Jones: BLP can’t keep promises

MINISTER?OF?EDUCATION Ronald Jones has accused the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) of making promises it knows it can’t keep, especially in relation to pensions and housing.
 Speaking at St Alban’s Primary School on Sunday in support of Democratic Labour Party (DLP) colleague and St James North candidate Harry Husbands, Jones charged that the Opposition in its contribution to the recent debate on the 2012-13 Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals was promising unsustainable give-backs to the tune of nearly $1 billion in an alternative fiscal package.
“I did the costing,” he said, “and it is something like close to $1 billion that they threw in the budget – about $500 million for the hotel tourism refurbishment fund, $20 million for an innovation fund for young people, $25 million for the agricultural development fund, all aspects of gambling. But they are gambling with the lives of the people of Barbados.
“They are talking about restoring the payment of two pensions and about paying off the debt through divestment. I don’t know what else we have in Barbados to divest. Are we going to sell off the Hilton?Are we going to divest the massive place at Dodds? Are we going to divest the justice centre at Whitepark? Are we going to divest Oistins fishing complex? Are we going to divest Crab Hill Police Station? Are we going to divest Greenland?” he said.