QUOTES OF STEPHEN LASHLEY

On being selected as a candidate for the DLP:

“I accept the call to public duty with great humility because of my proud upbringing as the son of a working class mother and father who dedicated their lives to my upliftment and the upliftment of my brothers and sisters. That I have reached this point is a fitting tribute to my parents in particular and all those persons who have influenced my view of life. ”

On representation:

“As I walk through Christ Church west central the absence of proper parliamentary representation has been a major complaint and I along with our team within the DLP will address this matter with utmost urgency.”

On Joe Edgehill’s legacy:

“When Joe Edghill leaves the hallowed halls of parliament after the next election he will leave a legacy that no MP should feel proud of – a legacy of lack of an efficient refurbishment programme for the NHC units in Silver Hill and Gall Hill many of which are leaking and run down; he leaves his legacy in Vauxhall as well where the primary school there has not been upgraded and the school is forced to solicit voluntary help in painting classrooms etc; drainage problems afflict residents of Warners and Maxwell and other areas; the option to purchase tenantry spots has been frustrated by lack of any action by the representative - in Maxwell hill for example sale of house lots in the tenantry there were to be finalized by government, however some seven years have elapsed and residents are being tossed from RDC to NHC after encountering no help from their parliamentary representative. “

Message to the Youth – “Don’t confuse us with the BLP”

“Do not for one moment confuse them with us. Their style of politics – failed promises and neglect of our communities – has caused many of you to determine that you will not vote – As I have and continue to do in my constituency – Christ Church West Central – I urge you to use your vote to punish the Barbados Labour Party for their indiscretions – We need you to get rid of them and return decency to public life.”

On the controversial proposed Graeme Hall Water Park:

“Residents need to be made partners with Government in all areas of development. The reality is that investment decisions can no longer be made without reference to our citizens.”

On CBC:

“Our democracy is under threat when the views of the Opposition cannot be heard and felt on CBC TV which is owned by the tax payers of this country"

On the crossing the floor:

“We need assurances that party-hopping of the type practicsed by Clude Mascoll is unprincipled and should not be regarded by our future generation of politicians as an example that should be followed.”

On the need for good governance:

“ We need assurances that we are not creating two Barbadoses – one for the rich and one for the poor. We need assurances that government’s social programmes are not for the benefit of BLP supporters only. We need real assurance that the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation is not being used as a political tool of the government to determine what information the public gets and to shut out the voices of the DLP. ”

On loyalty and apathy:

“To a large extent while canvassing I’m amazed at the negative light in which politicians are held. I’m convinced that it is because of the ‘two-faced” nature of some of our politicians. This BLP government has also been “two-faced” and it revels in attracting to its ranks persons who have the ability of being “two-faced” and lacking in consistency.”