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The views expressed herein are those of the writer and do not represent the opinions or editorial position of I-Witness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected].

The chronicle of St Vincent and the Grenadines’ (SVG) political voyages has become obsolete, an opprobrium to our society, the region and the world around us.

Invented by the bourgeois, this anarchy backed by economic drawbacks, fascism, machine politics and partisan politics have taken prominence within our political arena during the last 10 years. This is not to say that our political system was free drawbacks prior.

Hence, it is safe to say that SVG needs a political cleansing!

Furthermore, the political environment in SVG suggests that this country is divided up in two, categorizing supporters as Unity Labor Party (ULP) lobbyists and the New Democratic Party’s (NDP) entourages — everyone supporting their party’s culture — good or bad, without thinking of the consequences. However, empirical evidence and journalistic interviews revealed that supporters are evolving: independent, because they’ll rather assess the party’s culture than the usual infamous bickering, and switching party — showing dissatisfaction of the government’s infamous actions and inactions and the opposition’s inability to effectively address the government’s short comings.

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As it stands, supporters are blindly following their parties, the majority of them are failing to assess their political environment and sources reveal that this majority is receiving personal benefits; hence, citizens are encouraged to vote for policies rather than their parties and the government is urged to look into the welfare of all its citizens, rather than its selective few.

In essence, the government cannot expect SVG to progress, politically or economically, if it only provides jobs and business opportunities for its selected few. These backward, no doubt, have cost SVG growth and development over the last decade.

Moreover, it is always beneficial to benchmark and mimic successful political system to adapt good workable progressive traits; however, the American political system has crumbled over the past six years where the president’s opposition has held the America people hostage in the name of self-fulfillment, partisan politics and discrimination against the president.

Hitherto, the Scripture indicates that with God all things are possible, and at this stage, I believe that God is the only being that can help our dystopia. Hence, I believe that we have obligations to strategically construct our political environment to make it work.

In so doing, these recommendations should be considered!

Voters are urged to disassociate themselves from parties, listen to parties’ policies and economic proposals, and casting their votes wisely, to avoid supporting the government’s infamous decisions. Additionally, we must demand that the government involved citizens and the opposition in the decision making process. As an innovative system the government should start providing regular financial statements to the nation to show the country’s fiscal policy. Ideally, the opposition has an obligation to support the government in good governance and address bad decision-making.

Coupled with this, three important groups have stakes in ensuring that these setbacks are corrected and they must play an active role in changing our daunting political system: the government, the opposition and most importantly, the citizens.

With the rate and direction of SVG’s political system we are destined to fail.

Remember people, a minute of bickering is a life time short of progress!

 D. Markie Spring

The opinions presented in this content belong to the author and may not necessarily reflect the perspectives or editorial stance of iWitness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected].

One reply on “Identity politics: A detriment to economic development in SVG”

  1. For the first time I agree with you 100%. I’m sorry that the majority of the people of St.Vincent and the Grenadines would not see this article.
    Would you go up to the Podium. Ring you bell. Toot your horn. Blow your whistle. Drive around on the streets and tell the people in pure simple terms what they are doing to themselves by keeping the head of State in power for more than two terms total injustice. Wake them up. Shake them up.
    Copy and paste the following on “you tube” EVERYTHING FLOOD OUT CVM JAMAICA FUNNY INTERVIEW …

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