Occasional Essays

Occasional Essays
Humbug and the Airport
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July 31, 2008
It is time we put aside all the humbug and get on with the airport as a national project - the largest in our country’s history. There are only two ...
Occasional Essays
Agriculture and the wellness revolution
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February 1, 2008
The Agriculture Sector in SVG is not about to die. Far from it. Indeed, unless agriculture plays its part, it will be difficult, not to say impossible...
Occasional Essays
Of Austria, the Constitution and Gems
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July 27, 2007
When I first went to live in Austria I was struck by several aspects of the society. The first was the orderliness and cleanliness of the country. Lit...
Occasional Essays
Chateaubelair and Aunt Rose
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June 29, 2007
Last month I attended the funeral of my oldest friend. She was Rosabelle Cruickshank (Aunt Rose) who died at the great age of 101. We had been friends...
Occasional Essays
Where have all the Managers gone?
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May 25, 2007
General Managers or Chief Executive Officers as they are sometimes called, are critical to the functioning of any organisation. This is true whether t...
Occasional Essays
Forty years on
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April 27, 2007
Some of my contemporaries have been arguing that not all that much has changed in SVG in the last 40 years. I am not certain they are right. Several c...
Occasional Essays
SVG and Regional Integration
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March 30, 2007
About a month ago the Heads of Government held their 18th inter sessional meeting here. The event led me to reflect on how regional integration has im...
Occasional Essays
Counting our water blessings
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February 23, 2007
Water has many characteristics which help to make it unique. One of them is that it flows. Rivers, which are but water in flow, can pass through sever...
Occasional Essays
On the cusp of an economic take-off
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December 22, 2006
by: C.I. Martin The phrase “On the Cusp of a Take-off” is a felicitous one. All Vincentians have to hope that the Comrade is right when he uses it...
Occasional Essays
Pharcel: runaway slave
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November 24, 2006
Director General turns novelist Alick Lazare, Director General of Finance in Dame Eugenia Charles’ Dominica and now the leading consultant in Govern...
Occasional Essays
Value Added Tax (VAT)
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October 26, 2006
The Value Added Tax (VAT) is not very old. It was probably first introduced in France in 1948 and has since spread to the vast majority of countries a...
Occasional Essays
Once again, much ado about nothing
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September 22, 2006
SVG has a TV station, eight radio stations, innumerable talk shows, three newspapers and x number of persons are happy to go before a microphone and p...
Occasional Essays
Sale of land to foreigners
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August 25, 2006
The other day two friends, both economists for whom I have some respect, rounded on me and said that the ULP Government is not doing enough to facilit...
Occasional Essays
Backyard Gardening
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July 28, 2006
Several initiatives can be taken to ensure the survival of the agricultural sector. One such is the expansion of backyard gardening. As economic devel...
Occasional Essays
A brief look at Energy Production
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June 23, 2006
Years ago when I used to go to Uganda regularly I met a man who had lost part of his face in one of that country’s civil wars. I must have stared at...
Occasional Essays
University Education
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May 26, 2006
St Clair Dacon, Henry Williams and Carl Charles have now passed away. God rest their souls. The point I wish to make about these gentlemen is this. Ov...
Occasional Essays
Emigration, Remittances are fine but Wilma died
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April 28, 2006
The World Bank has recently been discussing the role of remittances in developing countries, arguing that in some cases they have been even more impor...
Occasional Essays
The Role of Agriculture in Economic Development
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March 31, 2006
The role of agriculture in economic development is not a controversial subject. The issues have long been settled. The part agriculture plays in an ec...
Occasional Essays
Can we not work out our salvation?
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February 24, 2006
Recently there has been much talk about fiscal deficits and the private sector. It must not be forgotten that governments do not run countries in orde...
Occasional Essays
The budget
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January 27, 2006
There are no new taxes in the 2006 budget. It is expected that such increases in expenditure as there are will be met by the additional revenue genera...
Occasional Essays
Hard headed, pragmatic approach
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October 28, 2005
Last month there were three missions in St. Vincent at the same time: a Presidential one from Taiwan, technical ones from Cuba and Venezuela. The numb...
Occasional Essays
Death of a friend and co-author
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September 23, 2005
On Grenville Street, where Glass Galleria now stands, there used to be a tailor-shop, Cyrus Emporium. It was set up by A.C. Cyrus, father of Dr. A. C....
Occasional Essays
We must at all times try to preserve our state
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August 26, 2005
Sometime ago the Prime Minister of Barbados accused the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines of not doing enough to curb drug trafficking betw...
Occasional Essays
2001 Census: SVG population static
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July 22, 2005
It has long been said in St. Vincent and the Grenadines that there are six women to one man. Nothing could be further from the truth. The 2001 Census ...
Occasional Essays
Chairmen of Government Companies
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June 24, 2005
Finding effective chairmen for statutory bodies and government companies in St. Vincent is no simple task. The function of the Chairman and the rest o...