I READ WITH INTEREST an article last week by Ralph Jemmott which was discussing the ideal of civic activism and the conditions in Barbados which seek to either propel or dampen such engagement. Mr Jemmott’s article focused especially on people’s political engagement. I was particularly struck by his statement that “Barbados was not unlike so many countries where citizens have withdrawn into a stultifying cynicism and inertia because they feel an incapacity to influence society beyond their doorsteps.”
It was a thought-provoking statement in many ways as it made me reflect on my many years locally, regionally, and globally working with and studying civil society and people’s movements. I would agree with Mr Jemmott’s statement in its broadest terms. I believe that indeed there is widespread cynicism globally among citizens with the way their countries are run and the lack of accountability which permeates states systems across both developed and developing countries. Globally as well many political polls are revealing a trend showing declining numbers of people either choosing to exercise their right to vote or being fully committed to political parties or even the political system. My practical experience also shows that it is absolutely more difficult than ten years ago to organise and encourage masses of citizens to undertake public demonstrations or even quiet actions on political and even social causes.
However, I also want to draw attention that there also other trends emerging. I think that we legitimise people’s activism only to the extent that it is exercised and packaged in a way that is palatable to us.
There is a campaign called Action 2015 run by ordinary groups of people, including myself, which has initiated over 31 083 024 citizens actions across the globe to bring attention to the issues of poverty, inequality and climate change. Here in the region, we gathered just under 2 500 signatures in a mainly youth organised activity to present to finance ministers in some countries to call for greater funding for social development.
In one day alone, September 24 250 000 people in 100 countries took to the streets to urge policymakers to make better rules. More than three quarters of these actions were led by young people. Closer to home let us not forget that just this year in Brazil over a million people were on the streets protesting against corruption, some of it organised by political parties but quite a bit of it also just about citizens saying enough is enough. In 2014 in Jamaica citizens of a particular community all came out spontaneously to protest high electricity bills. In Tokyo people are protesting against war, in Chicago just in August a small group of senior citizens came out to protest cuts that would affect state funding to the elderly.
If I had the space I would cite other examples of thousands of peaceful citizen actions that are happening across the globe and regionally. Have we forgotten already the valiant hunger strike of Dr Wayne Kublalsingh in Trinidad and Tobago?
This does not include the millions of small actions that people are initiating through social media.
So – please do not let us fall into the trap of believing that there is widespread citizen inertia that we are part of. It can lull us into a false belief that there is general lack of consciousness among citizens globally, which is not the case in many countries. People every day are taking both small and big actions to press for change.
However, as I said, I do take the point that perhaps for as many cases as there are of citizen action there are as many cases of citizen inaction.
I absolutely recognise and 100 per cent fully agree that here in Barbados it would appear that civic engagement is at an all-time low. This applies not only to what we would consider as political activism but also social activism. I believe wholeheartedly that we have been betrayed by a middle class, who have become distracted by the trappings of education, political office and wealth and have forgotten their own journeys and social responsibility to awaken society’s dormant social consciousness. All is not lost however-I believe revival is possible.
Shantal Munro-Knight is a development specialist and executive coordinator at the Caribbean Policy Development Centre. Email [email protected]
