subject: Is ULP the Right Choice? [print this page] Is ULP the Right Choice? Is ULP the Right Choice?
With the Election Day approaching nearer, it is time for every Vincentians to stop and think - how were we all those year? What kind of government did we have for the past 5 years? Was it great or it could have been better? Let us try to find answers to all these questions. For only the answers to these questions can help us make the right decision on the Election Day.
The Unity Labour Party (ULP) leader Dr. Ralph E. Gonsalves is serving his second term as the Prime Minster of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In these nine years of his ruling the Vincentians were not great! There have been some major mistakes committed by the government that has dragged the country backward and has crippled its growth. There have been a few government policies and projects that have become nothing but a colossal disaster. Besides there was a lot of corruption and the crime rate in this country has also increased considerably. Some government policies have also hindered the growth of the country. Besides, the Prime Minister himself was accused of criminal charges like rape and sexual assault. Things like these only make the common Vincentians wonder that whether we took the right decision by re-electing ULP for another term in the year 2005.
In its nine years, The Unity Labour Party (ULP) leader Dr. Ralph E. Gonsalves has faced criticisms on several fronts. In his regime a number of critics have faced court cases for voicing their opinions against the ruling party. This keeps one wondering whether there is a validity of freedom of speech is St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The introduction of Value Added Tax has also increased the burden of tax on common people. On the other hand the government has done nothing to control the increasing national debt of the country. This has damaged the country economically.
On the other hand the government has also relocated and dislocated people in the name of development. This has given rise to some disappointment to the Prime Minister and the ruling party. Though it is true that in order to achieve greater goals one has to overlook the minor problems the suffering of people who have been dislocated cannot really be treated as a trivia. I am yet to find out whether these people were duly compensated and assisted by the government to find a new home.
The country still suffers with issues like poor health services, poverty and unemployment. This has made St. Vincent and the Grenadines one of the Caribbean's largest marijuana producers. This has also led to higher crime rates in the country! Violence against women also remains a major issue in the country! What's more, the Prime Minister himself is charged in a number of sexual assault cases! Disgusting, isn't it?
Do we want to see this person as a Prime Minister for five more years? Do we want ULP in the government? Or that an inefficient leader as him should not be a Prime Minister at the first place? As a responsible citizen of St. Vincent and the Grenadines it is our duty to look into the matter and take the right decision for the future of the country!
