Tell it like it is

ST. LUCIA’S Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony might not have many friends and especially among some in Opposition parties across the Caribbean, following comments he made recently at a function in Barbados.

Delivering a lecture at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill last week on the theme “Education In the Caribbean – Challenges and Opportunities Facing Small Developing States”, Dr. Anthony said some Caribbean countries were refusing to face up to the impact of the global economic crisis.

The outspoken St. Lucian leader said that the tragedy of the times is that we are in the throes of a major crisis such as the Caribbean has never ever experienced before, but we are refusing to face the reality that confronts us and all of us are engaged in one form or another of self denial. It is a pity he did not identify those countries.

Now there are many countries in the region which have acknowledged the magnitude of the crisis at hand and how they are using everything within their means to deal with the problems as they see best. Some have even approached the International Monetary Fund and one or two have opted to pursue home-grown stabilisation programmes, while recognising that unless they stick to the plan, the situation could get out of hand and that the consequences could be dire.

Those who prefer to remain aloof rather than facing up to the facts of the situation and harshness of the crisis, may not want to agree with Dr. Anthony.

But by insisting that there is a real crisis that has to be dealt with, the St. Lucia Prime Minister is indirectly telling those Opposition parties which have been making noises that governments are blaming a non-existing crisis for the state of some economies, that they have no ground on which to stand.

The economic downturn is very real and it has spared no one country in this part of the region, even if some of them emerged from the down quicker than others.

A crisis of the magnitude of what the world has experienced is fodder for Opposition parties. It gives them a platform to criticise governments, especially for the measures taken to deal with the situation which are hurting citizens. The reasoning of some Opposition parties is that the current chronic economic situation is more a case of mismanagement rather than any impact from what is happening globally.

The situation therefore presents the Opposition parties with a golden opportunity to openly castigate governments for their handling of the affairs of their country.

The funny thing about the crisis is that it has been with us since late 2007. The small Caribbean countries have felt the full fury of it and will continue to do so for a while. More of those in Opposition will perhaps get a chance to show what they can do differently, as is the case presently in three Caribbean islands.

Stories abound about those parties who, when in Opposition, had all the answers to the prevailing crisis. The evidence so far suggests they do not and are further out to sea than their predecessors. Ever heard about calypso politics? Then this is it – sing a crowd-pleasing tune while in Opposition. However, as the St. Lucian PM said, people – both Government and Opposition – have to be honest about the current situation and let their publics know that hard and unusual decisions must be made because of difficult global economic conditions.