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Today marks the climax of the United Progressive Party’s (UPP) campaign, prior to Thursday’s General Election. Justice Square will come alive with the final public rally dubbed ‘Oceans 16’. The 16 constituency candidates will be on hand to give a final hurrah before facing judgment day.

Chairman of the UPP, Leon Chaku Symister, promises the event will be the biggest, most colourful event since the beginning of their blue wave events.

UPP candidates will take the platform and outline the administration’s report card.

“The UPP offers a positive and achievable vision for this country and the party’s cornerstone is commitment to the people,” said Symister.

The party will also reiterate its commitment to educating the youths by offering more scholarships for studies abroad and founding the University of Antigua & Barbuda.

The people will also hear about plans such as a new airport terminal, a comprehensive crime fighting strategy and unemployment relief during these uncertain economic times, all components of the UPP’s visionary manifesto.
“Defending the Nation makes realistic promises to the people. We have delivered on our 2004 manifesto and we will deliver on our 2009 manifesto,” the UPP Chairman confirmed.

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With just three days to go before the nation goes to the polls, the Electoral Commission is calling for registered voters to collect elector ID cards promptly.

Cards being replaced due to a computer glitch that occurred in 2008 are now available for collection. They can be collected between today from 12 p.m.-6p.m., tomorrow from 8:30-6p.m., and Wednesday from 8:30 -12p.m., from the registration units in each constituency.

“These cards were printed in a period when the machine had a glitch. We have printed new cards for these people and are asking them to come in and collect them,” Electoral Commission PRO Colin James told the Antigua Sun.

In terms of the general collection of elector ID cards James said while there has been an increase in the numbers collected, there are still a significant number awaiting collection and this is causing some concern.

“There are hundreds still to be collected, some since 2003. Most of those registered last year have been collected,” James said.

Some of the outstanding cards are for people who registered then travelled abroad as students and have not yet returned to Antigua.

A good proportion of uncollected cards are accounted for by this, James said.

Others have registered then failed to remember that they had applied. Consequently, duplicate cards have been produced for them.

Other than urging voters to collect their necessary cards, preparation is continuing at the Electoral Commission headquarters, James said to ensure that everything is in place to facilitate as smooth a process as possible on election day, Thursday.

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MP for St. John’s City East Harold Lovell is taking a page from the elections in the US by seeking to excite young voters in a targeted way.

Using the background of 1987 when the US stock exchange crashed, a press release from the minister stated that “the year 1987 is also a defining year, as persons born between the period 1987 and 1991 will become eligible to vote in the general elections for the first time.”

Lovell, recognising that there will be a significant number of first time eligible voters in the upcoming elections, said he believes there are tremendous opportunities to mobilise, educate and empower this important group.

According to Lovell, who is also minister of tourism, civil aviation, culture and the environment, “research across the world shows that this group, described demographically as Generation Y, is technologically advanced and heavily reliant on Web sites as a primary source of obtaining news and information.

"They respond to ads (advertisements) and process information very differently and messages are more effective when they are brought to places where they congregate or through entertainment activities.”

To this end, Lovell and Friends of City East sponsored a “Blue Carpet” Cruise aboard the Wadadli Cats on 4 March. Specially designed to reach this important group of first time eligible voters, the event was held under the theme “Rock the Boat.” It was hosted by ABS personality and City East Constituent, Brucella Marsh and featured a performance by Daina Barnes.

According to Kandace Inniss, one of the event organisers, “The cruise created an exciting networking environment to help young people recognise that the right to vote is a social duty.” She also indicated that the event draws from the successful grassroots campaign in the recent US presidential elections called “Rock the Vote” that helped to mobilise and educate millions of first time voters throughout the United States.

Lovell, recently signed up on Facebook an online social networking Web site, admits that he pays careful attention to emerging marketing trends as current chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).

He noted that the Generation Y group is also referred to as the “Trophy Generation”. This reflects a trend in modern competitive sports, as well as many other aspects of life where “no one loses” and everyone gets a “Thanks for Participating” trophy. Lovell commented that participants in the “Rock the Boat” event received a customised USB Flash Drive as a memento and confirmation that as electors, they have become trustees for themselves, fellow citizens and their country.”

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The United Progressive Party (UPP) continues to show its commitment to provide citizens with the opportunity to get a tertiary education with Friday’s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the government and the Grambling State University in Louisiana, USA.

Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer together with Associate Vice President and Executive Director for the Center for International Affairs Programmes at the University, Dr. Mahmoud Lamadine, signed the document which paves the way for Antiguans and Barbudans to pursue studies at this esteemed university. While on island Dr. Lamadine held discussions with the Minister of Education, Bertrand Joseph, and our Chief Education Officer, Jacintha Pringle.

Under the agreement, the tertiary institution will provide five full scholarships and a partial fifty scholarships to qualified individuals. “Today’s signing is indicative of the UPP’s commitment to ensure that the country’s youth are afforded the opportunity to advance themselves in a first class university,” said Prime Minister Spencer.

