This 49th Independence Anniversary should be a time for serious reflection. We may have said this before in relation to earlier anniversaries but like the proverbial batsmen on the cusp of a half-century, we have to put our heads down as we look forward to a milestone achievement in the coming year.
In the famous advertisement, the young man says to his friend that they have come a long way. And so has our country. This premier slave plantation of yesteryear has been able to lay claim not too long ago to being the most developed developing country. It has also been described as punching above its weight.
Both these statements carry a core of truth; and each one of us should be immensely proud of having made a personal contribution to our national success. Whether we will maintain that forward momentum or copy the deviant aspects of cultures to which we are increasingly exposed depends on each one of us in the last resort.
Particularly in the past year many seem to have forgotten that we are neighbours to each other, and that if we are to peacefully occupy the space in this nation that we have to display what has been called brotherly love, but what is in reality a respectful tolerance for each other. We cannot all be identical in physical appearance, personal habits and lifestyles. We are each unique in our own way even though we are sometimes said to be made in the image of the Creator.
The rise in senseless and wanton taking of young lives by other young people is a development that has confronted us in all its brutal reality during the past year. It is a retrogressive feature which we must do our best to stamp out. Such headline-making news often overshadows the very meaningful and nationally uplifting aspects of our daily lives.
Young police officers who went way beyond the call of duty to save a citizen who fell into a backyard well and the young Combermerians who helped a vulnerable elder citizen on pain of reaching school late are two examples of the upholding of values which have brought us from where we were to where we are.
We must recognise the value and validity of such unselfish actions as vital bricks in nation building. A country, like a home, is built block upon block, and the quality of the house depends on the quality of the bricks.
We have noted the excellent decision of His Excellency Governor General Sir Elliott Belgrave to visit our primary schools and encourage our youngsters to follow those examples of good habits that have served us well.
Each of us should follow this example in our daily interaction with young minds, for we must challenge the deleterious messages that float about seeking to seduce our youngsters away from the truths that we have held dear and which we know will make for personal and national well-being.
The message for tomorrow and beyond must be that we should be tolerant of each other and conscious of the fact that nation-building enjoins each of us to recognise our duty to each other even as we seek to exercise our rights.
These are our fields and hills beyond recall. We must honour them.
Happy Independence! Let us all strive to be tolerant in our diversity.