For some people, ending the legacy of slavery, making reparations, and cutting ties with the British Monarchy are part of their plan to cement their personal legacy. It’s not done genuinely for the people.
The problem with many Caribbean governments is that they want absolute power. Many of them have no accountability. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is good where it is. There is no need to cut ties with the monarchy.
If you look at all of the British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, they are doing far better economically than the independent countries because they have to properly account for public funds. Corruption is dealt with harshly and swiftly. Sadly, it’s not the same in independent countries.
The public accounts committee in SVG has flagged about sixty million dollars in unaccounted public funds over a five-year period, and neither the Prime Minister nor his government have offered an explanation for this. How can we then trust this government with a republic?
Let the monarch remain. A lot of wrong was done during colonialism, but it’s time to move on. If the Prime Minister wants to correct the legacy of slavery or colonialism, he should give the poor and most destitute Vincentians the remaining Crown lands instead of selling them off to foreign investors. Provide housing to prevent and reduce vagrancy and decisively address the spiraling murder rate.
Other issues of importance are the need to institute an Integrity Commission and campaign financing legislative reform to prevent gifts for votes, which have corrupted our political process. Ban the use of political paraphanaelia during campaigns, which are symbols of division used to pull our people apart.
Our political parties have now become tribes. These tribes have caused our people to turn against each other instead of being united. Ordinary people are denied opportunities to work and own businesses because of their political ties.
As impressive as the Prime Minister may seem at times, he does not care as much about all Vincentians as he purports to. If he did, he would have a fairer approach to the governance of the state. Why are the Grenadines being continuously neglected? Why is gasoline so expensive? Why is there so much poverty in SVG?
Proper and structured agricultural reform and significant investment in tourism can be game changers for SVG. Why not invest heavily in the Grenadines and the mainland to improve the quality of the tourism product?
Build a cruise berth in Bequia and a series of restaurants on a lease-to-earn basis on Salt Whistle Bay Myreau so the residents on those islands can earn a proper living. Clean, dredge, and resurface the beaches in Villa, Indian Bay, Canash, and Arnos Vale to make them more pristine so they can be more attractive to visitors. This would give locals the opportunity to own proper bars, restaurants, and water sports businesses.
Those beaches can be easily resurfaced by mining white sand in the Grenadines. The ship that’s dredging the new port creates an opportunity. It can be used to surface the beaches highlighted above.
These are more important issues than cutting ties with the monarchy. Let’s spend our time more positively to improve the lives and livelihoods of Vincentians and those who call SVG home. The monarch is here to stay.
