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Dear Sir:

On August 27, I wrote a letter to the editor entitled, “Spin Doctors on Parade,” about the state of affairs of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) economy. I described SVG’s economy as abysmal in which negative economic growth dominates the country in the last four years. I further questioned the International Monetary Fund (IMF) 2012 projection of a 2.0 percent growth for SVG.

Well, who told me do that! The spin doctors got on my parade too. They questioned my citizenship, my eye sight, my common sense and even my manhood. But I stand by what I wrote about the SVG’s economy and the 2.0 percent 2012 projected growth.

The latest updated IMF report on the 2012 SVG’s economic growth indicates below 1.0 percent. Please take note, below 1.0 percent can also suggest zero or negative growth.

In their haste, they did not spend the time to look at SVG’s economy and my points such as the downturn in tourism and agriculture and how these two sectors truly affect growth in SVG.

For example, agriculture is way down, in particular banana production. Black Sigatoka disease has continued to destroy the banana industry to the point that in the first nine months we have less than seven hundred thousand dollars total from banana exports. This is an industry that averages about five million dollars a month in the past.

The government cannot threaten to close down businesses that did not or were perceived as not supporting them in the general elections then somehow expect private businesses to invest or expand in SVG. They may as well come out plain and say to any potential or current investors, we are going to nationalize your business if you have a free thinking mind.

Furthermore, there are additional burdens placed on citizens from increases in fees and taxes by the government. In reality, these are austerity measures on the people that retard growth in SVG.

However, I was flabbergasted that they were unaware that private businesses were leaving our shores for greener pastures. Plus, the government has been owing the private sector millions of dollars for several years.

The spin doctors characterized myself and others as Doubting Thomases, doom and gloomer, pessimist, naysayer, cynical and even a dog when responding to the letter entitled “Spin Doctors on Parade.”

How are the spin doctors going to spin the updated 2012 projected growth? In the long run, reality always trumps politicking!

Peace and justice and get real.

Lenford O’Garro
Washington

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Peter:

Mr O'GARRO

You wrote

"The government cannot threaten to close down businesses that did not or were perceived as not supporting them in the general elections then somehow expect private businesses to invest or expand in SVG".

Why not, Maurice Bishop did, and remember Gonsalves said " I am here to finish the work of Maurice Bishop"

take a sqint at the following and reconsider what you wrote

http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/svg.php?news_id=13471&start=0&category_id=15

Lenford O'Garro:

Hey Peter,

I understand your passion but please understand the whole paragraph is a rhetorical statement. As to your point (Why not, Maurice Bishop did, and remember Gonsalves said " I am here to finish the work of Maurice Bishop"). I would respond by saying, some members of Maurice Bishop’s own party (especially his inner circle) and history did not favor the work of Maurice Bishop and Grenada moved on without him.

“The government cannot threaten to close down businesses that did not or were perceived as not supporting them in the general elections then somehow expect private businesses to invest or expand in SVG. They may as well come out plain and say to any potential or current investors, we are going to nationalize your business if you have a free thinking mind.”

Peter:

Well said O'GARRO, the truth is most annoying to these MARXIST manipulators.

Peter:

O'GARRO, the whole of agriculture has been wrecked by this ULP administration. They took prime farm land at Bell Isle for the prison. They took prime farm land at Argyle for the airport, and 60 farmers have been waiting for 5 years to be paid for their land. They took the islands best vegetable producers land at Buccament for the Buccament Bay Resort project, and some farmers still await financial settlement.

Instead of using unworked land for these projects such as Mount Wynne, land that has stood idle for years, they choose to destroy our prime farm land and at the same time destroy our farmers by not paying them for their land.

see also

http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-Letter%3A-How-to-install-a-Marxist-Leninist-dictator-in-a-small-Caribbean-state-13423.html

Peter:

I had the opportunity to read a series of comments by Peter Courtney Stephens which put in my mind how internet activists on behalf of SVG’s Unity Labour Party treat decent people on the internet. Accusing truthful people of telling lies, calling decent people dastardly names and accusing them of crimes that they had no hand in. All in an attempt to protect the ULP against the truth.

Peter Courtenay Stephens September 18, 2011 at 12:12 am https://onceuponatimeinthewest1.wordpress.com/visitors-comments/

“One of the methods used in the 1917 Bolshevik revolution was when a haranguer was, well, haranguing the workers in a factory or elsewhere, if a man disagreed and spoke out against what was being said, the haranguer had what I refer to as isolators in the crowd who would immediately isolate the person who was speaking against the speaker and try and disorient them by engaging in conversation or if necessary by pushing him or if necessary starting a fight with him and beating him. This dissuaded people from speaking out and the end result was to silence them. The Communists of today use the same tactics and Alinsky has them in his list. They use them in the media and with their useful fools in the Unions“.

Courtney went on to say
“The bottom line is that the Marxists/Communists use the same tactics as the Nazi’s/Fascists, as the saying goes “Beware the Marxist/Fascist Axis as their excrement smells the same.”

I just hope we can keep this bullying from on line blogs in the future. Lets try and keep it in the past.

Isn’t the truth annoying?