By Aabigayle McIntosh

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has expressed his urgency regarding the ongoing issues with the country’s infrastructure, specifically addressing the role of Aldain Crump, the Director of Public Works.

During a recent appearance on the community-focused program, Community Matters, hosted by J.Truth the Engineer, Browne indicated that Crump’s lackadaisical approach to his responsibilities has been detrimental to the maintenance and improvement of the nation’s roads.

Residents across the country have grown increasingly frustrated over the years as they have watched the condition of the roads deteriorate.

Potholes, uneven surfaces, and a general lack of upkeep have made daily commutes difficult and have raised serious concerns about safety for both drivers and pedestrians.

Browne emphasized that continued inaction from Crump would not be tolerated, suggesting that the government is prepared to make changes if necessary.

He reiterated that the state of the country’s infrastructure is a priority, and that an effective Director of Public Works must demonstrate a proactive attitude towards vital public services.

The prime minister’s comments reflect a growing desire for accountability and action to address the infrastructure challenges faced by the nation, signaling to residents that their concerns are being heard and taken seriously.

Maria Bird Browne, the wife of the prime minister, is the minister responsible for roads on the island. He emphasized that any issues are not the fault of the substantive Minister, Maria Browne.

“In fact, she brought her team to Cabinet and the riot act has been ready to the Director in particular. And you know by, because a request was made for us to employ an additional 40 individuals to Public Works to assist with the patching of the roads and for some reason, they are taking a lot of time to train them.

“First of all, there was hardly any follow up with the Ministry of Finance. The approval to employ these people was approved, nobody at Public Works followed up and I keep saying to the director, this is his job. And he has to manage the repairs and the road maintenance in such a way that its not allowed to deteriorate in the way which they have,” Browne said.

He said while they have made some improvements in repairing the major arteries, he believes the patchwork in particular is a problem.

“We found out for example we have about three Barber green machines that have been working and only one is in use. We had to call in the director who gave us some bogus story that he had to train people, but we need to see more discretion and I find they hide behind politicians and they do not do the work,” the PM said.

He declared that if there is not significant work done on patch work within the next 60 days the Director of Public Works will be removed.

“I don’t normally threaten people’s jobs, I am not saying we are going to fire him. But I am going to hold him personally responsible. They are getting their little gifts from contractors instead of doing the government’s work,” Browne stated.

Browne also indicated the government has invested heavily in materials and machinery to get the job done, however, the director is not assertive enough to drive the development that is needed.

“I said to him, If he does not step up to increase the productivity at Public Works he is going home”, Browne re-iterated.