By T.C. Phipps-Benjamin
New York! New York! Make it there, you make it anywhere". For many, nowhere else in the world bears such uniqueness; a melting pot of dynamic and diverse cultures that spans the globe; a city that never sleeps; a blend of the good with the bad; a sure springboard for success; yet an ever welcoming dungeon in which one can plunge to absolute failure.
With the changing face of our global economy, the political and social strife unraveling in our communities, and the new wave of hardships that our federation's families face, it seems prosperity "on the rock" can well dictate our ability to survive anywhere in the world. Should we too coin our own phrase? "St. Kitts and Nevis! You make it here, you can make it anywhere."
Never before in our nation's history have we witnessed such unbridled and unrepentant acts of violence against our people as we have seen over the past few years. The criminals continuously test the might of the security forces and law-abiding citizens by "upping the ante" every time they strike.
Residents, who depend on our tourism industry for a livelihood, and visitors fascinated by our land of beauty, recently became victims of radical and ruthless- minded rogues who are continuously perfecting the art of creating chaos in the lives of others.
But alas, criminal activity has been plaguing our communities long before November 14th, 2010. More of the same in our crime fighting techniques is clearly not yielding different results. The template for reporting crime likely sits on the desk of our police public relations officer as "Investigations Are Ongoing." And on they go as frustration mars the good intentions of our sorely handicapped police and security forces.
Crime in our fragile lands is not just committed by the impoverished lot lurking in our ghettos. Crime abounds in "high" places, neatly tucked away under the disguise of coats, ties, and designer suits and dresses. As fast as they are committed, they are swiftly and conveniently quieted, as the fear, the pressure, and the uncertainty surrounding what will become of the culprits mounts like a sweltering volcano ready to spew hot lava.
Criminals have pounced on our locals, our guests, Labour stalwarts, NRP followers, CCM supporters and PAM brothers and sisters alike. They DO NOT CARE who we are or what political colour we wear. Yet, in our social sphere, when criminal activity looms, the political blinders go on.
A recent USA Today poll did not ask one question about cruise lines suspending calls to the federation because a Labour government is at the helm of leadership or because PAM is in opposition.
However, while we hear the calls for ALL citizens to collectively assist in crushing crime, government should bear the greater burden in keeping our people safe. Meanwhile, a functional and effective opposition will see to it that government stays vigilant in its efforts to keep its people safe. This system of checks and balances can- in and of itself- bode well for us as a nation seeking to not only alleviate crime but to also mend its political divisiveness. The people have to trust that it can work. Most importantly, our Prime Minister MUST demonstrate a willingness to embrace all stakeholders, not tongue lash us in his capacity as leader of state and wielder of the big stick called "power."
Citizens who live "on the rock" bear the greatest fear on a daily basis of being pounced on in the dark of night when a Holeby generator unexpectedly stops working.
Citizens "on the rock" bear the daily mental burden of finding measures that will improve security in and around their homes;
Citizens "on the rock" bear the fear of being raped, robbed, assaulted or even murdered because, crime, boundaryless and classless is an ever present cloud over the federation, and it threatens to strike anyone at any time moreso in 2010 than it did in 1999.
Making it on the rock is a sure test of our ability to make it anywhere.
While our nation is challenged in its fight against crime, we are also caught in an unprecedented wave of fighting corruption. There really is no way to sugar coat corruption. It's underhanded and unethical, sleazy and fraudulent, non-transparent and flawed. It is called corruption because everything about it is "corrupt."
In recent times we have seen such overt and gross mismanagement of public funds that it leaves ordinary taxpayers frustrated. Our fiscal health is compromised thanks to years of wanton waste. In fact, it is the IMF report that puts it bluntly: St. Kitts and Nevis's tourism-dependent economy has a challenging outlook. Outputs are projected to decline in 2010 and to remain "depressed" over the medium term. As economic activity contracted some 5.5% in 2009, government must now expend its energies on minimising its wage bill, assessing its revenue and expenditure practices, which also includes cutting the bloat in the civil service roster.
Who suffers on the tail end of the IMF's findings? Well, we ALL do. Without a reliable income, our lifestyles must change. When we can't spend as we once did, businesses take a hit, and not all of us have families or friends overseas who can provide us with monthly remittances.
We have heard the saying, "When America sneezes the whole world catches a cold." However, when the US housing bubble burst in 2008 and all of Wall Street's misdoings had been exposed, economic pneumonia spread like weed worldwide.
Unfortunately, despite every warning about the state of the global economy, we in our twin isles still had bacchanal elections and business as usual in our country. In fact, apart from mere mention here or there, how much was the word spread that we would do better as a nation tightening our financial belts rather than acting like spoiled Hollywood kids who could get whatever we want, whenever we want it? The poor man campaign was shot down, and the competition for glitz and glamour was lauded.
Even our financially strapped opposition got lost in the mix, convinced that competing with the heavy hitting, high rolling incumbents was a fundamental ingredient to win the support of young people. Now young and old alike are inundated with new and heavier tax burdens while incomes remain the same, or have disappeared completely in many instances.
Life as we once knew it "on the rock" has certainly changed. We hear repeated pleas from the lowly citizen to the most renowned personality in our lands to "come together and fight crime to save our country from economic and social ruin".
Many have offered their ideas and suggestions on the way forward to alleviate crime, yet it seems we are plunging further into the abyss of crime and absolute lawlessness.
If we can somehow manage to set aside our deep seethed political divisiveness and see our nation just as the international media sees us, that is as an independent federation called St. Kitts and Nevis, maybe we will have a better appreciation for each other and for the sustainability of our islands. Then we may one day say, "Making it "on the rock" is a pleasure. St. Kitts and Nevis, the one true earthly treasure."
May Our Nation Find It's Way!
