The deteriorating situation regarding violence and disobedience is a curse and if not addressed, our tiny nation is heading for trouble. Listening to Andre Paul this week, he was clear and correct when he stated that politicians without a vision will not cut it. This is so true, but a great percentage of our people remain oblivious to the fact and view politics as a short term event. The fact that we change our governments after one term on a regular basis subscribes to our observation. Any administration coming in with a plan needs at least two terms to complete the job. The former administration laid out a plan of enhancing the nation’s infrastructure, created major call centres, concentrated heavily on the south to improve living conditions and jobs, a situation which had never been addressed so seriously in the past.
We allowed politics to destroy the plan and the country is now in decline. What is happening in the south today is as a result of despair and lack of hope. In life, people need role models and when the situation goes into reverse, chaos follows. Within the current administration there are individuals who should not be holding certain positions for several reasons. Law breakers need to pay the price for their mishaps and not rewarded. It sends the wrong message and in so doing others automatically feel that they too can get away with what is wrong.
For too long, we have pandered to the boys on the block by way of sympathy in return for their vote. These individuals have today become a real problem as they remain nonproductive without the necessary skills other than their participation in the distribution of drugs for a quick buck. One look at the type of housing at Bruceville, Faux A Chaux and Marchand reveals a tale of despair. Young guys cannot be permitted to exist under those conditions and both administrations need to put aside the decision of tolerance and come to grips with a festering situation. The proliferation of drugs and guns into the country will continue to grow, as the market exists whereby the organizers of their trade continue to market their goods at the expense of the unemployables. There comes a time when situations need to be addressed as kicking the can down the road has a shelf life and beyond that the timeframe reaches a point of no return.
There are certain signs within every society which raise a red flag and today, we simply have to revisit the carnage on our roads. Look at the speeding which takes place in our vehicles and by motorcyclists. Road anger has already reached an unprecedented level, the motorcyclists follow the same trend of speeding unnecessarily swerving in and out of the traffic disregarding all rules and regulations and deliberately not wearing the appropriate headgear for their own protection. On the other hand, all the hospital bills are invariably picked up by taxpayers. So often, various persons have taken to the airwaves, social media and Television, simply appealing to the lawbreakers to no avail. It is this contempt of law and order which has now escalated into a group of anti-law-abiding citizens without realizing the stress it places on society.
Another major problem which exists is the seventy percent of the St Lucian population who have exercised their right not to take the jab necessary for the Covid situation. St Lucia is a tiny nation dependent to a large extent on tourism which demands that all frontline workers need to be fully vaccinated yet the resistance to accede remains unrelenting not realizing that two factors remain at stake. Firstly, our medical services could end up under severe pressure and secondly, economically we stand to be compromised. These inbuilt forms of resistance remain of great concern, but hopefully, as time moves on, there will be persons within our society who may very well come up with the right approach to sway the disenchanted.