Time for Introspection – Part 2

Last week, I requested the understanding of readers for not publishing the promised second part of the article entitled “Time for introspection”. I do appreciate that understanding and this week’s column resumes where I left off on Nov. 8, with comments on the ULP administration.

Much of the time and effort of the Gonsalves administration has been expended, unfortunately, but necessarily, in dealing with the aftermath of a series of natural disasters, reckoned by the Prime Minister to be about a dozen. Not only have these severely affected development plans but they have imposed significant financial burdens on a small developing economy.

Generally, the government has handled the responses satisfactorily though its more rabid critics find all kinds of things to complain about, justifiably or not. However, there is a substantial body of beneficiaries of the rehabilitation efforts who have visibly benefitted and continue to do so. Never before have responses to natural disasters encompassed such a wide scope, including the building of new homes and significant repairs to damaged ones.

In addition, there have been very generous provisions for accommodation for those forced to evacuate their homes, and arrangements for ensuring minimum disruption to the education of students. These are generous, though necessary, for a country with such limited resources. That is not all. For those whose income streams have been severely affected or entirely wiped out -workers, farmers, small entrepreneurs, have received income support as well as assistance to resume production. These are serious commitments with financial implications for the entire country. Noble they might be, one has to be concerned about how much we can bear or afford. In my case, I am also concerned whether the beneficiaries of these arrangements are getting a sober understanding of the sacrifices involved and in turn are endeavouring to use the financial hand-outs in particular, in a wise manner. I saw first-hand during the volcano rehabilitation and recovery period, several persons resettled in evacuation shelters, spending freely on the “3-for-$10” beer offers from the Brewery.

Surely the allowances were not meant to be used in that manner! If the assistance is to be used wisely it is vital that the beneficiaries understand and appreciate such humanitarian acts. Quite a bit of the money for these relief efforts are in fact loans and must be repaid out of government revenue. Responsibility and thrift are important .

As the government finalizes its 2025 Budget preparations which naturally must be affected by the natural disaster damage and relief and recovery efforts, no matter the encouraging optimism, it is clear that we have to watch every penny, or rather dollar, since the penny is a thing of the past.

Side by side with these ambitious humanitarian commitments we also must take care of everyday business and prepare for the future.Preparing the 2025 Budget must be a most difficult and even thankless undertaking.

The firm emphasis of Prime Minister Gonsalves on education must be admired though some of his opponents have expressed concerns that he may be over-committing the country in what is clearly a love of his. Besides the dollars and cents arguments, I have another concern. Yes, we are turning out an impressive array of “young, bright” graduates, but what of their social and political education? Are they being prepared for the sacrifice necessary in building a country such as ours and in understanding the needs and concerns of people not as fortunate as they have been? What conscious efforts are being made to address such concerns? Then we have to watch the age-old concern as expressed in the saying about the grass and the horse.

We are investing substantial amounts in the education of our youth, a vital investment in today’s world. To allay fears of graduates not returning, they are bonded with sureties. Financially, this may seem a solution, but a country expecting a certain number of, lets say engineers, in seven years time cannot fill that hole with the guarantees. That is another reason for building social consciousness, for imbuing a sense of patriotism and commitment to continued development. That sense of social solidarity is not necessarily going to come with the degrees. It must be consciously developed.

Yes, the challenges are not just formidable, but they continue to mount. It is sad that in our Parliament, many on the opposition benches do not seem either to understand or appreciate our current circumstances or perspectives for development. Take the concerns about the level of government borrowing, a concern shared by many in our society, not necessarily opposed to the government. It is one thing to quantify the debt, but one’s analysis cannot be limited to the size of the debt, one must also analyze the purpose of loans, the various types, borrowing terms and rates and ability to repay.

The parliamentary debate would be greatly enriched if such an approach were taken and the understanding of the very supporters of the Opposition advanced in the process.

I will comment further in subsequent articles.

•  Renwick Rose is a Social and Political commentator.