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A Mendicant State Of Mind

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Submitted by Charles Knighton

Many years ago I gifted my brother a new vehicle, hoping such a gift would help him develop a much needed sense of responsibility as he would obviously need to maintain it.  I further wished him to develop a much needed sense of PRIDE as well as INDUSTRY, characteristics I felt would come to the fore as he assumed the tasks necessary to keep this gift in tip-top condition.

Sometime later, he let me know that even though he still greatly appreciated my gift to him, the required maintenance was beyond his meager capabilities. He then asked if I would be so kind as to perform all the necessary repairs as the vehicle’s condition was beginning to embarrass him.  It was not only his ingratitude, but his childlike inability to assume responsibility that rankled. That he was not the slightest bit embarrassed by such a state of affairs was truly stunning and spoke volumes of his mendicant state of mind.

Which brings me to page four of the June 14th Nation, $6.5 million grant from China where we learn the Chinese will undertake remedial work at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, following which a long list of maintenance and repair items are enumerated. How utterly embarrassing, though it does help to explain the age old question:” How de yute get so?”.

By the way, my brother somehow managed the wherewithal to put his vehicle right after I refused his request to do so, which turned out to be his first step on the road to independence and a healthy sense of self-esteem.

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28 responses to “A Mendicant State Of Mind”

  1. Sid Boyce Avatar
    Sid Boyce

    As the Mighty Sparrow sang, “Why buy a cow when you can get milk free”. in most conversations I encounter, the recurring theme is that “they” won’t let us, “they” won’t help us or “they” won’t give us.
    Excuses, excuses and as I often say, people with excuses are excuses for people.
    An acquaintance once told me that during a visit to the island one guy approached the postman and asked if there was anything for him. When told no, he said he wondered what his brother in England was playing at and that he HAD to send him something. The visitor then asked “GOT TO?!” which got the response “Of course, he’s got to send me something”.

    Nothing seems to improve or really change – The late Prime Minister was quoted as saying they would put persons in Embassies and High Commissions to seek out jobs for Barbadians – on cruise ships, etc.
    I can only extrapolate that by extension he was also thinking of domestic servants and that kind of crummy occupation.

    Across the other end of the sea, when the Jamaican Pilots association expressed an interest in buying Air Jamaica, part of the business plan was the farm labour scheme which I thought was a relic of the 1940 – early 1960’s. I was quite shocked, I didn’t know it still existed.

    It’s a kind of “I’m a bum, you’ve got to be nice to me” mentality that still prevails.
    It’s a diaspora trait, even some of my relatives have jetted off to Barbados asking family there they deem well off for money. One in New York asked his brother in Barbados to send him $5,000.00 US which by now he’s peed up against a wall.

  2. getting to the point Avatar
    getting to the point

    “Tough love” is not a concept that is used in Barbados in any part of the society. So mendicancy will remain.

  3. islandgal246 Avatar
    islandgal246

    They say beggars can’t be choosers but in this case we are begging and trying to be the choosers. We have no shame at all. Look at the public Library, it was a gift by the Carnegie foundation in 1905 and the only stipulation was that we pay for the upkeep. Now 111 years later it is closed due to poor maintenance.

  4. islandgal246 Avatar
    islandgal246

    Correction Sorry 106 years later

  5. Cheryl Avatar
    Cheryl

    What are the conditions that will be attached to this grant by the Chinese? He who feeds you controls you.

  6. Nia Avatar
    Nia

    Exactly what Cheryl said. Do we really feel this “gift” is going to be “for free” in the long term?

  7. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Does anybody understand what this Sid Boyce person is suggesting? Is he by his lone unprovable example, attempting to suggest that Barbadians on the rock are financially better off than those oversease? How could this be? The bajan economy is pittance when valued against those where Bajans in the diaspora lives. Let take one job in both economies, that of a cashier in retail Barbados and compare the hourly or weekly rate to that of a cashier in retail USA, or Canada, or the UK. The minimum rate of pay in the US is 5:75 UDS per hour and cashiers in the US make twice that amount. In addition when the UN starts to publish “remittance” figures that flow from Barbados to the diasporic economies and not the other way around then I may start to concider Sid Boyce comments as anything credible.
    BTW: Mia went to China and came back with promises totaling 500million, Was Barbados begging, and or medicant? She also when to Guyana and came back with promise of guyanese land for Bajans, were we begging and mendicant then?

