Smith and Simon detail the woes facing the constituents of All Saints West and St. Mary’s South

As infrastructural work is fully underway in St. Mary’s South ahead
of the by-election, MP Anthony Smith says that his constituency, All
Saints West, is also in dire need of attention.
 
His constituency was neglected under the stewardship of former MP
and Cabinet member Michael Browne, Smith says; and now things
are even worse since the Labour Party lost the seat.
 
Shortly after the January 18 General Election, Prime Minister Gaston
Browne had promised that those constituencies which did not
return a Labour Party candidate to Parliament would be relegated to
the back of the list for services.
 
Accordingly, Smith says the residents of All Saints West have been
neglected, and some communities are still crying out for the pipe
borne water that was promised five years ago.
 
He notes, as well, that there continue to be challenges with garbage
collection – with the norm appearing to be collections every two to
three weeks instead of weekly.
 
This is posing a health hazard for residents who are exposed to
vermin-related diseases, Smith says.

The United Progressive Party (UPP) representative says
infrastructure in the respective communities that make up the
constituency is still very poor.
 
He reports that there are overgrown bushes and shrubbery all over,
and this fosters other issues, as they create hiding places for
criminals.
 
Smith concludes that the country and his constituency are not in a
good place since the Browne Administration was re-elected to office.
Meanwhile, the UPP candidate for St. Mary’s South, Kelvin “Shugy”
Simon, sums up the overall state of affairs with one word: “dismal.”
 
He says he is not impressed with the direction in which the country
is heading nor what has been taking place in the constituency. From
physical infrastructure to social programmes, including youth
empowerment, all are lacking, he says.
 
As a tourist destination, the condition of the roadsides is deplorable
and in need of serious beautification work, he points out. And
officials are a long way off from making the island as attractive as it
needs to be, Simon says.
 
The former MP says that people are being placed in positions to
make money, but are not focused on the jobs for which they are
paid.

He, too, refers to the overgrown bushes along the highways – not
only within the constituency, but across the country.
 
Meanwhile, Simon says that some areas of St. Mary’s South,
including West Palm Beach, are in a very bad state with no gutters –

which has caused stagnant, mosquito-infested, green and moss-filled
water to pool.

Where there are gutters, many have not been washed out in years
and are in need of cleaning.

This creates a health concern for residents who fear they could fall
sick from mosquito-borne illnesses.

Simon tells the Browne Administration that a caring government
should not have people living in communities with these issues.