 Good morning and welcome to Briefing Room with today's guest, Minister for Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment, Honourable Leonard Spider-Wantoot. Welcome Minister and thank you very much for being with us here today. Let me also welcome members of the media and of course welcome to the public who are listening to us live on NTN and following us on YouTube and on Facebook. I just wanted to give people an idea of what Briefing Room is really about. This is a setting in which we allow policymakers and heads of departments to come forward before the media and the public and answer specific questions or update on certain issues within their ministries, their portfolios. I want to start by asking the minister first to take us through his three main portfolios as you would know he is part of a cluster ministry and then also we will touch on activities happening in the constituency of Grozily which the minister is also a representative for. So minister we will start with just go through the portfolios for equity, empowerment and social justice. Thank you, Nicole. As you have indicated I mean part of a cluster ministry is comprised of three departments first of all equity, social justice and empowerment and we have youth development and sports as a second and culture, local government and creative industries as the other. But with regard to my portfolios I am responsible for equity, social justice, empowerment and human services and under those portfolios we do a number of things. I mean while you have the youth development department we also deal with issues that touch on concern young people. We deal with the poor and vulnerable and generally you know organize social programs at the community level that would impact not just family life but all aspects of social life. In terms of empowerment what goes on there as well? Well in terms of empowerment what we do is we make interventions for example in education we provide both skills, we provide training, we provide assistance in that regard, we provide psychosocial support for families who need it, we provide housing as well for some families and so that portfolio works hand in hand with agencies such as the SSDF which is also an agent statutory body that is under my ministry and we try as much as possible to collaborate and to maximize you know the impact that we have as far as it relates to poverty reduction and dealing with vulnerability. The Prime Minister has spoken a lot about the essential nature of your ministry especially in terms of dealing with issues of crime, issues of you know changing some of the social ills that exist within our country. Does that mean you work very closely with the Ministry of Security? Most definitely. I am actually in consultation with the Minister of Home Affairs and National Security and we are looking at programs you know and projects with a view to addressing the crime situation and while I will not join the bandwagon to say that we have an increase in crime like many are saying right now, we certainly have a spike in homicides and that is very disconcerting, it is a major concern to us because as you would appreciate the majority of the victims are young people, the perpetrators are also young people and as far as I am concerned you have two victims, two sets of victims both the perpetrators and the people who suffer the consequences of crime and of course the family and all of that and so while we have to look at crime fighting we also come in as a ministry when we have to look at prevention of crime and so we believe that tackling crime is multifaceted and you have to look at it from a variety of angles, not just social but economic and all of that and so we tend to put some programs in place, we devise programs that not necessarily directly relates to crime but hopefully they can impact the community and the individuals in such a way that they do their engagement and indulgence in crime so for example we have the after school program, the after school program is meant to target students who would otherwise be on their own given the fact that most parents sometimes both parents work and there is no supervision, no one at home between the time that the children get out of school and the parents leave work and we want to know that those students who do not have the facilities to go to after school programs that are paid for that we provide community programs for them so that they could be productively engaged and when we talk about programs not necessarily solely academic programs they may get assistance with their homework and so on, extra lessons for those who need it but we are looking at other extracurricular programs like sports, like ICT, music, the creative arts and so on to engage them, to expose them, more engage them and to ensure that they develop not just academically but whole somewhere as productive citizens for the future. I will now turn over to the media to see if you have any questions with regard to any of the issues we have just raised, especially in terms of crime, I know that this is a hot topic right now. Just introduce yourself, I mean. Why has the government not come out with a definitive statement seeking to assure solutions and send a clear message to the criminals? Well you see there's no one definitive statement that you can make to address the issue of crime. You will hear the minister of national security speak on what he is doing from his end with the police. When I speak, I speak of social programs and other such interventions. Ministry of Education has a part to play at the school level and there are many other agencies who have to come and I want to also point out that while we have to take the responsibility as government to do what we must do to fight the crime situation, it is not solely a responsibility of government, it's a societal problem and it's a societal responsibility and by that I mean all institutions in society have to play a role, not just the schools but churches, NGOs, the family and even as an individual we have a responsibility as well to play our part in terms of the crime fighting effort because