As this is our first of a regular weekly SVG Green Party column, we wish to thank the Manager and Chief Editor, Mr Shelley Clarke, for allowing SVG Green Party the opportunity to put our views to the nation in this format.

The great foundation and philosophy of SVG Green Party is opportunity for all. Unless we have that, we are still in the struggles of the 1950s and getting nowhere.

Coming from a humble background in Georgetown, I was aware at an early age of what poverty was. When I left for England in 1956, I was always ambitious at school and I vowed to myself ‘that I will not live in poverty, and will not bring up children in poverty’.

All my five children have been to university. This is not because I am superhuman or my children are superhuman, it is because of opportunity and the SVG Green Party can provide that same opportunity to all Vincentians, because we have the vision, the motivation and the ability.

Practically any child in SVG has the ability to become qualified, skilled and highly paid, but they need to be given the opportunity. With opportunity a child from a poor family can escape poverty. Opportunity is the vehicle to eradicate poverty and illiteracy. This is a big difference between SVG Green Party and the other two political parties, we offer opportunity to all whatever their background.

Our 2005 manifesto is as relevant today as it was then. It offers everyone in the nation the opportunity to become skilled and escape poverty. Human capital is our greatest asset. We must harness it and build it to a high quality to give SVG the latitude to develop in any direction.

There still exist many areas of heavy poverty and illiteracy just like when I left in the 1950s. Both the NDP and ULP have shown a parallel lack of ability to offer opportunity. They both drive the economy relying upon two sectors - bananas and tourism. It is as unstable as a man walking on stilts - knock one away and everything tumbles.

Under the Green Party philosophy we will move completely away from this mindset. When you rely upon banana and tourism only, you do not show any innovation or create revenue and opportunity for all. Everyone needs the opportunity to make a dollar, save a dollar and become skilled.

SVG Green Party believes that the economy should be driven by an aggregate of revenue creating variables - making the cake bigger so that everyone can get a slice of the cake. We can only do that by bringing in new variables and making the economy bigger. This means guaranteed markets for agricultural produce and a thriving manufacturing sector to compete successfully within the Caribbean Single Market. SVG Green Party would run the economy on about 20 variables, as we believe SVG needs an economic environment where small businesses and people have the opportunity to prosper.

Ivan O’Neal BSc(Hons), MSc, MBA, Leader and Co-founder of SVG Green Party