After much public rancour, the budget has been presented and passed. Ordinarily, the budget would chart the economic course of St. Kittts for 2013 and beyond. It would contain the collection of revenue and expenditure for the ensuing year, and also the methods by which the Government intends to promote economic growth and development in the Federation. The budget address indicated, inter alia, that the economy was showing signs of recovery that all the major sectors were showing surpluses and the debt to GDP ratio had fallen well below 100 percent. However, if any of this is true, one must agree that the Honorable Prime Minister’s performance as Minister of Finance has been remarkable, and would demonstrate an extraordinary turn of events, given the fact that successive budgets of this Government have been for the most part, embellished by empty rhetoric, and little attempt had been made to stimulate the economy or mitigate the harsh prevailing economic realities.
The Federation is facing its worst and most entrenched recession ever. This is hardly the time, for the Government to engage in diversionary tactics or sophistry in an attempt to draw the citizen’s attention away from their sufferings. After all, the citizens of this Federation are not fools. They don’t have to read statistics or understand the mechanisms of Economics to know whether they are doing well or not, and whether or not they are able to meet the mere necessities of life, like putting food on the table. (CDB Report on Poverty 2007 indicated that I in 4 person is poor. They can only afford one plate of food daily or 2400 calories).
Despite the Prime Minister’s assurances that better economic times are coming, all the economic indicators show, that harsh economic conditions will continue well into 2013, include rising unemployment especially amongst the youths; reduction in investment at all levels of the economy; (construction fell by 25%; foreign direct investment by $136 million, in the past three years); rising prices; balance of payments deficits accentuated by rising food importation. Did the budget spell out programs and policies designed to stimulate the productive sectors of the economy? When one would have peeled away the many layers of ridiculous political rhetoric, the answer to the question, would be a resounding no. The economic turnaround espoused in the Honourable Prime Minister’s budget address is most unlikely to occur. Politicians are sometimes credited with the ability to pull rabbits out of hats, but the miraculous economic turnaround serenaded by him, is not possible given the Federation’s very narrow revenue base.
The IMF in its report on the Federation’s economy revised its projected growth rate to minus 0.7 percent in 2012. This downward trend is expected to continue into 2013. “The main challenges for Caribbean small states, such as St. Kitts and Nevis, looking ahead include low growth, high debt and reducing vulnerabilities from natural disasters as well as financial sector weaknesses.”(IMF Report February 2013).
Since 1995, the Government embarked on a campaign of borrowing and spending on projects that by and large were not sustainable. This resulted in a National Debt of EC$3 billion dollars, and a debt service ratio of 200 percent of GDP by 2012. According to the IMF Report, (Feb. 2013), it now stands at 144.9 % of GDP. In addition the Government accumulated a deficit of EC$653 million (Director of Audit Report). Faced with this economic conundrum, the Honourable Prime Minister has resorted to an unprecedented program of political tribalism, in a bid to save his political life.
Political Tribalism like sectarianism destroys a nation and demeans its people. Political scientists have posited that Political Tribalism came out of a type of politics known to the ancient Greeks and Romans. It is political because the tribal grouping is not ethnic but based upon politics. As in a tribe, members of the political group must obsequiously obey and observe the rules and rituals of the political party or suffer the consequences, in the form of marginalization, for disobedience and/or dissent. There is no love for country. Thus, Political Tribalism is the antithesis of our constitutional democracy, with its freedom of association and the incidental rights of the citizen at will to join or support the party of choice. The Honourable Prime Minister ought to know better.
The tenets of Political Tribalism fly in the face of common sense, because no government runs a country entirely by itself. If a government is to be run effectively, power centers such as the Bar Association, the Christian Council, the Evangelical Association and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce must play a central role. The Labour Party is only part of a complex matrix. Our most gifted and finest minds are not to be found in any single political party. Therefore, when Political Tribalism is allowed to marginalize such a significant portion of our population, we will suffer and it will be like a vehicle firing on only half of its cylinders.
The Nation is going through challenging times and it will be a travesty to squander our human resources by allowing Political Tribalism to exclude over half of the population from mainstream economic and political life. The country needs all the Intellectual input it can muster, if we are to find solutions to the intractable problems we face. Too many of our professionals are forced to be silent, run for cover behind the parapet, and accept the status quo, only because of the pressures wrought on them by Political Tribalism, when they dare to demonstrate independence of thought. If Political Tribalism is allowed to go unchecked, the result will be increased poverty because no country can prosper where Political Tribalism is entrenched.
Any progressive and egalitarian society provides incentives and avenues to foster the growth of its independent thinkers. If ever we needed our men of big ideas, the moment is now. They are not always loved by the political class, but it is this group of independent thinkers who would be critical of corrupt practices, detest unlawful practices and take umbrage with policies that are counter to good governance. In other words they are the defenders of our democracy.
The Federation needs a period of healing and a complete move away from the divisiveness of the past. The Nation needs men of integrity, men of vision and courage who are capable of seeing beyond their political tribe. Men who are prepared to live the national motto, country above self.
April 15th 2013
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