A Guy’s View: Defending this country’s good name
Dr. Mariana Alfonso, a Senior Education Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), presented a paper on education in Barbados that has been described as critical of the country’s education system.
From what I have seen reported, I am uncertain of the aspects of her speech with which we may take issue. However, the Minister has indicated that he will correct the misinformation which is in circulation. One presumes that what he means is that he has the evidence that would show a different picture from that presented by Dr. Alfonso.
It is indeed great to hear that the Minister is willing to present Barbados’ correct position on the state of education in the country. Without anticipating what he will say, the fact of him standing up to represent the country’s position in the face of a visitor’s observations, is admirable. Persons with national responsibility, in all areas, should take a leaf out of his book.
The press report I saw indicated that the Minister intended, last week, to meet with persons and present the facts. One only hopes that this was not intended to be a private meeting. Dr. Alfonso’s findings were made public and the impression has gone abroad that our system is a good looking shell with no substance. Any rebuttal must be as public as the accusation. Any other approach defeats the purpose.
OECD
We know well the fight which this country, under the leadership of former Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Owen Arthur, had to carry to avoid being black listed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). As was pointed out at various stages of that battle, that threat of black listing was not based on Barbados’ reality, but that did not dampen the determination of that organisation to name and shame this country.
Foreign investment has long been critical to the Barbados economy. Our colonial history, as well as our western leaning outlook, made it natural for foreign investment into this country to come from the states that comprise the OECD. Those traditional links may have led some of our leaders to believe that they mattered as much to our “allies” as they did to us.
When the member states of the OECD decided that it was in their best interest to shut down offshore jurisdictions to which their citizens and corporations were attracted, they demonstrated that they had no loyalty to their former colonies or the former colonies of their fellow OECD members. That was a bitter pill for many to swallow.
To comeback that onslaught, the then Barbados leader rallied other similarly disadvantaged states and mounted our defence. One of the stronger arguments of that effort was that many of the countries that sheltered under the umbrella of the OECD, had a worse track record than the countries they had agreed to black list. There was more transparency in our system than in many of theirs.
The greatest difficulty faced when dealing with a stronger foe who does not respect you and has no fear of repercussion, is that neither truth nor right or wrong matter. These entities, whether countries or multinational organisations, feel at liberty to publish whatever they please, with the full confidence that their peers will not second guess them. It is easy, therefore, for small countries to feel like they are powerless. But technology may have evened the playing field a little bit. Any country can now put its case to the world and influence international opinion.
Human trafficking
According to the United States State Department, “Barbados is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour. Authorities and NGOs report foreign women have been forced into prostitution in Barbados. Foreigners are subjected to forced labour in Barbados, most notably in domestic service, agriculture, and construction. Legal and undocumented immigrants from Jamaica and Guyana are especially vulnerable to trafficking. Child sex trafficking occurs in Barbados. There are anecdotal reports by authorities and NGOs that children are subjected to sex trafficking, including by parents and caregivers.”
The Barbados described in this extract is not known to any person in this country. Not even a visitor who wants to project this country as negatively as may be humanly possible could recognise this description. But that is the picture which appears on a US official website.
It may be thought in some quarters that we should keep our mouths shut and hide, for fear of a worse report being propagated. I beg to differ. Fear and silence will not influence integrity in reporting, for these unfortunate reports have not been provoked by anything done here. No incentive is needed for the preparers of these reports to write what suits them.
In my view, it is in this country’s best interest to draw attention to these reports when they do not reflect our reality and the true state of affairs should be published. It is important that a source of truth is advanced and be accessible. The truth may not have the same legs or prominence as these ill-informed writings, but a diligent searcher will be able to discover well-articulated and well placed defences. This is no longer as difficult as may have been the case years ago.
Barbados is not the only country which suffers from targeted, inaccurate “official” reports. Others who have suffered a similar fate, on seeing what is put out by these faceless entities, would look for an alternative source of information. We should ensure that they are able to find Barbados’ position on these issues, both on official Barbados sites as well as on other sites that are commonly accessible on the Internet.
Persons seeking to learn of Barbados go on the Internet and do research. Google is now more referenced than any text book on any subject under the sun. When the information that is available to them is flawed, and there is no alternative position, they go away with a wrong view of the country. The importance of our good name places a duty on those with the appropriate responsibility to set the record straight.