Joblessness is a major issue in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Democratic Republic Party (DRP) plans to address it and of under-employment if it is elected to office in the upcoming general elections.
The DRP will create “a new industrial revolution”, its leader and founder, Anesia Baptiste, said at a DRP public meeting in Arnos Vale Thursday night.
“You hear a lot about revolution, but I want you to know that my study of our history proves that Vincentians can be and are generally industrious people,” Baptiste told the small gathering.
She said that given the opportunity, Vincentia work hard and can work with their hands and do things and produce.
“The opportunities have not been created of late. This government has not had any significant revenue creating measures. Instead it’s just taxes upon taxes upon taxes and jobs are hard to find and people are suffering. Young people too,” she said of the ruling Unity Labour Party.
Baptiste spoke about setting up industries and inviting investors, including local investors, who will partner with the government to do so.
She spoke of the former coconut factor and the Diamond Dairy.
“We will like to see those things return and developed and more modernised.”
She, however, said the DRP will not only focus on agro-processing but will also encourage factories, where young people can work, learning to assembly electronic devices and to make things such as CDs and DVDs.
“These things can make money, and not only that, it would allow young people to become more trained and skilled. And we will be turning out Vincentian products made in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“That’s what we need to do. We need to put our hands to the plough,” she said.
Baptiste, who is her party’s candidate for West St. George, said that people have great ideas but there is no encouragement and the right environment is not created to help them.
“We need to be exporting more in St. Vincent and the Grenadines rather than importing so much. We need to focus on these things in order to grow our economy,” she said.
A “new industrial revolution” is a hopeless fantasy. There are no industrialists willing to finance this revolution. This is because our wage levels are much too high and our infrastructure much too underdeveloped to attract any outside investment.
If China is experiencing a crisis in industrial exports, what do you say about little St. Vincent picking up the slack?
Why not try to start up some industrial enterprise of your own to show us how it’s done? If you succeed in creating even 10 new jobs, then come back and run for office. You will have not only my vote but my financial support.
C-Ben,
All you know how to do is talk, how about you go and create some jobs.
As far as I am concern you only can run your mouth.
What the hell do you expect me to say about a tiny country with such little industrial, commercial, agricultural, or tourism potential?
Do you expect me to preach a lot of crap about our 2×4 country being on the cusp of a developmental revolution that would be unleashed if only there were a change in government when I truly believe that nothing will ever bring real change in our prospects?
CDs and DVDs? Really???