By Carl B. Nisbett
The NRP have presented a number of “things-to-do” if they were to win the upcoming election in Nevis. They have just about something for everyone with little or no regard for how they intend to pay for these things.
They are trying to be everything to everyone. However, governing is not about nursery rhymes and fairy tales. It is not about “once upon a time” and they all “live happily ever after.” Governing involves making difficult choices that affect the people. It’s about setting priorities and the NPR seem not to understand that. Instead, they’ve taken a happy-go-lucky approach.
The NRP need to say how they intend to meet the obligations of all their promises if the NRP candidates were to win the election. They must explain how they would be able to pay for the many promises they’ve made as if they are Father Christmas and the Easter Bunny wrapped up in one.
The NRP have promised to spend more on training skills, spend more on agriculture and farming, spend more on a wide array of health care, spend more on youth development, to introduce a national insurance plan which it will have to spend lots more on, introduce a new pension scheme that will be more costly, pay “attractive” benefit packages to some government workers and to spend on an array of new and old projects. Spend is the operative word and there seems to be no limit to the NRP’s promised spending.
They have a list of some 40 or more things that require either spending a great deal of money or reducing taxes for a few, not the majority of Nevisians. They have promised to remove environmental taxes on cars, allow some civil servants to bring in their vehicles duty free, to lower taxes for small businesses and oh yes, to finish the road from St. James’ Parish Anglican Church to Marketshop (which CCM has already committed to finishing).
The NRP did not mention fixing and repairing the side or through roads or maintaining the main, side and through roads in normal times and during the hurricane or otherwise rainy season.
They have not mentioned maintaining the ports and piers; they did not mention maintaining and repairing schools and certainly did not mention building new schools other than a technical one; they did not mention maintaining the health care system, especially the hospital, but did promise additional services; they did not mention the maintenance of other infrastructure; no mention of the airport; they did not mention maintaining and repairing government buildings; they did not mention the working of the government itself that requires money to do so.
Why did the NRP not mention these things? Are they unaware of them, not cognizant of their costs or the fact they are necessary to continue improving the standard of living for Nevisians and without which the standard of living would decline?
To make matters more difficult, things will become more expensive in the future. Repairing, maintaining, the infrastructure such as roads and ports will be more expensive; the cost of goods will increase; so too will the gas, water and electricity bills. Why? Because energy prices around the world will remain high and will remain so for a while and may even increase.
If they were to win, who will pay for the things the NRP mentioned and for the things they did not mention but we know must be done? They have not established any set of priorities. Keep in mind a special few will get large tax breaks under the NRP’s plan. The majority of hard working Nevisian will not get those tax breaks. The loss of revenues from those tax breaks offered to a special few will have to come from somewhere else. These burdensome promises of the NRP would squarely fall on the majority of Nevisians in the form of higher taxes all around and will result in additional burdens. They may very well cause further additional increases in water bills, electricity bills and gas bills. Even then a Nevis Island Administration run by the NRP will not be able to meet the obligations of their promises.
They’ve failed to mention many of things that are necessary for the continued development of Nevis. Yet the NRP have been so boldfaced in saying they will do the million and one things they’ve promised, reduce Nevis’s debt and reduce the cost of living without offering a single, legitimate, realistic means of paying for anything. This is the height of immaturity and irresponsibility by the NRP. This is a complete lack of understanding about how to run a government.
Nevis does not have unlimited financial resources. That is why the NIA under CCM had to set priorities. It had to compete for money to do the work already done. It’s the very reason why it took time for some of those things to be done and why it will take time to finish what have been started and to start what else needs be done. It took time to build relationships with creditors and donors that provide most of the funds for those projects. That is reality.
One wonders if the NRP have made a pact with the Tooth Fairy so that each and every Nevisian will be asked to pull their teeth, put them under their pillows, wait for the Tooth Fairy to visit them in the dead of night to take their teeth and leave money under their pillows to pay for the NRP’s promises. We wish things were that simple.
Or maybe I’m mistaken about the NRP’s pact with the Tooth Fairy. It very well may be that the NRP, in the heat and pressure of the election, mistook the leaves on mango trees for one hundred dollar bills. My friends and relatives in the NRP have got it wrong. There are not enough mango trees in Nevis to bear that burden. They simply cannot expect to rely on such a payment plan. It will not come to fruition.
Our island-paradise has come a long way. We must maintain a steady course of growth and development. It must be guided by the hands of those who are not willing to be reckless by promising something for everyone without regard to cost, reality or understanding the situation.
Nevis at this stage of its development needs to continue o n a steady, upward pace. This is not the time to experiment by electing those who have not demonstrated knowledge of what needs to be done in Nevis much less how to go about doing what must be done.
Our hearts are big, our minds reach for the sky, our dreams are endless and our faith strong. Nevis has come a long way. Look at Nevis, Nevisians! Take a look at our island and from whence we’ve come. We cannot afford to risk that.
Stay the course for one more term.
