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PNP caretaker says he represents change
BY KIMONE THOMPSON Senior staff reporter thompsonk@jamaicaobserver.com
Monday, November 10, 2008
PEOPLE'S National Party (PNP) caretaker for St Thomas western, Gary Foster, says he is much like the president-elect of the United States,
Barack Obama.
FOSTER. I am hoping that whenever an election is called the people of West St Thomas will choose change
Comparing himself with the first Black man to win the White House, Foster, the former vice-president of Russell Simmons' Rush Communications, says he's young, comes from outside the mainstream political circle, has exceptional leadership skills, is energetic and creative, genuinely cares about people and represents what politics in Jamaica needs: Change.
"I am hoping that whenever an election is called the people of West St Thomas will choose change," the 35-year-old
told the Observer on the weekend.
He has already coined the slogan for that election when it comes. 'Gary Foster...the change we need'.
Foster said he has already secured commitments for funding his campaign from his associations in and outside of Jamaica, including that of friend and boss, Russell Simmons.
In addition to Rush Communications, Simmons owns the Phat Farm and Baby Phat clothing lines. He also does artiste management, movie production and is the brain behind television's Def Comedy Jam.
"I know that the Jamaican people are having a terrible time now and will not be able to give me what they [the Americans] gave to Obama but I have relationships in Jamaica and outside Jamaica that I believe will step to the table and have expressed interest in coming to work with me for the development of the constituency," he said.
Foster emigrated to the US in 1986 when he was almost 16 but he said his heart never left Whitehorses, St Thomas, and on all his trips back to the country, he has stayed in his native parish.
However, after 12 years as the number two man at one of the largest African American-owned media companies, Foster said he wanted to spend the rest of his life serving his people in the eastern parish. He got his grand opportunity when Rosemarie Shaw stepped down as party caretaker after the bitter presidential race between Portia Simpson Miller and Peter Phillips in September.
"The truth of the matter is that the entire parish of St Thomas has been neglected in many ways... moreso Western St Thomas. We have a large farming area and a number of small farmers but they are not getting the attention," Foster told the Observer.
"We have a large population of young people but there is nothing here for them. There is no job development that is being done within the constituency, there is nothing helping to steer some of these young people off the street and into educational programmes," he added.
In order to cure these ills, Foster said the constituency needs people "who don't have political aspirations to become prime minister or leader of the party, but somebody who just really wants to go to work on behalf of the constituents that he represents and use his relationship to bring about social development and change".
Among his proposed plans to develop the constituency are the establishment a food processing plant and a telemarketing company at the old Goodyear tyre factory.
"If we had it [factory building] right now we would have at least 1,000 persons working in the parish... There are also a number of small factories in Yallahs that we could look at. For example, we can also create processing plants that will help local small farmers.," said Foster.
Added Foster: "We have young people in the constituency as old as 19 and 20 who cannot functionally read and write. These are people who cannot enter a certain type of workforce, so in order for us to create the opportunity for them, we have to also create some remedial programmes to address that educational gap."
Foster is the head of Upliftment Jamaica, a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing opportunities to empower young people.
The PNP caretaker said he recognised that sitting MP, James Robertson (JLP), is "a formidable candidate" but insisted that the substance of his proposals and his approach to governance in the eastern parish would give him the edge.
"There are three things I am using to govern my representation in the constituency: performance, accountability and transparency," he said.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...CAN_OBAMA_.asp
BY KIMONE THOMPSON Senior staff reporter thompsonk@jamaicaobserver.com
Monday, November 10, 2008
PEOPLE'S National Party (PNP) caretaker for St Thomas western, Gary Foster, says he is much like the president-elect of the United States,
Barack Obama.
FOSTER. I am hoping that whenever an election is called the people of West St Thomas will choose change
Comparing himself with the first Black man to win the White House, Foster, the former vice-president of Russell Simmons' Rush Communications, says he's young, comes from outside the mainstream political circle, has exceptional leadership skills, is energetic and creative, genuinely cares about people and represents what politics in Jamaica needs: Change.
"I am hoping that whenever an election is called the people of West St Thomas will choose change," the 35-year-old
told the Observer on the weekend.
He has already coined the slogan for that election when it comes. 'Gary Foster...the change we need'.
Foster said he has already secured commitments for funding his campaign from his associations in and outside of Jamaica, including that of friend and boss, Russell Simmons.
In addition to Rush Communications, Simmons owns the Phat Farm and Baby Phat clothing lines. He also does artiste management, movie production and is the brain behind television's Def Comedy Jam.
"I know that the Jamaican people are having a terrible time now and will not be able to give me what they [the Americans] gave to Obama but I have relationships in Jamaica and outside Jamaica that I believe will step to the table and have expressed interest in coming to work with me for the development of the constituency," he said.
Foster emigrated to the US in 1986 when he was almost 16 but he said his heart never left Whitehorses, St Thomas, and on all his trips back to the country, he has stayed in his native parish.
However, after 12 years as the number two man at one of the largest African American-owned media companies, Foster said he wanted to spend the rest of his life serving his people in the eastern parish. He got his grand opportunity when Rosemarie Shaw stepped down as party caretaker after the bitter presidential race between Portia Simpson Miller and Peter Phillips in September.
"The truth of the matter is that the entire parish of St Thomas has been neglected in many ways... moreso Western St Thomas. We have a large farming area and a number of small farmers but they are not getting the attention," Foster told the Observer.
"We have a large population of young people but there is nothing here for them. There is no job development that is being done within the constituency, there is nothing helping to steer some of these young people off the street and into educational programmes," he added.
In order to cure these ills, Foster said the constituency needs people "who don't have political aspirations to become prime minister or leader of the party, but somebody who just really wants to go to work on behalf of the constituents that he represents and use his relationship to bring about social development and change".
Among his proposed plans to develop the constituency are the establishment a food processing plant and a telemarketing company at the old Goodyear tyre factory.
"If we had it [factory building] right now we would have at least 1,000 persons working in the parish... There are also a number of small factories in Yallahs that we could look at. For example, we can also create processing plants that will help local small farmers.," said Foster.
Added Foster: "We have young people in the constituency as old as 19 and 20 who cannot functionally read and write. These are people who cannot enter a certain type of workforce, so in order for us to create the opportunity for them, we have to also create some remedial programmes to address that educational gap."
Foster is the head of Upliftment Jamaica, a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing opportunities to empower young people.
The PNP caretaker said he recognised that sitting MP, James Robertson (JLP), is "a formidable candidate" but insisted that the substance of his proposals and his approach to governance in the eastern parish would give him the edge.
"There are three things I am using to govern my representation in the constituency: performance, accountability and transparency," he said.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...CAN_OBAMA_.asp
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