    B

  8. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    What person would gift a car to somone to teach them responsibility? Assuming this gift took place in Barbados where new car prices can run into a 100k real quick, I am having some difficulty with this article. Tell me why I should not.

  9. anthony Avatar
    anthony

    think your missing the “Many years ago” part. and doesn’t say what kinda of car. sure some car quickly head to 100K though a swift is about 50K now. land rover defenders at few year ago used to be 60K now they 120+K

  10. islandgal246 Avatar
    islandgal246

    We as a nation are a bunch of beggars period. B or D we are beggars! We have to learn to stop begging or one day we gine get poison. We waste every thing. We are a bunch of wastrels and it is encouraged by both political parties. The well is dry and we don’t want to look down in it so we rather beg than fix the problem.

  11. Sid Boyce Avatar
    Sid Boyce

    I am not for one moment suggesting that Barbadians on the Rock are better off.
    I was indicating the state of mind prevalent not only on the Rock but at large in the diaspora.

    Don’t think for one moment that Barbadians, even second generation ones living in Britain and the USA are above hopping on a plane for Barbados with the intention of scrounging off family if they know there is the cash there to be gouged.
    I have just not one, but many instances I could cite.

  12. islandgal246 Avatar
    islandgal246

    @Adrian Hinds | June 15, 2011 at 9:11 AM |

    you are a hard nut to crack, and slow pon de uptake.

  13. Sid Boyce Avatar
    Sid Boyce

    Adrian, if that reference is to me, I am surprised or should I say astonished as I’ve never been considered slow on the uptake by anyone I deal with on the planet on a daily basis or have dealt with, not even accomplished professors.
    Ample records are out there, just punch Sid Boyce into a search engine.
    I was amazed at the amount of stuff I still do and the attention it draws. I even had to decline a recent job offer from Google who were obviously watching my valuable contributions via the internet.
    I’m happily retired and still making valuable contributions voluntarily to software and hardware development. I had to decline Google’s offer of paid employment.
    On software, I have never seen anyone based in Barbados contributing or using Linux or ‘BSD or doing Software Defined Radio and other clever stuff – I suppose the man “Microsoft” supplies the dependency culture.
    What added value does our grads bring to the economy of Barbados?

  14. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    islandgal246 | June 15, 2011 at 9:21 AM | @Adrian Hinds | June 15, 2011 at 9:11 AM |

    you are a hard nut to crack, and slow pon de uptake.

    ….Thanks for the compliments. LOL! if a nut is hard to crack “introduce” it to some fertile soil and let nature takes it course. LOL! also, Slow pon de uptake gaurantees real learning, and properly stored info into my internal memory for easy recall when person attempt to use their “reasonings” to persuade me to their point of view.

    @Sid Boyce:

    I have seen insanely rich people fret, complain and persue wrong charges – pennies, and dollars worth – with the ferventcy you might associate with millions of dollars. I am also acutely aware that inate greed if left unchecked will be used by some to take from others althought they themselves are not in need. That a Bajan in the diaspora having the where-with-all to live comfortable, would not refuse the warm reception afforded to him on his return; some of us both here and there will even fake being poor to get more or a free ride; But to use such occurances as indicators to support your contention, and to do so inspite of facts and measurments base on economic size, makes me wonder if you also believe
    that God is a bajan. 🙂

  15. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Sid B the comment wasn’t intended for you and it wasn’t made by me.

    @Anthony
    who said…..
    anthony | June 15, 2011 at 9:15 AM | think your missing the “Many years ago” part. and doesn’t say what kinda of car. sure some car quickly head to 100K though a swift is about 50K now. land rover defenders at few year ago used to be 60K now they 120+K

    The concept is “teaching responsibility” suggesting that the adult (must be to drive a car) did not have any or not much, so much so that it had to thought to them with an aid. Given that the price of most things is simply what someone is willing to pay for it; many years ago does not change the significance associated with the purchace of a vehicle. What ever the price was during your “many years ago” scenario, it would have been a significant amount for what then and is still now concidered a luxury if not a privelage commodity in Barbados -one in every drive-way once went a campaign slogan.

  16. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Anthony’s “Many years ago” comment as it relates to cars was que to recall the Lada and the skoda vehicles. First it would have been a burden and not a gift, to give someone one of these vehicles, yet, if you owned one, you were more priviledge (for a very short time in car years) than the vast majority of persons catching de bus.