as hard as you may try, as best as you may do, I mean there are situations that you cannot have control over. I mean take for example, homicides. When you have domestic violence taking place, there's hardly anything you can do except for if there is a report and you act on it and so on but very often these are matters that take place in the home between two individuals and so on and you can only react to it. But I believe that if there are programs where we intervene sufficiently early to teach people how to resolve conflict, how to interpersonal relationships, how to deal with that and so on, that in itself is a skill, a life skill that is required to teach you how to deal with problems that will inevitably arise in life and how to handle conflict and not resort to violence as a solution to the problem. So yes we have a responsibility and we are not going to shook that responsibility in any way but we are saying we want all partners to be on board because it is a national responsibility as far as I'm concerned. During George's MVC, Minister Montu, there's been no call as of late for capital punishment. We heard Minister Humangill Francis said recently that he also would be visiting the gallows to and determine what's going to follow next. What is your take on capital punishment? Well, you asked me for my take, I'll give you my personal position, not necessarily my government's position. I happen to be one who do not believe that capital punishment is a deterrent. However, it is our law that the consequence of certain actions could be imprisonment, hanging and so on. I believe that if it is a law, the laws should be enforced. However, I would feel a lot more comfortable if we find other avenues to deal with perpetrators of crime other than the gallows. That's my personal position as far as that is concerned because even beating children at school for instance, I don't know, that will provide better results than taking a different approach. I believe empowering them with the knowledge, with the understanding, with responsibility I think is a far better solution to dealing with deviant behavior and crime than capital punishment. At the end of the day, we will never have sufficient police if all your punitive measures are of a capital nature, we will never have sufficient police to monitor and police people. I would like to believe that we can develop the attitude changes that are necessary for us without anyone with a big stick on our backs to do what is right. And so I rather the approach of dealing with the problem in a different manner. Another one for me. Can you give us an update as to the juvenile justice reform project and its position right now? Well, the juvenile justice, the juvenile reform justice program is in its second phase right now. And in this phase, I am very excited about what we are about to do. It involves intervention with young people at the community level and what we are going to look at is diversions and so on, other programs that we can engage them in which will entail training. And well, it's cliche, yes, but I mean it is often said that idle hands is the devil's workshop. I believe if you have people gainfully, productively engaged, it is less likely that they would resort to deviant behavior and criminal activity. And very often, people engage in crime out of need. Now if they are empowered with a skill, for example, they can go out and get a job and that would negate the need to engage in crime, like for example theft and so on. So I'm very excited about that program and I'm particularly happy that when you look at the communities that are targeted, some of the inner city communities and so on, there you have some of the hotspots as far as crime is concerned. And so we're going to tackle those areas, but not just the city, but we have some other areas in the outskirts where we're going to look at as well, because quite apart from criminal activity, we're looking at vulnerability as well. And so I'm hoping that this program will go a long way in tackling that problem. There's no one program that will bring about the solution, but I think it's chipping at it bit by bit and ensuring that all hands on deck and all approaches are covered, so at the end of the day, we'll get the impact that we want. If I may, Minister, I know you'll have some other questions, but on a recent program, I was asked about the Boys Training Center, which is in your constituency, some of the issues we have had there historically. And what are the plans going forward for, since we're on the issue of juvenile justice, the Boys Training Center? I know that there have been some upgrades there as well. Well, currently there is an upgrade taking place, because you would appreciate that we have two categories of young boys at the center. We have boys who have run afoul of the law, and we have boys who have ever cared for protection. Now, for all intents and purposes, you cannot treat the two groups the same. While we do not want to segregate, because there may be benefits that would be derived from having them intermingle, but that you have to monitor and manage. And so we want to ensure that we have separate quarters for the boys who are there for care and protection, as opposed to those who are there for deviant behavior. And so as well, we want to ensure that we have the appropriate conditions for staff. Because if you're doing counseling, for example, you require the right environment for counseling to take place. I mean, apart from quiet, there's a privacy issue and all of that. And so we are looking at infrastructure at Boys Training Center right now with a view to alleviating the environment that exists there, hopefully to make it a more comfortable, more suitable place for the boys, and a better place for the staff. On the issue of crime, do you feel as a minister of social justice and social equity that the gap between the have and the have not is increasing and is a cause for a significant increase in the level of crime we are witnessing today with 52 on the side so far? Well, first of all, I don't have any scientific data on the gap that you're