A NEW YEAR brings with it the hope that life and living will become less challenging and there will be better times ahead. It is a tradition linked to the inherent belief that something new is better than the old one it is replacing.
Whether this perception is true or not, what is always useful at the start of any new situation is to have a greater understanding of the circumstances involved.
Coming after what most agree was a very tough year in 2014 in every aspect, maybe the emphasis this year should be on greater dialogue between the major stakeholders within the society.
The aim of this would be to develop a greater understanding and foster a more healthy spirit of cooperation, at all levels, to ensure a better future for Barbados.
This spirit of cooperation would be invaluable in the fight against violent crime, especially involving the use of guns, which continues to be a national nuisance. Already this year, one young life has been cut short because of such violence.
The only way the police would be able to get the needed information to combat this gun scourge is if there is more positive dialogue between them and the public. They need to develop greater trust.
There is a crying need too for consistent and effective dialogue on the ailing economy between Government, the business community and the public. This was called for throughout 2014 and remains a major concern because the only way there will ever be confidence in the economic policies being pursued is when all the actors involve talk often with each other.
Despite there being a national consultation last year, as well as social partnership meetings at some level, Government still needs to do more in terms of keeping each stakeholder abreast of their economic plans.
Such action would encourage greater buy-in by each interest group and help foster more confidence in the way forward. This is one aspect sorely lacking today.
Most important, there is a need for more structured dialogue between our major political parties to boost cooperation and de-emphasise the partisan confrontation that abounds.
The leaders of our parliamentary parties very rarely meet to discuss matters of even grave and urgent importance. Yet, they supposedly embrace the concept of “consultation”.
Amid all the challenges that have emerged this past year here, there has not been a formal meeting between the Freundel Stuart-administration and the leadership of the Opposition, as far as we are aware, where they got together to share ideas.
Regrettably, this is a serious deficiency in our political culture where structured dialogues between a head of government and opposition leader is extremely rare, if at all.
In developed societies, well-supported by functioning institutions, political leaders find time for consultations and provide relevant information for the benefit of sustaining an informed public. This has contributed largely to their continued development.
As political leaders, and as a society, we need to learn from this example as we seek to improve our country.
