A GUY'S VIEW
We are at the end of 2019, a year of turbulence for Barbados.
No one who has lived through this period can look back at it and fail to see the upsurge in serious crime as a main feature of 2019 Barbados. This was probably the most obvious evidence of the altered character of our country.
At the time of writing, 48 murders had been recorded. I stress “at the time of writing” because bets are on that we will hit 50 before December 31. I hope that figure is not realised, but this speaks to where our country has gone.
When the man in the street sees untrammelled wrongdoing in high places, any reason for moral restraint is loosened. Crime is crime, whether committed at the point of a gun or with the stroke of a pen. This seems to be the current thinking that pervades our society.
The number of serious crimes recorded is alarming, but more importantly, the brazen nature of some of those crimes is even more nerve wrecking. When we see the willingness to cut down persons in broad daylight in the middle of a crowded mall, there is nothing left for us to witness. We have gone beyond the boundary of reasonableness, if there is any reasonableness in crime.
The most troubling aspect about all of this is that we have seen no solution in sight. The same people who thought that crime was hellish when the murder rate was half what it is now, pretend that there is nothing to see here. Since there seems to be no clue of how to pull back this situation, the terrible reality may be that we have turned a corner from which there is no return.
We have been encouraged to draw a distinction between crime and corruption, but that is a false dichotomy. Every corrupt
act is a crime. There is no more morality in fraud and other misuse of public funds than there is in robbery in Rock Hall, St. Thomas. But while we express umbrage at street crime, we countenance corrupt practices, depending on who is the culprit.
There is every indication that corruption was alive and well in 2019 Barbados. When deals are done darkly, the spectrum of corruption lingers in the air. That is why developed countries that genuinely try to limit corruption, emphasise transparency in all they do. We no longer even pretend to be transparent in what we do here. Instead, we have pursued a policy of controlling the broadcast of information and limiting discussion on difficult subjects. That is a dangerous sign.
Another feature of 2019 was unprecedented piles of garbage and fat rats. Never before has the natural beauty of our country been so badly spoiled by unsightly mountains of garbage in every district. And at a time when we are paying for garbage collection.
A lot of people breathed a sigh of relief last week when it was reported that ten garbage trucks arrived on the island. These had long been promised and there were ecstatic exclamations when they arrived. But almost as soon as the hallelujahs went up, the breaths were pulled back.
The price tag of $400 000 per truck sounded exorbitant, but our garbage problem had become so bad, that some people thought that we should pay anything to correct it. Even when life threatening features of the trucks were exposed, some Barbadians shouted that the workers should ignore that they may die and go and do the work. Unfortunately, the workers have no union to support them, so token talks will change nothing.
Alarm bells rang when it was reported that there was a declaration that the trucks would be on the roads in quick order, much sooner than was necessary to have them licensed and insured. Some persons were already planning to jump out of their vehicles and run should they
meet one on them on the road.
And then the Sanitation Service Authority workers expressed their informed views. They raised a number of concerns that have not been properly answered.
First, they observed that the trucks were left hand drive, hence they could not have been intended for this market. This assumes major importance when it is recognised that the importer was the Government of Barbados, the same Government that maintains a road use system that presumes that our vehicles would be driven on the left hand side of the road.
It is difficult to maintain a good look out from a vehicle with the steering system on the left hand side if the vehicle is driven on the left hand side of the road. That is why vehicles made for use on the roads in countries where it is unlawful to drive on the right hand side if the road, like Barbados, do not have left hand side steering systems. Little difficulty may be presented while a vehicle is travelling on a straight road, but the equation changes when it becomes necessary to negotiate corners and junctions.
The SSA workers also observed that the trucks could not be ridden by loaders since the standing area was not at the back but on the side of the truck which would be nearest to traffic; a recipe for disaster and death.
The trucks were much larger than could safely negotiate some of our narrow roads. But that may only mean that they were not intended to work in some districts. Many Barbadians may only see them on the street heading to certain exclusive areas.
In parishes like St. Joseph, St. John, St. Thomas and St. Lucy, the bad water woes grew worse. The St. Joseph water advocate was given a seat at the table and he has forgotten that his neighbours are still bathing from a bucket. There is now no interest in picketing the Barbados Water Authority.
The wealth gap continued to widen. Poor and lower middle class Barbadians were placed on the breadline in their thousands, while the rich benefited from tax write offs in the tune of many millions of dollars. And one need not be a prophet to tell that there are no major job opportunities in sight in 2020, except for friends and family.
The hand of the International Monetary Fund rests heavily upon us. While the numbers on paper will tell us that our economy will improve, the lives of people will grow darker.
I pray God’s blessings on this country in 2020.
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