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| Bradley Felix |
As unemployment continues to plague the island,
United Workers Party (UWP) candidate, Bradley Felix, plans to play his part in
tackling the issue head on, in Choiseul, if elected the constituency’s Member
of Parliament (MP).
Felix said this is not just his plan for Choiseul,
but it is also part of his party’s vision to create sustainable jobs for all
Saint Lucians, particularly young people, who are most affected by this issue.
While acknowledging that it would require hard
work and dedication, the banker said he is prepared to make it a reality for
the people of his beloved community.
In a recent interview with Saint Lucia News Online
(SNO), Felix said that the issue of unemployment is on the lips of many
persons, not only in Choiseul, but throughout the length and breadth of Saint
Lucia.
“You hear about it, but until you start visiting
houses and you realize that every other house has some young person, who has
left school three, four, five years ago, and they are still home, unemployed
and unable to get employment, you ask yourself whether the unemployment figure
is accurate,” he said.
The UWP candidate who spoke passionately about
bringing drastic changes to Choiseul, said he plans on tapping into the tourism
and agriculture sectors to address the unemployment issue.
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| Checking on the Arts and Craft |
Felix believes that Choiseul has the potential to
develop a heritage tourism market, especially since the constituency is known
for having a lot of Saint Lucia’s historic sites, rivers and parks. This, he
said, will help to create employment opportunities for people of all ages
there.
“I think we need to start thinking outside of the
box and create some opportunities to get the tourist dollar and for them to
stop in the community. Right now, the tourist just pass through the community.
You have the occasional people, who come and climb the Pitons, and people who
come and look for specific craft components, but you don’t get people stopping
in the community,” he explained.
He argued that despite the current MP is the
incumbent tourism minister and the fact that Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony
is from Choiseul, this does not change anything, because the people in that
constituency have been left out and no one has really benefited from the
tourism dollar.
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| Bradley on his Pineapple farm |
Model farms
Felix has his eyes set on creating model farms for
Choiseul, which will hopefully attract young people to the agriculture sector.
He explained that government would have to first subsidize the project, but it
will then be left up to the young people to take ownership of it, and get a meaningful
income.
Choiseul is already known as a fishing and farming
village. But Felix thinks that there have been a lot of lip service as it
relates to agriculture, although the area has very fertile lands which
could be used for agriculture purposes.
“A couple of years ago, it was identified for
housing development and I think we need to identify what is best for housing
and what is good for agriculture,” he added.
Felix promises not only to do more, but is
aiming to change the face of politics in the country, where the people are put
first, and where politicians start showing respect for the people they serve.
“The people are only recognized as masters when it
comes to election time, as it is happening right now. All of a sudden, the
people are the biggest concern and you forget about them until the next
election. I really plan to provide a different kind of representation and to
make myself accessible to the people.”
The banker expressed confidence in winning the
seat based on several factors, when asked about his chances in the next
election.
Felix said he is a genuine person, who has a good
relationship with people of all walks of life in the constituency and beyond.
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| Mingling with the Gia Bois residents |
“What you see is what you get. I don’t try to play
the normal political role that people play, where you find they are trying to
meet with grass roots people and trying to put themselves in areas they are not
comfortable with. That’s not me. I have always been a people’s person and a
community person.”
He said when he goes to sit down and talk with the
people now, it is not something new to him, because he has always been engaged
with them. “This is not something that I am doing because of politics. I
would help the fishermen pull their boats in and sit down with the guys on the
block discussing issues, playing games, going on the farms. It’s just my way of
life.”
Felix has been a banker for most of his
professional career. He has worked in the banking industry for over 32 years.
His last position was senior manager for Corporate Banking at the East
Caribbean Financial Holding Company (ECFH) or what is commonly referred to as
the Bank of Saint Lucia
Slide show
Source: http://www.stlucianewsonline.com/bradley-felix-plans-to-address-unemployment-in-choiseul/
Editor's note: Pics and video belongs to Choiseul on the Move
.
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