This year will signal a transformation of people power. It will be a victory for ideas and ideals that espouse real hope and change. A real hope and change agenda on matters of social transformation, pro-family, crime mitigation, economic diversity, healthcare and education, jobs and a living wage.
Every community seeks to shape the way it conceives of its responsibility to itself and the members to each other, through institutions and agencies that are devoted to the people. This cannot be discredited and replaced by the pity of bureaucrats, by the destructiveness of handouts (rather than a hand up), and by a centralized approach. This autocratic malpractice will only risk taking away the practice of true compassion which is defined by generosity, not by handouts, mass publicity and pity.
It is very obvious that a society cannot survive when its inner cities resemble a battleground and prides itself in names and behaviors associated with warfare and underworld economics. It would be helpful and rewarding for society to attend to matters of poverty mitigation and inequality, greater diversity, entrepreneurship, judicial expediency and increased capacity in technical expertise to redirect a path to peace and tranquility.
No society, will survive on single parenting or no-consequence parenthood, when it is proven that the family is the most effective department of health, and education; and for the teaching of the values of honesty, courage and the desire for excellence.
The time has come for a deeper perspective, and a clear visible public alternative that lifts up a vision of faith, humility, courage and hope in governance and true democracy. A new conversation of voices from the left and the right to bring into the public square what is now not available in the existing impoverished political process that needs moral direction, new formulation and energy.
The objective is to influence the discourse for honesty, integrity and commitment to the country and to those without a voice and the power to be fairly represented. This is an important factor in making the political process less divisive, less polarized and more sensitive to the poor and disadvantaged.
What’s at stake is getting the incentives right, not just politics or faith; but the care of responsive communities, transforming power to local entities in order to rediscover social engineering, personal responsibility and the true character of our villages, towns and city.
This display of transparency, accountability and integrity is beyond narrow ideological agendas. It will articulate a political vision of real hope and sustainable solutions to heal the torn political and social fabric, and to uphold the virtues of compassion and community.
In Saint Lucia today, there is a need for the politics of values and a clear vision that addresses the spirit of the times, which often lies beneath the political and economic problems. It is fair to note that the best test of a nation’s righteousness is not its gross domestic product and the firepower of its security apparatus, but how it treats the poorest and most vulnerable.
As citizens of Saint Lucia, participation in policy formulation and the provision for an open forum can help shape a reform agenda that adheres to re-establishing communities and local government to help create sustainable livelihoods with the right incentives and the maintenance of an adequate social safety net and community support services.
The failure of the government of Saint Lucia’s economic council and the preferred establishment to generate sufficient opportunities for workers to support their families at a decent level, with adequate health care, proper housing, quality childcare services, and well-maintained national infrastructure all contribute to family breakdown and the learning institutions inability to help students fully develop their true potential.
Further, despite public cynicism, the rediscovery of moral consciousness and spiritual reawakening is the key to recovering the soul of politics and the healing that the nation needs today. Conformity to the old options is completely dysfunctional and ineffective to lead Saint Lucia forward to a different and progressive future.
The continual irrelevant and relentless attack on each other only seeks to deepen the erosion of family life and social responsibility, while the children of Saint Lucia are engaged in anarchy on the streets on a daily basis.
—Lucian Peoples Movement, (LPM)
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