At a time when regional economies are facing unprecedented financial and economic challenges that, with each passing day, seem to be approaching insuperable status, it is always relieving when positive developments are taking place in various parts of our region that can make all and sundry very proud to be part of this current Caribbean civilisation.
And that is so despite some of the negatives that include unnecessary murders in Barbados, continuing problems with the drug testing of Jamaican athletes, and the recent killings of two police officers in Guyana by one of the country’s miners who went on a shooting spree that up to now remains a mystery in terms of his motivation.
First, it is heartening to have learnt of the decision of the St Lucian government to borrow $3 million on behalf of our main carrier, LIAT, to assist that ailing airline to remain a viable provider of regional travel.
Everyone is fully aware of the plight of LIAT and its constant struggle to raise adequate levels of financing, even in relation to its incapacity to get more regional Governments to become shareholders.
Hence, despite the fact that the St Lucian Prime Minister has attached some conditionalities to the loan that include a revamping of the management structure of LIAT, his Government’s initiative must be applauded by everyone in the region who appreciates the vital contribution that LIAT has made and continues to make to regional travel and tourism and by extension to regional integration and development.
Second, how many times have we heard in the region complaints after complaints about our youth and how bad they have become and how little pride they take in themselves, leaving all of us to wonder about future leadership in the region, in the workplace, at our educational institutions, in our productive sectors, at our churches, and in politics, just to name a few.
Yet, when young people rise above the core and become responsible leaders, we still seem to want to find ways of pulling them down. I am therefore elated at the re-election of the opposition leader in Jamaica as the political leader of his Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
Tough job
That young man was handed a tough job as his country’s Prime Minister, took a gamble and called an early general election and lost. Why, then, should he be thrown under the bus when in fact he has not been given a fair and reasonable chance to prove his worth as a leader? The rank and file members of the JLP have clearly demonstrated political maturity and have allowed common sense to prevail in their decision to stay the course with their young leader and that to me was the correct choice for the leadership of the party.
Dominica took a similar gamble with the appointment of their current Prime Minister at a very tender age and today the country is enormously proud of the kind of leadership he has provided so much so that he and his party have been returned to power with handsome majorities in the country’s parliament.
Clearly therefore, amidst the turmoil twinge and aggravation that have now become the norm in many regional economies as they continue along their journeys to overcome relentless, economic and financial pandemonium, there are some sparkling lights in the re-election of Mr Holness as the JLP’s leader and the
soon-to-be injection of much needed financial capital into LIAT, thanks to the Government of St Lucia.
Hence, going forward, what regional economies need now more than ever is a continuation of such positive regional developments that can only redound to the good of us the people and by extension our “under the weather” economies!
