Anesia – Heading down the wrong road

14.JAN.11

Editor: It is with much elation that I wish all Vincentians a happy 2011. God has granted those of us who are alive a chance of seeing another year, and I hope and pray that we all work extraordinarily hard to make good use of it. I, however, wish us all God’s speed and good graces for the New Year.{{more}}

From time to time, I read the op-ed entitled “Persistent Scrutiny”, and most times am taken aback by the constant belittling of the Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, by the writer. Am I to believe that these postings entitled “Persistent Scrutiny” are all about destroying the PM’s credibility and his person, or is it supposedly to focus on analyzing his governance? It seems to me that this writer is indeed heading down the “wrong” road. I do not purport to know what the thoughts of this writer are, nor do I think that I am a soothsayer (far from), but I have some advice for this writer; change course.

“Persistent Scrutiny – ‘On the PM’” – Sounds like abhorrence to me

Psalms 32 – 2, clearly says: “Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” I quote this verse from the Bible to denounce this kind of behavior; this constant disparagement needs to stop. It is unbecoming of a Christian to behave in such a distasteful and disdainful manner. I am sure I speak for most Vincentians when I say: we do not need this unrelenting divisive action in this country, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It may work well for other countries, but for this beautiful country of ours, we unequivocally refuse to accept it.

In addition, the piece of writing titled “We Need a Statesman Prime Minister” spews garbage, and I have no reservations on that. If I am to take some excerpts from this commentary which the writer delineated, it would be that:

1. The Prime Minister, Dr Ralph E. Gonsalves is arrogant (which I think that, a number of people mistake for assuredness), and has lost sight of God (evidently, if that was the case, he would not be sitting where he is today.)

2. He is deceptive, and is canopied by his brilliance. Too, he practices vitriol (inciting wrong) politics.

3. He is senseless, and belittles Vincentians by thinking that they are like babies; just placate them with material things and they will be a-ok.

Indubitably, people know that this article is only subjective; it is merely opinions concocted by an individual and is indeed subject to corrections; because it lacks objectivity, surely not based on the real truth and the issues at hand, and, too, is written ideological abuse placed on the Prime Minister by this individual. Mind you, I am not asserting that the Prime Minister is beyond criticism. I am plainly saying that these petty issues are not relevant; instead we should be focused on nation building.

Additionally, this issue surrounding the statement made by the PM, which is: “Statesmanship is dead,” seems to be taking some drubbing. Nonetheless, I would, however, say that at this period where we have pressing matters like: finishing our International Airport, Cross Country Road, The National Stadium, The Modern Medical Complex at Georgetown, and so on, unquestionably these take precedence over a discussion on whether or not St. Vincent & the Grenadines should be governed by a “Statesman.”

Another Term for the ULP – Most Deserving!

In retrospect, the Unity Labour Party has done much more than expected in the two terms (2001-2010) that they were in government. The evidence is there to attest, though I know that there are some people who calculatingly would dispute this fact. There are numerous accomplishments that I can name…, but I would just comment on I key achievement.

The ULP run government, under the management and enormous calibre of Dr Ralph E. Gonsalves took the Education Revolution to a level that surpassed the rest of the Caribbean Islands; and by extension some countries in South America and Europe. I must say that I am grateful for this, seeing that the Caribbean, including SVG, is suffering from a brain-drain problem. Most of our educated people are migrating oversees to America and other countries…, though, I am hopeful that the others that choose to stay would do their utmost towards building this small but vibrant country of ours, SVG.

Now Let’s Move Forward!

Elections came and have gone, yet, a number of persons are left stuck in the mode of it. It is really unfortunate that we all can’t just accept defeat when we ought to. This mood of suspension practice is very dangerous for our mental health; it advocates evil thoughts and encourages wrong doings. We see this type of actions on our televisions, listen to them on our radios, read them on the internet, and so forth, and yet we refuse to learn from other people’s mistakes.

To make my point clear, just a couple of days ago we learnt of a shooting in Tuscan, Arizona, in the USA, where a lawmaker by the name of Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat Congress Woman, was shot down and is in critical condition, struggling for her life. Six persons were killed and thirteen others sustained injuries, leaving their families praying for safe recoveries.

I am taking this opportunity to stress to all Vincentians that we need to be very cautious with our words; they may fall on ears that do ‘not’ fully comprehend your political rhetoric, which most times are mere philosophical differences being expressed, but other times could be very insightful but meaning no harm, which, unfortunately if the latter is taken very seriously, can result in regretful outcomes.

We are post-elections. Now, let’s move forward! We have a country to continue building.

May God continue to bless, and keep us all safe! Again, Happy 2011

Eleen Ackie