Owen pleads for Christmas ease for the poor

Owen Arthur wants Government to give a small pre-Christmas wage increase to poor people.
The Opposition Leader on Sunday night accused the Freundel Stuart-led Democratic Labour Party (DLP) Government of spending too much money in areas it did not have to, instead of bettering the plight of Barbadians who have seen the cost of living go up by 30 per cent in the midst of the worldwide economic crisis.
“Ease the squeeze. Give them a wage increase for Christmas. They have not had an increase for four years,” Arthur said at a mass political meeting at Villa Road, Brittons Hill, St Michael.
The former Prime Minister and Minister of Finance said it was sad that Government could spend millions on Constituency Councils, millions on molasses storage tanks, and hundreds of thousands on summer camps, but Barbadians continued to remain poor, and in some middle class families were getting poorer.