There is so much divisiveness (almost typed derision) in Barbados of late. In the same way an organisation is defined by the quality of its employees and the ability to be productive – the definition is the same for a country. Barbados will only overcome the many challenges it faces if the majority of the citizenry is led to unleash its collective intelligence for the good of the whole. Sadly we are far from this being a reality anytime soon.
Within the government ranks the Eager 11 episode has fizzled to David Estwick versus the rest. The discord periodically played in public by the government betrays the loyalty to the Westminster model of government and its aged old conventions. On the other side of the political aisle we have the leader of the Opposition battling demons as well in the form of former prime minister Owen Arthur tossing political barbs from the Independent side located on the government bench, sacked ‘Leader of Opposition Business’ Kerri Symmonds or the senseless bassa bassa between George Payne and Edmund Hinkson. There is a resignation the Westminster system we have bastardized breeds an adversarial politics. Do not expect any solutions from the political class.
What about the trade unions?
The Barbados Workers Union (BWU) and the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) both represent retrenched National Conservation Commission workers, yet, the NUPW decides to march and the BWU decides to wait until the Employment Rights Tribunal (ERT) meets.
The bigger issue we see is the embarrassing position, or so it seems to BU, of a social partnership formed to represent a shared position of labour, government and private sector, yet, the largest credit union is NOT a member of the partnership. How can we pretend we have a partnership given the fracture? Why is there no outrage at the hypocrisy of such an arrangement?
Interesting is that the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium can be chock-a-block on the weekends with churchgoers attending some convention or the other, yet the same religious constituent is not motivated to support causes of a national interest in the same numbers. Instead of blaming the political class to haul our asses out of the social and economic morass we find ourselves, why are we not looking at the mirror to think and mobilize how to win our country back from these JAs. Shouldn’t our religious leaders want to mobilise the flock to demand accountability and justice from the system?
The biggest concern by BU is to observe an unwillingness by an educated class – billions sunk in education post Independence – to define the kind of Barbados it wants to build. Why have we allowed all the businesses our forefathers slaved to support a way of life for Barbadians to be stolen by outsiders? In 2015 we are like sitting ducks in the face of hegemonic ambitions by all comers.
When will the hour come for an educated class to understand there is power in numbers.
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