NOT that I would like to complain so early in the day of the new government, but I want to take a little extra time today to make this and future governments aware of their deceiving nature and I thought it is best to do it early in the morning, as per usual, instead of too late in the night. So here we go and bear with me.
In the last few years there have been assets that were supposed to be gifted to the St. Lucian people, but their use and function have been compromised. I refer to such institutions like the Fisheries Complex that, if my memory serves me right, was a gift from the Japanese and the Canadian governments, and was built to establish an industry for the fishermen, but now has been privatized and its use curtailed from its original intent and the fishermen of the state are back on the street sides and roads and highways hustling to secure a livelihood on shore after a whole day at sea.
A parallel scenario comes to mind: the building of a meat processing plant in the South of the island, given again to the people by the Taiwan government and which was closed or never functioned for its original use, because it supposedly was built in the wrong place that was later earmarked for another expected project dealing with horse racing. Here again, the project was delivered complete for one purpose, and unlike the fisheries complex in Castries, was not assigned for another purpose, but left to rust to give the shine to the horse racing complex, which itself has now become a king of almost white elephant in the room.
So again, money gone down the drain because the Government of the day though it not necessary for a gift from a foreign country and its people to be used for the intended purpose.
I can further add the sports stadium in the South, which again, has been used as a makeshift hospital for the last twelve years, a gift by the Chinese Government. For a dozen years, the progress of generations of future athletes was snuffed-out to put the lives of sick people at even more risk while the money continued to pour down the drain.
It seems from all of this that grants and gifts are negotiated for specific purposes, which can be easily changed by policy decision by any government. I used to think that just like there is nothing like a free lunch, every free gift also comes at a cost, in this time the cost of the taxpayers in the donating or giving country.
In the past we have been promised a lot that never came to pass, which reminds me of the words of George Odlum, who always referred to the “pipeline” that a lot of projects get “stuck in”.
Don’t get me wrong. I have no problem with promises made for the growth of our people, but it bothers me every time we as a people have been conned or given “a six for a nine” by any government elected to see about working with the rest of the world to take care of our interests.
I wish this administration the best, but I would like to remind them to be truthful to their promises and deliver for the people because they have great expectations. We have been deceived many times in the past, so I do not expect one hundred percent of everything from this Government, but I am looking for at least a greater percentage than what was done or delivered by the last Government.
I also want the people to be patient and tolerant, but don’t be hypocritically silent when one party is in office and when the other assumes office be critical of all they do. I suppose that everybody feels they are an authority on all issues, but not because information is widespread that means that we are all knowledgeable on all issues.
I would like to see the assets and resources of the country be more equally shared or utilized or distributed, but the deals that favor so-called investors (like the controversial Cabot development at Cap Estate) should be thoroughly examined so we don’t again sell our lands, or give 90-year leases to these prospective owners. We have to be honest as well as well-intended.
We cannot continue to be so divided on national issues where projects started of the last regime, whether good or bad, should be automatically discontinued. But I also think that some from the past administration need or should be revised or revisited, such as: the third new Hewanorra International Airport development project, the long-proposed new cruise terminal and the nylon synthetic playing with plastic grass that is said to be more of a danger to athletes than anything else on the field.
I don’t want to see money going down the drain, but some projects were too top-heavy with fresh starts that have become stale and ugly and alleged kickbacks that will cost us dearly as a country.
As the government decides to give more and do better for more people, it must also move to save more because we have to strike a balance between giving and taking and sharing from the little that we have.
The new government must think of the consequences before implementing and my hope is that we get it right, or set a trend that will guide us to prosperity. But to get that done, all the people have to play their part, the right persons have to head the struggle in each place — and most of all, we need honesty from our Government ministers and related staff. We must stop borrowing like we have plenty of money or countless assets, think modest, think realistic and stop the greed that leads to self-enrichment and those of us who have put country before self must encourage more to do the same as we cannot always continue to leave all to the government of the day, yellow or red, green or blue, or what have you.
Here’s hoping I have made my point: that with the new beginning there must also be new approaches that will turn new pages and treat the past as chapters in Saint Lucia’s continuing history book.