Manning vows jobs for Maloney

Prime Minister Patrick Manning has promised to bring both short- and long-term jobs to residents of Maloney, talking at the end of a walkabout of the estate yesterday. During the walk young men repeatedly appealed to him for jobs, one earnestly saying these were moreso needed as local youth had left behind “the bad boy life”. Manning asked whether more jobs could help cut crime in Maloney. Yes, replied one youth. Residents also complained about crime, delays to repairing their buildings, lack of recreational facilities, secluded laundry rooms used for activities which had resulted in teen pregnancies.

One woman told Sunday Newsday that Maloney was a nice area, but that some people would grumble anyway. Another resident said guns and drugs were too rampant in the area. Manning addressed the 150-strong crowd. He said: “We have been able to interface with the crime situation; you may not have seen it. Much of the discussion centred around that...The big problem is unemployment. We have some initiatives before Cabinet at this time and we are also taking steps for short-term employment at the same time”.