THE POWER OF WE

A re-elected United Workers Party administration will move purposefully to ensure that good governance becomes a way of life for all political parties in government.

The commitment surfaced Sunday night as Prime Minister Stephenson King presented the Party’s 2011 Manifesto to a record breaking crowd at Beausejour:

“Protecting our relatively young democracy involves much more than enforcing the rules concerning the security of property and the well-being of the individual. It includes no less than providing the good governance required to ensure that all Saint Lucians continue to enjoy the freedom to exercise their God given talents.

A new UWP Administration will continue to be guided by the principles of upholding the fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in our constitution, ensuring the separation of powers, maintaining the complete independence of the judiciary and upholding the rule of law. During the last seven years, millions of dollars have been spent on a Constitution Reform Exercise. The UWP looks forward to receiving the report of that Commission very early in the life of the new administration.

Our legislative agenda will be geared towards facilitating the conduct of good governance in our society. A governance record that has been validated by Transparency International which ranked Saint Lucia number two in the Caribbean since 2007 and number twenty-two in the world

To achieve Our Goal, a UWP Government will:

- Engage the population in the widest possible consultation on the report of the Constitution Reform Commission, with a view to determining the way forward

- Continue to pursue the enactment of legislation geared towards strengthening accountability of public officials, thereby lessening the possibility of acts of maladministration and abuse as identified by the Ramsahoye Commission

- Enact legislation to strengthen Financial Administration of the Public Service and accountability in the use of public funds

- Enact legislation for the creation of a Council on Social Reform

- Undertake a comprehensive review of the Laws of Saint Lucia

- Take steps to ensure a review of the constituency boundaries in order to facilitate a more rational and equitable system of representation

- Encourage consensus building by facilitating exchange of ideas on governance and development through the use of technology by extending the e-Government Programme to local communities