Dr. James Fletcher, May 12, 2023
We really need to elevate and expand the discussion on development in this country.
I want to know where are we going with our education system that continues to fail large numbers of young men and women every year. I want to know how are we going to deal with the epidemic of chronic noncommunicable diseases that strikes down so many adult Saint Lucians every year, and the twin killers of vehicular accidents and homicides that are robbing us of so many of our youth, every year. I need to know how are we addressing the serious problems of food insecurity and water insecurity, which are getting worse every year. How are we expanding the spheres of economic opportunity available to all Saint Lucians, and how will we make meaningful inroads into the green, blue, orange and digital economies? What are we doing about removing our dependence on expensive fossil fuels to generate electricity and to power our vehicles? How are we climate-proofing our economic sectors and our vulnerable communities? What types of strategic alliances will we make with friendly governments and development partners to help us navigate increasingly treacherous international waters? How will we improve our systems of governance to ensure transparency and accountability, and an end to corruption, inefficiency, wastage and low productivity?
What I do not want to hear is a senseless political debate about jazz and how much money is being spent on it, particularly from the same people who had no problem with the construction of a horse race track in Vieux Fort on lands that for years had allowed landless livestock farmers in the south to earn a living, or with spending money on a track meet for horses with patrons dressed in fascinators and coat-tails in our tropical climate. Must we reduce everything to a rabid, vitriolic, hate-filled debate that pits Saint Lucians against each other? Over what? The quest of a political party to regain power or to remain in power? Is that the sum total of our existence?
Let us remove the politics from the discussions and cause our politicians and ourselves to have some serious discussions about where we are going as a country and a people.
We can do better!