Former prime minister, retired politician Sir James Mitchell says that the Vincentian economy is having difficulties, not doing as well as the ruling Unity Labour Party.
“As a matter of fact, the ULP is in better shape than St. Vincent,” he said on radio on Tuesday.
“People are broke,” Sir James said on Tuesday, adding that a visit to grocers will give a clear picture of the state of the Vincentian economy.
“If you want to know the condition of the economy, go to the supermarkets, as I am sure you do. I will say to the general public, assess the number of cars in the car park, look at the number of tellers working at cash registers in the supermarkets and look at the amount that the people are bringing out.
“You will find that the car parks are full, people who own cars and have a bit of money and yet the stuff they are bringing out of the supermarket is not more than $100 when they are shopping. And bear in mind, a lot of businesses are closing,” he said on Xtreme FM.
Sir James said that whatever can be said, “the evidence is there before the public about the state of the economy.
“And I can tell you, as far as I am concerned with the tourism business here in the Grenadines, we have more competition for a smaller pie. The piece of tourism in the Grenadines is not expanding,” said Sir James, a hotelier.
Sir James was prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines from 1984 to October 2000, five months before the New Democratic Party, which he founded, was voted out of office in elections in which he did not compete.
Sir James is confused. We should ask him: “If no one has any money to buy food than why do we have so many fat people?” He is right to notice that businesses are closing but he is off the mark with his supermarket observation. Maybe he should go on a Friday after payday to the supermarket instead of Wednesday afternoon just before payday, and then tell us his observations after standing in line for an hour or more.
Yes, the ULP is doing “better by far” than the country. That is one of the dangers of having a charismatic leader that can fool the people into voting for their own poverty.
Vincentians can pick bananas but they can’t pick leaders.
Mitchell did the deal wih Gonslaves during the beach accord. He has supported Gonslaves eversince. Can we take much notice of or believe anything this man tells us from thereon.
We are in the situation we are in because of the entwinement of Canuan between both leaders, past and present. The honeypot island of plenty for all, except the islanders themselves.