The Prime Minister needs to listen more

19.JAN.07

EDITOR: Our Prime Minister said that 2006 was a challenging year; if it’s one time I agree with Prime Minister Gonsalves it is when he made that statement, because he spoke with authority as CEO of this country and if he says so, it is so!

One can only imagine what 2007 will bring with VAT, a national debt of over $1 billion, a recurrent expenditure that seems to be increasing, unemployment, poverty, CSM and crime. Are we being fed the right information about our overall development?{{more}}

It’s good to hear our Prime Minister admitting that 2006 was a challenging one, I hope the people I call “cheerleaders” of Prime Minister Gonsalves, that is the people who tell him what he wants to hear, would actually listen to him and stop telling him what they think he wants to hear because when the prime minister sits and realizes things are not what he thinks they are, he will realize that the cheerleaders are setting him up for a fall.

We need more people like Renrick Rose, Jomo Thomas and this writer to let the Prime Minister know when he’s going wrong. Why is it that Prime Minister Gonsalves doesn’t like to be criticized? Is it because he thinks he’s always right. One will have to ask Jomo Thomas. If Jomo can’t answer, then we will have to ask Dr Kenny Anthony, but on the other hand, Prime Minister Gonsalves said they are different. Labour is spelt one way; so be careful doc, the watch word is “trend”.

Prime Minister Gonsalves sometime ago said the Unity Labour Party is more popular than ever, but I will tell you something, you are listening to the wrong persons. When it comes to your party, the PR segment needs improving, you need to give Miss Baptiste more prominence, the Women’s Arm and the Youth Arm better get going soon. Since my friend Glenn died things in the Unity Labour Party camp seem to be getting worse; remember Hans King is not Glenn Jackson. Prime Minister when you see some of your cheerleaders ask them; if you want to know who they are remember who sat in Parliament when you delivered your 2007 budget presentation, which I think has no vision. Prime Minister Gonsalves you need to pay more attention to persons who criticize

you and don’t take it personally, when it comes to the country, everybody thinks your heart is in the right place, but not every policy you put forward we should support, that’s our right

not to. Am looking forward with great expectation to 2007 – one of them is that you lead the way for a better St Vincent and the Grenadines.

All the best to your government and the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

“If you don’t like something, change it, if you can’t change it, change your attitude, don’t complain!”

Kingsley Defreitas