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Dear Mr. Editor
I was quite shocked and dismayed at the implications of the recent statement made by Sir Louis Straker that it is “easy to talk about potholes” but a seat on the United Nations Security Council signals that SVG has come a long way.
While a seat on the Security Council may bring some measure of prestige to SVG, the appalling potholes to which Sir Louis so dismissively alluded, remain a clear indication that we have not come far enough. In my view, potholes are symbolic of all the things that are going wrong in SVG.
What really is Sir Louis’ point? Should this nation, in its quest to secure a Non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, forget about the poor medical services, the broken education system, the spiralling crime and murder rate, persistent poverty, burgeoning unemployment, among other ills? It would appear that in pursuit of the dream, the ULP has lost touch with the reality of what is going on here in SVG.
Additionally, what real and tangible benefits are the Vincentian people to realize from this all-consuming desire for a UNSC seat? How will a seat on the UN Security Council improve the lot of the vast majority of Vincentians? Or is it merely another avenue to provide plum positions for the progeny of ULP politicians and supporters?
Editor, on the face of it, a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council will undoubtedly be an admirable achievement, but will bring few if any tangible benefits to this tiny nation. We are inundated with domestic problems that the government seems unable to properly address. Let’s get the small things – like filling the potholes – right. Let’s make the lives of Vincentians who live here better.
Lavern King
