Archives | Thoughts, Ideas and Musings

Every day, new words are introduced into our vocabulary as technology and new thought emerges. I wish to introduce a new term – ‘Abaxial Thinking’, which I am copyrighting at this point. I will define abaxial thinking as generating thought processes away from the norm. It is saying for example that the price of fuel should go up when the general thinking is that it should go down. While the conversations have been focused on the reduction of the price of fuel and its possible impact on the economy, I would wish to posit that an abaxial thought would be that the price of fuel should in fact be increased at this time. Governments have seen the importation of vehicles as a source of revenue. In St. Lucia the final cost of an imported vehicle is almost the equivalent of the cost of the vehicle CIF into St Lucia. There is almost 100% add on to the cost of the vehicle. When someone goes to...

THERE IS NO MODEL!!

By John Peters in Print

“We are virtually at the crossroads. As an economist, I can tell you that it really requires a quantum leap in our thinking, in our focus and in our intervention through the kind of work that needs to be done. The fact is that we need to corral our forces – intellectual, economic and financial – and try to meet that proposition’’ The following were the words of Mr. McHale Andrew speaking last year as Chief Executive Officer of Invest St Lucia. Mr. Andrew was providing a positive picture of the results of the Investment Forum held in May 2014. It was reported by Stan Bishop that he also stated that a sum of US $ 100.0 million of Foreign Directed Investment was invested in the last six months of 2014. I want to think that my good friend Stan Bishop may have misquoted Mr. Andrew in his article. There is no way USD $ 100 million could have entered St Lucia in the last six months without...

ON ABSOLUTE ZERO

By John Peters in Quotes

In the theory of physics there is a concept of absolute zero, where there is the complete absence of heat and motion, it is the lowest temperature possible. Poor policies and reckless management of our economies have brought certain Caribbean countries to the brink of absolute economic zero, the lowest state of economic stagnation.

John Peters

WHY FUEL PRICES REMAIN HIGH

By John Peters in Print

Recently the Government provided its position on the reason the price of fuel has not changed significantly even with the major decreases in the price of crude oil on the international market. However, the Gov’t Press Secretary failed miserably to fully explain the reason that this has occurred. In November 2013, Mr. Everistus Jn Marie was interviewed by Ms Jada Brown, a reporter attached to HTS, on the method behind fuel prices. It was a most instructive interview. Mr. Jn Marie made some very critical points in that interview. He very correctly stated that the respective parties need to be more forthcoming in informing the public and consumers on the reasons behind the cost of fuel. I fully concur, and must state that the Government has to do more to ensure that there is transparency in the energy sector. The Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Sustainable Development must take...