Tourist injured on road tour; Pringle says Gov’t should stop playing politics with people’s lives

MP Jamale Pringle, the leader of the Opposition, is expressing
dismay that a tourist was injured as a result of this country’s poor
road infrastructure.

He reports that the visitor, who had arrived here on board a cruise
ship, was part of a tour group cycling around the island on
Thursday, November 30.
 
It was in the Fig Tree Drive area that the mishap occurred, Pringle
says.
 
Reportedly, the bike became stuck in some asphalt that had been
dislodged by the recent rainfall, and the tourist flew over the
handlebars of the bicycle and landed on the road, damaging his
shoulder.

Pringle says he received several calls about the incident on
Thursday.
 
The Opposition leader, who is also the parliamentary representative
for All Saints East and St. Luke, has been complaining for years about
the condition of the roads in the constituency.
 
However, he has been ignored – as Prime Minister Gaston Browne
has declared that those constituencies not won by the Antigua
Labour Party will not be a priority for his administration.
Therefore, the infrastructure in a number of communities remains
in a deplorable state.

Pringle notes that Fig Tree Drive is one of the most popular routes
for tours in Antigua and Barbuda, and yet the road is in such a bad
condition.

The Government needs to stop playing politics with people’s lives
and become proactive – instead of being reactive all the time, the
Opposition leader says.