Political talk

Politics reigns as never before in St.Vincent and the Grenadines. (I was tempted to say rains, because that might even be applicable). There is political talk everywhere you go, and in making this statement, I am not even referring to the radio talk shows which you can follow from anywhere. Our brothers and sisters in the diaspora have even joined us and sometimes appear even more vocal and interested.{{more}} After all they are the ones who send the remittances that keep some of us afloat. There is nothing really wrong with political talk, since politics affects every aspect of our lives. The problem, if there is one, is that political talk means party talk, people defending or attacking, depending on which side of the political divide they sit or stand. But having said that, is this really a problem?

All of this is a consequence of our Westminster, so-called two party system, that has a built in government -opposition divide and has turned into a situation where the winner in reality takes all. This is the framework within which we think of politics and play out our politics. So claims are made. Our party is doing a wonderful job or they are making a mess of things. They might in a sense both be right because they are really making judgements based on how things play out with them. How they are affected is often informed by a number of different factors, and given the nature of our politics, where they are on the political fence is likely one of them.

Our country is small and politics becomes personalised. Sometimes our politicians see the person (s) or personalities before they look at the broader picture. It might be that we are trapped in a context informed by size and system. If we think carefully about this and go behind all of the camouflage, we can even be tempted to sympathise with the politicians who get trapped into the system without even realising it. Everyone knows the parliamentary representative, so he (she) is called upon for everything. His time is really not his own. He has made certain pledges and commitments in his bid to achieve the power he believes he has, so the people are making him live up to them. His power is limited by his ability to deliver on promises. But it takes some time before this realisation sets in, and during that time he loses his sense of who he really is and the limits of his power. His cronies, who applaud everything he does and are prepared to massage his ego relentlessly, help him to continue to live this facade. In this type of environment, arrogance usually sets in and makes it even worse.

But all of this removes us from what in the final analysis really matters. The point is that our problems are not party bound. True enough, the approach of one party might be more effective or more appealing to voters, especially those who don’t want to be reminded of certain realities. There might be differences in personalities, differences in approach to governance-in terms of utilising manpower, marshalling human resources and mobilising people. But even this becomes a front, and is often more rhetoric than reality. Things go on as they have always done. The control lies elsewhere. But we are not going to get around the debate about the parties and personalities. It is our life.

But there is another debate that has to take place, but often gets lost in this. What are the real problems in the country? Even this we cannot agree on. What lies behind these problems? To explore this more concretely we are embarked in a struggle to keep the banana industry afloat, but we have to realise that the future is bleak. What is the extent of that struggle and who is really involved in it? We still seem to think it is something of concern only to banana farmers and those employed in the industry. We seem agreed that the other area on which we have to focus is Tourism. But, what are the issues in tourism? What do we have to do to take off in this area? What limitations do we face and what is the state of our tourism infrastructure? What can the average tourist expect when he or she comes to St.Vincent and the Grenadines? What opportunities do we see available in this industry over the next ten years? To what extent are we training our people to take advantage of the opportunities that we hope will emerge?

Are we looking down the road? What else is on the horizon? In what other areas can we look? As I go around town and country I am hearing more and deeper cries from people who have difficulty surviving in these rough times. These cries have to do with increased cost of living and with employment, among other things. They come from people of all political complexions. How are we to address these cries? Are our politicians burying their heads in the dust? Do they accept that there are genuine cries coming from people on the ground? The problems are complex, some within our control and some beyond our control. They will not easily go away, and they will not go away by wishful thinking. Some of what we hear is scary, like the lady who told me that she had not cooked for five days. I wonder if we fully understand what is happening in this country, or are we living in a fool’s paradise. How do we get out of all of this? What do we produce? How does the country earn its living? Are we providing for the hundreds of people who leave our schools every year?

These are the areas where the debate needs to go because regardless of which government assumes the reins of power, they have to deal with these problems, and to deal with them you have to identify them. The crime situation does not make this any better for it will affect investment. We have to avoid the development of a sense of helplessness and desperation. But can we provide hope? I am worried that we are not talking about the complex and deep problems in the society. But who starts the debate, and what is it supposed to do? We have to go beyond talk, but it is necessary to talk.