2021 is upon us. Arundhati Roy invited us to consider the pandemic as a gateway, a gateway where we decide what ideas, patterns and luggage we want to take with us to the other side. Will we choose to carry with us old ways of being and seeing the world that is no longer serving us, or are we ready to make the leap brave, lighter and with greater breadth to embrace something different? It is worrying to think that one of the things that we can carry with us through this portal, until 2021, is this old-fashioned, old-fashioned form of party politics that continues to demand that ‘ the people are the laughing stock and the elected are incomparable.
On Monday night, Prime Minister Keith Mitchell announced the immediate implementation of a 14-day night curfew on the Grenada Broadcasting Network. Many have asked whether constitutional requirements were followed as the announcement was made that night, for immediate implementation, with nothing published in the Gazette. The First Minister also saw that it was an opportune time to remind us that he really was “not the Grinch who stole Christmas”. Immediately after his announcement, a few Grenadiers took to the streets and social media, mimicking the Prime Minister and denying that this was perhaps the only thing he didn’t actually steal. This was Mitchell’s second national address since news broke of 26 new COVID-19 cases related to the Sandals resort in the south of the island. In his first national address, he showed little empathy for the workers and their families who have been negatively impacted by this recent increase in cases. It remains unclear what happened and Grenadines waited, perhaps hoping, that our Prime Minister would use the first national speech to explain what happened. What they heard instead was savage, disconnected from reality and mostly a congratulatory address to the business community for their quick responses, while the larger population was mostly hated for not practicing better security precautions. It felt like a guilty parent disciplining a child for the parent’s own mistakes.
Sandals and her family of 13, including children, who tested positive for COVID-19 clearly didn’t seem to be on the Prime Minister’s mind. The other non-union workers at the resort who might have been exposed did not seem to be at the forefront of our Prime Minister’s mind. The masses of Grenadiers who may have come into contact with these workers while on the bus or while running errands clearly did not seem to be at the forefront of his mind. Workers and other Grenadiers are now paying the price for this demonstration of disregard for the general good of the people where some have chosen not to comply with the health regulations – when in fact, according to Public Health 2020 ( COVID- 19) Regulations (now part of the Public Health Act) may be considered a criminal offense.
Many questions and rumors float about what really happened. These include alleged statements by Sandals employees that not all tourists arrived at the destination to be tested a few days after arrival and were not required to socialize. According to the government’s COVID-19 website, visitors “staying in approved” Pure Safe Travel “hotels and resorts will not normally be tested on arrival.” On that same website, it states that residents will “undergo a COVID-19 PCR test on or after day 4 to leave the Pure Safe travel accommodation (PCR results are usually ready within 1 – 2 working days ). You are NOT cleared of quarantine until you are officially communicated [with by the] health officials. ”These inconsistencies and the rationale behind them are unclear. I’m a Grenadian citizen living in Canada and I stayed in approved “Pure Safe travel accommodation”. The COVID-19 compliance officer I met the day after my arrival was clear and kind. He told me that all of us who arrived would have to remain quarantined in one part of the resort; that we would be tested on day 4 or 5 and not allowed to socialize with other guests, including others in quarantine, until we were cleared by Health Officers. He also made it very clear that we were not allowed to leave the building under any circumstances. What led to the implementation of such clear and stringent restrictions in one Pure Secure travel accommodation is radically different from another. Two national speeches later and the Grenadian public still have more questions than before.
If you found a relationship worthwhile, you would invest time in explaining any miscommunications that could lead to a potential breakdown in trust and collegiality. The Prime Minister’s communication and attitude towards the Grenada people where he has repeatedly chosen not to address the real questions and concerns of the people, implying that he does not actually see the relationship with the Grenadian people worthy of even an explanation or even some acknowledgment of responsibility. People’s subsequent responses tell a lot about how they see their elected officials. It’s very funny but it’s also pretty shocking. Are the lives of the working class and all Grenadiers considered disposable and do not warrant deep care and concern? What does it say about the trust that people have in government and the respect the government has for the people who elected them, when they continue to illuminate serious material conditions (including seemingly obedient double standards – to the tourist dollar), that led to the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases?
