday December 17, and it will be held at the Club House in Cleverly Hill next to the New Recreation Ground by the yellow building, from 2:00 p.m. to 5 o’clock,” advised Ambassador Douglas. “I want to encourage you to send in your children between zero and eleven years old for some fun. We already have the gifts for them, toys, so send your children over.”
In the area of health, he said that in 2018 when he entered politics, he had approached the then Prime Minister and told him that the people of Sandy Point wanted doctors to be available 24/7 at the Pogson Hospital, but that did not happen. He however reported that since the 2022 elections when the Labour Party came into government, this has been done and doctors are available 24/7 at the Pogson Hospital.
“I will be having one-on-ones consultations with our people, as these are ways that we are trying to see if we can reach the people of Sandy Point,” he told the meeting. “Even if you do not have time to come to the one-on-ones and branch meetings, you can still send a message. If you call me any time and you do not get me, do not hesitate to send a WhatsApp message.”
However during public discussions where members in the audience raised their concerns and gave suggestions, a constituent, Ms Jackie Lennon, observed that while it was okay to have the one-on-one meetings at his office in Sandy Point, she suggested that it would be better if the meetings could be held in the various communities. The Ambassador agreed with her.
“A few months before elections, our Representative fell in a hole just above me, right up there where I am living, Stadium View,” observed Ambassador Douglas. “I am happy to say that today the same hole that he fell in, it is well paved at this present moment. I went to the Hon Konris Maynard (Minister of Public Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities et al) and I told him that this should not happen to anybody else in Constituency Number Five.”
He also reported that a number of roads in Sandy Point will be paved next year in the first quarter, while the public bath in Fig Tree will be knocked down and be built back up and painted. There will be somebody to have the keys so that they can open it and clean it up so that the people of Fig Tree who use the public bath can have a nice clean bath anytime they go there.
Branch Executive Members present included, Vice Chair, Ms Ruby Stevens; Treasurer, Mr George Dixon; Public Relations Officer, Mrs Karina Charles; Assistant Secretary, Mrs Joanna Buchanan; Executive Member, Mrs Nerissa Drew-Foster; and Floor Member, Mrs Lousie Buchanan-Pemberton.