A housing story to be told

By Stephen Williams
| Fri, November 02, 2012 - 12:00 AM

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The story of housing since 2008, when the new Government took over, needs to be trumpeted. It is one that should leave the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) hanging its head in shame.

Take a bow, Michael Lashley, Ministry of Housing and Lands, National Housing Corporation!

See the wonderful work done at Country Towers, Tweedside Road, Coverley, Work Hall, Ruby, Marchfield, Woodbourne, Foursquare, Six Roads, Lancaster, Cherry Grove, Vineyard, Parish Land, West Terrace, and so on.

Now, drive through Brittons Hill and look at the magnificent structures that have graced Valery and Forde’s Road. One word aptly describes them – superb.

This administration has built more housing units and come up with more practical housing solutions in four and a half years than the BLP in its 14 years in office: 48 housing units in 14 years.

The hurriedly and ill-conceived plan by its Minister of Housing at the time to construct hundreds of low income chattel houses at $40 000 each never got past the two show houses.

On the other hand, this current administration, together with the private sector, is gradually reducing the long waiting list of prospective homeowners; and doing it in a recession to boot.

And the detractors and opponents have the gall to ask what the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has to show for four and a half years in office!

Praise God for Freundel Stuart and the DLP. They stand for conscientiousness and decency, as well as true democracy in Government and for the people.

Yes, they may be short on public relations, but PR is not necessarily reality. For the most part, the BLP’s PR is about impressions, grandstanding, sweet-sounding rhetoric and veneer.