‘Vision without action is merely a dream’

18.JULY.08

Editor: Wanting to be part of history, I stayed away from the Annual Soca-Reggae Festival for a few hours, to listen to the Official Ground Breaking Ceremony for the construction of our country’s first (and perhaps only) International Airport.

After listening (quite attentively) to the various speakers representing the various partners in this project, I am totally convinced that those opposing this project do so for petty partisan political reasons.{{more}}

The information provided at the ceremony, save and except for announcements of additions to the “Coalition of the Willing” and reference to the Environmental Impact Study, have been in the public domain for almost three years now.

The Prime Minister was quite thorough in his August 08, 2005, address on the airport project. I am still baffled by the concerns of the critics that no information is being provided on the project.

Firstly, according to NDP spokespersons, “…we do not want an international airport”; then they were forceful in opposition to the selected location. Now that that the physical work on the project is about to commence, Mr. Eustace and his spokespersons question the government’s costing of the project and their inability to receive information from the government. One wonders how Mr. Eustace was able to arrive at his own announced estimates for the project if he had no information on the project.

Perhaps he (Mr. Eustace) can act as a responsible official Opposition Leader by: (1) presenting Vincentians with his party’s response to the Prime Minister’s August 08, 2005, proposal on the International Airport; (2) make known his party’s position on the construction of an international airport on the island; (3) at his earliest, seek an Emergency Debate in Parliament on the Argyle International Airport Project.

By seeking a Parliamentary debate, it will give Mr. Eustace and the MPs on his side of the isle the opportunity to put their tails between their legs and return to Parliament to do the work they were elected to do, thus avoid the embarrassment they may receive in bye-elections.

I leave Mr. Eustace with some words of wisdom from Joel Barker: “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”

T. Wade Kojo Williams Sr.