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Dear Sir:

“The Prime Minister of Saint Lucia has hinted that the island is becoming uncompetitive. Dr Kenny Anthony was delivering the feature address during the launch today of phase two of the Caribbean Youth Empowerment program, to help vulnerable young people in their self-development.” Source DBS Television, Nov 9, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlhaEpzMTnU&feature=plcp

To me, what is most striking and continues to place impediments in the way of human development in the country, is certainly not the young people of Saint Lucia, but rather those in the echelons of power and within positions of leadership, mainly the governance of our country.

Their lack of foresight in terms of national development, inconsistencies in setting realistic national goals and policies, and ensuring that it is implemented to the point that it eventually produces a skilled and relevant workforce, is the greatest level of governmental incompetence and under-achievement in the history of our nation.

You can’t take the youths to task for being “uncompetitive” when, within your own government, lies persons who are simply satisfied with holding the title of “Honourable”, but have not shown the will and the intestinal fortitude to perform their jobs any differently from their partisan and political predecessors.

The consequences for non performance within the leadership of our governance and, yes, hear me very well, within the civil service, is certain to trickle down to those in the bottom of the societal hierarchy, and produce an “uncompetitive” attitude towards the national development of the country; a product of both the Saint Lucia Labour Party and the United Workers Party combined.

It is the responsibility of the entrusted few that govern and lead the nation to provide and make right the resource to correct the deficiency that leads to under-achievement and “becoming uncompetitive.”

So, next time we hear the faint hearted cry about under-achievers in our country, let’s not hesitate to remind them of their own failure of the leadership, both past and present, which have no doubt brought us to where we are today.

It cannot be business as usual, feeding the public sector on taxpayers' dollars with nothing to show for it and belittling the citizens who should have received the benefits.

We must change course! Do you hear me, Mr Anthony, Mr King, and Mr Prudent (when your turn comes)? Governments need to set benchmarks, and require those at the top to work their butts off, before blaming the little man at the bottom!

Tori Fatal

Reads: 1898


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