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Caribbean Development Is In Crisis, But It Didn't Start With Covid-19
The Caribbean was handicapped when it came to development even before Covid-19. We are remote islands with few natural resources, repeated natural disasters, and a legacy of underdevelopment of just about everything. Then came Covid-19. It's hit us especially hard with tourism being the main economic driver of many of these small economies. But, ask yourself: Were we on the right development path before March of 2020? In this episode we explore the pace and nature of Caribbean development pre-Covid and post-Covid.
The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:
Thoughts from the host:
The fault in our economies is now Covid-19, Covid-19, Covid-19. That's the new rhetoric. But that's not true, is it? Before Covid was plague, we were still dealing with poverty, sluggish growth, and fragile economies. The underdeveloped and under-skilled nature of the labour force was a problem. Brain drain was continuous with a mismatch between what our people specialized in, and which industries investors were putting money toward. Our infrastructure was poor. Our regulators didn't stick to the national plans technicians drew up.
Our land use policies were ineffective at empowering the lowest earners. There were, and are still, communities that remain intergenerationally poor and underprivileged. Too many of our people were, and are still, only prepared to seek employment as opposed to building enterprises, and we have not attempted to remedy that culture in any direct or comprehensive way. Our public sector was bloated and ineffective in too many areas. Agencies were retarded by unfit political appointees. Corruption, both petty and grand, was and is still perceived by the average citizen as a major problem. Public utilities and telecommunications were too often unreliable.
Our prisons need to be bulldozed. Our courts are understaffed and backlogged. We need juvenile intervention programmes to be well funded. We need more public sector teachers, nurses, qualified police officers and mental health professionals, instead of wasting money on redundant government workers in needless positions. Our entire political system needed comprehensive democratic reform. The list is endless. So, again, we ask: Were we on the right path before Covid-19? Yes or No? And lastly, for all these chronic problems that are listed, and for all the others too numerous to mention, which dynamic, progressive leader with a new way of thinking has the solutions? Ralph Gonsalves? Keith Mitchel? Gaston Browne? Roosevelt Skerrit?
This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on October 3rd, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.
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By The Big Issues Production TeamThe Caribbean was handicapped when it came to development even before Covid-19. We are remote islands with few natural resources, repeated natural disasters, and a legacy of underdevelopment of just about everything. Then came Covid-19. It's hit us especially hard with tourism being the main economic driver of many of these small economies. But, ask yourself: Were we on the right development path before March of 2020? In this episode we explore the pace and nature of Caribbean development pre-Covid and post-Covid.
The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:
Thoughts from the host:
The fault in our economies is now Covid-19, Covid-19, Covid-19. That's the new rhetoric. But that's not true, is it? Before Covid was plague, we were still dealing with poverty, sluggish growth, and fragile economies. The underdeveloped and under-skilled nature of the labour force was a problem. Brain drain was continuous with a mismatch between what our people specialized in, and which industries investors were putting money toward. Our infrastructure was poor. Our regulators didn't stick to the national plans technicians drew up.
Our land use policies were ineffective at empowering the lowest earners. There were, and are still, communities that remain intergenerationally poor and underprivileged. Too many of our people were, and are still, only prepared to seek employment as opposed to building enterprises, and we have not attempted to remedy that culture in any direct or comprehensive way. Our public sector was bloated and ineffective in too many areas. Agencies were retarded by unfit political appointees. Corruption, both petty and grand, was and is still perceived by the average citizen as a major problem. Public utilities and telecommunications were too often unreliable.
Our prisons need to be bulldozed. Our courts are understaffed and backlogged. We need juvenile intervention programmes to be well funded. We need more public sector teachers, nurses, qualified police officers and mental health professionals, instead of wasting money on redundant government workers in needless positions. Our entire political system needed comprehensive democratic reform. The list is endless. So, again, we ask: Were we on the right path before Covid-19? Yes or No? And lastly, for all these chronic problems that are listed, and for all the others too numerous to mention, which dynamic, progressive leader with a new way of thinking has the solutions? Ralph Gonsalves? Keith Mitchel? Gaston Browne? Roosevelt Skerrit?
This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on October 3rd, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.