Dear Sir,

I read the opinion piece by MP Christopher Famous focusing on Opposition leader Jarion Richardson.

I was quoted accurately in the piece when he wrote, “I was pleasantly surprised because the plan in my view was fairly well written and presented, and touched on many of the important aspects of the challenges we face in this country and how we work forward. I believe it is a workable strategy.”

What Mr Famous did not write was that in order for the strategy to be effective, I suggested we faced five “critical areas for us to succeed and this strategy to be successful”.

The five challenges that must be addressed:

1, Immigration: our poor record to date on immigration reform

2, Education: same as immigration

3, Healthcare and the lack of action, in spite of numerous commitments, by the Progressive Labour Party government. This includes the high cost of healthcare, high cost of insurance and financial challenges with our hospital

4, Infrastructure: the need to maintain what we have and also to develop infrastructure further

5, The requirement for leadership to make the strategy work. The leadership must come from the Premier and Cabinet in the first instance. Based on their track record, they must do better. The Fairmont Southampton has been closed for more than three years and, in spite of many promises, there is little action on refurbishing the hotel for reopening

Thank you for allowing me to provide an accurate account of what my presentation was in Parliament during the debate on the Economic Development Strategy.

MICHAEL DUNKLEY

Smith’s