The sale of the government share in Cable and Wireless is a matter of grave concern to us. The message that it sends to us is that our government is methodically and systematically engaged in divesting itself of all the assets which it holds in the name of the people of its country.
We do not know whether this policy has been dictated by some external power such as the IMF, USA, or the World Bank. Whoever is responsible for this development in our country is dead wrong.
We are sure that whatever situation our country faces the sale of our assets to foreigners is not the right way to go.
When we have finished selling our land and our shares to outsiders, what will that leave us? If we have nothing in the land of our birth and everything is owned by white people, what have we become? Where is the empowerment that is so glibly bandied about, when we who belong to here have nothing to show for it.
It is not far-fetched for us to imagine that private citizens will be pressured to follow the government’s example and sell out the little that they owned to the stranger who faces them with a wad of yankee dollars.
If this trend is allowed to continue, the people of St. Kitts and Nevis will soon become natives again. The best of us will become pets and the least of us will be regarded as monkeys.
If history is to be our guide, we will recall that the European interlopers into Africa went with pleasant faces and broad grins while they plated their every move to take African lands and enslave African people.
Our authorities are behaving like a legendary Bible character who sold his birthright for one belly-full.
We are selling our birthright for even less; we are selling our assets to pay debts.
If there is any measure more foolish whoever can discover it, is worthy of a prize.
We appeal to the general public of St. Kitts and Nevis to take stock of what is happening in our country.
We encourage our citizens to ask nagging questions about the direction in which our leaders are taking our country. Are they giving us the message that they do not want us here any more and that we must be prepared to yield our place to the stranger.
If this is what they wan’t they should tell us clearly and unequivocally so that we can make our deliberate choices.
