More shake ups coming soon?

EDITOR: News that the St Vincent and the Grenadines Consul General to Canada Bernard John and his deputy, Clement Ballah, were relieved of their duties should come as no surprise to those of us who hold our ears to the ground, so to speak. It has been common knowledge things have not been going well in that Consulate. In fact, the same is true for all the missions in North America and so, one wonders how soon “the shake up is coming” is coming in this part of the world.

Vincentians lament the lack of concern and aloofness with which some of these diplomats go about their business. It would be interesting if the Vincentian public could get serious and honest answers to the following questions:{{more}}

How many of these diplomats have other interests that impede on their time in the missions?

How many of them carry on with their own private business while in office?

Do we know to what extent Vincentians in North America have been involved in the decision – making process as promised by this administration? For example, how involved have Vincentians in North American been in the Constitution Review consultations?

In the interest of transparency, is this government prepared to make public whether any of these diplomatic positions is linked to financial political contributions to the Unity Labour Party?

What system has the government in place to ensure that these public servants perform at a level at which Vincentian tax payers get value for their money?

Above all, what percentage of the national budget is allocated to these missions and what is the return per dollar?

I sincerely hope that some of these questions would start a discussion of the purpose and benefits of these missions. There is a real need for a national debate on this.

Luzette King