Barbadians must value education, health care and the country’s development and work together to protect what previous generations built, says Independent Senator Reverend Canon Dr John Rogers.
He commended several initiatives outlined in the Estimates of Expenditure while speaking in the Senate during debate on the Appropriation Bill, 2026 recently but warned that national development required unity, cooperation and continued investment in people.
“I want to implore the populace to value what has been given to us, especially in the form of education and health and wellness. Let us remember our journey as a people collectively,” he said.
Rogers said young people needed to understand the history and struggles of previous generations and recognise the importance of preserving and building on national achievements.
He warned that Barbados could not afford to destroy itself through division, social problems or lack of national unity.
“We cannot destroy ourselves. There are more than enough people out there waiting to destroy us. We have to work together as a community and continue to build so that future generations may have something to stand on,” he said.
Rogers also spoke about global political developments and warned that the world was entering a period of uncertainty where international relations and global power dynamics were changing.
He said small states like Barbados needed to remain vigilant and united in the face of global uncertainty and geopolitical tensions.
Rogers said successive governments had contributed to national development and it was important that policies continued to focus on education, health, economic development and social stability. He said Barbados remained a country with significant potential and opportunities for growth if the country continued to invest in its people and national development.
“We are still on one of the richest spots of ground in the world and we must use it to produce for ourselves so that we can grow into the great nation that we have been destined to be,” he said.
