In preparation for writing this article, I took the opportunity to read yet again the speech delivered by the late Dr Eric Williams, the first Prime Minister of this nation, when he addressed the Independence Youth Rally at the Queen's Park Oval. This speech is available online and in the past I have encouraged citizens, whatever their political affiliations, to read the words articulated by this great intellect and to critically assess the content of his thought-provoking discourse.
There are several people who over the years have shared their views on its content and, being one of them, I maintain that in great measure it remains a masterpiece that over the years has not lost its relevance. There are some who are so myopic that they would scoff at my invitation, preferring to spend the time speaking about the failings of the man rather than challenging themselves to find the existence of any worth in his utterances. And should that be the attitude, then they really have a far distance to travel before they enter the under-populated land of independent and critical thinkers.
In charge of us
On August 30, 1962, the population had to adjust to the reality that our nation was moving to a significant stage in its history. We were no longer to be regarded as a colony and the navel string that attached us to Britain was officially cut at midnight on that date. Not yet born, I can only imagine the level of excitement and anticipation felt by those who recognised that for the first time, the future of our nation would be chartered by sons and daughters of the soil and that our people were truly in charge of their destiny. We literally became the caretakers of and providers for our "soon to be" independent country.
The first Prime Minister articulated the position as follows:
"Our new nation must maintain and develop its political system and its democratic machinery. It must provide the Cabinet ministers, the members of Parliament, the civil servants, the doctors, the lawyers, the engineers, the ambassadors, the nurses, the teachers, the skilled workers and the writers and artistes, which every independent nation has and provides for itself. It must organise and plan our economy to increase the national wealth and improve our living standards." There is no denying that over the last 49 years we have produced outstanding individuals in each of the categories as highlighted but have we really appreciated their contributions and the impact they have made on our positive development as a nation? Only recently we lost one of our cultural icons, Dr Pat Bishop and like so many other luminaries in various fields who have passed on, we have to identify people who are, at the very least, fit and proper to wear their shoes, much more to walk in them.
The young ones
Dr Williams was clear in his message that his words were meant to inspire the youth of the nation who in a few years would "...be called upon by the law of the land to share in the privileges and responsibilities, the rights and duties of citizens." I have used the range of 10-35 years as representing the group of people whose ears were meant to be filled with these words of wisdom. And so, in 2011, those who were mandated back then to take the country forward "in the years to come," if still alive, would be in the 59-84 age category. It is therefore incumbent upon these people primarily, but of course the entire population, to determine if, upon reflection, we have marched admirably forward since attaining our independent status. The fact that today we worry about a generation that may be missing or, worse yet, forever lost, having fallen prey to a life of crime, is indicative that there is much to be done by the elders to ensure that there are sufficient competent and committed hands on deck to steer our ship on the right course. Those who have wasted the opportunity to properly shape young minds and refused to use their high office to instil the principles of integrity, honesty, truth and justice have not only shirked their responsibility but have betrayed the nation. And there can be no softening of words because, upon reflection, their misdeeds and omissions have jeopardised our nation and put its future at tremendous risk.
Thinking ahead
I firmly believe that all is not lost and there is always hope, provided that there are people who are willing to turn the sails in order to catch the winds that will take us in the right direction. That there are individuals capable of shouldering this onerous responsibility is in itself a relief and they can be identified because their philosophy is driven by independent, critical and ethical thinking. Getting the masses on board is the major problem because there are many charlatans who preach words that are specifically crafted to attract the gullible masses. And perhaps that is the continued shortcoming of our society-we are lazy thinkers who are unprepared to drive our brain cells to levels that would make it impossible to easily succumb to any kind of brainwashing. There is sufficient time for us to reflect about where we are at as a nation and where we would like to be in the near future. We can hardly be satisfied with our current status unless we have lowered the benchmark that signifies progress.