Just a storm in a teacup

26.SEPT.08

Editor: Allow me to comment on what has become the Labor Day fiasco. Many, including Minister Beache, expressed criticism of the festivities on Eastern Parkway, its poor organization and the unruly behavior of revelers who perched on the roof of the truck. Adding insult to injury were the funds spent in participation of this event.{{more}} The public’s close scrutiny of Government spending is merely a symptom of the larger problem afflicting St. Vincent: fiscal mismanagement and lack of transparency in many financial decisions and transactions that affect the country.

In this case, however, Beache’s best defense against critics would have been silence. Methinks he doth protest too much. Beache is a young Minister who can chalk this up toward his experience. People need not focus on the tree in failure to see the forest. The money invested in this event is nothing compared with the large scale spending by this government that occurs without accountability.

I am inclined to agree that Vincentians in the diaspora ought to fund the Eastern Parkway event since they are the ones likely to attend. I, for one, hate to imagine that my money is invested in the type of immoral activity and vulgarity that both Labour Day and St. Vincent Carnival now represent under the guise of artistry. No talent is required for people to run amuck, half naked, gyrating and smelly.

Beache needs to understand that all is fair in love, war and politics; his ego cannot get in the way of constructive criticism. On the other hand, the economic “pinch” Vincentians are feeling may cause an overreaction to certain scenarios, especially since Beache represents an increasingly unpopular government. To all, I say,

“Get over it.”

Sharon Jones