Hours before reading this column, the world said goodbye to 2011 and welcomed 2012. I extend best wishes, especially good health, to all my readers and sincerely hope God will richly bless you.
It is normal to be optimistic expecting New Year improvements. However, for 2012 the global expectation is more of the same and probably worse. Barbadians are not alone.
Large segments of the world’s population confront similar grim projections as the international recession continues and Iran threatens to block a vital oil waterway, pushing prices higher.
I have had a few enquiries why last week’s column highlighted the “Arab spring”, making no mention of the “Occupy Wall Street movement” against the worst aspects of rapacious capitalism in its heartland, and the street rampage and looting in London which spread like a wildfire across the country after the police shooting of a black man.
Those street protests created great and unusual discomfort in Washington and London. I am an admirer of President Obama but it was jaw-dropping watching him fight to say something sensible about the uprisings sweeping North Africa to the Gulf States and removing from power Egypt’s Mubarack, who he described on a 2009 visit to the White House as “a force for good”.
In the world of realpolitik, the backing of an autocratic dictator by the leader of the “free world” is another convenient contradiction of the fundamentals of democracy, an ethos and way of life to which the United States has long subscribed and resorted to force to defend and, like in Grenada, use its superior military might to restore.
My reason for ignoring both popular street protests in two of the world’s top metropolitan capitals which attracted frenetic media attention was simply the great difficulty I had discerning and quantifying precisely anything worthwhile achieved to advance their particular causes at the epicentres of national power and that of their populations as a whole.
The fight for democracy from Tunisia to the Gulf grew out of the youthful idealism of a disaffected generation demonstrating the all-conquering power of an idea whose time had come, buttressed by a vision of a new beginning and unflinching commitment to spare no effort to achieve it.
The challenge now for Western states like the United States and Britain, where long entrenched democracy is alive and well, is to lend a helping hand ensuring that emerging leaders and their military are not interested solely in power for power’s sake but to promote and protect the welfare of all citizens, sharing the national pie more equitably.
We should all give thanks that democracy is also alive and well in Barbados and the wider Caribbean. Recent elections in St Lucia and Jamaica have seen peaceful electoral uprisings resulting in the overthrow of their one-term governments.
Regional history is replete with examples of political initiatives spreading from island to island, a discomforting prospect for governments facing the polls imminently.
Barbados, at the outer limit, is 15 months away from the polls. There are a number of unfulfilled manifesto promises which attracted the electorate in 2008. Some have been broken, hanging albatross-like around Democratic Labour Party (DLP) necks.
The economy has declined dramatically during the last four years. The cost of living first, second and third on the agenda of the incoming Government has galloped relentlessly, leaving battered pockets and feelings of defrauded hopes, in the nation.
Time is not on Government’s side. In recent weeks some DLP parliamentarians, the “eager eleven”, have sought to warn the Prime Minister of “inertia” and “drift” and their impact on the party’s chance of retaining office next election.
Their letter was a desperate wake-up call. With time at a premium and projections from top tourism personnel for a leaner year in the main income generator, urgent action is imperative. Particularly noteworthy, only one cruise ship will make regular summer weekly calls at Bridgetown in 2012. This loss will drive taxi operators up the wall.
The projection from business magnate Ralph “Bizzy” Williams that local budget airline REDjet, in which he invested substantially, will bring one million passengers to Barbados next year should be music to all Barbadians’ ears, though somewhat hyperbolic-sounding.
We go into 2012 expecting further and better particulars, hoping that the administrative delays which kept it grounded pro temp in 2011 will not recur.
Speaking to two prominent businessmen over Yuletide drinks, I was struck by their pessimism and fears that maintaining employment levels will be difficult. I am also informed by professionals in the field of a major fall-off in foreign direct investment and the offshore banking sector, major revenue and employment sources.
So we go into the new year hoping for the best but realistically expecting the worst.
Good luck and a blessed 2012 to all!
