Finance guru Warrant Officer Ivan Bertie O’Neal BSc (Hons), MSc, MBA, who has a BSc (Hons) in Accounts and Finance and Economics from Oxford Brookes University, England, makes a very strong call for the three political parties – ULP, NDP and SVG Green party – to work together to create financial prosperity for all who live in SVG.
A multi-party government would be significantly more effective than a single party government.
Under a multi-party government there are effective checks and balances that reduce wastage and corruption, and provide more possibilities to create prosperity. This would improve the overall standard of living in SVG.
Switzerland operates a multi-party government. Switzerland has a rich party landscape and the five parties represented in the Federal Council are generally called the government parties. Many major decisions are taken by referendum to prevent corruption. The dynamics of this highly successful style of government lead to better planning and ensure vast sums of money are not thrown down the drain on unsuitable and useless projects.
The geothermal project should never have been approved for operation in SVG and is an example of how a multi-party government and a referendum could have stopped millions of dollars being wasted on a useless project.
SVG has had independence since 1979 and has operated under a one party government. This has led to people being forced to live in gross poverty and deep destitution. Is strategic development not important to the economics of Third World Countries?
A group of young people told the Leader of SVG Green Party, Warrant Officer Ivan Bertie O’Neal BSc (Hons), MSc, MBA, that unemployment is so high in SVG, life for many thousands of people is a struggle for survival – living from day to day and begging for money for their next meal.
For them, there is no hope of ever living a life of prosperity. They often wonder if there is a government of the people and for the people. They see no future for the young generation in SVG.
Many poor parents cannot afford school fees, school uniforms, school books and other school equipment for their children. Preschool and primary schools are crucial periods in the development of children. Children whose parents cannot afford to send them to preschool or primary school are being left behind in education.
SVG’s GDP per capita is only US$11,500. Youth unemployment is over 30%. SVG’s overall unemployment rate is over 40%. SVG had a murder rate of 37 per 100,000 population in 2016, the 4th highest in the world. SVG’s number of rape incidents per 100,000 citizens reached as high as 25.5, ranked 17th worst in the world.
SVG needs to try something different in order for our country and our people to succeed and get a different outcome. No one wants a continuation of high rates of poverty, crime and unemployment.
Warrant Officer Ivan Bertie O’Neal BSc (Hons), MSc, MBA very strongly contends that very poor quality education among the top leadership of SVG, is the core obstacle preventing SVG from moving forward into prosperity.