By *Jomo Thomas
We measure development by material advancement, and in a mad rush to achieve “developed” status, our leaders have been willing to give up everything: land, beaches, tax concessions and duty-free holidays, reduced property taxes, and suppressed wages.
In the last 30 years, two-thirds of Canouan were given away; 60 acres were ripped from local farmers and given to a foreign concern. Mustique is a “foreign island” in our own land; Sandals vies to own the entire western corridor of our country with its resort at Buccament and a planned Beaches hotel at Mt Wynne; 37 acres of prime beachfront property at Peter’s Hope was gifted to a Canadian outfit at 5.34 cents per square foot, and sits in limbo 10 years after a promised 400-room hotel and cabanas; 100 acres at Chatham Bay is now in foreign hands. “Developers” at Canash have ripped up and destroyed much-needed mangrove to build a road to facilitate construction and the expansion of a marina.
To what end?
The sell-off in the name of development is so complete that two men of European extraction are now the top landowners in SVG. One has bought and leased huge tracts of agricultural land, while the other moves at the speed of electricity to stake claims to land, yachts, planes, trucks and everything in between.
As this “development” spreads across the land, nationals lose access to beaches, the environment suffers, while citizens are compelled to settle for low-end jobs. As we saw at Buccament, the “developers” are building over the seawater, and woe be onto local divers/fishers who get too close to these exclusive dwellings. Word is that more sea space will be taken, pushing locals further away from areas they’ve enjoyed for generations.
We have long argued that local policymakers don’t have a clue as to the true value of money. They measure development in terms of growth in gross domestic product (GDP), which measures the total monetary value of all final goods and services produced within a country’s borders over a specific period. For them, it matters less who controls the bulk of that money or whether it stays in the country. These policymakers also focus on per capita income, the average income earned per person over a given period, typically used to measure economic well-being and living standards.
For example, SVG’s GDP tops out at EC$3 billion, and per capita income is EC$10,573 in 2025. However, with youth unemployment and the nation’s poverty rate galloping at about 40%, a large swath of the Vincentian population has little or nothing to show for this heralded progress. Most have little or no savings.
To get around this crushingly depressing situation, the political class parrots the mantra that things are better than ever before. They measure progress by the number of cellphones, washing machines, gas stoves, and other material trinkets hard-working people possess. They say thousands of citizens own homes, and even more own cars. Those who measure progress in this way never witness the dodge placed on the credit collectors or the long lines at the Kingstown Magistrate Court where businesses seek to collect from persons who borrow and can’t pay.
SVG is nice for those living in luxury, but not for the majority who lack the basics of life.
We would be naive to argue that these countries are easy to govern. Politicians face the stress and strain of ensuring public employees are paid on time, schools are fixed, and medicines are available in hospitals and clinics. Streets must be motorable and cleaned, pensioners expect to receive what they spent a lifetime working for, and the less fortunate look forward to their monthly allowance.
A debt burden of EC$3.5 billion means 40 cents of every dollar the government collects goes toward debt servicing. PM Friday’s disclosure that the country is on a financial precipice should awaken all citizens to the reality confronting SVG. But…
Despite this bad situation, we caution our leaders to act wisely and not be overtaken by panic. Our country should always be open for business, welcoming locals and foreigners alike. The entrepreneurial spirit of our people should be unleashed, with encouragement and support, so more of us can not only make ends meet but thrive.
Nevertheless, we must never allow for a situation where our country is placed on the auction block. It must never be advertised for sale. Progress and development must not come at the expense of our rainforests, environmental degradation or loss of patrimony. Even as we work to reduce unemployment and poverty, we must not sell off or give away our precious national resources for trinkets.
We must reject and condemn the notion that destroying our environment and natural habitat is the price of progress. This principle must guide us: some things are worth more than silver and gold. Our nation’s patrimony is one such thing.
In this regard, every effort must be made to return the prized 100 acres at Chatham Bay to state ownership. The government should explore a US$20 million buy-back loan from the Caribbean Development Bank. Some national assets must be protected for the next generation of leaders. Such a proactive move will win broad public support.
Most of our people may be poor and find it exceedingly difficult to keep body and soul together, but they are not stupid. Each of us makes prudent decisions that arrange and rearrange our lives. Government ministers, senior public servants, and policy advisors should follow democratic best practices. Be open and transparent. Explain in simple terms who we owe and how much we owe. Wage a war against corruption. Introduce laws that make it difficult for politicians, senior civil servants and the rich and powerful in society to fleece the country.
When hard decisions must be made, trust the people. Tell no lies and do not mask difficulties and problems. The emergence of a participatory democracy, where government places important decision-making powers in the minds of the people who elected them, can create a sea change in consciousness that redounds to its benefit. A democracy that lasts only as long as it takes a citizen to mark an X at election time is no democracy at all.
There is development and “development”. Unless SVG becomes a paradise for all its citizens, our leaders will have hell to pay.
*Jomo Sanga Thomas is a lawyer, journalist, social commentator and a former Speaker of the House of Assembly in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
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].