PM Drew begins fulfilling campaign promises

KITTS AND NEVIS PRIME MINISTER DR. TERRANCE DREW HAS BEGUN MAKING GOOD on some campaign promises a mere week after surging to victory at the August 5 polls in the twin-island Caribbean state.

“I will say it in English and a little bit in Spanish. I want to say to those who are here living among us that are paying social security and social levy that your children too will be able to go to college,” the Prime Minister said to resounding applause.

The availability of free tuition for children of foreign residents on the island is among a menu of relief measures Drew promised Kittitians, Nevisians and residents while on the hustings.

In his first national address as the Fourth Prime Minister of the 39-year-old independent CARICOM country, the medical-specialist-turned-politician lauded the historic contributions to his country’s national development programme by migrants.

Consequently, he has removed, with immediate effect, the extremely high costs associated with non-nationals pursuing a college diploma or an associate degree in St Kitts. Drew said foreigners comprising principally Guyanese, Jamaicans, Haitians and Latinos were targeted with the higher tuition costs of educating their children.

Residents’ children will now enjoy free college education as the locals which saw him removing tuition cost for locals to attend college, PM Drew announced. Those who have already paid the previous cost will be refunded their monies he said.

“And in addition to that, I want to say that you will be entitled to the same cost that our citizens pay at the JNF General hospital. It is unfair that they pay social levy, which is responsible for all the services and programmes and not offer it to them,” the PM said in his address.

He reminded the massive audience at Warner Park of another theme he pounded while campaigning for their support: his government will not only serve its citizens, but also those (foreigners) living honestly, and contributing legally, to the growth and development of the Federation.

The one-week-old Drew administration has also immediately ended travel restrictions imposed on nationals and prospective tourists’ wanting to enter Basseterre by the Timothy Harris regime which had claimed the imposition as a necessary precaution to help combat the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus.

While 6.4 million persons globally died after contracting the deadly disease, 46 Kittitians and Nevisians comprised that figure. By contrast, there were 8529 fatalities among the Cubans; Barbados had 516 nationals who succumbed to the virus which was first detected in Wuhan, China and 1,275 Guyanese fell fatally to the contagious disease.

None of them implemented Harris government’s draconian measures.

As a candidate, Dr Drew publicly admitted he was mystified by his predecessor’s decision to restrict visits to the island and even the demands that those determined to be on the island must first write asking Harris’ permission.

Cloaking the unpopular decision under COVID protocols was nonsensical, lacked scientific justification, and created untold hardships, Drew had complained.

“We shall make living in St. Kitts and Nevis a better experience for all residents. We were in office for 20 years and never did anything to adversely impact the welcome and embrace of non-Kittitian born residents,” Drew promised in his address when he launched his party’s manifesto.

“We shall implement policies to give you the assurance of comfort and security in this land, because we value the contribution you are making to the social, infrastructural and economic development of this country,” the then Constituency Eight candidate had promised the electorate.

With immediate effect too, the new administration will fund all advanced medical care for children needed specialized intervention not currently available in Basseterre and must travel overseas for treatment, Dr Drew announced during his inaugural national address.

Inheriting a healthcare system in a mess after seven years of the Harris coalition Team Unity, the Prime Minister has instructed the relevant government agency to procure a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine “within a week” for those needing their medical condition diagnosed.

Magnetic resonance imaging is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves to generate images of the organs in the body.

This is another campaign promise checked off early by the new St Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) government under party leader and PM Dr Drew.