Barbados is facing a crisis of confidence and trust, according to Anglican priest Canon Wayne Isaacs, and he has called on the powers that be to try to allay fears associated with the doubt.
In his sermon at St Paul’s Anglican Church last Sunday, Isaacs urged Government, the labour movement and the business sector to give the kind of leadership that restores confidence in Barbados’ political, social and economic institutions.
He said the current times in Barbados called for “decisive, consistent, creative, visionary, pragmatic” leadership that would take Barbadians into its confidence and be “forthright in its pronouncements and communications”.
Speaking on the topic of fear, Isaacs called for a demonstration of “ability and tact to navigate this ship through these rough seas”. Without this confidence, he said, the prevailing climate of fear would demoralize the national psyche and make Barbadians impotent in the face of adversity.
The priest argued the crisis was beyond economics, suggesting there was also a spiritual and moral dimension in which Barbadians had been worshipping “the creature and not the Creator” and had “not always been truthful and honest in the discussion”.
The pervading climate of fear about job losses, inability to meet financial commitments and of business failure required “more than prayer”, Isaacs stressed.
The cleric called on those who were more fortunate to give practical help to those in need and to assist them in overcoming their fears. He implored decision-makers to ensure that there was a “human face” to whatever austerity measures were being imposed.
“The dignity of persons cannot be sacrificed on the economic altar of expediency. People are not things to be used and then discarded,” Isaacs asserted, though he conceded “this is what is happening at the present time in our nation”.
He said it was not a time for selfishness and greed. Instead, he suggested anyone having more than was needed for daily living should seek out a family or individual who could benefit from their kindness and generosity.
“We can help to relieve some of the present fear by caring for and sharing what we have with those who will experience hardship.” (GC)