talking about. There is no question about the fact that there are halves and we have have nots as to whether it is increasing. I know in recent time, for example, the information that I've gotten from the Department of Statistics is that we have a slight reduction in unemployment. And I mean, that is not to say that it is significant enough to my mind for us to be satisfied with, but it clearly says that we are heading in the right direction. At the end of the day, to say that that is responsible, and you keep saying the spike in crime, like I said, I do not know that we have statistics to suggest that there's a spike in crime. There is an increase in homicide and that is one aspect of criminal activity. Let's get that straight. But of course, it is very disturbing because you're talking about loss of life. And to suggest that that gap between the rich and the poor is responsible for it, I cannot simply say so. I think it is far more complex than that. Because at the end of the day, you have gang violence that results in homicide, you have domestic violence, sorry, that results in homicide, you have other kinds of disputes that give rise to that situation. And so it is difficult to just make a blanket statement and say that any one situation is responsible for crime. But like I said, it's multifaceted in nature. And there are multiple reasons that gives rise to it. Do you mind, Sheffield, if I just kind of add it onto your question, because what struck me as you were asking the question was, I know a lot of young people that feel like they are part of the have-nots, and they would see crime as something they would turn to in order to get certain things to live a certain lifestyle. How do we get our young people to see that they can achieve, that they can reach? Because that's part of what your ministry is supposed to do as well, get our young people to feel more empowered that they can reach a certain point in their life. I think first and foremost is that you have to ensure that you provide hope. Because if someone has no hope, then you have a disaster on your hands. Apart from providing hope, there must be opportunity, opportunity that is accessible to them. And at the end of the day, you have them to set their goals and work towards it. Of course, you may, for example, have a young person who set their goal to becoming a university graduate in a particular field, which is a very expensive undertaking. I think it is the responsibility of the state to make provisions to provide assistance to people who are in that situation. We do, to a great extent, but of course, it is never adequate. I'm hoping that in situations such as this, not just for scholarships, but in terms of supporting skill training programs, apprenticeship programs, and so on, I'm hoping that the private sector will recognize that it is also in their interest to partner with us and make their contribution as far as that is concerned. That is not to say that they are not private sector entities that are making their contribution, but I'm saying I would like to see an increase in that kind of involvement by the corporate entities that we have in this country. And it's actually Global Entrepreneurship Week right now, so I definitely think we need to create that environment where, especially when it comes to our young people, they can think instead of going and work for someone, how can they get encouragement or support from the government in terms of starting their own businesses, is that something that your ministry would assist with as well? Well, definitely. For that matter, like you said, it is Global Entrepreneurship Week and just yesterday, we launched the bell fund, which is another statutory body under my ministry. We launched an entrepreneurship workshop for 20 young people who have business ideas, who have certain skills that they want to perhaps sell, so this is what they want to provide, but are not necessarily trained in business. And we know that there are many factors involved in running a successful business, so they want to get training in marketing and accounting and record keeping and customer relations and all of those areas that are important for the success of a business. And so we are doing our part as far as that is concerned. Of course, 20 is a meager figure, but I think we have to start somewhere. There are other agencies who put on those kinds of programs as well. And at the end of the day, we're hoping that those people will not just be sitting and waiting for a government job. The public service, it is always said, is bursting at its seams with too many public servants, which build public services already as high as it could be. And I believe we are better off when we develop small businesses, which would make a difference as far as our economy is concerned, because those people, if they are successful, not only would they have provided employment for themselves, but the more successful they become, they can expand and provide opportunities for other young people as well. So we want to encourage that and we want to provide the environment for people to think along those lines. But I think a lot of sorry, Sheffield, I know. A lot of young people don't feel like they can get access to those funds. How difficult or easy is it to get? If you have a business idea, I mean, the marketing side of things has gotten easier with social media. I mean, people basically just advertise businesses only online now. How difficult is it to access some of the funds in those groupings like Bell Fund? Well, until now, I think it is a little too cumbersome and appears to be complicated. Even if I black myself and I look at it. And that can be a deterrent. But what is happening right now, with the cluster of ministries that we have, we are seeking to have harmonization and collaboration among the various departments. And so you have social transmission officers who are actually on the ground in the community. What we want to do is, while they do not work for Bell Fund or the SSDF, they have to familiarize themselves with the programs of the SSDF and Bell Fund. So when they come to