David Thompson is the
Parliamentary Representative for the rural parish of St.
John. From the moment he was elected in 1987 he has been
working with communities and drawing up long-term plans for
the development of his constituency and similar areas.
However, during the past 13 years he has
witnessed the premeditated erosion of all the programmes which
had been designed to bring St. John up-to-date with the rest
of Barbados. For years now, he has been listening to the
complaints of his constituents about....
- The rising price of land and housing
- The poor conditions of roads
- The dearth of decent jobs for people who
have benefited from free compulsory secondary education
- Poor health services
At the national level, David is concerned
about the stranglehold that powerful cartels have on the
Barbadian economy resulting in the high cost of living and in
particular the constantly rising price of food, land and
housing. He is also worried about the disrespectful
management and delivery of health care services, and the poor
state of the roads once you move away from the tourist
route.
To compound the situation, Government is routinely clocking
up serious cost over-runs on major projects like Kensington
Oval and the Prison, and failing to give adequate
explanations. The average Barbadian feels that he is
becoming a mere spectator to a form of development that does
not benefit him.
David believes that power must be returned to
the people. He wants to start by putting "families
first" and instilling positive values in our children from an
early age. He also wants to see:
- The decentralization of Government by
the creation of community councils with resources
- The provision of meaningful education
and training for the masses of school leavers by expanding
of our post-secondary training colleges
- Economic empowerment of our people
through credit unions and small businesses, and ultimately
- The breakup of the monopolies that no
longer work in the interest of ordinary Barbadians.
David Thompson is a man of the people.
He is one of seven siblings whose father worked as a porter
and painter, and whose mother was a secretary and nurse.
He grew up in Fitts Village when most of the area was still a
beach tenantry.
Through hard work he made the most of free
secondary education at Combermere School where he won a
Barbados Exhibition before going on to study Law at the
University of the West Indies. HisHHe also displayed
unique leadership talents from an early age; and it is
therefore not surprising that he has done well in the legal
profession and politics. However, he has never ceased to
identify with his working class compatriots. Throughout
his life when he could have chosen otherwise, he opted to
remain in Barbados and fight for the cause of emancipation
from the legacies of slavery.
With the support of his wife Mara and their
three children, David is ready to do battle. He has also
assembled a competent and committed team to win the next
general election and reclaim Barbados for
Barbadians. |
PROFILE
