Business View Caribbean | October 2019

43 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN OCTOBER 2019 THE GOVERNMENT OF ST . V INCENT AND THE GRENADINES quest to build a modern, competitive, many-sided, post-colonial economy; which is at once national, regional, and global. Every one of those words is pregnant with real meaning. “Modern – you have to be using science and technology. Competitive – to make sure you can sell your goods and services in whichever niche marketplace may be available; regional or global. And you have to have many-sidedness to the economy – not just a single crop or industry. Post-colonial simply means that there are no preferences anymore, and no one owes you a living. It has to be national; it has to be regional; and it has to global – that means you have to engage in a set of regional arrangements – that’s OECS and CARICOM. And globally, you’re part of all the hemispherical and international entities and agencies to make your presence felt, so that you can sell your goods and services better. And in the process, add to your own contribution to things, like reducing the effects of adverse climate change, and peace and security and prosperity, globally.” still there is more to be done. Metaphorically speaking, where are we? I want to take you back to 1445 BC. The Israelites had been led out of Egyptian captivity and found themselves at the foothills of Mount Sinai, and you see them seeking to lay down a set of rules and codes for life, living, service, and production. Recently, we commemorated 185 years since the abolition of slavery in our country and, this year, 40 years of Independence. So, metaphorically, we are at the foothills of Mt. Sinai, and we are seeking to elaborate further our rules, our processes, our policies for life, living, service, and production. And we’re doing it in an era of rapid changes, modern globalization and trade liberalization, and the revolution of information technology and biotechnology. “When we came into office in 2001, it was the first time a Government had been in power since 1763 that an agricultural commodity was not the mainstay of the economy. For successive years, you had sugar, cotton, arrowroot, bananas. So, we met a country unprepared for this new world. To strategically do anything, we had to engage in a