you, in your community, you have this problem or that problem, you have that intention, that ambition and so on. They can direct you and say, OK, you interested in business, here's what you do. You go to Bell Fund. And not just direct you solely, but some people may not have the capacity. Guide you along, assist you. If they do not have that capacity themselves, bring it to get the help that is required and so on. And that is what we want to see happen, so that people don't just feel, if I may use the term Boa Kase, and they just give up because boy, it is beyond them or anything like that. It has to be inclusive. It has to be inviting. And it has to be embracing. And so these are the kinds of programs that we want to, because at the end of the day, we spend the resources, but I'm not satisfied that we make maximum use in terms of the impact that we get, because there is not sufficient collaboration. We work sometimes at cross purposes, overlaps take place unnecessarily where resources are wasted. And so I think we can become more efficacious by collaborating, harmonizing and ensuring that we know what can be done for each other. Okay, I was just building on your question. So go ahead. I have a question for me. Given the present economic situation we're facing and cries for jobs, with the Christmas season around the corner, will the government have any economic stimulus work program, like what was formerly stepped? I can say to you, most definitely, because that is another program that is considered to be a social program. And so it comes under the Ministry of Social Justice, implemented by the St. Lucia Social Development Fund, the SSDF. And so in about the next week or two, we'll be rolling out the Christmas stimulus, where we'll be providing small contracts to individuals to do the bushing and beautification and so on at the community level. I'm also pleased to say, well, that is not part of my portfolio, but I'm also pleased to say to that, we are at the point where we're about to roll out our 2017 CDP program, that is the Community Development Projects that is funded by the Taiwanese government. And so that in itself will provide an injection of some much needed cash in our economy. And I am sure that we'll go a long way in ensuring that at the community level, we have more people who will have a good Christmas. How do you feel about implementing a program that was heavily criticized when the UWP was in opposition? Which program is that? The stimulus economic program. Well, you see in some, well, I have criticized the STEP program because the STEP program cannot be seen as an employment program. That is temporary, that is a social program that is used as a stopgap measure to facilitate people. There are times when you need an extra injection of cash, for example, at the reopening of school. Even some parents who work, but their wages are menial, they are very low, need that little extra bit of cash to top up and so on, that facilitates them. But when we talk about economic activity, when we talk about job creation, I'm certainly not thinking of those short term jobs that are in effect dead-end jobs, that's not the kind of jobs you want for young people. At the end of the day, you want jobs where they can grow. You want a job where they've been in a position to qualify for a loan and get higher purchase and so on, and that they can develop themselves and own property, for example. I mean, the STEP program certainly will not provide that. And so when we talk about the STEP program, it's not to say as if it should not exist, but I mean, my position is that that should not be the start and end of what we do to provide opportunities for our young people. So moving away from the discussion on STEP, the whole social aspect of looking after our citizenry and everything, one of the things that I see every day as we go covering stories, the city of castries is the homeless, just lying there, some naked, some clothed. What are your government's plans to at least see the homeless off the streets of castries? Now, I'm hoping in the coming years, I mean, as a minister responsible for social justice and equity, I'm hoping that in the coming years, we're going to get more and more resources because I'm hearing the comments that are being made about how important my portfolio is. I'm hoping that the requisite support will be there to demonstrate that we recognize the importance of our ministry. But let me just say that, for example, SSDF is embarking on housing programs where we build like what we call plywood houses, two-bedroom plywood houses with toilet and so on. That would cost less than $20,000. But it is a start, it is a facility that you could provide to people who are homeless and so on. We're just in the process of providing, I think 16 of them. Now, I know you'll quickly tell me that we only scratch in the surface, but as time goes on, we're hoping we can, you know. Another thing is we welcome the various homes that have been established, where shelters where people could go, people who are homeless could go and so on. I also want to appeal to families who are able, who have relatives out there on the streets and so on that they rise to the occasion and play a role. Very often, some of those people are out there because of mental issues. If they get assistance, you know, they get the necessary support, they can be rehabilitated and be brought back into the family circle and have a place to live. And so again, I'm saying we have a responsibility that is primarily our responsibility, but we are appealing and expecting the support of the wider community as well in terms of dealing with such situations. We've had a number of instances where, well, a number of reports where individuals made reports to the police, social services, social service agencies, and you know, other, how would I put it, law enforcement agencies, as it relates to whether it be physical abuse, sexual abuse or maybe minors, that sort of thing. And you hear them, you hear, they coming back saying that you know, the police not taking them serious, the social agencies not taking them serious, the Ministry of Education not taking them serious. How can we, how can your Ministry ensure that those reports are taken serious and that they are addressed? Well, first of all, let me just say that again, there are many reasons why this happens. And of course, my Ministry has no jurisdiction over the police, but let me just say, you spoke of social workers and all of that. And it's very easy to bash the employees and to say that they're in their election of duty and so on. But I mean, if you look at it closely, very often it is a human resource issue. Some of our departments are woefully understaffed. You have one, sometimes one social worker who has to deal with so many cases that it's just humanly impossible for them to be able to meet the demands that are placed on them. So that is one aspect that we have to address in terms of providing the necessary resources so that we can have the numbers as far as staffing is concerned. When it comes to the police and so on, in some cases it may also be a case of manpower, but in some cases, do not forget in every organization, in every institution, you have people who will not live up to their responsibilities. That is one, that is another one. As well, let us not forget, there's a cultural factor too. When you talk about sexual abuse and domestic violence and so on, there's some thinking, especially on the part of our males, as far as those things are concerned, where I may just look at you and say to you, well, you know, the man is your husband, he has a right to do certain things to you and with you, and that kind of thing. Then there is also the Wajma phenomenon. Very often the social workers and the law enforcement officers respond, but along the way, the matter is dropped because there's some personal outside arrangement that is taken and the people patch up without any serious consequences to the perpetrator. So we have all of those factors to take into consideration, so there's education, there is increase in provision of the requisite resources, and there is the management aspect as well to ensure that people who are supposed, and accountability, people who are supposed to do what they ought to do, actually do it. So you said, in my opinion, that's a poor excuse. It's not an excuse. I give you the reasons why those things happen. It's not an excuse. I mean, at the end of the day, understand too that very often people point fingers at politicians, at ministers of government, and it is not to duck our responsibility, but understand that we are policy makers and the public knows that very well when it suits them. And I will tell you about your interference on occasions, we don't run the departments of government. Every, while the politician and the minister has to play his part, the worker, the government employee has to play his part as well. So let's not forget that. So it's not about making excuses. I'm just telling you like it is. Do you know? Do you have another question in that vein, Sheffield? Oh, okay. The minister mentioned human resource being a constraint. And earlier you alluded to the government being more or less over staffed and being at its maximum with salaries. How do you see that situation being remedied? Well, I'm not one to advocate retrenchment after all of my politicians. But I believe through attrition, we should allow the public service to be reduced. There are some positions I think we can do without. I will not point out any to you for fear of offending anyone, but there are some positions if you get rid of them and you do not announce it, no one will know. So it tells you that you can do without it. I think redeployment is also important. There are people who are underutilized while there are people who are overabundant. I think redeployment of staff, I don't send people home, have them more productively engaged and I think a lot more can be achieved through that. That would be my approach. And I think that is our government's approach. I really wanted to touch on minister before we get to discussing issues within your constituency. Youth development and then specifically as it relates to sports. I mean, we have some great athletes in San Lucia. We have some great, I see some upcoming athletes in terms of sports like football and cricket. What are we doing in terms of developing that a little more because we know especially when it comes to football, it is such a growing sport. And I can see we have such rising stars in those departments. What, I know we're looking at the school. Can you give us an idea about what happened there? As you have already mentioned, there are a number of initiatives that we're looking at. We are looking at the Center for Excellence for Sports where we're going to look at the cream of the crop, the elites and channel them through that center where they're going to get specialized attention and training that is scientific for their development. We have the community programs where we're going to look at increasing the number of coaches that we have in the ministry of youth development and sports will be at the community level working with those individuals because very often what you have after people have left school, there's very little in by way of structure at the community level for them to continue engagement and engagement in sports for instance. I'm also hoping that we can look at scholarships and whether or not those people go on to become world beaters and elite athletes and so on, they would have at least gotten an education which would be well worth it. And so I'm also one who advocates that it should not only be about competitive sports but I want to see that we begin to use the Department of Youth Development and Sports for health, for community development, for socialization and all of those things because again, people say that I always like to quote the saying that prevention is better than cure. I also want to add to it that prevention is cheaper than cure. So if you have a good community program in terms of health and fitness, I like to use the word physical activity because what people my age, the term sports and fitness and exercise