Once upon a time some of our leaders had the idea to come together and by pooling resources our region might benefit. The thrust of the leadership of what eventually evolved to CARICOM came from the Big Four, Trinidad, Jamaica, Guyana and Barbados. BU has often ruminated how Barbados was regarded as one of the Big Four. If we judge by size, Trinidad and Tobago is 1980 square miles (including Tobago), Guyana is 76,000 square miles and Jamaica is 4181 square miles. Embarrassingly Barbados is plotted at 166 square miles.
Barbados of the Big Four is not blessed with any significant natural resources. Using a strategy of educating its people successive governments have empowered its people to exploit what limited opportunities exist in a very competitive world. Our legacy of good governance is a matter of record.
It is instructive 40 plus years hence independence to review the scorecard of the Big Four. Jamaica has done a good job of mismanaging its economy. In the 70s when then Prime Minister Michael Manley’s economic policies failed and he was forced to seek the IMF. Although there was a lift in the 80s it is yet to regain the momentum pre-1972.
Trinidad & Tobago with it rich oil and natural gas reserves has arguably enjoyed the best economic times. As one would expect its economic success is interwoven with the rise and fall of oil prices on the world market given its petro-base. Of concern though is the rising political tension between the political parties which have become polarized along race lines.
Guyana of the Big Four is at the bottom of the pile using any measure. The country going back to Forbes Burnham has succumb to economic and political mismanagement which has been driven by racial conflict between the two dominant ethnic groups Indian and Blacks. The ignominy of Guyanese can be judged if all admit that Guyana is the most blessed with natural resources of the Big Four.
In a sentence Barbados was given the fewest resources (natural) and has made the best of it. No boast; it is a matter of record.
The current reality for two of the Big Four i.e. Guyana and Jamaica, net migration statistics support the view many of their citizens now aspire to emigrate to far away lands. Guyana’s economy has been decimated by a brain drain for over 20 years. Jamaica’s migration of its best minds has not been as problematic but according to our sources on the ground it is not far behind. According to statistics released by the Barbados Police Department the murder rate in Trinidad has now reached 36.3% slightly trailing Jamaica at 42%. There was a time when Jamaicans, Guyanese and Trinidadians would scoff at emigrating in large numbers to little Barbados, not any more. In the last five years the statistics show more Caricom nationals have landed in Barbados than on most other Caricom islands. BU by applying commonsense anticipates the single digit murder rate Commissioner Darwin Dottin was boasting at yesterday’s Press Conference may soon change. The statisticians may want to refer the Commissioner to the concept of negative correlation if we use the low murder rate and high immigration inflows as discussion points.
The concern by Barbadians demonstrated in the last CADRES poll about the loose immigration policy practiced by Barbados CONTINUES to be a concern. Ironically the Superintendent of Prisons John Nurse recently revealed the troubling statistic that 25% of our Dodds population is non-national i.e. Jamaican, Vincentians and Guyanese, no doubt mostly drug related.
Barbados despite its physical size and scarce mineral resources has demonstrated against the odds how good leadership can triumph. In recent years in the face of a wavering moral compass and leaders who easily prostitute themselves at the altar of greed, Barbadians have been searching desperately for LEADERS in all areas of civil society. In the last 15 years Barbados has allowed itself to go with the flow. As a consequence we have a generation of Barbadians who are not steeped in a value system which prepares them to guide Barbados away from the rocks of neoliberal and cultural relativistic behaviour.
In our 43 year of independence it is a good reminder of the simple philosophy which the late Right Excellent Errol Barrow used to guide our foreign policy – we will be friends of all and satellites of none. On the issue of nurturing a moral based society his Mirror Image Speech is written on history’s page for all to aspire.
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