Minister of Education, Bertrand Joseph, noted, “Never before has such emphasis been placed on providing quality education across all spectrums.” Joseph believes that tertiary education is paramount, especially with the impending Caricom Single Market Economy and, also, in response to globalization. The UPP feels compelled to assist the youth to prepare for these changes and also, continue to make Antigua a competitive, viable economy.

Presently there are over 1,000 Antiguan and Barbudan students pursuing post-secondary education in different institutions around the world. This education will give them a wide range of skills that will continue to benefit the country. They are living as foreign students in countries and cultures that are vastly different to our own such as China, India and Egypt, to name a few.

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Prime Ministers Baldwin Spencer and Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, have attempted to further reassure the public of the soundness of Bank of Antigua Ltd. (BOA) by opening, and reactivating personal chequing accounts there.

Dr. Gonsalves said the move was organised by PM Spencer and himself to show that members of the public could safely renew their confidence in the bank.

Both prime ministers agreed that the amount deposited in BOA would have to be more than just a few hundred or thousand dollars if they wanted their commitment to be taken seriously.

Therefore, it was decided that they would both place $20,000 into the bank.

PM Spencer’s deposit was placed in an account that he already had with the bank, which had become dormant, while Dr. Gonsalves opened a new, personal account for himself and his wife, Eloise Gonsalves.

Both stated that their investments were profound statements of their confidence in the operations of BOA because they were both using their own money and would not mess around with that, given the current economic times.

Dr. Gonsalves said the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, Sir K. Dwight Venner, Dr. Errol Cort, chairman of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union, and himself – through his capacity as the chairman of a regional taskforce that is intended to address issues of the economic crisis – were the key players in getting the indigenous banks together and forming the agreement to purchase BOA's shares following its takeover by the ECCB.

Both prime ministers were once again in accord when they expressed the view that the crisis that befell BOA had to be tackled with a regional approach, not just from a national standpoint. As such, the Eastern Caribbean Amalgamated Bank (ECAB) will be formed from a union of the assets of BOA and the banks that purchase its shares, and this will create a single entity with a capital-base many times what any of the banks had individually. Dr. Gonsalves also said the ECAB could be a means of further integration within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.

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There was a tidal wave of blue at Justice Square last night as supporters witnessed the long-awaited unveiling of the United Progressive Party manifesto.
Following its 2004 manifesto, dubbed “Agenda for Change,” the UPP presented its 2009 promises, titled “Defending the Nation”.

Incumbent St John's Rural East MP Dr Errol Cort said it includes several programmes to cushion the effects of the international financial crisis.

"We are prepared to suspend the income tax if the country cannot withstand the effects of the global downturn, giving citizens more dispensable income," he said.

Dr Cort said the UPP has also already negotiated with commercial banks to ensure that are no foreclosures of homes within the twin-island state.

“The corporation tax will be reduced to 22.5 percent if banks give mortgages of no more than 7 percent," Dr Cort said. "This is to ensure that each person can afford a home."

Stamp duty on residential homes will be further reduced to $2 per 1,000 square feet, he noted.

Having made it to the UK's white list, the finance minister said, would allow the country to tap into that world power's vibrant gaming industry.

The manifesto also highlights areas intended to become duty free shopping districts, and the privatization of statutory bodies such as the airport authority, State Insurance Corporation, and the electricity and telecommunications divisions of APUA.

“Defending the Nation” also outlines the establishment of a Pension [Manifesto night] Modernization Commission, the paying off of over a billion dollars in
retroactive payments, and the extension of the National School Meals Programme from primary to secondary schools.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Wilmoth Daniel said the UPP, once re-elected, would continue its rigorous social elevation campaign.

Daniel promised that the mistakes made before would not be repeated.
“When you come to our office to us we will have to see you, when you call us we must answer," he said.

Daniel, in one his final opportunities to rally support before the March 12 elections, called on nationals to vote for the UPP once they believed in the party’s fundamental values, whether they liked a particular candidate or not.

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The UPP candidate for St Phillips South had his hands full over the weekend as he launched a number of projects within the area.

Topping the agenda was a ribbon cutting to mark the start of the fencing of the Freetown cricket and football field.

Wilmoth Daniel said at the opening, “God has blessed me, and the people gave me an opportunity to bless them, and they are now seeing the fruit of their labour."

He mentioned another project to be completed: repairs to the road leading to Harmony Hall.

Consul General Mc Chesney Emmanuel, who is also a constituent, said Daniel had served the people well, judging by the number of projects and programmes formulated.

Meanwhile, the St Phillips community also marked the opening of its first computer access center.

“I decided to put this computer center here, in as much as it is smaller, it doesn’t mean it [Computer Center] can’t rise to greater things," Daniel said. "People will journey from Freetown, Bethesda, Christian Hill and Red Hill to come and educate themselves and become computer literate."

The incumbent candidate also opened a constituency branch office in Bethesda.
He said this would house a community computer access centre and a minor medical testing facility to be manned by volunteers.

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