are a little scary. But when we talk about physical activity, it doesn't necessarily have to be sports, it could be dancing, it could be hiking, it could be many other. If we get our people moving, then we will address many of our problems, family problems because when you have a high incidence of diabetes, hypertension, you know, heart diseases and so on, you not only have to increase your health bill, but you have family problems as well. You suffer a stroke, you become debilitated rather than having another 20 or 30 years of production, you become, well I don't say liability to your family but you become dependent on your family and so on. It is expensive to take care of those conditions as well. So if we can prevent it in the first place, I think we'll be far better off. I mean, look at the number of amputees we have, the number of cases of people who are in dialysis, that's on, that is taking a toll on the country's resources. And of course, by the same token, you have people who can be more productive to the country who are in a sense draining the country. Okay, we have a question? Yes, going back to domestic violence, you mentioned earlier about watchers and the police not being able to do their work properly. How should legislation be amended to ensure that the police pursue a case? What are reported on that? Well, I would support that strongly. I have heard the discussion along those lines but I do not know that anything tangible has taken place but I would certainly support legislation that after the discovery is made of a situation that it is pursued irrespective of your cooperation or not, that the law enforcement agencies can pursue it and ensure that the perpetrator is punished but to justice rather. On that same vein, Minister, we've heard of women dropping cases or saying that they're no longer interested in pursuing a case, especially where domestic violence is concerned, we heard of the last homicide in the library and the circumstances surrounding that. In that regard, would you recommend legislation that says if there's enough evidence that those cases not have the permission to be released by the victim? Most definitely, but at the same time, I think as a state we have a responsibility to provide the avenues for that person to be safe because very often it's an economic issue or a safety issue, why they give in and just drop the matter. So if the person has to pursue that matter, you may very well be living with that man. You will have to find somewhere else to live while the matter has been pursued. I think the state should step in there. When it comes to safety, I think the state should ensure that they provide the protection that that individual requires along with the law. Okay, a hot topic right now is the St. Jude Hospital. I know it's not directly under, I know I'm not one introducing these questions, but I think it's important that we get an idea from you. In terms of healthcare overall, because we would want and we campaign for solutions to have healthcare, support healthcare insurance, how far are we along with that? Is it something you support as well? Most definitely, I believe in health access for all, whether or not you can afford it. Of course, those who can afford it should pay for it. I personally believe that, we are working on it. I understand that the report is to be presented to cabinet very soon on the idea of health insurance. And I'm hoping that that can be implemented in a way so that, I mean, well, we will not be able to cover all aspects of health, but that generally speaking, the basic health services are provided to all citizens of St. Lucia. I think we should look at collaborations with neighboring countries as well, where we can provide more specialized services for our people. But again, I go back to prevention. If we minimize the cases of serious health problems, then we will be in a better position to afford the healthcare that we have to provide. I mean, St. Jude's has become a real hot issue, a political issue. I recall as minister of youth development and sports almost eight years ago, being told that I should give the people back their stadium. You know, that was after one year of the fire. And I would have thought that the people who were calling for that having been given about five years would have given the people back their stadium. Right now we have the stadium that is derelict right now. If you remove the hospital, that doesn't mean that you can use the stadium as it is. So, I mean, while we're talking about building the new hospital, the St. Jude's hospital, we have to talk about some serious rehabilitation of the stadium in view for it as well. And that brings me to another issue, and I think even myself, I can take some of the blame and partly guilty of that. We have limited resources, but I don't think we are sufficiently creative and thoughtful in terms of what we do. We saw the stadium deteriorate as a result of C-blast. We are an island, we're close to the sea. The salt damage the material. And you know, we repair it with the same material. We'll need to see five years later that we have the same problem. I mean, why can't we stop and think? And what substitute can we use that will be more durable, more resistant to the environmental conditions and so on? So these are the kinds of things I want to see us do. I mean, I'm hoping our technocrats can begin to think along those lines and it's not just business as usual, routine and so on. I am also calling for a lot more research to be done. I mean, as a policy maker, I'm called upon to create policy many times without information. How can that be done? I mean, I may sit here and say to you that you need 10 dialysis machines when I do not know how many people have kidney failure. I'm just using that as an example. I'm saying, I mean, incidents of cancer. You discover, you know, anecdotally that in this particular area there's a high incidence of cancer. Nobody stops to ask why. It even escapes us that it is concentrated in an area. I mean, I have an area in my constituency where I notice there seem to be a very high incidence of mental