Who Can Afoard To Run: Will Run

Humans have always moved around in search or resources to survive and it is evident all around us. If you live in the Americas and the Caribbean you are probably a descendent of an immigrant of are one yourself. African slaves, Europeans settlers were some of the first to what was then known as the new world. Of course we know that the native people were indigenous to the land. Modern immigration is however very the movement of people around the world is happening at a very fast rate and it on a wider scale than ever before. Over the ages people have been moving from place to place, while this is not a new occurrence it still tends to evoke negative reactions. There exist stereotypes that immigrants cause crime, terrorism and even take away jobs. Despite such attempts to paint immigrants in a negative light the necessity of Modern immigration is undeniable. In most instance immigration benefits both parties.

If a child grows up in St Lucia dreaming of becoming an aerospace engineer, when that individual becomes an engineer, it would be difficult to find employment in the field ,in St Lucia. Since there are limited opportunities in St Lucia, chances of securing a job in the aerospace field would be better served in another country, a country with aerospace industries, like Canada, Britain or America. Although he or she may be able to secure a great job, working on jet plane engines at one of the Airports in St Lucia.

St Lucia does not have certain industries to support certain job types and this forces some people to seek education, expertise and employment abroad. But this is not the real problem because not everyone is able to afford the cost of immigration. What is most problematic is what happens to the people who are unable to leave. And what may be even worse is that they may be unable to find work in certain sectors, such as agriculture or manufacturing. If such a large segment of the society is unable to find jobs there will be a labour gluts issue. If there is underemployment or unemployment I think people would migrate out of the country to find jobs, can you think of ways to prevent this?

When people migrate out because of employment issues their relive stress on government t and society, by not causing upheavals, you know what they say about “Idle hands”. Underemployment occurs when there is not enough work to do and unemployment happens when there are not enough jobs for everyone. In the case of St Lucia, Banana farming was a leading industry, with many households dependent upon agriculture. With the collapse of that industry those who were employed in agriculture struggled to find jobs. Some of these workers have for year’s sourced work out of country, at one point cutting sugar cane in the US. Workers who are struggling to find employment in their homelands may find themselves facing a position of unemployment or underemployment and in that case many people decide to emigrate to greener pastures, in so doing they relieve the social pressures on society and prevent revolution or upheaval.

The number one argument against outward immigration from Islands, like St Lucia is what is called “Brain Drain”. It is argued that those with the ability to migrate out of the country are essentially the young and those with the resources. In other words, those expected to be the core of the countries labour force. In theory such an outward movement of the countries labour resources, may drastically affect future economical growth.

While the “Brain Drain” theory holds considerable merit, we must also take into consideration that immigration also helps relives unemployment and underemployment if it exists. In many instances there are no jobs and the job market may be over-saturated with workers. If there are more lawyers, Accountants, Economists than there are jobs, mo work in manufacturing or agriculture, then there needs to be an outlet, such as immigration to relive the glut of workers. While the issue of brain drain can be identified in the outward movement of health care practitioners from the Caribbean, on the other hand this same outlet of immigration relives stress on local government, who are unable to provide jobs for all.

Countries such as Canada and America supplement their labour forces through immigration. These countries attract both the so called “cream of the crop” and those willing to work at minimum wage. Developed countries benefit from incoming workers, who are willing to be employed in part time, minimum wage jobs. These are jobs which established citizens may not be willing to do. Immigrants working at minimum wage jobs and in so doing, support the overall economic base. Through their working, paying rent, shopping and general economic activity in the country they are bolstering the country’s economic base.

Most developing countries are now facing an aging population. The baby boomer generation, or the world war two generation are about to retire from their jobs and will need their pensions. That means that they will be drawing monies from the country. It is feared that there may not be enough money to pay pensions to seniors. What is needed to offset this situation is a young working generation, or a tax payer’s base big enough to offset the outgoing pension payments.

Developing countries are now facing an aging population but they are also facing a low birth rate situation. People are having fewer children and women and men are having children later on in life. There now is a situation where, the citizens do not want to work in Minimum wage jobs and are having fewer children as well. That means that they are not replenishing the labour force and more people are retiring.

Countries need a stable, young, working, taxpaying base, to supplements and replenish their labour forces, faster than the elderly retire. Countries are faced with what is called a high dependency ratio, there are more people retiring than there are young workers joining the work force. If this situation persists it is uncertain how government will be able to maintain public funded initiatives such as pensions and senior medical programs. Immigration in this instance will help those developed countries offset that problem, by providing them with a young labour force that can be taxed.

Finally the work that immigrants are hired into in developed countries provides them with capital, some of which is forwarded to their countries of origins, to support families. These are direct foreign injections into the receiving countries’ economies. During Christmas the barrels and other goods sent by families also bolster the local economies. If goods and services are allowed easy access to flow seamlessly across borders, shouldn’t people be allowed too as well?

