When a child goes to bed at night, they lie down innocently and look forward to the dreams they may have. When children are very young they see no barriers to doing or being whatever they wish. They are filled with hope and so dream easily. But as our children get older they become aware of the reality of the world and some hope may disappear. It is our role as adults to keep children’s dreams alive by giving them hope and opportunities.

In SVG, however, the reality for young people is harsh and our children dreams are limited. Hope for our young people has all but disappeared. Why? Because there is little opportunity for them in SVG. The ULP regime has decimated hope and opportunity by decimating the SVG economy. The national debt has risen to an all-time high of over a billion dollars, agriculture is at its worst since independence, the nation is over-taxed and over-regulated, and the economy is being choked to death by VAT. How can there be opportunity when the country is faced with this ailing economy?

There is little economic intelligence within the ULP regime and unfortunately the nation is suffering. The latest sign of ULP regime incompetence is the announcement of a move to a ‘post colonial’ economy. If they thought that a post colonial economy was the best way forward they should have introduced it on day 1 of their time in office, not day 3001. What kind of inept government waits over 7 years to begin their economic strategy? You’ve guessed – a ULP government.

SVG was post colonial in 1979. It is now almost 30 years later. SVG does not need a post colonial economy it needs a modern, globally-oriented economy. We do not exist in a vacuum of post colonialism. The modern global world economy is fast-paced, with trillions of dollars traded across the globe at the click of a button. It is like a running race, but under the ULP regime the SVG economy is not even on the racetrack. It’s still back in the changing room scratching its head wondering whether the left running shoe goes on the left foot or the right foot.

The ULP regime says they are running the economy not the IMF, but based on the state of the economy, clearly no one is! SVG needs a modern technology-driven economy that is export oriented within the global market. Utterances about a post colonial economy and using a begging bowl abroad to try to keep the SVG economy afloat show economic confusion within the incompetent, weak leadership of the ULP regime.

We ask the nation to vote out the incompetent ULP regime and vote in the economically intelligent SVG Green Party in to government. An SVG Green Party government has the ability to deliver a strong economy in SVG. A strong economy is the only way forward for jobs and money in your pocket, the only way forward for opportunities for our young people.

We must provide young people with opportunities. For where there is no opportunity, there is no hope. And where there is no hope, how can our children dream?