Cummings: Focus on local government reform

PNM general secretary Foster Cummings has said the party’s thrust will be toward enacting local government reform after the elections on Monday.

Speaking to the media after the launch of Youth Week at UWI's Teaching and Learning Centre on Tuesday, Cummings said the party was happy to have retained all its corporations.

“We will of course continue to try to expand that, but the main focus at this time is to move toward local government reform, and that will involve all of the corporations, including those held by the opposition party.”

He said he was encouraged by the presence of young people in the local government elections.

“There were a lot of young candidates, and therefore we would always encourage young people to get involved in the political process. The PM has on several occasions called on young people to get involved and take responsibility for your country, and that is why I think he created the Ministry of Youth Development and National Service, one of the reasons why: so we can get young people trained, get them involved in our processes.We have a youth policy we have approved, and it keeps going.”

Cummings said activities such as Youth Week and the ministry’s youth education and career caravan are means through which the government continues to engage with young people.