He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough – Lao Tzu
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is defined as all “the final goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time”. Can BU draw a parallel and define the well being of a country by the quality of key decisions made by the ‘leaders’ in a given period?
The debate which continues to gain traction in Barbados is about the Alexandra dispute and related issues. It has displaced discussion about the upcoming general election, and significantly, a conversation about the state of the economy. If one were to ask any educated Barbadian what issue should be occupying the attention of the country, the answer should be ‘managing the economy’. It does not mean that all the issues at play in the country should be ignored, just that the exigencies of now require priority planning how we allocate resources.
Tension at the Alexandra School has peaked and troughed since 2005, surely an indictment on the management system with oversight for education. Many problems currently being wrestled by the government have straddled both political parties and different personnel in the public service. What it exposes is a rotten core which drives decision making in Barbados.
A scan of traditional and social media also exposes the inclination by Barbadians to dwell on the minutia of the argument. Some favour Broomes and others the BSTU to pick two of the main actors in the unravelling imbroglio. After observing a ten year dispute at a secondary school, what should be the priority position of the actors involved in the dispute and general public? Should it have something to do with children at the school perhaps? What should be obvious given the hardened positions built up over a decade is that all sides in the dispute need to thaw positions and demonstrate a capacity to compromise; for the children’s sake.
It was predicted by many that one of the options available to Jeff Broomes and the transferees was to resort to the filibuster tactic of sick leave. Does any sensible person believe these people are sick? Does anyone believe that the children looking on believe these people to be sick? How will this dishonest action impact the children’s future behaviour?
The Prime Minister suggested on the weekend that if all the players involved in the resolution of the Alexandra School problem – who are mostly university graduates – cannot solve the issues they should return to the cane fields. We have become so divisive a people that the statement by the Prime Minister has evoked discussion along partisan lines. Surely educated Barbadians understand what the Prime Minister meant by comparing knowledge workers of today to field hands of yore?
We urge all parties to remember the children.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.