AFTER HAVING NUMEROUS conversations with friends and acquaintances, it appears that many of them share the view that politicians cannot be trusted.
It is truly unfortunate that now more than ever, as a people, we appear to be increasingly disconnected and disenchanted with the noble individuals that we have appointed to run our affairs.
To substantiate the point, it is evident from the statistical information available that there continues to be a steady increase in the percentage of Barbadians who choose not to vote.
I can certainly appreciate Barbadians being sceptical given the number of promises made to us over the years that have not been kept. But, is our scepticism warranted simply because those promises have been broken, or is it more to do with the fact that an explanation was not given as to why those promises were broken?
If we consider that we live in a world with numerous challenges, constraints and unforeseen events, I am sure we can agree that with the best of intentions, what we set out to do may have to be adjusted given the prevailing circumstances.
I remember promising to take my kids to Canada’s wonderland if they both brought home their primary school end-of-year averages exceeding 80 per cent. They both brought home report cards with a higher percentage. But due to unplanned financial constraints at the time, I could not afford to make the trip.
So I decided to take them into my confidence and I explained why I had to break my promise while tabling an alternative reward. We ended up going to St Lucia, but three years later as promised, we went to Canada’s wonderland.
Moral of the story is simple: trust is earned. There is nothing wrong with breaking a promise so long as you take time to explain why you had to break it. Additionally, it is far more palatable if you break a promise to make sure that you have an alternative in place as a show of good faith and intent.
Perhaps, the time has come when politicians should consider that when they break promises, when they do not take us into their confidence to explain what has gone wrong, and when they offer no alternative for the sacrifices that we have made, we will no longer support them, vote for them, or be interested in anything they have to say.
Accordingly, I truly look forward to the rise of politicians who by their interactions are able to earn the trust that we rightfully should have in them.
– SEAN ST CLAIR FIELDS