AS BARBADOS IS confronted with a dire economic and political situation, the politics of our national hero, The Right Excellent Errol Barrow in his famous mirror image speech of May 13, 1986, comes to mind.
The attempt to fly on the shoulders of this legend by a party that bears no resemblance to the Democratic Labour Party of this pioneer has now shown itself to be selfish at its worst and its policies inaccurate at its best.
I was to remind myself of the speech during the recent debate in Parliament to restore the ten per cent that was cut from the salaries of Members of Parliament and other senior Government officials during the height of austerity in 2014, with no similar restoration to other public servants, though austerity continues.
In particular, this part of the speech stands out for me: “What kind of mirror image do you have of yourself? When a Government steals from people in the way of consumption taxes and takes that money and spends it on their own high lifestyles, and unnecessary buildings, then that Government not only has contempt for you, but what is most unfortunate, you have contempt for yourself, because you allow them to do it.”
Barrow speaks to something, less tangible but an important part of our democracy and governance.
How do a self-respecting people of an independent nation that just celebrated 50 years of Independence and also recently what would have been the 97th birthday of Barrow, tolerate what transpired in Parliament, the representative voice of the people?
How was Parliament, as the representative institution – the voice and face of the country, allowed to treat the people with utter contempt and disregard?
To make the situation more sordidly unjust, two Prime Ministers, former and current, tried to mount a defence that the action of Parliament to only restore the salaries of Members of Parliament, while the rest of the country continued in live in austerity, was somehow right.
Usually it is at this point in my column that I put forward suggestions and ideas for how to rethink, reshape and build Barbados to provide wealth and prosperity for Barbadians.
This week is different. I am not sure how “self-respect”, as Barrow spoke to, can be socially engineered. I do know this: self-respect, as simple as it appears, is important to protecting the democracy of Barbados.
It means that Barbadians care about their country and would refuse to allow their country or themselves to be denigrated by the elected representatives of their country.
Self-respect would mean that Barbadians did not forget the need to constantly fight to refresh, renew and grow Barbados. I believe that in part this is what made Barbadians proud to be Barbadians.
There was a belief that as a self-respecting country and a people Barbados was special, perhaps exceptional in the Caribbean. That exceptionalism, whether it was myth or reality, is not the point.
In fact, I would dare anyone to name a country that was not predicated on some myth, on some dream that it could be a great country no matter the odds.
I am aware that our current and also the most immediate former Prime Minister are men who are fond of history.
I recall a few lines from another famous political speech which I think they may appreciate.
Cicero at the start of his first speech against Catiline stated: “Quo usque tandem abutere . . . patientia nostra? Quam diu etiam furor iste tuus nos eludet? Quem ad finem sese effrenata iactabit audacia?”
Translated, this reads: “When, do you mean to cease abusing our patience? How long is that madness of yours still to mock us? When is there to be an end of that unbridled audacity of yours, swaggering about as it does now?”
“Anyhow, ladies and gentlemen, I done.”
Dr Ronnie Yearwood is a Chevening Scholar, National Development Scholar and Overseas Research Scholar. He has practised law in London, Brussels and the British Virgin Islands and is an international trade specialist, having published and lectured in World Trade Organisation law. Email: [email protected]
