Now back to our three Rs

AFTER OUR OLYMPIC HIGHS of the past two weeks, it is time for us to get back to the reality of the enormous challenges before us. We do so with the strength of our accomplishments at the Olympics re. Shafiqua Maloney, Julien Alfred and Thea LaFond fortifying us so that we know what can be achieved if we believe and put our all into it.

We must not lose that spirit. That sense of nationalism which in no time generated our spontaneous support for Shafiqua must now be utilized as we in St Vincent and the Grenadines face the enormous tasks identified in what we call our 3Rs-Relief, Recovery and Reconstruction. The moral support extended to Shafiqua must now be transformed into our commitment to those tasks.

It is true that because the islands of the Southern Grenadines are not physically amenable to a drive visit where we can see things for ourselves, it is a little harder to immediately grasp our reality, but we have suffered enough over just the past two decades alone to be able to comprehend the enormity of the challenges before us.

While the mobilization efforts so far has been commendable it would appear that we still face some problems in terms of our attitudes towards finding solutions. In the first place we have to recognize, whether we like it or not, that the damage left by hurricane Beryl has left us not only with major social challenges but with a tremendous economic one -that of finding the resources, not only for the first two Rs but more so for the Reconstruction effort. It is not easy for a small country like ours to undertake a billion-dollar initiative. It is easy to get fooled when we hear about foreign donations but, as pointed out repeatedly by our Prime Minister, the bulk of it will come from borrowed money which we will have to repay.

It means, particularly in relation to those persons directly affected, that we must temper our demands with financial and economic realities. There will be solutions put forward from official sources that may not seem to suit our immediate tastes. Of course, we must let our views be heard, but it is critical to understand that not all our wants can be satisfied immediately, and there will have to be some elements of inconvenience and sacrifice. All wishes cannot be met at this time.

The old saying that “one hand can’t clap” is applicable here; there has to be understanding and compromise on both sides. Perhaps those who charge that our people have been somewhat spoiled by some levels of overindulgence and coddling especially in response to the natural disasters on the mainland, may well have a point. But that cannot be an excuse.

In addition, the fact that every day we hear appeals for workers for the relief, recovery and reconstruction efforts, must be a big surprise. Have we not been repeatedly complaining of unemployment and lack of opportunities? We now have an opportunity to address a multitude of our problems. Whatever one’s views on the PM and his administration, it cannot be denied that he personally, is making a tremendous sacrifice to shoulder the national burden. It is time for us all to play our part.