CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – “IN order to improve governance we must have a good value system,” were the words of the Premier of Nevis, Hon. Joseph Parry, at the opening ceremony of the 3rd Annual Consultation on the Economy yesterday (Sept. 8).
Parry, who is also Nevis’ Minister of Finance, said that government, as an organization, must be held together by a code of principle that governs its conduct as it seeks to deliver services to the people.
While pointing out that the topic is relevant to every fabric of society, the Premier said it is instructive that the expression good governance is often used.
“We have witnessed that a major part of the cause for the present collapse of the world economic system was directly linked to a breakdown in good banking and financial practices, as well as recklessness fueled by greed and overarching ambition that had nothing to do with good governance,” he stated.
The Premier quoted renowned economist John Kenneth Galbraith, who identified a number of factors that caused the recession of 1929.
He listed the factors as an inordinate desire to get rich quickly with minimum effort, people who want an excuse to believe instead of thinking rationally and people who always believe that they can beat the system.
According to Parry, these three factors are continuously at work in the human mind and are good reasons why “we must always put in place a system of good governance and carry out reviews from time to time.”
“There is no doubt that we are influenced by our parents, our home, our peers and our environment in which we live. The value system to which we are exposed daily influences our thoughts and our behavior in regards to ourselves and others.
“If we tolerate crime, if we tolerate lying, if we tolerate cheating, if we tolerate negative behavior these patterns will emerge as part of our lifestyles as individuals and would become a manifestation of our culture.”
The Premier went on to say that the system of values must be reinforced in every aspect of life and must be an intrinsic part of whatever code “we” are governed by, whether in business or in the functioning of government. He said a departure or laid back approach in application would signal the first rip in the fabric of society before an eventual breakdown.
“Here begins the fall off in manners, the looseness that allows the acts of dishonesty, the winking and turning of a blind eye until the flood of strife and destruction surrounds us.”
He said that if the standards of governance were to improve there must be a positive body of values, which in turn would give support to whatever code of good governance is established.
“We must adhere to something. We must believe in something.”
The Premier pointed out that the features of human nature leading to the recession of 1929 also led to the most recent problems on the world stage – people wanted money without hard work and believed they could beat the system. He said these features are now causing lawless behavior and the subsequent loss of many young lives.
He said it is time that Nevisians stop the “social and economic rat race and learn to manage expectations” by differentiating between wants and needs.
“What we need is a value system that we can pass on to the young people. I’m seeking to get this taught in school, spoken about in church and at home so that we can save our children and our society.
“Good governance is vital to a strong and vibrant society, but it can only succeed if the society itself has a strong underpinning of a positive and vibrant system of values,” Parry said.
