By *Jomo Thomas
As promised, here are some of my ideas (most people may consider them half-baked or outrageous) for making our country better. As I’ve said often, I don’t need to have the last word on anything. I offer my perspective in the hope that it may spark conversation, even if it does not win favour with citizens or policymakers.
The government says that the country is broke and urges citizens to “band their belly”. To win buy-in for its call for sacrifice, it must lead by example. As its first anniversary approaches, our country’s leaders can demonstrate stewardship by reshuffling the cabinet and collapsing some ministries. Little SVG doesn’t need 14 ministers. John Thompson, one of our ablest elected parliamentarians, never held a ministerial post. We don’t need ministries of education and higher education.
Foreign policy
We cannot do the same thing and expect a different result. We have followed a foreign policy trajectory that has brought little or no noticeable results, with Cuba’s and Venezuela’s assistance with the Argyle International Airport as the exception. Therefore, to really shake things up, regain policy initiative, and set our country moving, the government must negotiate at least $300 million in debt forgiveness from Taiwan, with a promise of more tangible help, or announce a foreign policy realignment from Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China.
Each country has the engineering and economic resources to help build a cross-country road. This simple proposal may seem small, but like the airport and the bridge over the dry river, it would deliver tangible results.
Taiwan really has a hook in the nation’s gill! We have to find a way to escape. I was appalled to see the entire political firmament rush on stage and grin like sambos to collect a measly US$100,000 in flood-relief assistance that Taiwan offered. The PS in the Ministry of Finance should have collected that cheque. Grenada and St. Lucia broke relations with Taiwan. Grenada broke relations with Taiwan in 2005, and St. Lucia followed suit in 1997, only to reestablish relations with Taiwan in 2007. Neither country suffered immeasurably because of these diplomatic moves. Our leaders should throw caution to the wind and follow through on Arnhim Eustace’s 2016 policy that an NDP government will join the rest of the world and establish relations with Beijing.
Property taxes in SVG are outrageously low
The government should pursue a series of revenue-generating measures that spare the least fortunate among us but place the burden on those who can afford it. These measures should include a 1% annual tax on all locally owned properties valued at $750,000 or more. Impose a special 5% luxury tax on millionaires and billionaires who own property on Mustique and Canouan. The richer you are, the more you pay in taxes. New York’s Mayor Mamdani policies should be emulated. Paris, Vancouver and Singapore have similar tax policies.
Mustique is too lucrative an enclave to receive over $20 million in concessions and tax relief. The government should review and renegotiate the annual US$5 million it currently receives and increase it to US$10 million. As New York Mayor Mamdani said inJanuary, “The tax is ‘specifically designed for the richest of the rich, those who store their wealth in New York City real estate but don’t actually live here.” A second-home tax is a luxury tax.
Stop the leakage in VAT collections. The government loses tens of millions each year to unscrupulous business people.
Negotiate an EC$250 million loan from the Caribbean Development Bank to repurchase Chatham Bay, leave its development to the next generation, and pay down debt owed to local creditors.
Implement a garbage disposal tax on all businesses. They must not be allowed to put their commercial garbage on the street.
Legislative agenda
In the 2001 general election campaign, ULP politicians strongly campaigned for integrity legislation. The party ruled for 9,011 days from 2001 to 2024 and never passed the legislation. For years, the NDP condemned the ULP for its inaction. Now in government, the NDP must put integrity, anti-solicitation, and anti-corruption laws at the top of its legislative agenda, aimed at weeding out and punishing corrupt customs, port, immigration, and police officers, as well as businesspeople who pay to avoid proper inspection and taxation. Such legislation will strongly deter potential wrongdoers and save the nation millions of dollars.
It must lodge with the director of public prosecutions claims for misbehaviour in public office against opposition politicians, senior civil servants, and other bureaucrats formerly tasked with important state duties.
It must decide which government agency, ministry or project it intends to subject to investigation and publicly announce that the government has engaged foreign forensic experts to investigate and audit key state entities, including Argyle Airport construction, PetroCaribe, the National Lottery Authority, National Properties, the spending of La Soufreire eruption and Hurricane Beryl relief money and the new port. Such an announcement will send dread through opposition politicians and some high state functionaries.
Pass a town rehabilitation and beautification law with a tax-credit incentive that makes it mandatory for businesses to power-wash their buildings at least once a year and repaint them every five years.
To mitigate flooding, pass a law limiting paving to no more than 50% of your yard space. Cumulatively, runoff creates excessive volumes that turn into a deluge and cause flooding. Restrict tree cutting on public and private lands.
As a security measure, pass a law banning vehicle tinting and require the immediate removal of tint from all rented vehicles, with all others removed within 5 years. No new tinting allowed on any vehicle. The tinting craze is more about style than privacy and does not outweigh security concerns.
Combat unemployment
Develop and implement an “Idle-hands-to-idle-lands” plan to combat high youth unemployment aggressively. Encourage young people to return to the land, buy at least 2- to 5-acre plots in each constituency, and form agricultural cooperatives with young men and women.
Invigorate reparations efforts
The demand for reparations for genocide, trans-Atlantic trade and slavery is now at the centre of international discourse. The government must commit to a more active approach to the regional reparations effort, beginning with funding and relaunching the SVG Reparations Commission.
Finally, pass laws to pardon Rastafarians and other young citizens who were charged, fined, convicted or imprisoned for the possession or sale of less than one pound of marijuana.
This bundle of ideas and proposals are intended to spark public policy discussion among citizens and government officials alike.
*Jomo Sanga Thomas is a lawyer, journalist, social commentator and a former Speaker of the House of Assembly in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The opinions presented in this content belong to the author and may not necessarily reflect the perspectives or editorial stance of iWitness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected].