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The recent discourse on the “worrying trend” of Vincentian scholars opting not to return home has touched a nerve that resonates across every level of our diaspora. However, to frame this exodus as a lack of patriotism is a fundamental misdiagnosis. For the young and middle-aged professionals carved out of our soil, the decision to remain overseas is rarely about a lack of love for St. Vincent and the Grenadines; it is often a sombre act of self-preservation against a system that, for too long, has felt designed to stifle rather than sustain.
To our Honourable Senator, if you want to know why the chairs at our professional tables are empty, stop looking at the diaspora and start looking inward.
1. A Culture of Professional Sabotage
We are witnessing a “Brain Drain” fueled by a “Bully Culture.” For decades, leadership across our Ministries has been defined by ego rather than expertise. We see:
The Rehire Loop: Retirees with outdated methods are handed lucrative contracts while young professionals with cutting-edge degrees are treated as “observers” or threats.
The Expertise Block: Brilliant minds are being “blocked out” by senior officials who feel diminished by someone else’s specialised knowledge.
The Ghost Positions: We see roles in Finance, Tourism, Nutrition, Education, Health care, Mental Health, and Higher Education, critical to our national stability and well-being, filled by “friends” with ill-equipped degrees, unrelated qualifications, or experience, or from unrelated disciplines, while those with the actual credentials are left to “fight for scraps.” Have you investigated this, asked your colleagues to look into it, held senior officials accountable, and examined the regional and international standards for roles in our service?
2. The Math of Self-Preservation
Let’s talk about the “Significant Debt” the Minister seems to forget. A modern degree is a massive financial investment. When a scholar returns to SVG only to find that their degree isn’t acknowledged by the system in value, you are not paid for upgrades in education, or that they are expected to survive on a salary that doesn’t cover their monthly expenses and interest, much less a mortgage, and the demands of student loans for those of us who didn’t get the “scholarships”, staying away isn’t an option. It’s a necessity.
St. Vincent is currently a place where you are expected to be “grateful” for a one-year contract, little benefits and a toxic workspace where three people do the job of fifteen. Stress stunts growth, and victimisation kills productivity. Millennials and Gen Z are not our parents; we will not “endure” degradation for the sake of a pension we might never see.
3. A Mandate for Radical Accountability
The era of “Immature and Plantation Politics” and empty “Messages of Hope” is over. We don’t need promises; we need a purge of the status quo.
Hold Senior Management and Medical Officers Accountable: Stop protecting officials who bypass recruitment laws to appoint unqualified social affiliates to lead major roles and facilities. It is unethical, and it puts our nation on a global blacklist.
Hold Senior Public Officials Accountable: The public service should not be a playground for victimisation. Leaders who use their power to “hurt and degrade” subordinates must be addressed, not shielded.
Hold Ministers Accountable: You are at the top now. Do not “forget” the stories of the young people you saw held back, or the young people who reached out. If you are not actively dismantling the “family and friend” appointment system and the lack of ethical onboarding practices, you are part of the problem.
The Final Question
Minister, reflect on this: Would you come back to a place where the public transport is a safety risk, place filled with increasing violence, a health care system that invest more in social media post than ethical and effective care, where the buildings are inaccessible to the disabled despite years of “marching,” and the work environment is designed to stress you rather than improve you?
The deficit isn’t in our talent, it’s in your leadership. Stop scolding us for leaving and start building space for us to be a part of a country worth coming back to. We don’t want handouts; we want fairness, safety, and a space to thrive. Until the system values our expertise, sweat as much as it values a political affiliation, the seats will stay empty.
The ball is in your court. Will you lead, or will you just keep lecturing?
END
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