{"id":997,"date":"2011-08-07T11:23:53","date_gmt":"2011-08-07T15:23:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stluciasimplybeautiful.com\/v1\/?p=997"},"modified":"2011-08-07T11:23:53","modified_gmt":"2011-08-07T15:23:53","slug":"where-are-the-foreign-direct-investors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stluciasimplybeautiful.com\/v1\/2011\/08\/07\/where-are-the-foreign-direct-investors\/","title":{"rendered":"WHERE ARE THE FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTORS?"},"content":{"rendered":"

August 4, 2011<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harris At Large! <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>WHERE ARE THE FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTORS?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>Ease of Doing Business, a World Bank Group Report ranked Saint Lucia as #53 from among 183 countries in 2011. In the Latin America\/Caribbean Region, St. Lucia is ranked #6 among 32 countries and #1 among CARICOM countries. \u00c2\u00a0It is important to note that Barbados was not listed in the ranking. What has happened to cause St. Lucia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s decline in ranking over the years? A few things come to mind 1. Lack of urgency of dealing with the alien land holding process. 2. Timeliness in dealing with responses with respect to investors\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 requests for information in relation to investing in the country. 3. The length of time it takes to get the necessary approvals to establish a business and develop real estate. Check out the details at www.doingbusiness.org<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

I had the privilege of visiting a small island State that is less than half the size of St. Lucia and just over a quarter of the population. Ranked far below St. Lucia but In spite of the prevailing global economic problem, everyone seemed upbeat, expressing confidence in the future. I found \u00e2\u20ac\u0153HOPE\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to be very much alive. I checked the Ease of Doing Business ranking of the country and discovered that the country is at #78. I must conclude that rating has nothing to do with the level of investment in a country. I must hasten to mention however, that it has a lot to do with national pride and the comfort level of Investors.<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Politicians are very savvy about political expediency; they have no problem in mending fences and getting on with the business of being elected. Looking back over the years there are several instances where politicians came together and executed their game plan. It is now time to take the same approach in dealing with matters of the economy. In the past two years, Foreign Direct investment Flow has been drying up to the point where it\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0is currently almost at a standstill. It is time to bring all hands on deck \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Politicians, Entrepreneurs, Professionals, anyone who has ideas about putting St. Lucia back on the map as a destination for business and pleasure. Let ideas on the economy contend. Sharpen the skills of the Trade Attaches at the Foreign Missions. Support Investment Missions for Entrepreneurs in all sectors, not only tourism. It is time to establish a Land Bank for lands that are currently on the market. When will something be done about Crown Lands in terms of making a portion available for low cost housing and other developments?\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In spite of the global economic conditions, our leaders in industry and government must be trail blazers, doing everything possible to attract new investments to St. Lucia. I hasten to mention that it is necessary to look inward while we seek out opportunities external to St. Lucia. There are many things we need to begin to do right here, right now, to make the economy better. What about the National Economic Council? What has happened to this Think Tank? Let the dialogue begin at all levels now! There must be a consistent approach in dealing with economic matters. It is time to engage the nation. The economy is everybody\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s business. Everyone needs money to survive in today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s world. This is not a time to depend on others; it is a struggle to make ends meet. This is a call to action. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>Emancipation Day was observed on Monday, the 1st<\/sup> of August. When most persons speak about emancipation, they think of SLAVERY. Our fore parents were emancipated from forced labour and domination of the slave masters. That type of slavery has been replaced by economic slavery where most persons are in bondage of DEBT. The debt situation is getting worse, where everyone is now caught in the net of debt and is sailing in the same ship.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The world is challenged to do things differently. St. Lucia is no exception. There is need to put meaning to many of the words we have been using passively, such as Good Governance, Prudent Management of our Resources, Paradigm Shift, Transition, Mind Set, etc, etc. Does Civil Society have a voice in matters of the economy? This is a time for everyone with an idea to speak up. This is a time to unite against poverty. It is time to stand up and confront poverty.<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many are wondering how there were so many revelers during Carnival and the price they willingly paid to participate. That is no mystery. Many were suppressing their frustrations. We must find a solution to the economic problems now staring many directly in the face. Together, we can make things better.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>Remember always to Keep the Faith, God is in Charge, Dream Big and expect Daily Miracles!<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Edward Harris<\/strong><\/p>\n

Biblicist, Freelance Journalist, Author, Realtor, Business & PR Consultant<\/strong><\/p>\n

Email: eaharrisdestiny@gmail.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Websites: www.stluciapropertydeals.com<\/a> www.stluciasimplybeautiful.com<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

www.groups.yahoo.com\/group\/globalmillionairesclub<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

www.brainstorminggroup.webs.com<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0 www.cariblist.com<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0 St. Lucia \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Agent ECREDMC<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

August 4, 2011\u00c2\u00a0 Harris At Large! \u00c2\u00a0WHERE ARE THE FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTORS? \u00c2\u00a0Ease of Doing Business, a World Bank Group Report ranked Saint Lucia as #53 from among 183 countries in 2011. In the Latin America\/Caribbean Region, St. Lucia is ranked #6 among 32 countries and #1 among CARICOM countries. \u00c2\u00a0It is important to note […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stluciasimplybeautiful.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/997"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stluciasimplybeautiful.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stluciasimplybeautiful.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stluciasimplybeautiful.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stluciasimplybeautiful.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=997"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stluciasimplybeautiful.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":998,"href":"https:\/\/stluciasimplybeautiful.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/997\/revisions\/998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stluciasimplybeautiful.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stluciasimplybeautiful.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stluciasimplybeautiful.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}