ULP regime scraping barrel

EDITOR: On Tuesday 19th December 2006 on SVGTV, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves compared the poverty of SVG to that of Bangladesh and Haiti. SVG Green Party finds this comparison both mind-boggling and disgusting.

Both Haiti and Bangladesh have suffered massive social, economic and political instability for over 40 years. In addition, both countries have suffered heavily from natural disasters (such as flooding) and also long-term deprivation of foreign investment.{{more}}

Haiti and Bangladesh are two of the poorest countries in the world. So what does that make St Vincent and the Grenadines, the third poorest country in the world? In the ULP regime’s desperation to paint a good picture of their incompetent management of the SVG economy, the ULP regime’s picking of the world’s poorest countries as comparisons, clearly illustrates how low SVG has sank under the ULP regime. The ULP regime is having to scrape the bottom of the barrel in order to make itself look mediocre.

We should be comparing ourselves with the strongest economies in the Caribbean or even the strongest economies in the world. There should be no reason why we are not one of the richest countries in the Caribbean, but there is: ULP regime incompetence and Dr Ralph Gonsalves’ begging bowl’ approach to economies. The ULP regime’s incompetence is dragging the country down and increasing poverty in SVG to an extent comparable in Haiti and Bangladesh.

Ivan O’Neal

(Green Party)