#BTColumn – Daring to tread where angels fear

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

by Peter Webster

“For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.”

– Proverbs 24:16

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
– Proverbs 28:13

“Diversity is having a seat at the table; inclusion is having a voice; and belonging is having that voice heard.”

– Liz Fosslien

“A democracy is not a dictatorship of the majority.”

– His Excellency Errol Walton Barrow

“In a democracy, the majority gets to decide on all things except those that violate the core principles of their society. When that happens, it undermines the principles of democracy. Checks and balances are therefore needed.”

– Anon

The last time I was so brave and daring, I received a torrent of racial abuse, mostly from members of a certain political party, with the coherent ones suggesting that no one looking so “white” had the right to do so.

As daunting as such abuse was, I soldiered on because one develops some immunity when such abuse and discrimination are being constantly thrown at you.

At the same time, we are wondering why Barbados companies are selling out. This is probably why 19 of my fathers’ 21 great-grandchildren currently live overseas and all think that they are better off for it.

I am assured that this situation is not exceptional, as many other Barbadian families of all races have had similar challenges, which is an enormous indictment of our failures as a country, as much as our race relations. I have had to develop a “thick skin”, and like the great Mandela, not imbibe the poison of bitterness like so many of my countrymen.
Instead, I thank my Lord and Saviour every morning for His many blessings!

As a result, I am entitled to ask “Why me, Lord?” in a mirror image of those not as blessed and with a hill to climb. Why me? Why have I succeeded where others fail? Even though I have had to work hard, scrimp and save for everything that I have, ably aided and abetted by “the wind beneath my wings”, I had to make the best of my few opportunities while dealing with the obstacles. Contrary to convenient opinion, “whites” in Barbados are not handed them on a platter.

However, there are too many of my compatriots of all races sucking salt and going to sleep hungry and jobless while some others are running around patting themselves on the back for the great job that has not been done. The achievements of a half-full cup tend to shroud the failures, yet such failures usually teach better lessons for the future.

There can be no doubt that Barbados has made progress. In fact, we were thought to have been punching above our weight. Essentially, however, our economic bucket has a huge, gaping hole in the bottom. As a result, we Barbadians can be likened to crabs in a barrel with seemingly no way out, including “Reparations”.

Similarly with Jamaica, but for Manley; Guyana, but for Burnham; and Trinidad, but for Williams; Barbados could have achieved far more for its people. Many countries have, some with fewer resources.

The Right Excellent Mr. [Errol] Barrow was superlative as a leader and probably the “best” of the Caribbean lot, but he was the first to admit that he had made mistakes – I heard him say so myself. The unfortunate problem is that by putting him on the “hero” pedestal, deserved as he was, he is perceived to have been perfect and untouchable. It is in thinking this way that we lose the lessons to be learnt from his mistakes.

As a planner, I have been trained to keep facing forward, not back. Otherwise, it is just a matter of time before we crash off the road. At the same time, we need to remember where we came from, to learn the lessons from the past, in order to plan the best future route to take.

The question is “When will we as a people become politically and socially mature enough to abandon our political and other tribalisms so that we can work together in harmony and learn from our mistakes to better develop our country for the benefit of everyone?

The great Nelson Mandela advised that “We should sit and work with our enemies and make them our friends.”

It is the only way out of our barrel!

Round and round we go like water in a sinkhole vortex…

Peter Webster is a retired Portfolio Manager of the Caribbean Development Bank and a former Senior Agricultural Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture.