Eustace warns that he may not follow ‘2020’ plan

Vision 2020 is a plan of significant importance in Dr Ralph Gonsalves’ mind but Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace has warned that if his party assumes power there is no guarantee that the plan would be followed.

Speaking to SEARCHLIGHT after the launch of the discussions for a St Vincent and the Grenadines Development Plan, the Leader of the Opposition said that while he applauded the idea of “Vision shaping” it must be remembered that a new government may follow aspects of any Development Plan that comes out of the process but it was unlikely to be followed in every area.{{more}}

Eustace said that each time a new regime ascends to power that there would be some continuity but each government may have a different frame of mind as to where the country should head and what should be done and emphasized.

“It is highly unlikely that you would have uniformity in every area,” Eustace told SEARCHLIGHT.

Meanwhile Dr Gonsalves, addressing the launching of the discussions of the Development Plan, last Monday at the Methodist Church Hall, said that more money would be made available if necessary to see the plan come to fruition. “If other reasonable financial resources are required additional to these existing, it is not beyond the ability or ingenuity of this government to find these resources,” he said.

He said that the Development plan, which was catered for in the 2007 budget would serve as the runway for the advanced economic take off.

Addressing the gathering of public and private sector personnel, Director of Planning, Laura Anthony Browne said that the development plan must include all sectors of society and must chart the course for meaningful development.

Anthony-Browne said that it was important that the National Development Plan be free from partisan politics and stressed that such a plan, when completed will force a change of the status quo for many.

“We must be prepared to knock down the obstacles when we encounter them, and encounter them we will, understanding that opposition may come from all that consider themselves to have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo,” Anthony-Browne said.