By T. Coreentje Phipps
Recently, a local bus driver on St. Kitts gave a candid account of his financial challenges. His was the plight of a young, hard working citizen who subsidized his weekly income transporting employees to and from work at a renowned hotel. At the height of his comfort with the routine and having enjoyed the spoils of his labour, the hotel made significant layoffs, and according to him, the inevitable happened; there was no longer a need/demand for his transportation services. His highly valued subsidy quickly dried up. He was not the least bit pleased with his overall economic outlook.
Despite his loss, and perhaps because of it, he gladly offered his thoughts on the correlation between his financial predicament and electing a government. For him, the process is not about procuring something tangible from a politician. (In fact, he declared he ain't want nutt'n from no politician). Rather, he suggested that it is a right afforded adult citizens to choose leaders who - in the eyes of the electorate - would create an environment for the economy to thrive, thereby improving the quality of life for all citizens.
He opined that so long as we choose leaders of substance who regard their roles as “service based,” with vision and a proven ability to lead, the citizenry in turn will benefit. Instead of feeling sorry for himself and waiting in vain for manna to fall from the sky, he did something. He actively began to pursue the next best opportunity. Here was a young businessman who took an introspective look at his financial wellbeing, and its correlation to the economic outlook of the federation.
While our leaders are tasked with tapping opportunities for us, we owe a duty to ourselves not to sit idly by, but to assert ourselves and claim these opportunities. If our nation is to work for all of us, we must liken our thoughts, and particularly our actions, to the young entrepreneur, not just waiting for handouts, but actively pursuing the next best opportunity. Essentially, when the economy flourishes, the citizens of the country in turn will prosper.
The dilemma we face with regard to crime bears heavily on our economic health. When crime spirals out of control, as it clearly has in St. Kitts and Nevis, we either become personally impacted by it, or suffer some form of backlash because of it. Those who can, spend thousands to secure their property. Business owners, irrespective of the location of their businesses, spend even more to safeguard their goods and their employees. Crime is a costly social sore. We dare not feel at ease when the pain and suffering of one family translates to the pain and suffering of an entire community. Increasing crime places a heavy burden on our social and economic health.
Of course, the past few years of youth on youth crime have not been without proposed solutions one after the other. The record also shows that a variety of solutions have been implemented. So far, it seems we've only skimmed the surface in our diligent fight; a fight that time and again has been dealt a horrific blow.
But we are not alone. Countries as large as Jamaica, Trinidad, the Bahamas, St. Lucia, and even nearby Antigua have sought to implement stringent measures to curb increasing crime, including teen curfews, community watch groups, adult accountability - sweeping laws that hold parents responsible for the actions of their children, stiffer laws for repeat offenders, to name a few. The challenges are endless, and our judicial system, like our jails, has become overwhelmed, understaffed, and underfinanced.
As our society rapidly evolves, many adult ideals of old are now considered ancient and are actually mocked. (Herein lies the subject of our spiritual and religious health). In fact, we are a people who seem to live by different standards, and with these changing standards, it is evident that we cannot approach our 21st century problems with 20th century solutions. What other solutions can be crafted to discourage young people from settling disagreements by harming each other? We cannot begin without first hearing the voices of the youth whose very actions we decry.
The human race has been actively at war with itself and actively in pursuit of peace all at the same time. Strained relationships exist among families, friends, business partners, in large institutions, between communities, and large and small countries. Even with the abundance of these social anomalies, the measures we implement in our quest for a more unified nation will likely set the precedent for a society that will either fail or prosper. If adults continue to be bitter with each other and confused about a clear path to solving crime, imagine the young minds of our nation. What do they see in us? What do they think of us? What will we offer to etch something of value in our black history?
For over a quarter of a century, Nelson Mandela was confined to the walls of a prison cell because of his repeated defiance of an apartheid system that stifled the people of the predominantly black South Africa. Surely, his plight was a recipe to seek vengeance and pray for the destruction of his captors, but upon seeing the light of day, he defied evil and invoked good, despite that same evil that robbed him of a lifetime of freedom. Nelson Mandela went on to lead the African National Congress to a victorious defeat of Pete Botha to become the first black President of South Africa.
The ills that plagued South Africans didn't disappear because "their earthly black Saviour" had come. Black South Africans, like many of their African counterparts, still face countless social ills, despite an end to the oppressive apartheid system that oppressed them. However, to have existed in the 20th century, deprived of the inalienable right to vote was considered one of the most modern day forms of human injustice. Earning that right put in motion a renewed path for South Africans necessary to begin the upward mobility of black people in that country.
Nelson Mandela is remembered today for the many significant contributions he has made for the black people of South Africa and to the overall political climate of that nation. Nelson Mandela is the perfect example to us that we can be actively involved in charting the way forward in our communities. It is for us to stand up and play a part or stand down only to regret our inaction.
And so the words of a young businessman who assessed his financial challenges in relation to the nation's economic health should resonate with all of us, particularly our leaders. In order to create a society that is not defined by crime, warmongering and social instability, we must pay keen attention to the lives we impact in our homes, in our schools, and in our communities. Therein begins the journey that can lift an entire nation from the mire of discord and crime that has come to define us. Not just what we say, but surely what we do will add wholesome value to the economic and social health that will ultimately reshape and redefine our St. Kitts and our Nevis.
