23 years in power, the Unity Labour Party (ULP) government has failed to address the critical issues that are affecting Vincentians. We have seen a spiraling crime rate, a cost of living skyrocket, deteriorating infrastructure, high levels of poverty, an unemployment crisis, and a declining agricultural sector.
The ULP government does not have plans to solve the myriad of problems that exist in our country. It cannot solve the unemployment crisis. One in five persons is unemployed, and a youth unemployment rate of 46 percent. While some persons are underemployed; others are in temporary employment. What is even more disturbing, is that too many persons cannot find jobs easily in their communities, they have to travel long distances to seek employment. For example, a large number of persons have to travel from the rural areas to Kingstown to seek employment. This is the fault of the ULP government.
The government has abandoned a large section of the country and is hoping that the electorates do not recognize their lack of interest. As a result, too many of our young people have no option but to leave and travel abroad to seek opportunities. St. Vincent and the Grenadines net migration is at its highest level ever. Vincentians need jobs in every part of the country. There has never been any attempt by this government to build an economy for everyone in St Vincent and the Grenadines. The government needs to create opportunities for everyone; whether you are in the Grenadines, Kingstown, the windward, or the leeward side of the country. No part of our country should be left behind.
In addition, wages in St. Vincent and the Grenadines are too low. Too many of our people could hardly make ends meet with their meager wages. Inflation has eaten away at wages leaving people with even less in their pockets at the end of each week. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the lowest paid in the Caribbean. The statistics bear this out. Pay Pulse report of 2023 showed that we were the lowest paid in the region with 73 percent of salaries falling below the regional average. All this was under the ULP government which made grandeur promises to get into power.
The ULP has broken its promise when it comes to economic renewal. Our people deserve better than this, everyone deserves the opportunity to enjoy a decent standard of living. They deserve the opportunities to build a life and a career here in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Only with a strong economy, we will be able to reduce unemployment, improve the standard of living, and develop the country.
Creating opportunities for everyone
The New Democratic Party (NDP) will create opportunities for Vincentians by developing the four pillars of the economy: agriculture, tourism, the blue economy, and the new economy to grow our economic base. We will build an economy that delivers for everyone in all parts of the country, from North Windward to North Leeward and the Grenadines. We will do this by investing in the four pillars of the economy to drive economic growth across the country, by supporting Vincentians to establish and expand their businesses, helping farmers, fisherfolk, and businesses to export, and by seeking more foreign direct investment in key areas.
The NDP is committed to building a strong local business community. As part of our plan, we will create a National Development Bank to assist local businesses to invest and thrive. We will cut unnecessary regulations that are hindering the process of establishing businesses. The Development Bank will be a true partner in local ventures. We will ensure that this finance is available at the lowest possible interest rate. And, it will provide mentorship and technical support to help businesses succeed.
We will also develop our skills base by increasing skills across the country, building a national innovation hub to develop entrepreneurs, and establishing a national skills agency to ensure our people have the right skills for the future. We will create opportunities for our farmers to compete across the region and the world by establishing marketing boards to support businesses to access export markets and working with local businesses to identify opportunities. Unlike the ULP government, we will support all businesses despite of party affiliation. And, work with farmers, fisherfolk, artists, bus operators, and many more to provide opportunities for them to grow.
The NDP is committed to delivering economic growth across St Vincent and the Grenadines. Too many of our people are struggling with the rising cost of living and record numbers are emigrating to other countries, according to data from the World Bank.
The development of this economic approach is to ensure that every Vincentian can benefit from a growing economy, providing a better life for them and their families, so they are not forced to move abroad. To grow as a country, we need an economy that works for everyone and reaches people in every corner of our country. At the moment, the government is focused only on certain parts of the country. Under the NDP government, this will stop. We will grow the economy by focusing on the four pillars of economic development and ensure the benefits of this are felt across the country.
The government is racking up higher costs of having to import workers, which takes away opportunities for our people and has an additional toll on our economy with more public funds being spent on this than it would cost to train and invest in our people.
The NDP is committed to growing the economy and investing the benefits for all people across St. Vincent and the Grenadines, resulting in more jobs, higher wages, better healthcare, a safer country, and better infrastructure.