illness. Why, you know? I mean, we need to do a lot more research. We have sufficiently, sufficient numbers in terms of educated people who studied sociology who into statistics and to research and so on to be able to utilize them to do those things. And I'm hoping that even when we have things like stimulus, we're not only called grass and so on but we can do other useful projects such as getting information that can be of utility to us in terms of our nation's development and planning. Yeah, yeah. Christian, are you okay? Okay, I want to move on because we only have a little time left to your constituency and you've been repeating prevention is better than cure. And I want to talk about something specifically before I throw it to the media. The road issue, the traffic issue. I mean, we could have seen this coming a long time ago. What are we gonna, a lot of it is concentrated in the grossly area. We're happy for the economic activity there but the traffic is a problem. What say you on this issue? Not just a problem, it's a growing problem. I think we need to begin to address it now. It is a very expensive undertaking to address it. I mean, I have the unenviable distinction of having a constituency of over 200 rules. And I would venture to say at least 80% of those rules are in poor condition. That, the number of residential developments in my constituency has partly given rise to that situation because again, someone feel in carrying out their responsibility. You should not allow a developer to give you a substandard infrastructure and accept that that infrastructure, that development could be handled over the government because the problem and the expense becomes that of government. And I have a lot of situations like that in my constituency. The traffic situation, I mean. Could you just explain that more specifically for us? You're saying that plan developments that were handled by a developer were done poorly. Poorly. For example, the roads were not done up to the required standards and so in no time, they deteriorate. And it becomes my responsibility as parliamentary representative to address it. And I'm happy to know that our government is planning to go ahead with the development of the following highway to Grosjele. But what I have requested is that even before that undertaking, we upgrade the back roads. The bypass roads. When I say upgrade, not just in terms of improving the surface, but extending some of those routes. Because during that time, if now we have that nightmare, could you imagine while construction is taking place, what it would be like? Not everybody can drive the back roads. Stick to their side, yeah. And of course not to mention, that will provide a golden opportunity for me to have some of my roads upgraded. Do we have any specific questions on anything to do in the constituency? Have there been any major developments in your constituency that you want to speak about? Well, we are nearing completion of the HRDC, the Human Resource Development Center in Grosjele. I've always said that has to be the new model, the new standard. Because we have a theater, we have a conference room, we have a training room, we have an exhibition room, and of course a restaurant at that center. I mean it's very imposing and beautiful and so on, but that is not what I am looking at. I'm hoping that it will not just become a whatever color elephant, but that it is actually going to be a hub of activities. A place that is utilized and contribute to the development of, especially our young people in the community, because I mean we're going to provide the facilities and we want to ensure that we want to make use of it. I think that will be a big game changer as far as culture is concerned. You know, as far as skills training and all of those things. And so that is important. I am in the process of reopening at least six ICT centers around the constituency in Labon, Deramur, Lafay, Riviameter, Gran Riviera, and the town of Grosjele. The reason for this is because the use of the computer is inescapable now. I mean, whether in school, workplace, social life, it is important. And when I talk about computer, I include phones in that. And so we want to ensure that we provide access to every citizen because that's not fool ourselves. People regard my constituency as an affluent constituency. Yes, I represent Kappa State, Bonte and Rodney Bay, but I also represent Moshi and Labon, Deramur, and those areas that are not as affluent. And there are people who do not have access to such essential equipment. And so we're going to provide it for them, provide internet access. Hopefully in the immediate vicinity of those ICT centers, we're going to have free Wi-Fi. Fortunately, in two of the cases, we have parks, community parks that are nearby. So we want to know if people can come to the park and consider how we socialize so much online now. I think that would be a welcome initiative for the residents. We want to have training programs, not just for young people in the use of computers. Older people who didn't grow up being exposed to computers and so on, at least in the basic use of it, where they can go on Skype and IMO and whatever, talk to their grandchildren in the United States like the UK and so on. The basic use and function of the computer, we want to teach that to those people. We won't be having any illiteracy workshop. We're not going to call it that. Because if you tell me that there's anything illiteracy you have, I will not come. So we're going to have developmental programs for adults as well, where they can develop themselves in a number of scales. And so that's in the immediate future. We want to have those centers and so on up now and to refurbish one or two of the parks, establish a park in Grand Riviera because I think open space is becoming more and more important, especially given the fact that people can be so isolated now if they don't realize it. At least give people a place to go to hang out and so on, not only the malls, but a healthy environment that is a green space where they can go and socialize as well. And roads. I mean, the