The fear factor is very high in SVG and serious crime is a plague in our nation. Many people are in fear of being a victim of crime – murder, rape, burglary, etc. – and the ULP regime has no solution to deal with the high level of crime.
We had 17 years of NDP and then, rightly so, people wanted change. But they wanted change for a better life, not a worse life. In 2017, SVG reached a record high of 42 murders in one year – virtually 1 every 8 days! In that year, SVG had the fourth highest murder rate per capita in the world.
Aside from the people that have been murdered, many others have been victims of violent crime, including rape. These victims and their families must live with these terrible memories.
The incompetent ULP regime has created a weak economy. There is a positive correlation between a weak economy and high levels of crime. The weaker the economy, the greater the amount of crime. We see in SVG that people fear not only societal breakdown, but breakdown within families too.
It is frustration and this fear that force people into a life of crime, as unfortunately, some in despair see it as their best option to survive. There is fear of falling further into poverty and a life of squalor.
We have seen the images of despair, extreme poverty and fear on TV and in the papers in countries such as Haiti and Zimbabwe. It’s hard to believe that in such a short time under the ULP government, the images of fear in those countries have become the type of realities we all face from day to day in SVG.
No matter whether it’s day or night, you’re young or old, you’re at home or on the street, we are all a lot more at risk of being a victim of crime and fear. But fear is not the natural state of a civilised society.
High VAT and other high taxes are fuelling crime. The spiralling high cost of living is putting people under constant financial pressure and the fear of poverty is in many people’s mind. We have to ask when will it end? When will the instances of crime not be a daily issue and when will our minds be at peace?
Under this incompetent ULP regime can you really see an end in sight to this level of fear and crime within our society?
The ULP regime’s begging, borrowing and taxation as a way to run the economy has devastated our society. The ULP regime lacks ability and strong leadership. Businesses also exist in a state of fear, as this weak economy offers little opportunity to trade and flourish. Vision and innovation are needed to stimulate the SVG economy, and hence, reduce fear and crime.
We need to change to a Green society, for it is only when we are no longer afraid that we begin to live. Only an SVG Green Party government can take us from this darkness of fear into the light of happiness. Everyone needs a better quality of life and should have one as a matter of right. We bring our children into this world to experience a good life and that will only be possible with a strong, Green economy.
We all have a right to live free of crime and fear!
