By Kamal Bacchus-Browne
In the current climate of SVG, it is undeniable that it is time for a change. Most people out there, whether they are an NDPvoter or a person who just can’t find themselves voting for theNDP, they all make the same argument that “the government in power is only for themselves” and“it’s time for a change”.
When you ask these unsure people “Ok, will you vote for the NDP?”, some will give you personal reasons or irrelevant excuses for the ULP that has had almost two decades in power! Others will say half heartedly, “No.”or you could see a certain amount of fearin their faces by just mentioning voting for the NDP. So you may say to these people, “Ok. Then you must be aligning yourself with the Green Party or the DRP and they all laugh or scoff like those two parties are a running nationwide joke, as if no one actually believes those two parties can ever hold a seat at parliament much less a governing one!
This leads me to believe that there are mainly two types of voters in SVG. There are those who are voting for the NDP and those who are afraid or too confused to vote for the NDP. I am not counting those who won’t vote for the NDP because of personal grudges or political bias because those people are unpatriotic and don’t care for St. Vincent and the Grenadines or its people’s future as a whole!
Yes! At this point it can only be unpatriotic to vote for the ULP given the facts. Don’t take
my word for it, just ask your parents or grandparents what this country was like 20 plus years ago? What government programs kept youths off the street? How people and families weren’t so divided and were friendlier? How there wasn’t so much dread of being unemployed? Or being personally victimised for your God given right to freely choose your party and express your opinions? Not to mention all the bad press about the ULP that has not only circulated in St. Vincent but around the world: allegations of rape, evidence of rigged elections, arrests made for alleged involvement in drug trafficking later passed off as soap powder, etc.
On the CIA’S official website, they say that “Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a SOURCE, transit and destination country for men, women and children subjected to forced labour and sex“. We all know and have heard of the horror stories from Buccament on the Bay. So many workers who have still yet to be paid, all under the watch of the ULP. We all know what Buccament, at this point, has gotten away with. Now they are trying to blind us again with another hotel. Is it going to be a repeat of Buccament? Or are they going to allow Vincentians to be treated worse for whatever reason?
There have been too many failed projects, purposely disposed of programnmes, and nowhere near enough accountability to allow Ralph Gonsalves and his party to get back into the drivers seat of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Their job was to make life and cost of living in St. Vincent and the Grenadines better for all of us. They were suppose to be our protectors, role models and, most importantly, our leaders with the country’s best interests at heart but instead all we have gotten is a failing airport that cost us way more than we could afford and have not seen the receipts; a general hospital in our capital that is in an unspeakable state, police stations in dire need of repair, national banks being destroyed due to shady government borrowing, moronic plans to borrow money from an institution to pay back a loan to the same institution.
The list goes on and on for what? A new roof? A new section added on to a house? A pig? A few dollar bills given once every give years? Enough is enough!We must all think about the future taxation our young adults and children will have to face in the next coming years, not to mention the elderly and the status of government pensions.
Any how you take it, election is coming. Your vote is no longer about finishing your house or your roof or having some money (handouts) to get you through the next three months.
Your vote will be about all of our futures. Your vote will decide whether your children’s future will have legal jobs that pay enough to not only take care of themselves but their familywithout them having to find other means of survival.
It is time for Vincentians to stop turning a blind eye. How could you call yourself a true
Vincentian and not feel disgusted and disrespected when the ULP, at state events, purposely take the yellow out of the flag in their decorations just because it is the color of another party? If that doesn’t show you they consider themselves higher than people and country, I don’t know what will.
So all you voters who are fearful or confused out of blind loyalty for the ULP vote your conscience — VOTE THE NDP.
Vincentians have suffered enough “labour pains” from the Labour party. Choose wisely!
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].
1. What is your information, from credible public policy polls, suggesting the “majority” of Vincentians want a change in government (“it’s time for a change”)?
2. What is your impartial evidence that people fear voting for the NDP unless you mean they fear that the NDP will make them even worse off than they are now?
3. Why are you arrogantly insulting our people by calling them “confused”? Do you actually believe that such a tactic could win you any votes?
4. How dare you call people who refuse to vote for the NDP, for whatever reason, “unpatriotic and don’t care for St. Vincent and the Grenadines or its people’s future as a whole.” Do you really believe that such a charge could win your party any votes?
5. Yes, unemployment is high but not higher than it has been for decades; yes, there have been failed projects just as there were failed projects under the previous NDP (Ottley Hall, the Bequia airport, the central market in Kingstown, etc.). On the other hand, judging from real data from impartial external observers like the IMF, rather than your biased insider political rhetoric, we have moved from a lower middle to higher middle income country under the ULP; many more schools have been built to accommodate many more students (even though the level of learning at these schools leaves much to be desired); new medical clinics, police stations, bridges, and other infrastructure has been put in place; we have a new international airport (whether we actually needed one or not) that most Vincentians are proud of; and the gap between the rich and the poor has been reduced.
You need to go back to the drawing board and tell us what the “new” — non-Mitchell — NDP is going to do to reduce unemployment and raise the level of living of Vincentians.
Prattling endlessly about the 2015 election and questioning its results will certainly only increase the fear people have about voting for an NDP hopelessly lost in the past.
I am a VincentIan from the diaspora and cannot vote although I have no love for the current regime, I am also cognizant of the risk that an Ndp Government poses. Let’s go back down memory lane. The Ndp presided over a number of failed projects such as:
The Otttley hall project and it’s fiasco
The traffic light fiasco
Th Union island Marina
The white tiger Bequia Airport
The Mount Bentick Sugar factor closure, yes there was a better alternative than complete closure
The ugly monstrous Market that was constructed, improper use of prime estate
Not to say that the Ulp doesn’t have skeleton of its own as follows:
The sale of the National Commercial bank, only indegenous bank
The Argyle International Airport, do we know how much it rely cost?
Our relationship with Taiwan has serve us well , however, the Ulp is very myopic in its desire to trade Taiwan for China. Too much risk in electing an Ndp government. That is the very reason why some Vincent are thinking twice of electing an Ndp government. Do you trust Patel Mathews with is development plans from North Leeward? Athanks the same time the Ulp has a mantra for failed projects. The cross country road comes to memoy. God help us,the old adage, “no better the beef no better the barrel”