It is high time politicians walk the walk and not just talk the talk. And one of the six candidates contesting the St George North by-election is calling on constituents to hold them accountable.
But make no bones about it, the People’s Party for Democracy and Development (PdP) candidate David Walrond has included himself in the lot.
At a recent meeting, he said that although he was aware of the hardships people are facing, as he goes canvassing knocking on doors and meeting people in the various communities in the lead up to the November 11 voting date, he is “bothered” by the discovery of “more and more pockets of hardship in St George North”.
“I am [concerned] that they’re lots of persons in St George North, maybe St Jude’s too, who are suffering in silence. For years, politicians have promised the L, the R and the 11 star and have delivered very little. You are accustomed to times like this, some call it the silly season, when people come around your communities and make you big promises and deliver very little.
“There are persons among us now who are having difficulty paying rent. They’re having difficulty paying mortgages. They’re having difficulty paying for their vehicle but worst of all, and this is what bothers me most, they are persons having difficulty putting food on the table.
“They are persons who have to compromise their health because they can’t afford to buy the things that would keep them healthy and that is what drives me to get involved in this election. That is what has driven me to get involved in politics because at the end of the day, it seems to be about the politician. I beg to differ,” said the PdP candidate.
He wants politicians to begin to focus more on the people.
“The problem here is we put politicians up on a pedestal and we expect them to look down on us. I want you to know something, we don’t work for the politicians, the politicians … are supposed to work for us. …We cannot continue to allow politicians to cheapen our vote, we cannot continue to allow politicians to keep pressing down on us.”
Walrond further said he had “a different agenda” and was not about “gimme de vote and watch muh”.
He added: “I want you to understand that politician representation should be a partnership where the politician hears from the community and then the politician is better able to serve the community. We cannot come into your community, ask for a vote and then disappear. We need to stop that.” (GBM)
