Prime Minister Dr. Kenny D. Anthony and members of the Cabinet of ministers will meet with more representatives of civil society, to brief them on the performance of the economy over the past year and to discuss proposals aimed at stabilising the fiscal position of the country.
To date, the prime minister has written to the Saint Lucia Christian Council, the Media Association, the Small Business Association and the National Youth Council, inviting them to meetings to dialogue on the economy and to explain measures under consideration by the Government.
According to the prime minister, “I plan to widen our consultation to include as many civil society groups as possible. It is absolutely vital that the challenges we face are understood and the options available to us are clearly analyzed and explained. No adjustment will work unless the reasons for it are understood. This is a new experience for all of us.”
Officials from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs will make presentations on the economy. Thereafter, Prime Minister Anthony and members of Cabinet will engage the representatives with a view to find consensus on the way forward. These meetings will also be opportunities for the various groups to share ideas to help address the financial difficulties Saint Lucia faces.
To date, the prime minister has held meetings with representatives at the management level of the public service, representatives of the business sector and is scheduled to engage public sector unions on May 2, 2014.