EDITORIAL
There is much to digest in the recent presentation of 2019 Budgetary proposals and Appropriation Bill by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley. Much will be made of the myriad financial stimulus or expenditure related projects, and the current state of the economy. The soon-to-be-enacted increase of bus fares to $3.50, and the pleasant surprise of an increase in disposal income via revised tax bands and income tax percentages – not to mention tax and VAT refunds – will surely be among the talking points in the days and weeks to come.
We however turn our attention today to measures that may have implications for the social development of Barbados – namely, paternity leave and a focus on saving our young people.
Child rearing is an expensive, full-time endeavour that requires the traditional village in order to be successful. As we know, the extended family of old is not present as it used to be and family structures have definitely changed. One thing that has remained constant is the sanctity of motherhood, where mothers are revered – as they should be – for their tireless contributions to rearing their children. We are starting to slowly recognise that a father’s role is equally as important and necessary in shaping children’s moral fibre and core values. In Caribbean societies, men have been more visible and hands-on regarding their paternal obligations in the last few decades, and this should be encouraged. That is why paternity leave is a step in the right direction. In more developed nations, paternity leave is already in place and while the time off is not as significant as the mother’s – understandably, as her body seeks to recover from the physical strain of childbirth – it is no less important. From the beginning, a father’s bond with his child is essential for that child’s overall mental and emotional development.
The social fabric of Barbados is, like many Caribbean societies, tightly woven around family and community. We have seen over the years that pressure on the family structure, changes to traditional values and increased deviance have taken a toll on our families; worse yet, for 2019, the evidence in hand proves strong action must be taken to rescue our young people who need to be steered away from the negative company that encourages them to fall into a level of deviance never seen in this country before.
As a matter of urgency, we need to bring back strong families and strong communities to take back this Wild West state of affairs and return Barbados to where it should be. The Prime Minister addressed the matter of rescuing our youth in her Budgetary proposals, but we believe this initiative goes further than the state; this requires communities – led by the churches and businesses – to take an active stand.
We applaud the example of the Ellerton Wesleyan Holiness church which sponsors the St. George Secondary School at the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Athletics Competition and also does outreach programmes within that school. Bit by bit, community by community, we can make a difference. While official government policies are important, they will need a level of buy-in from those of us in the communities to effect real change in our society.