Immigration is an important policy issue which must be handled seriously. The movement of labour, just like service and goods, should be facilitated. Immigration policies that are sympathetic to the overlying economical benefits of migration are best. Retirees from developed countries own getaway mansions in less developed countries, they move across borders as well and contribute to a global economy. Immigration policies like free market policies should advocate a seamless movement of goods, services and labour across the globe. The ongoing facilitation of the movement of people across borders is potentially beneficial to all.

Of note:

Phylis Wilson wrote a thought provoking blog about the fallacies of immigrating to a new land. She hit the nail right on the head, when she explained the difficulties that immigrants face, while trying to get ahead in a new country. It is very difficult leaving ones homeland to struggle for years trying to assimilate into a new society, it is often times tougher than back in their homelands.

Water For Life

It is amazing, the thought of my mom raising six boys and two girls. When I contemplate such a feat of strength and resilience, I marvel at her ability to run a household. My mom is one of many St Lucian women who make daily survival, seem like everyday living. Most of us only realize in hindsight what it difficulties of raising children and running a household. When we grow up and have families of our own and we become fathers and mothers, we become quite enlightened however. Our women have shown an inspiring ability to overcome obstacles with grace. Just imagine having to run a household with so many children. Now for good measure throw in the occasional unforeseen circumstances, such as an illness, a school trip or a water shortage. Sometimes when there was a water shortage in my community moms planed a family trip to the river.

Whenever there was a water shortage, conservation measures were put into effect and the taps would be shut off intermittently. Until the reservoirs were replenished, we would have to find other ways of accommodating our water necessities which sometimes meant a trip to the river. That was usually the highlight of my weekend. Going to the river was the best fun a kid could have, and of course that meant a welcome respite from the heat, it is one childhood pastime that most kids growing up in rural St Lucia, have enjoyed at one time or another.

The present,” water woes”, though not a new occurrence, should remind us of the importance of water to our survival. Many of us are familiar with the statement “Water is Life”; I believe it was famously used in an advertisement for water conservation in St Lucia. It is catchy yet poignant. water is life it is essential to our survival,we take it for granted and may only realize it is a necessity, when it is to late.

The statement "Water is Life" aptly highlights the crux of the matter, the importance of water to our very existence. That very water which as kids seemed so abundant and plentiful is no longer. Although there have been times of droughts or even water shortages in time past,we must however acknowledge that, we are living unattainably. We have an unsustainable approach to our water management in St Lucia and it is reflective in the fact that Streams have begun to dry up and rivers have shrunk and now we are grappling with climate change. Soon we may not have those rivers to fall back on when the pipes run dry.

As a child we splashed and played in the rivers and streams in St Lucia. I remember we would make boats out of old coconut shell and watch them sail downstream. At rimes we would pretend to wage battles with sailing fleets of coconut shells and at times we just raced each other, running alongside the swift flowing streams following our boats. There was always more things do than there was time at the river.

The excitement of being outdoors and having fun had no bounds and it freed up our imaginations and sense of adventure. We would use the time to go hunting for crayfish. If you were brave and was willing to put your hand under a rock, after a few scrapes and cuts you might come out with a really nice, big fat crayfish. Sticking your hand under a rock, to catch a crayfish was not for the faint of heart and most people never tried it. A few of the older boys however sometimes, pulled out monsters from under the rocks, the size of a small lobster, mind you not without a fight.

There was one other way that the younger kids used and although you only caught smaller crayfish about the size of prawns it was fun too. You only needed to submerge a bucket into the water and using a piece of coconut flesh at the end of a stick, slowly coax the small crayfish into the bucket. When the crayfish was into the bucket you would simply, quickly lift the bucket out of the water. It may sound simple but it took some practice and crawfish are notoriously quick at darting backwards, getting out of your intended trap.

It is unfortunate however, because many of those tiny streams have dried up. Agriculture was a boon to St Lucia but it precipitated substantial deforestation, especially around rivers and streams. So in some way we a reaping the seeds we have sown. It is not however too late and we can start to redress the situation. A tree planting program is a compulsory measure, in order to line all streams and rivers with trees. But we require a fully comprehensive approach to Water sustainability in St Lucia.

We have gotten to this point over many years of callous mismanagement of our water resources. Having arrived at this juncture, we can approach the situation as if it were, the last trumpet heralding the call to arms. This is essentially our last opportunity to nurture, preserve and conserve our water resource, in order to secure, good clean water supplies for us all, in the near term and into the future.

Desalination plants, Artesian wells. Tree replanting programs, Mangrove rehabilitation projects, manufacturing regulations and a comprehensive water management strategy, a few ideas we could start with. But for sure we need workable solutions to a comprehensive problem. The good news is that we have an opportunity to make a green shift, a shift towards a more environmentally friendly future. The Copenhagen Hagen Conference, on Climate Change, even with no other concrete outcome should keep us focused on the dire consequences of environmental mismanagement; the drought only serves to further emphasize that fact.

