Host – “Open Line”
WAVS 1170AM
Photo Credit: Leroy “Dreamy” Riley
DAVIE – The English speaking Caribbean started attaining political independence some fifty three years ago. Today they continue to struggle from under-development, lost export markets for sugar, bananas and bauxite. They have in some ways given up their financial souls to the international monetary fund. Poverty stalks large sections of their various populations, from Jamaica in the north west to island states in the south east Caribbean sea.
I submit however that the greatest failure is not even economic like it is political. At the risk of seeming like a neo-colonialist myself, I believe it should concern us from the Caribbean that much of what passes for politics is really a contest between parties to share out scarce resources among their various followers and supporters.
It continues to baffle me why the region has not created a new progressive form of governance that would better suit tiny islands with a few thousand residents. Why not seek what could be governance by a group of combined political leaders, a coalition from varying parties that truly want to benefit the largest majority of people and not just their supporters. This should not be just a pipe dream. Elections in one nation took a day and a half to be concluded. One government has delayed local government elections for close to two decades, another’s opposition party prefers to fight in public, another opposition leader’s carnival dance is made a national issue, while the government deals with another round of firings. Much of this independence thing has not worked in much of the Caribbean. Hope anyone?
Voice your opinion on “Open Line” with Winston Barnes daily on WAVS 1170AM or listen on-line www.wavs1170am.com
