What prospects for 2025?

Warmest greetings to all Vincentians, here and abroad and the peace-loving people of this troubled world as we usher in

the New Year. A very special set of best wishes to our readers, vendors, and loyal supporters for your continued support which makes this publication possible. We do appreciate your invaluable contribution towards keeping journalism alive in increasingly more perilous times.

It is unfortunate and regrettable that 2024 should pass leaving the world in such a far from happy state. We enter 2025 with a world plagued by war, and genocide, with mankind seemingly bent on a path which seems headed to total destruction. The wanton destruction is clearly visible in the horrific carnage in Gaza and Palestine, the senseless war between Russia and Ukraine, and the scourge of famine and forcible displacement in swathes of Africa.

In the Caribbean, the criminal sanctions and economic blockade of Cuba by the USA and its allies continues to undermine even the best efforts of the Cuban people at development. Years of foreign intervention and internal strife has left neighbouring Haiti practically ungovernable with its suffering people at the mercy of rapacious corporations and criminal gangs.

Those two countries are, like the rest of us in the Caribbean, also very vulnerable to the ravages of the effects of climate change, forcing us into a constant state of relief, recovery, and reconstruction. The after- effects of one such natural disaster, hurricane Beryl, are being felt in our noble efforts at recovery but once again, having been forced into drawing up a large supplementary Budget, which one expects may be causing delays in the completion of our regular Budget for 2025, and its approval. We can only hope that both sides of the House of Parliament would approach this task with the focus not on partisan gains, but on reconstruction of our country in the interest of all its people.

Sadly, right throughout the region we face the threat of societal destruction through the actions of criminal gangs and the greed for instant and unlimited riches caused by the pursuit of the dangerous drug trade without any or much thought that ill-gotten riches sit on restless heads, and are but for a season.

It has reached the stage where normally fun-loving Trinidad and Tobago, having just formally declared the start of Carnival 2025, has been forced to declare a State of Emergency.

The threat also manifests itself in deadly gun shootings, sometimes in public, as we have been experiencing in this country with little sign of either being able to put a stop, or indeed of official recognition of the danger facing our entire society. We can no longer ignore this threat, and it must be high on our agenda for 2025.

Finally, the New Year will bring with it political division and partisanship with the advent of the next general elections. These will be coming in the context of all that we mentioned above and will present new challenges for national security.

Yes, our hands will be more than full in the upcoming year, but this is no time to throw in the towel and surrender our lovely country to the scourge of criminal activity and negativity. However, all is not lost, and we must continue to hold on to what is still good and decent among us. So, let us all enjoy the New Year holiday and be refreshed to confront the challenges of 2025.