Earlier this year the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) floated an idea on its monthly radio programme Teachers’ Corner that is worth serious consideration by the Ministry of the Civil Service. Now might be an opportune time to discuss the plight of the civil servant in terms of offering himself for political office.
First let me wish all the candidates contesting the by-election to elect a representative for the constituency of St John well. If it is indeed true that Mrs Mara Thompson is in the line-up, the ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP) would have made a political master move. Mrs Thompson’s presence seals the deal once and for all. Beyond our allegiance to partisan politics, her inclusion and her ultimate success, which of course would be a foregone conclusion, would perhaps be the greatest tribute that the constituency and the country could pay to the late Prime Minister.
The January 20, 2011 St John by-election therefore is like no other political event ever held in the history of Barbados’ politics. There is a strongly held view that once Mara Thompson enters the race, all other DLP hopefuls should give way to her. However, it should still be an interesting campaign as we await the kind of issues which the two parties will address from the political platform.
The politics of inclusion as practised by the Barbados Labour Party during its last tour of office was not a bad idea after all. It broke down the traditional barriers that limited political representation only to party-bearing members and allowed others with a contribution to make to be able to serve.
The public servant is prohibited from active involvement in politics while still holding office. Given the tribalism that has characterized our approach to party politics, this is understandable to a point since it is desirable for the public service to function without bias and prejudice. But further analysis reveals that this practice represents a form of discrimination against the group of persons who choose to work as civil servants, many of whom have talents and skills from which the country can benefit.
The BUT initiative as I understand it would see civil servants who are interested in contesting political office being granted leave for a limited period for that purpose. In the event that they are successful at the polls, automatically they would resign.
If they are unsuccessful, they would not be disadvantaged in any way but would be allowed to return to their post and continue along their chosen career path. In a modern-day political culture this should be done without any reprisals. The mature civil servant should continue to function in a manner that facilitates without prejudice the functioning of the governmental machinery.
It is my information that this progressive approach is already being practised in some of our sister Caribbean territories. The bottom line is that as a country, we cannot continue to exclude people with a contribution to make from doing so. Politics in Barbados cannot continue to be the preserve of lawyers, doctors and businessmen.
We cannot continue to educate large numbers of our people up to university level and then tell them that because they chose to be civil servants, they cannot serve their country at the highest political level, if they so desire. Yes, they can but only by putting themselves and their families at severe risks.
There are many civil servants who would like to offer themselves for political office but are not prepared to put their families and commitments at severe risks.
As a consequence, the country is deprived of the benefit of their skills, competencies and dedication to the service of their fellow man.
The emergence of what has been called a political class in Barbados is both interesting and offensive. Implicit in the concept is the notion that politics is the preserve of individuals with a certain pedigree. The emergence of leaders of the stature of Sir Lloyd Sandiford and former Prime Minister Owen Arthur represented a break and deviation from that class-based notion of “the political class”.
The sons and daughters of coopers, shopkeepers, artisans and seamstresses must be given equal access to avenues for political involvement. Those of us who have emerged since ministerial government in 1954 and after Independence must not be forced to sacrifice their careers as public servants and put their families at severe financial risk in order to become members of the “political class”.
The Barbados Union of Teachers must be lauded for this initiative which should be endorsed by all political parties and expedited into law. Without such expedition, thousands of Barbadians who are genuinely interested in and capable of serving at the highest political level will remain between “a rock and hard place” and effectively outside the ambit of genuine political participation. This is the dilemma of the Barbadian civil servant.
• Matthew D. Farley is a secondary school principal, chairman of the National Forum on Education, and a social commentator; email laceyprinci@yahoo.com.