    I am deconstructing this “gift car to teach responsibility” because of its “convenience” to criticize the government for getting a loan and or promise to do repair/mentenance on infrastructure, as if this is the first time that our socialist democratic class has travel the high seas, returning with the fruits of their “begging” exploits. They -the political class- has convince Barbadians that it is better to be dependent on them and have always led by example in that regards

  17. Charles Knighton Avatar
    Charles Knighton

    What model car, cost, how many years ago. Too many of you will never see the forest as too many trees are blocking your view.

  18. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    @Charles Knighton:
    I don’t what to only view the forest; I want to be in it as well; camping, and learning the intracies of its eco-system. Such is more fun, more meaningful, more enlightening than mere viewing or listening to you define your views of it. LOL! But tell de truth doah, you really bought a car to teach somebody a lesson in responsibility? chupse!

  19. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    $1 Billion Sweet Deal
    BLP talking points such as the Charles Knighton “article” above usually gets “tested” on Facebook first. LOL!

    Was Barbados a mendecant state of mine under the BLP?
    or is it now something new?

    BARBADOS is in line to benefit from a large slice of the $1 billion in Chinese investments expected into the Caribbean by 2011.
    Additionally, the island and its regional neighbours, who have diplomatic relations with Beijing, will also share in a comprehensive assistance package aimed at stepping up co-operation between China and the Caribbean like never before.

    Deputy Prime Minister Mia Mottley made it clear, however, that no political conditions are tied to the massive deal, neither should Barbadians fear that the expected large inflow of Chinese capital would be matched with a similar influx of labour from that country.

    The Minister of Economic Affairs and Development, who recently returned from a two-week trip including China, Hong Kong and London, yesterday, met with key investment stakeholders and a tourism team headed by Minister of Tourism, Noel Lynch, at her Warrens office to inform them of these developments. She then brought members of the media up to date immediately after during a news conference.

    Mottley, who was in China to attend the second China/Caribbean Forum, said that country’s package sought to improve links in trade, investment, agriculture and fishing, tourism and tr ansportation, finance, and human resource development.

    A major part of this would the new US$500 million preferential loan aimed at encouraging Chinese companies to invest in the Caribbean in host of areas including tourism, telecommunications, infrastructure construction, and agriculture.

    Other significant parts of the Chinese offer to Barbados and the Caribbean included:

    – 2 000 training opportunities for regional government officials and technical professionals over the next three years.
    – Chinese business delegations visiting to inspect the trade and investment environment and seek co-operation opportunities.
    – Implementing memoranda on tourism co-operation and encouraging more Chinese travel to the Caribbean for bus iness and leisure.
    – The hosting of Caribbean product exhibitions in China to promote regional products there and increase exports to that country.

    Mottley said: The ball is in our court. We have not been given a package of assistance to sit down at home and receive it, but we have been given opportunities to be able to make something of it. I do not know when last a Government has placed before the region a potential of US$500 million in preferential loans to fuel Foreign Direct Investment into the region as a whole.

    She said it was up to Caribbean players … to identify key investment opportunities, make contact with the Chinese, let them know that they have a cheaper source of capital than would otherwise be available to them.

    It is up to us to learn and to develop the efficiency and the knowledge for market access into China. We will obviously never be able to have a trade surplus in goods with China but we can certainly improve our exports in goods, and we can certainly more than improve our export in services to China and it is in that context that we need to be able to do it, she noted, adding that the language barrier would be remedied through joint ventures.

    The Deputy Prime Minister said Barbados was alread y moving to access what was on offer from the Chinese including a strong technical assistance frame work for co-operation in agriculture that would be pursued aggressively by the relevant ministry, submitted plans in order to access a loan for improvement s to the Fairchild Street market, and targeting Chinese tourists mostly through cruise as well as potentially investment or working with those one or two hotels that are willing to step outside of the traditional mould.

    With a recent raging debate about the use of Chinese labour here and throughout the Caribbean, the minister said local and regional labour would always come first, saying Barbadians had nothing to fear where the new China assistance and an influx of labour from that country was co ncerned.