Ministry of Infrastructure, they have a limited budget. And the budget is not four grossly, this one entire island. They will address my primary and secondary roads. But the smaller back roads, the little community roads, the little roads in the development and so on, I have to find a way of addressing them. I have to juggle and deal with essential community projects, but at the same time try to take a little out of it my community development projects to do road repairs and rehabilitation. And so it's a real juggling act I have by far. In terms of not in terms of geographical space, but other biggest population, but it is almost as if I have the biggest constituency as well because you go to a constituency like Swazel and you perhaps drive for five miles and you don't see a house. But every square foot of grossly is developed and that means infrastructure that has to be maintained and so on. But unfortunately, I get the same allocation as everyone else, you know. As Minister of Equity, I would just like to say that that is not on. Loud and clear, I think you've been heard. We have a final question before you wrap up. Yeah, I couldn't let that one slip in my arm, being from the constituency of grossly. I just want to revisit the whole question of the fall in highway. And earlier on you spoke about, as a minister sometimes, having to put forward policy without the necessary research and the background information. That having been said, have your government revisited the feasibility study that went into the fall in highway? Because to my mind to go into a fall in highway in isolation without looking at what is actually causing the traffic. Well, a bigger highway is a congestion in the next five, 10 years. Are we looking at housing opportunities away from the grossly community? Are we looking at job opportunities away from the grossly community? Because as far as I see right now, just going ahead and building a fall in highway alone in isolation of all the other issues is not going to be the solution. Honestly, that's the kind of thinking we want in government and at the policymaking level. Most definitely, I mean, we depend on the Ministry of Infrastructure to provide us guidance as far as what you're talking about in terms of the feasibility and the background information. And having revisited it, they are looking at also roundabouts in certain areas and things. Other aspects of road development that will ease the congestion, not just the fall in highway. Housing, I've made it very clear that I want no more government housing development in my constituency for two reasons. It is a burden because of the cost. Secondly, I already have over 20,000 voters in my constituency, and there are constituencies with just about 6,000 voters. I have said that there are one or two housing developments that are already on stream. I'm advocating that those properties are made available to young people, particularly in the constituency. And let's develop, like you said, let's develop economic activity strategically so that people can remain in their communities that they don't have to migrate to other communities for job opportunities. I've even suggested that in the interim, while we take the necessary measures, which in some cases will take time, we start at the hours of work. Why does everyone have to go to work at 8 o'clock? That's part of the problem, you know? And I'm thinking there's... Do you mean 7 a.m. or 6 a.m.? Well, you know, I mean, I think, you know, there's a simple solution that... And I could say that not costly. I mean, depending on the business, it has to be standard, but there are other businesses that could open, like you said, at 6 in the morning or at 9 in the morning, and that would not affect their bottom line. And so these are the kind of things that I want to see happen. But sometimes you see those things, you know, and it is not consistent with the norm and people just dismiss it. But I think, again, and I'm very happy to hear you raise those kinds of questions, that is the way we need to begin to think as a government. I usually go to the minister of finance to make requests for my constituency. I usually have a solution, you know, because I always try to identify source for revenue for the suggestions that I make. I mean, I have plans for the development of the Grossly Waterfront. But when you look at the Grossly Bay, especially at certain times of the year, there are over 100 yachts anchored there. That's our Bay. We benefit nothing from that. I'm saying the yachts, yachts men and women or yachties, whatever you want to call them, who are out there who do not want to pay IGY what they may consider to be exorbitant, who they anchor there. We not charge them as much as IGY, but we charge them a fee. We put down moorings, charge them a fee, and that is resources that you're going to be generating for the community development programs that you have, our jetty and so on. We have matnik just next door. We can throw a stone from Grossly to matnik. But we're not capitalizing on the fact that that's a ready market that we have. People with spending power, because one euro is three-something. When they come to Grossly, they spend 100 euro, that's nothing, but that's over $300. And that's how I think we need to begin to think to ensure that we make the most. I mean, we look only to the United States and to the UK and spend millions of dollars on marketing and so on, which I'm not knocking, mind you, but I'm saying the Luhang Infruits that are right there in front of us, let's deal with them too. Okay, thank you so much, honorable minister. I think that we've had some very exciting plans, especially for your constituency and in terms of youth. And we look forward to seeing some of the programs that you have to alleviate crime, bearing some fruit going forward. Thank you very much for being with us today. We hope to see you back in Briefing Room as often as possible. Thank you very much to the members of the media for your great questions today. And thank you to the audience listening to us on NTN YouTube and Facebook. That's a wrap, thank you very much.