Volume No. 2 Issue No. 9 - Monday August 6, 2007
Minister calls for reduction in poverty By Sean Douglas
Community Development Minister Matthew Walter
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Minister for Community Development, Gender Affairs and Information, Hon. Matthew Walter has told the people of Colihaut that poverty can only be reduced �if people come together�.
Hon. Walter made the remark at the opening of Colihaut Reunion 2007 last Friday at the Colihaut Government School.
At the opening ceremony attended by the President of Dominica, His Excellency, Dr. Nicholas Liverpool, Parliamentary Representative for the Colihaut Constituency, Hon. Ronald Toulon as well as hundreds of persons from Colihaut living in the diaspora, Hon. Matthew Walter said: �Poverty is everywhere. But we can only reduce poverty, we can only break this vicious cycle of poverty if we come together.�
The Minister further stated �if we continue engaging ourselves in things that are wrong, if we continue discriminating against people, if we continue doing people malice, if we continue exploiting people, if we continue taking advantage of the weak, ladies and gentlemen, it is evident that poverty will remain with us and poverty will be on the rise��
The Minister called on the members of the Colihaut community living in the diaspora to work in collaboration with the people in Colihaut to attend to the rate of poverty in Colihaut and to ensure that �persons who live below the poverty line in Colihaut are taken care of in relation to housing, in relation to the creation of employment in relation to providing good living conditions ..�
In a passionate plea the Minister also spoke of the need to eliminate what he referred to as �class distinctions, that we are up there and we do not care about those who are down there�.
And the Minister warned: �And ladies and gentlemen, I want to tell you, I want to make you understand that when you are up there and you think you are comfortable up there, and you do not want to address the living conditions of those down there, I do not think you will be able to live happily up there��..�
�So it is pertinent, it is imperative, that we help to create an enabling environment where everyone notwithstanding their social class, notwithstanding their political differences, notwithstanding their racial differences we have to create this environment where everyone can lively happily��
The Minister also identified the use and abuse of drugs as an area requiring the immediate attention of everyone.
�If we do not attend to the situation of drugs in our country, this country�s social and economic fabric will be undermined tremendously. We know there are some persons who are habouring drug dealers and we should deter our young people from getting themselves involved in the use and abuse of drugs� drugs are dangerous, ladies and gentlemen�.
Drugs can cripple economies, it will destroy our social fabric so we must waste no time but to put the plans and programmes in place to attend to and address what is really taking place in relation to drugs in our respective communities and by extension, Dominica,� Hon. Walter emphasised.
The Minister suggested that one way the diaspora could assist in addressing the country�s social ills is for persons to make financial contributions of any amount at local banks in Dominica.
Hon. Walter also pledged his Government�s commitment to work with the village council, community-based organisations and persons living in the diaspora to put together a comprehensive plan that will address the concerns of the people in Colihaut.
Apart from addresses by the Minister for Community Development and Parliamentary Representative, there were performances by the Colihaut Cultural Group, the Sixth Form Sisserou Singers and an exhibition. There was also the launch of the Reunion song and Reunion magazine.
The theme for the Colihaut Reunion 2007 which spans eleven days is: �Recalling our past, building our future together�.
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