    Is it any different than the investment that is coming from the US Canada or the UK? The reality is that once you start diplomatic and commercial relations with people you are going to get a cross border flow of money, a cross border flow of people, a cross border flow of product; that’s what engaging other countries is about, she asserted.

  20. islandgal246 Avatar
    islandgal246

    Adrian Hinds | June 15, 2011 at 4:40 PM |

    I cud teach yuh to hunt, kill and skin a mannicou but I am not too sure Turners Hall woods got any wildlife . De only wildlife might be you. LOLLLLL

  21. Adrian Hinds Avatar
    Adrian Hinds

    Sorry islandgal, assisted suicided died along with Dr. Death. Hopefully someone may replace him soon for your sake. I have no interest in it. Did he “help” animals? LOL!

  22. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    Adrian Hinds | June 15, 2011 at 9:11 AM |
    What person would gift a car to somone to teach them responsibility? Assuming this gift took place in Barbados where new car prices can run into a 100k real quick, I am having some difficulty with this article. Tell me why I should not.

    Jesus spoke in parables and we claim that we understand everything that he said. I read this submission in the Nation today and thought that it was brilliant in highlighting our inability to maintain anything, but would go to the level of borrowing money from the maintenance to man to pay him for his services.

  23. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    islandgal246 | June 15, 2011 at 9:16 AM |
    We as a nation are a bunch of beggars period. B or D we are beggars! We have to learn to stop begging or one day we gine get poison. We waste every thing. We are a bunch of wastrels and it is encouraged by both political parties. The well is dry and we don’t want to look down in it so we rather beg than fix the problem.

    Dipper Barrow must be turning like a windmill in his grave. Remember when he admonished his friend Eugenia Charles for adopting a similar attitude.
    Perhaps we need to modify our Coat of Arms ,by rightly removing the pieces of sugar cane from the grasping hand and replace it with a cap,a big one to suit the heads of our bloody leaders.

  24. independent Avatar
    independent

    It has been public knowledge for several years, that the score board at The Gymnasium was out of order or never functioned properly ,since the Chinese built the building which became known as The Garfield Sobers Gymnasium.
    Having attended basketball there several times and heard the complaints of officials and players, I am shocked that we are now hearing about funding for corrective work to the scoreboard, which should have been carried out years ago,
    It is being stated that these works are the subject of funding through a loan, gift or otherwise to Barbados by the Chinese.
    In any contract, there is a clause for a period of repair of defective work.
    Did the Chinese, who built the Gymnasium, honour the contract during the warranty period?
    Are we not paying several times over?
    First, the job was not done right, then we did not have the benefit of reliable use of the scoreboard over the years;and now we are borrowing to pay the people who should have corrected their shoddy work ?
    My understanding is that there was not even an owner’s manual in English. It was in Chinese. How disgraceful.
    To think that we have spent so much money, to go so far, to receive so little, is a little bit of an insult to our national pride.
    Barbados should be able to hold it’s head higher than that, for the 6.5 million.
    I must confess that I feel wounded; in my heart, and in my pocket.
    Independent.

  25. Alien Avatar
    Alien

    Did Barbados pay for the gymnasium – I thought that it was a gift from China

  26. islandgal246 Avatar
    islandgal246

    @Independent…………..”To think that we have spent so much money, to go so far, to receive so little, is a little bit of an insult to our national pride.”

    I would go back to the drawing board if I were you. Why would you feel wounded when all we can do is beg the same people who GIFTED us the building, to maintain it for us. Have you no pride?

  27. anthony Avatar
    anthony

    Gift?? Well you can say of sort they where interests free loans.
    We are still paying back for it currently.

    People’s Republic of China value outstanding
    Gymnasium Project 7,248,828 2 ,888,087 See Note 10
    Econ & Tech Co-op-Sherbourne Project 5,684,064 996,459 See Note 11
    totals 12,932,892 3 ,884,546

    Page 780 from draft estimate 2011-2012
    10. RMBY 30,000,000. Amortised 1999-05-01 to 2014-05-16. 10 annual equal payments. Interest free.
    11 RMBY 30,000,000. Amortised 2002-10-01 to 2012-10-01. 10 annual equal payments. Interest free.

  28. Alien Avatar
    Alien

    Okay. Barbados avoided the interest expense and China got to employ their citizens and inject some of the money back into their economy. If the building was not overpriced, so that Barbados is paying the cost of money in some form, it was possibly a reasonable exchange.

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