Are we really serious about true development?

As a citizen of our blessed “Helen of the West Indies” I feel obliged to offer my perspective of certain troubling aspects of our society. Instinctively, due to my nature, I suppose my thoughts tend to be directed on the social ills which presently plague our beautiful island.
In my opinion the root of our problems stem from ‘poverty’. In order to realise our patriotic dream of a united people it is absolutely necessary for every one of us to be our brother’s keeper. I truly believe that if we can develop this mindset we will be well on our way to economic and social recovery. The fact of the matter is that it is wise to others and not only of ourselves. I wonder how many of us still remember the Cathedral monstrosity and all the reflections and soul searching which was done afterwards. I can recall the various speeches and articles which were made and written, analysing the cause of this terrible incident. It was echoed time and time again that alienation of various citizens was the root cause of this.
The big question to my mind presently is since we have done all our soul searching and I/we are truly serious about change, have we developed the will? At times, I am forced to equate the Palestinian- Israeli situation with ours here in St. Lucia. The commonality I am referring to is lack of tolerance, which breeds conflict. I would not want to be viewed as ‘one’ who only speaks or writes of problems and has no solutions to offer.

My opinion is that in order to create a more harmonious country requires a combination of things. As I mentioned earlier, we need to develop first of all, love and understanding for our neighbours and people. In this modern day, we can not ignore the fact that finance is important however, I truly believe we must offer non- tangibles (love and understanding) first.
The government was entrusted by the people of St. Lucia to manage the country in order for every individual to at least enjoy the basic necessities. My opinion of basic necessities are food, clothing, shelter, medical, education and employment. I am very saddened to observe throughout the years that individuals who are elected into government seem to be more concerned about themselves rather than the people they are supposed to serve. The government needs to literally try to reach every single household in order to understand the problems which exist, whether it is social or economic.
These thoughts may seem unrealistic and like a dream but remember, dreams do come true, and it all depends on how badly we want them to become a reality. I would be naïve to think that all our problems can be solved overnight, however, let me leave you with this quote ‘Where there is a will, there is most definitely a way’.