It pains me as a conscious and progressive student of the revolution to witness the retardation of our country from the gains we had achieved during the 4 short years between 1979 and 83.
Like every administration, there were a lot of things that were not done right but those that were done right have been life changing like the thousands of scholarship opportunities that existed resulting back in those days of bilateral corporations.
We had the NIS that now benefits our workers, like the airport that now provides the platform for all the “so-called investors” now rushing to come in, the free secondary education that our children benefitted from, like the adult literacy programs that taught thousands to read and write.
I can also think about the fisheries program that allowed us to enjoy eating and making a living from an abundance of fish, the medical assistance programs with Cuba to send doctors and other specialists to assist us, the expanded international relationships with dozens of countries that assisted us over the years.
Also, don’t forget the school feeding program that still today serve our children in need, the creation of the MNIB that is supposed to serve our farmer’s interest but has been misused by Keith Mitchell and NNP.
Who can also forget the popular community centers that was the brainchild of the revolution to provide centers for community activity?
Those were all permanent and structural developments that added social and cultural value to our country, none of these were done for political mileage, all were done to enhance the lives of the people.
In addition, most of them created new jobs, but they did not create new political tensions and debts for our society, none of those developments endangered our governance procedures or jeopardised our sovereignty as a people or a country.
I can say that not once during the Gairy, Bishop, Blaize, or Brathwaite administrations has any investor felt emboldened enough to actually pry into our affairs and advise us what to do with an entity of ours, “not that he is not right”, but diplomacy matters.
It is purely from a position of weakness that we now find ourselves in such a position that this investor knows we are financially vulnerable.
It hurts me to the bone to see how far we have reversed socially and culturally – yes we have built structures and even monuments to leaders of the past, but have we truly advanced as a society?
Our civil service has been corrupted, so too are our trade unions, our youths are being fooled, our poor and vulnerable are being kept poor and vulnerable for political gain.
We have no political philosophy or policy framework, our morals as a people are at the lowest, corruption in government is institutionalised, victimisation is institutionalised, depression and frustration are now the hallmark of everyday life for the vast majority of people in our society and we have leaders whose only desire is to gain more and more power and wealth.
Any conscious patriot will feel sick, and that’s why I get frustrated with opposition politicians who just can’t seem to realise how serious a time we are in and get busy rescuing this country from pseudo development and corrupt politicians.
The National Patriot