Call For St. Lucians To Halt Social Decline

St. Lucia can survive globalization, but St. Lucians first need to address some of their social and economic shortcomings. This view has been advanced by Mr. Chester Hinkson, Country Manager of Scotiabank, while delivering the keynote address at a recent Awards Ceremony of Sagicor Life.
Hinkson who made it clear that he was not speaking from his position as a banker, but as a concerned St. Lucian called for a change of attitude by St. Lucians, urging his countrymen to support, uplift, encourage, motivate, inspire and above all, love each other. Failure to do so, he argued, could result in further decline in every aspect of the island’s political, economic and social life.
Stressing some of the deficiencies in attitude that he has noticed in St. Lucia, Hinkson who was speaking on the theme TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, declared: “We lack mutual trust, we lack mutual respect, we lack discipline, our work ethics need upgrading, our productivity is low and our sense of empathy has been replaced by one of apathy.
“I have lived and worked in many countries, I have traveled and experienced diverse cultures, and I can say without any apology that I have never met a people who denigrate each other more than my fellow St. Lucians. Take a page from the Barbadians, the Trinidadians, and Jamaicans.
“These are people who are very nationalistic and to them they represent the best in the world regardless of what others think. Why can’t St. Lucians have the same nationalistic pride? I want to say to you and the whole of St. Lucia tonight it is because we are too destructive. I want to also say to you tonight that the same way you send your vehicle for a tune up, there are times that we too need a tune-up and the tune–up that we need is an attitude and spiritual tune-up. “

Pointing to the importance of tourism, agriculture, manufacturing and construction to the national economy, Hinkson suggested that St. Lucia needed to protect these industries.
He added: “We need to stop the visitor harassment; we need to get the vagrants off the streets, we need to rid our streets of the many stray dogs in the city, at Vigie Airport, where they roam like they were heading for a job interview. We need to have a little more respect for law and order. Most importantly, we need to educate our people so as to make them employable and ultimately improve our service standards.”
But Hinkson conceded that there were “some positive developments” taking place in the tourism and construction sectors. He noted that many villas and condos were being built both in the north and in the south of the country, new housing projects were in the pipeline for Anse-la-Raye, and Soufriere and jobs were being created.
But he added: “What worries me and I hope you, however, is that real estate prices are escalating at an unprecedented rate, and that very soon the prices will be out of reach for the average St. Lucian. In addition, we have to be concerned about whether there will be any land left for our grand children to purchase. Remember this country’s size is only 238 square miles.”
Hinkson then touched on “another of our ills and challenges.” Describing the Castries fire of 1948 as one of St. Lucia’s worst nightmares, Hinkson said today there was strong evidence that this unfortunate destruction can recur.
He explained: “Take note of the double-parking on Micoud Street, St. Louis Street and Broglie Street to name a few. Should a daytime fire occur, somebody tell me how will the fire trucks get through these streets? The city is a time bomb waiting to explode if we do not correct these ills now, not next week or next month or next year, but right now.”
But Hinkson told his audience that they could make a difference. He said: “If we have to, then let your voices be heard but listen to the voices of others. Stop the personal attacks on your fellow St. Lucian, attack issues not people. Stop talking about the country’s ills at bars and cocktail parties, but rather use every opportunity available to let St. Lucia and St. Lucians know that the prevailing status quo as it pertains to our social structure is not acceptable. There is just too much crime in this little 238 square mile island of ours, particularly at the level of our youth, tomorrow’s hopeful leaders.”
Hinkson called for St. Lucia to return to the community way of life and a restoration of the groups which nurtured discipline in the young people in the past.