Why have our scholars adandoned the populace?

EDITOR: It is indeed remarkable and disgracefully so, the extent to which basic services elemental to the welfare of the citizens have been so recklessly neglected over these several decades.

Many citizens have been complaining that they have been dutifully reporting these matters to the persons in authority, but they are not impressed that their reports are taken seriously.

It has to be admitted, that more than 40 years since we have been responsible for the management of our own welfare, our leaders are proving to be woefully ineffectual as far as advancing the welfare of the people, yet they are some of our more academically trained and certified, like Dr Rosmond Adams MD (Public Health) MS (Bioethics) FRSPH, who is hailing as a moment of National pride, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines becoming a member of the United Nations’ Security Council.

Incidentally, in the days of the British administrators COUTTS and Giles, that road above the Prime Minister’s residence leading to the Nurses and Police institutions, would not have been left un-attended to for so long. No, that would not have happened! Now today when Dr Adams, who is trained in Public Health, talks of national pride ought to assert his influence here at home to correct the exhibition of administrative neglect of the sort which has been persisting for too long at the area of the Girls’ High School, the Grammar School and the Pre-school in the area.

That situation is pathetic when one realizes that the Governor General, The Prime Minister, the Minister of Education, the Minister of Health, and the Minister of Works are all past students of these institutions. There is evident there, the lack of national pride. Our scholars need to take the lead in addressing the retrogression!
It can fairly be said that to a large degree, this community of ours, agriculturally-based, took pride in their work and particularly after the advent of the Banana Industry, were enthusiastically driven by the reasonable hope to prosper, but when the situation demanded their critical support the farming community was abandoned as our political leaders found tourism to be more appealing.

So emboldened by the puerile acquiescence of our intelligentsia and the pathetic indifference of the mercantile community which had prospered measurably from the Banana Industry for over 50 years; the ULP, led by Ralph Gonsalves, crippled the Banana Industry. Ralph Gonsalves had received strong support from the farmers in 2001 because he had promised to revitalize the Banana Industry, but in less than ten years the industry was dead.

The perception that WINFA has dealt very treacherously with the farmers has origin in the fact that WINFA was named by the authorities as being one of the prominent players in the discussions and decision to neutralize the BANANA GROWERS ASSOCIATION. WINFA is/was led by RENWICK ROSE who was the leader of the ODD in 2001.

So it will take more than having a seat as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council to stimulate our natural pride!

LeRoy Providence