Minister Matthew calls out Richard Lewis over UWI FIC expansion

Education Minister, Daryll Matthew is calling out the representative for St. John’s
Rural West, Richard Lewis, for not embracing the proposed development taking
place at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus where the Saudi
Government will fund a US$80 million expansion.
Speaking on the Browne and Browne show on Saturday, Matthew said rather than
maintaining a stance opposing the university because of the location, Lewis should
be encouraging constituents to explore ways to share in the benefits that will derive
from the project.
“I have said to him (Richard Lewis) you have an obligation, my friend, to get all
those persons living in the Grays-Greene area to position themselves to be apart of
this massive US$80 million build-out. So rather than to sit and to play politics and
say ‘well we don’t like the location’, go and encourage these people to ask how
they can be apart of the project,” he admonished.
Minister Matthew called on Lewis not to hold fast to the position because both he
and the UPP took when they did not support the project initially. “The current
parliamentary representative for the area was openly protesting against the project;
the parliamentary, when we had our townhall meeting to present the project,
walked out of the meeting right after the former prime mini0ster aid that he
endorsed the project,” he reported
Matthew noted that former Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer stated openly that
whilst he opposed the project initially, he now has had a change of heart and he
fully endorsed the university at the current location.
“We have the parliamentary representative who would not come out and say,
please, how can we engage the community, how can we partner with you; to say
irrespective of our political differences, this is something that will benefit all of
Antigua and Barbuda. In fact, the constituency he represents will be the largest
beneficiary. So rather than saying ‘my people must get work’, that is too small. It
not about getting a few jobs as labourers on the site, its about how the entire
constituency can benefit from the university town that it will become,” he declared.
The education minister pointed out several ways in which people from the area can
benefit in ways that will be life-changing.