This is also a matter of double concern as it is all set against the backdrop of a recent national budget that saw the prioritization of infrastructure and privatization over healthcare, agriculture and fisheries and other sectors of society. Given the clear need for Grenada and many Caribbean countries to advance the sovereign agenda of food and food justice, it is disappointing to see that together, the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Forestry and the Ministry of Sport, Culture and the Arts , Fisheries and Cooperatives received less than 3% of total planned expenditure.
In times of crisis, we must also pay close attention to any suppression of civil liberties as is the case for Emergency Power Acts and the related regulations, especially when that restraint is indefinite and resources are increasing for the police and state surveillance equipment accompanies it. . In the last budget, the force received 4.2% of total expenditure over and above the combined total allocated to Ministries with a mandate to oversee agriculture, land, fisheries and co-operatives.
The tourism sector, being one of the most trusted resources and resources for GDP across the Caribbean, continues to be highly scrutinized. In a region highly susceptible to hurricanes, storms and other natural events, we cannot continue to rely on a sector that relies primarily on external interest and advertising. The transient euphoria experienced by tourists cannot replace the daily and material needs of working people in the Caribbean. The current pandemic has also shown us how tentative and unreliable this sector can be. In one of the Health Minister’s recent national addresses, Nicholas Steele mentions “corridor arrangements” made with three hotels, of which Sandals is one. It is unclear why these “corridor arrangements” were considered essential, what they mean and whether or not they fully comply with the Public Health 2020 Regulations (COVID-19). It is clear that gaps in protocols and inconsistencies in implementation and enforcement have led to Grenada trying to manage the rapid rise in cases. Once again, the tourism sector and financial capital have replaced Grenadines welfare.
Finance Minister Gregory Bowen, in his budget remarks, said, “Mr. Spokesman, there will be a strong campaign to collect tax arrears. Our revenue collection agencies will continue their efforts to improve administration and revenue collection to ensure not only that we all pay our fair share, but also to facilitate a better taxpayer experience. ”It is encouraging to hear this because according to the November State of Tax Justice 2020 report, the world loses $ 427 billion (USD) in taxes a year because of international tax abuse. This report, completed by the Global Alliance for Tax Justice, International Public Services and the Tax Justice Network, is the first annual report of its kind on the annual economic and social cost of international tax abuse. Of the $ 427 billion, nearly $ 245 billion is lost to multinational corporations moving profits to tax havens to under-report how much profit they actually made in the countries where they do business and as a result pay less in taxes. The remaining $ 182 billion is lost to wealthy individuals hiding undeclared assets and income offshore, beyond the reach of the law. Grenada’s total annual loss to tax abuse is $ 3,053,744 (USD) representing nearly 13% of public health spending. That’s the annual salary of 273 nurses. These additional tax revenues can go a long way in strengthening our health and public services. Furthermore, our estimated tax revenue losses due to offshore financial wealth are $ 0.3 billion (USD) which is 22% of our GDP ($ 3.1 million USD). Given these figures as well as the legacy of debt to which Grenadians are saddled, it forces us to boldly reshape the economy in ways that truly focus on the people and our environment and that make sure we all pay our fair share for our collective wellbeing.
Returning to Arundhati Roy’s invitation to think of the pandemic as a gateway, I understand why many of us might be stuck in feelings of grief and loss given everything 2020 has sent our way. He can still feel grief, rage and loss while not getting lost in despair. I want to honor these complex and layered emotions and not diminish one over the other. What I do know though, is that I for one, refuse to be captivated by a limited imagination that refuses to see and believe that there are other ways to be possible. As a people, I hope we take greater clarity, courage and credibility to the gateway to believe and insist that things are better, that we demand that our elected representatives treat us with dignity and respect and that we a reminder that when they forfeit their responsibility to us, the people, we have every right to take it back into our own hands. Similar to the shared investments felt across the region when Grenadians took risk and launched the first English-speaking Caribbean socialist revolution, so too do we know that what is happening here today is not a story not to Grenadines only but to the entire Caribbean region. . This portal signals an invitation to us to deepen, expand, and strengthen our mutual commitment to one another and our shared stories of curiosity, freedom and world-building. May we enter into 2021 stronger and more convinced that our lives, present and future, and our environments are worth nurturing and protecting.