Whilst the Caribbean has made significant strides, there are still issues which must be addressed, Vincentian Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said on Sunday, at the Saint Lucia Labour Party’s annual Conference of Delegates.
That Conference was held at the Belle Vue Primary School in Vieux Fort North under the theme ‘Forward Together for More Progress’.
Small Island Developing States currently face several challenges, the prime minister stated, adding that “in an age of rampaging manmade climate change those vulnerabilities are more problematic.”
“Despite our strengths and possibilities, we have weaknesses and limitations and the contemporary political economy is very unfair to Small Island Developing States. The wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and elsewhere and the conflicts…. affect us intimately,” he said, leading to disrupted supply chains, increased prices, etcetera.
“And then of course we suffer from historic legacies of underdevelopment,” he added.
Whilst these challenges exist, they are not insurmountable, Dr. Gonsalves stated, however, he noted that they can only be conquered if there is harmony.
“Make no mistake we have a struggle on our hands and we can only fight this battle if internally the progressive forces are united. Also, (if) we link ourselves with progressive forces in the region and globally so that we can find the requisite space to have the resources and the opportunities to enhance our sustainable development in our people’s interest,” he said.
The leader of the Unity Labour Party urged the delegates to be “more careful” when forming alliances.
“We have certain paths we can follow, for instance (we can) roll over and play dead (but) that is not the way of Labour,” he said.
According to Dr. Gonsalves, “In this complicated and dangerous period, we have an especial responsibility to keep Labour in office in places like St Vincent and the Grenadines. What does it mean to be part of Labour? You (must) have beliefs, you (must) have a vision, you (must) have policies and you (must) have programmes.”
Additionally, the individuals involved in Labour organizations must operate in the interest of the people, he said.
“Our vision… is centred on people. Our philosophy is a universal philosophy of social democracy applied to our own appropriate circumstances,” he added.