By Lloyd Noel
The people of our Tri-Island State — have been patiently waiting on the month of February this year, for the holding of the referendum to reform our Independence constitution — and thereafter to hear from The Controllers in power, where we would have been moving to.
That month has now gone through and nothing was held — but even more critically, The Controllers have been very quiet about the whole matter — and the people remain in total ignorance about what next or when.
We have been getting the odd bits of news — about meetings and activities between those in control of power and Chinese Nationals from mainland China — but nothing concrete.
And because the whole exercise, involving the referendum and the sale of Grenadian passports to Chinese Nationals — was also linked up to the news bulletin, that so many Chinese investors were expected to be coming to Grenada to start-up businesses, that would be providing thousands of jobs for our many thousands of unemployed citizens — the whole exercise was eagerly anticipated.
But here we are — into our billion dollars plus budget for this year — and the waiting game continues for goodness knows how long.
And needless asking anyone in control where are we heading and what next — because the answers are just not forthcoming and the investors in limbo elsewhere.
The situation regarding the unemployed — and the cost of living for those persons who have no other means of earning a living, to care for their families in the existing conditions island-wide — that must be degrading and heart-rending for thousands.
And that must be a whole lot more disturbing — for those thousands who voted for The Controllers, to win all the seats in parliament — with no one in opposition.
All the promises and the expectations that were built up by those now in control — these now seem to have been achieved by false means and empty promises, with nothing positive to result there from.
That state of affairs — and the hardships so many who relied on those promises are now experiencing — must be causing the supporters of those in control to be thinking otherwise.
But there is nothing they can do about the situation at this point — except living in some hope that some things will come up for change very much sooner than later.
The many people I have spoken to — as they express their problems and disappointment about the conditions they are under-going — they are not bitter as such, but very frank and concerned about where we are heading as an independent mini-state needing urgent relief.
And it is against that background I am sincerely hoping — that those in control will come up very much sooner than later, with some needy relief and solutions to the jobless situation — that will help those families in dire need.
It is one thing of note, to come up with a billion dollars plus budget for this financial year — but the question remains unanswered, how is that lay out of Revenue and expenditure helping all those people in dire need — and how soon.
It cannot be denied by The Controllers — that the people in need have been very patient — after two years since that clean-sweep victory at the polls to give them full control.
So at least they should be coming forward with some concrete responses, to help the needy and ease the tension that is spreading Islands — wide.
The billion dollars plus budget sounds good on the air waves — and looks even better in print; but what is urgently needed in these trying times, to cool the pressure and restore hope to many is the provision of employment of some sorts around the islands.
It is also very commendable — that despite the very hard times many people and families are under-going, the reports of stealing and break-down in the fields of law and order have been very, very few and far between — and the police and others with responsibilities in those areas, must be commended for that state of affairs in the given circumstances.
And despite the hardships many people and families are under-going — to make ends meet and care for their families in these trying times – the moaning and complaining are surprisingly not as frequent and bitter as might have been expected.
But as one chap with whom I was discussing the issue put it to me — those people are the ones who voted for The Controllers in total control, so they have to take the hardships quietly and keep on hoping that better days will be coming in due course of time.
I could not dispute that view-point in the given circumstances — but I had to remind him, that those votes were given because of the grand promises by the NNP candidates, that they had Investors just waiting to come ashore to provide jobs island wide.
That did not happen and the waiting game is now among the many thousands who are unemployed.
What next can they expect and how soon — or how very much longer they have to wait, to reap the benefits from their unanimous voting returns of February, 2013?
Those questions are not easy to answer — so the waiting game continues until whenever.
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