External influences on our livelihood

Radio talk shows which hosts encourage listeners to call in and give their views on just about anything are today very much a part of Vincentian and Caribbean social and political life. It has helped to give voice to the hitherto voiceless and put to rest the deadly silence on public matters previously imposed by the state-controlled media.{{more}} However, there is the risk of abuse of this freedom of expression, especially when the hosts are unable or incapable of providing the guidance required of a facilitator of such open discussion.

Indeed, one of the shortcomings of many of our talk-shows is the tendency not just to focus on problems in the society but moreso to adopt a narrow approach to such discussion. If we were to be guided solely by radio chats, not only are all such problems, real or imagined, entirely of local origin, but also, flowing from this analysis, are the solutions. In the context of a society where “Government” means everything, it is, therefore, so easy to conclude that it is the Government which is the font of all evil, and that making a change of personnel or party will fix it. Our 28 years of post-independence experience will tell us that it is not as simple as that. The pity is that we still have not grasped this.

Over the past week, a number of events have pointed to the impact of external factors on our everyday lives. There is the United Nations Summit on Climate Change in New York with our own Prime Minister among the many Heads of State and Government engaged in discussions on this crucial subject. Then there was the hike in rates for water and garbage collections, which the authorities preferred to describe as “adjustment upwards.” And our own country this week hosted a number of activities focusing on the ongoing negotiations between the Caribbean and the European Union for what is called an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). All of these have bearing on our everyday life.

The UN Climate Change Summit highlights what has been becoming more and more obvious to inhabitants of Planet Earth. The warning signals have long been flashing all around us – the greater frequency and intensity of storms, freak weather patterns world-wide, coastal erosion, rains in “dry” seasons and vice versa. We cannot ignore these. Scientists have merely confirmed what we have been witnessing all along. For small island-states with fragile eco-systems and vulnerable economies, these climate change phenomena have grave implications.

These climatic factors have bearing on our water supply. Many political analysts are of the opinion that just as oil fuelled many wars in the 20th century, water could be the source of major conflict internationally in the 21st. Last week’s official opening of the Jennings Water Project and this week’s announcements of the “upward adjustment” of rates by the Central Water and Sewerage Authority are, therefore, of major significance. Already, as to be expected, the rate increases have sparked off much public comment. Not surprisingly, for water rates in particular have long been like a political football, ever since former Prime Minister Mitchell’s famous “God water free” pronouncement of more than two decades ago. However, those in Government and Opposition have chosen to dance to this tune, the realities have always caught up with them, and us as consumers. In the midst of all our brouhaha, it must not be lost that the increased rates are a condition of the World Bank loan, just as the lifting of price controls on fish followed the Japanese Fish Market Project.

Water, its use and cost of using, also has implications for our energy consumption and directly impacts on our cost of production and of doing business. It leads us to the critical issue of energy policy and alternatives to fossil fuels. So when we rightly complain of high electricity costs, the global picture must come in focus, and any criticism we have of government cannot be confined to local factors only. Its wider energy policies must also come under scrutiny.

This is where we have been falling short, and it is one of the reasons why regional civil society organizations are trying to lift the awareness of our people on another aspect of global life, international trade agreements, and their impact on our lives and livelihoods. This is the context in which the mobilization activities around the EPA take place. Whether it is climate change, the policies of international financial institutions or global trade regulations, we are no longer in any cocoon insulated from external factors. It is time for us all to wake up and face the realities.