Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados TODAY Inc.
Having lived in the US under the Trump presidency, I am acutely aware of the art of political distraction. So, when the abrupt confirmation was thrust on the people of Barbados that on 30 November 2021 we would become a republic, I immediately wondered what political disaster were we being diverted away from? That became apparent later in the day when we learned that the populist, pro-business Chastanet administration in Saint Lucia was defeated at the polls after a single term. What a blow to them and other similar regimes.
This was an affirmation that salesmanship is a poor replacement for sound leadership. Allow me to use this opportunity to publicly congratulate the Prime Minister-elect, the Honourable Phillip Pierre and wish him and his government well.
As general elections in Barbados are some months off, I will defer comment on one-term administrations and deal with Barbados becoming a Parliamentary Republic. MIf the news reports are correct – I like many tend to get information secondhand as I too am afflicted by prime ministerial overspeak – we were advised that the Government “will make amendments to facilitate that transition to a new president to be sworn in on that day of November 30 of this year; and . . . we start from December 1, the journey of the settlement of the new Constitution of Barbados which will be the subject of extensive consultation and communication with the people of this nation.”
Am I the only one confused here? The Government announced that a new president will be sworn in on 30 November, but we will be consulted thereafter on what has already transpired. Are you getting this? The late president of Guyana, Linden Forbes Burnham would applaud such transparency.
We as a citizenry must ask why is this happening in such a hurried and haphazard way? Is this a case of being consumed with personal legacy to the extent of displacing our Independence Day and our Father of Independence by a ‘Mother of the Republic’? Is this to meet a political agenda? I need to also go back to another matter that seems we are being distracted from and that the government again seems to be at variance with the mood of the people, which is the matter of mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations.
I was taken aback by the Prime Minister’s assertion “If we cannot get consensus…the Government will govern.” Her statement took me back to undergraduate studies of the former Soviet Union and contemporary living in Putin’s Russia.
The debate over mandatory vaccinations is the challenge in getting the balance right between individual freedom on the one hand and social responsibility on the other. I have been COVID-19 vaccinated primarily for the practical reason of travel in and out of Barbados. But
I am also aware that the vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalisation should I contract the virus. It is important to underscore that the vaccine reduces the risk but does not eliminate it.
There are those that argue that mandatory vaccination is constitutionally legitimate as we have precedent for it in the regulations mandating vaccines for children’s entry into schools. However this is not entirely correct. Those childhood vaccinations MMR, IPV, DPT and the like are normally immunisations, that is, they allow the individual to withstand the threat of infection.
The COVID-19 vaccine does not have this level of efficacy as it simply helps protect – not withstand. It is the difference between having just locks as opposed to wrought-iron grills in our homes. On this point is is important to note that the Chief Medical Officer on Sunday confirmed that there have been ten reported cases in Barbados of fully vaccinated individuals testing positive for COVID-19.
We also have to appreciate the legitimate concerns of those anti-vaxxers. The COVID-19 vaccines were brought to market in record time, with considerable financial inducements for the manufacturers. As such there are no longitudinal studies to determine the effects or even how long the protection will last.
While not a conspiracy theorist, I am mindful that some people, particularly those who lived in the US are aware of the US government-sponsored Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in Black men which was both illegal and ethically abusive.
Further, we must appreciate that some countries are held in higher esteem with regard to the production of drugs and medicines than others.
The fact that we do not have sufficient doses to vaccinate all those who may require vaccination is a practical impediment to implementing such a policy. Should the government seek to enforce a mandatory vaccination or PCR testing policy it will run into a legal challenge as Section 6 of the recently passed Employment (Prevention of Discrimination) Bill, 2020 prohibits against compulsory testing for medical conditions.
The legislation stipulates “an employer shall not require a person to answer questions in relation to, or undergo a test for, a medical condition as a precondition to entering into a contract of employment or as a condition for the continuance of employment.” While the Government could amend the legislation, it would be its most blatant act of placing business considerations over the welfare of workers.
Thomas Jefferson held that “If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.”
We await the voice of the Barbados Worker’s Union as its deafening silence has some wondering whether the ‘politics of inclusion’ remains rife in Barbados.
Our Constitution exists to secure individual freedom, an essential condition of human flourishing. Liberty is not a public good provided by the government; liberty pre-exists Government. Since Emancipation and Universal Suffrage, freedom and liberty have been our natural birthright, not a gift from the benevolent leader, and as such each of us must endeavour and agitate when necessary to keep it so. May the
Lord continue to be the people’s guide.
Guy Hewitt, former high commissioner and chair of the QEH board of management, is a candidate for President of the DLP. He has dedicated his life to the service of God and country and can be contacted at guyhewitt@gmail.com
