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St Georges
I am of the deep conviction that we in Grenada, by virtue of our small population, have an opportunity (a comparative advantage, if you will) to engage in the liberation of our populace that will typically pose a bigger challenge to many other nation-states, but one that is very practical and necessary for the said effect.
In the midst of our relative poverty as a nation, one whose population for generations has been taken advantage of and continues to be vulnerable to capitalist/imperialist power centers and their forces, we collectively can provide real security for each other by realizing that with workers and the general citizenry owning a greater stake in the land they ought to be rooted in through direct ownership of land and home as a social investment (no different from the right to an education), we will be able to affirm our humanity in a healthy manner, bringing about a more harmonious and stable society.
I have explored what the cost of such a project could be for government as a line item in the national budget: some $100,000,000 annually for the first twenty years of the project, which is estimated to produce 20,000 houses, at a general cost of two billion dollars (E.C). The ideal volume of houses, I estimate, could be closer to 35,000 over that same period, but that will mean that the twenty-year gross cost will be greater than the projected two billion. Of course, a thorough survey of the housing needs will provide a more precise number of units needed.
The revenue streams projected to be used are the current Citizenship by Investment Programme which is already raising hundreds of millions, as well as the anticipated revenue from the production of oil and natural gas. Another viable revenue stream would be that of tax revenues from the tourism sector, with the curtailing of the extended tax holidays currently afforded to prominent constituents of that industry (20 plus years being the norm).
Why isn’t this proposal a popular idea at present, you may ask? It is because we are not wired to engage in that way of thinking, of viewing ourselves and thus responding to the given market realities and competitive mode of relating to one another than we already do — struggle for our own, individually. The kind of protection that I am espousing can only be realized on the basis of a shared or collective effect or experience, one that obviously curbs competition for a most basic element of social life, a home. It means workers of our humble nation-state will be working to live purposefully, with the greatest hope for self-actualization, in all sense of the term. They would have been given a floor to stand on and a roof over their heads, figuratively and literally. 
Indeed, such a project would serve as the biggest and most comprehensive development to our human resources and our living habitat. It will spur growth internally and externally for our people. For one, it has the capacity to create 100 % employment in the country and boost the spending power of citizens in a manner we have never witnessed. This could very well be our most immediate engine for growth, socially, economically, and psychologically, should we act on it with great intentionality, to realize its impact on all aspects of our lives as individuals and nation.
I am ready to witness such a comprehensive and protective approach to national development. It is doable and it worth every cent that will be invested: for our physical health and our general well-being as human beings with creative energies to propel our existence on a level that will sustain economic and social growth for many generations to come. It is the kind of reparative justice we can give to ourselves as citizens of a beautiful country.
*A more extensive elaboration of this plan can be found under Yao Atunwa’s facebook profile. Big Drum Nation encourages vibrant discussion on this bold plan. What do you think?
Yao Atunwa holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in political science from the City University of New York and has recently matriculated in The New School for Social Research sociology graduate program.
YAO – while I respect your report from afar, on what you consider should happen in Grenada to improve our lot. I totally disagree with your findings or research to that end.
Here, we lack the capacity and foresight to think outside the box, so to speak.. Forget about the imperialist power house that have taken advantage of Grenada.. The problem is that we allow them to do so, or shall I say trample all over us. We give away to many money making opportunities to foreign investors and for what, a handful of computer Tablets. When you give companies 25 or even 20 year tax free concession, this is a lost to the nation.
You mention about oil and gas. That may never come to fruition and was only a political gimmick, and a cheap one at that.. you have to look at the timing of that announcement..
I do not wish to politicize our current plight but, its difficult not too given the length of time one government have served the nation, and to what avail…millions spent, millions wasted, millions ended up in the pockets of unscrupulous individuals etc..etc… I rest my case.