Red Plastic Bag Singing Bim
Barbados is 166 square miles, a small country even if stacked against our Caribbean neighbours like Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Cuba, Guyana, Dominican Republic and the others. Many of those mentioned are blessed with an abundance of natural resources which ensures that their respective governments are assured of options when managing their economies.
Despite our reliance on only our PEOPLE resource, Barbados can proudly boast that after 42 year of being in charge of our sovereignty we have built a wonderful country which is the envy of many. Barbados is considered one of few developing countries considered closest to attaining developed status. All the indices which are used by the United Nations, WHO – human index, transparency international, all have perennially given Barbados top ranking. It seems that for as long as we can remember Barbados has been referred to as a stable country both politically and socially.
One of the reasons for our success has been our ability to check the rear view mirror even as we plunge into what the future offers. Yes we have been successful if we benchmark against other countries of the world but Barbadians cannot rest on the achievements of the past. Already we can see worrying signs on the horizon. As a savvy PEOPLE we should not be afraid to confront the changes which the times bring. However we cannot bury our heads in the sand and ignore the obvious, our social infrastructure is beginning to molder, there is rising lack of respect for law and order, the mooring to the core values which have given us the respected Bajan brand is becoming unhinged. Through successive governments we have juggled our social and economic priorities with aplomb.
On this weekend as we bask in the success of what we have achieved in 42 years of Independence, we are starkly aware the next stage of the journey is strewn with challenges, especially for a small nation buffeting in the turbulence caused by globalization. We will have to rely on those character traits which have separated us from the rest.
Have you started to notice the lawlessness on our roads? Have you noticed that with the disappearance of village life we are becoming an impersonal society? Have you noticed the questions being asked of our healthcare and educational systems? Have you noticed the slackness of our civil service which use to be the bedrock of our past successes? Have you noticed our surrender to all things which are foreign at the expense of homegrown?
To use Bush tea’s observation, we have the current situation where as a country we have elected to prostitute ourselves for the almighty dollar: we allow our merchants to launch Christmas promotions at the expense of Independence. We don’t want to deny the opportunity for the business sector to boost sales but where are our priorities?
Some have resigned themselves that as country it is already too late to retrieve what WE want to be. Remember the mirror image speech? In the BU household we believe that ‘hope springs eternal.’
Have a Happy Independence Barbados!
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