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Author: Eggman Lewis.
In every town and village in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, there is mounting economic pressure. Times are hard and are getting harder. In fairness to Dr. Friday, he has asked Vincentians to accept his apology in these difficult times; however, that is not the language of a good captain. I had the opportunity to drive through Kingstown on Friday, 21st August, 2026. The city was a ghost town at 6:30 p.m. I can’t make this up.
We started to joke about the town being “empty,” but it is not a laughable matter.
It is a clear sign that the purchasing power of people is at an all-time low. No one is saying that under the ULP administration everyone was rich and doing well and that we all had a wad of money every day. What is being stated is that the ULP had support systems that assisted the poor and vulnerable, helping them until they could help themselves.
The social safety nets were holding.
Fast forward to today, and the people are in their homes in their communities, suffering with no help in sight. The much-talked-about VAT-free day is now being mocked by poor and working people as a superficial political gimmick. The worst, though, is that all the big promises made by the NDP during the campaign about Citizenship by Investment and the millions it would bring was just a bag of talk. Today, you have countries telling their citizens that the CBI days are over. Those countries with decades of experience are looking beyond CBI, while the NDP is looking towards a CBI saviour.
The contracts for construction around the country are creeping where the State is involved. Contractors are crying because of late and non-payment. Daily paid workers turn up to ATM machines many weeks only to find their salaries are on paper but not in cash! Agriculture has shown no sign of a positive short- to medium-term plan. Dasheen prices were at an all-time low during the dry period, when farmers traditionally obtained high prices. The Minister of Agriculture’s unresearched pronouncement of the role that the African Giant Snail can play in developing the agriculture sector has been scrapped by the technical people in the Ministry, who wisely have refused the Minister’s plan and are destroying all African snails in sight. The Minister still has not apologized for his ignorance on the issue.
The people of SVG are feeling the pain. Delta Airlines has pulled out, and we have not heard a credible explanation as to why. Where is the economic hope that was promised less than 12 months ago? Where are the better days? Instead, many are bawling that instead of better days, our people are experiencing bitter days!
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