Water conservation is one issue that conservationist have pointed to being, the most pertinent issue facing the survival of life on this planet. It is not unique to St Lucia, although at this present moment, we find ourselves facing a very difficult few months before the rains arrive. It is a well known fact that “Small Island States” are at the vanguard of the effects of climate change. We are experiencing that reality.

The time has arrived for us to leave a sustainably and consider our impact on the planet we live on. From that standpoint; we must take measures that will ensure our children enjoy the world as we have. Let us ensure that we conserve this precious resource “Water” which is so essential to life and in so doing let us focus on our ecological environment, “Mama Earth is hurting”. I would like my children to enjoy the heart warming feelings experienced, from a quaint trip to the river and I hope that it is enjoyed by many more generations to come. Each of us has an individual responsibility and must play our part to help the planet live.

Divide and Rule

I hated Monday mornings, not because of the hangover from enjoying the spirit of St Lucia, a little too much, but also because it was the day before banana day. That meant that I had to run around all day long, getting ready for another early Tuesday Banana harvest morning. Oh yes by the way I said “Banana Day”, yep it was literally a full day’s work which ended in an early morning ride back from the wharfs. But back to the day before banana day, Monday mornings, when I had to drive from Micoud to Praslin getting ready for the next day’s work, affectionately referred to by the workers as” La fetes de Bourick “. A Creole saying which when translated literally means “The feast of the donkey”. You may infer a great deal from that statement, least of which could be, that the grueling physical nature of the work, on harvest day, was not to pleasing to the workers’. But I digress because my original intention was to highlight what I saw on my drive to the Banana Boxing Plant and that is the entwined destiny of the individual communities which i passed on my way. And yet at the same time I marveled at their separateness’ and apparent individuality.

“Divide and rule” an age old strategy utilized by the Romans in their conquests and the Europeans conquering of Africa. It sometimes seems to me that there still exist marked divisions between communities in St Lucia and I sometimes wonder whether this is partly because of slavery. I have come to believe that such a tribal mentality has slowly changed for the better over time and we have evolved into more social beings, able to form consensus across divisions. So my morning ride would take me first to Micoud, where I would pick up card board frames, which would be made into boxes in which the bananas would be packed into for export. On my way to Micoud I would have to decide whether to put gas in the vehicle either in Mon Repos or in Micoud, a choice which illustrated the division between communities.

I had a choice between stopping at the intersection of Mon repos road and the highway or choices between four different gas stations in Micoud. Come to think of it the competition must have been fierce. On my way to Micoud I usually refuelled at the first stop which was usually the Mon Repos Gas station. After refuelling I would head out to get the material needed for harvest day. On my way back from the boxing plant in Micoud I would probably make a stop off in Micoud to pick up one of the famous Dahl Puris, with peas stuffing and wash it down with a local soft drink, champagne or cream soda flavoured.

Malgratoute was a must stop on the days when I could pick up some fresh fruit, mangoes, plantain, even some roast pork. It was difficult to stop for too long because I had to get back on the road there was work to be done. Back on the road again and at the intersection of St Marie and La Pointe road, one would have to slow down because it was a blind corner and many people used it as a crossing point. Thank goodness for the lovely lady who protected and ensured that the school children crossed safely on mornings and afternoons. I would turn right into La Pointe and go pick up a friend to help me glue and transport the boxes to the farm.
If I had the time and the road was good I could either go through St Marie or Knockay Avenue to get to Lumbard, but that would take more time although the route through St Marie is very beautiful. But since I had picked up all I needed in Micoud I would not have had to go up to Lumbard, which had a banana input depot too, unless I found some excuse to go up the hill, probably to say hi to a friend. Praslin was the last community that I would pass through on my way to the farm, I enjoyed stopping off here. I often times bought fresh fish for my Mom and if I was lucky and coaxed one of the fisher men to give me a few extra crabs, octopus or maybe some lobster, my day would be made.

Driving through Micoud north with its diverse community there was always so much to enjoy and appreciate. There is one thing that I have always found surprising and it is that there seems to be a strong polarization between communities. It is almost like they are competing against each other. It is quite ironic since we are all on this small rock and reside in even smaller communities. I do believe that with time things have changed, but yet the more they change the more they remain the same somehow.

It’s like, there ounce were seven sisters who could never agree. Individually they each were strong, beautiful and witty, but together they would be so much more. They always disagreed and because of their constant disagreement they never got anything done. Micoud, Malgratoute, Patience, La.Pointe, Lumbard, Mon Repos and Praslin. It seems that there is a constant infighting and bickering within communities and most definitely across communities. It is tribal, it is family, it is North, South, East West, yet we found a way to survive for so many years together on this land. Don’t be shackled to a mentality that prevents you from dealing amicably with your fellow men and women, to divide and rule is their only plan.