A GUY'S VIEW: Old challenges continue into the new year

THE new year has begun, but many of the challenges of the old one have followed.

The old year, 2019, was marked by conflict, upheaval and violence at every level. While it would be useful to give this discourse some local context, it is important to demonstrate that this mood seems to be worldwide.

The demonstrations in Hong Kong which were intense in 2019, continue into 2020. I had raised this issue before and wondered whether similar demonstrations could be so prolonged in other major cities in countries like the United States of America or Britain. The Chinese Government has exercised tremendous restraint in handling these demonstrations. I believe that Government has a strategy to eventually regain control of the streets of Hong Kong from the disruption of its young people. The Chinese seem to be playing the long game, rather than looking for a short-term solution.

Whatever the thinking, one suspects that they will never again hand a part of their country over to Britain or any other country. The circumstances which led to that decision over one hundred years ago do not now exist, even if outside forces are attempting to recreate them. It will take a lot more than misguided youth and bad press in the western media to destabilise China in 2020.

The Middle East continues to be an area of challenge and instability. This was not helped by the killing of Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s top general. “Severe revenge” has been promised by the Iranian leadership.

American commentators believe that Americans all around the world will now be the target of Iranian revenge. Iran may not respond militarily, for it may not have the war machinery to compete with America, but no amount of bombing can protect American civilians from terrorist acts. American intelligence know this will be the case. As a result, they have ordered all Americans out of Iraq.

Within hours of the assassination of Soleimani, the Mayor of New York went on the air and warned New Yorkers that they will now face terror challenges unlike anything they have faced before. He praised the New York Police Department’s ability to protect them, but his demeanour betrayed his confidence in their much vaunted ability to keep the city safe.

Many Barbadians and other Caribbean people have relatives that reside in New York. Further, Barbadians jump on a plane and visit New York and Miami for shopping in much the same way as they go to Broad Street in Bridgetown. We all hope, therefore, that that state remains safe.

These two cases – Hong Kong and America and Iran, demonstrate that old conflicts, both intra-country and inter-country, will be perpetuated in the new year. The demarcation of time will not affect the reality of circumstances on the ground.

In the Caribbean, we have the luxury of trying to be objective as we comment on conflicts that are far away from us. Those closer to those events may be less objective and must find ways of surviving amidst bombs and open warfare.

Leading up to the recent elections in the sister isle of Dominica, there seemed to have been an attempt to destabilise the country so as to ensure a change of regime. Pictures coming out of that country suggested that there was open dissatisfaction with the ruling party and a change of Government was needed. It did not work. Interestingly, there was a pending election, which gave all who wanted a change of Government the opportunity to vote out the ruling party. A rat smells to high heaven when there is a message of a need for change by force, as opposed to the vote, when the vote is available.

In Barbados, we live under a one-party dictatorship. This is dangerous and could possibly spell the beginning of the end of democracy here. But there is no evidence that the majority of Barbadians did not vote themselves into this situation. Where the people vote freely for the Government of their choice, that is the Government they deserve and should have. Those of us who do not like the result, do not have the right to take up arms and bring down the elected Government.

Unfortunately, this approach is not always followed in some parts of the world. It has become popular for persons who lose an election to refuse to accept the result and declare fraud. The fact that they do not like the result means that it could not have been a fair one.

Ambitious leaders may be prone to the god-complex that tells them that they have a divine right to rule. What compounds their delusion is the willingness of the uninformed people who follow them to support their folly. I recently saw a video of an explanation of how the proletariat is often persuaded to vote against their interest. The explanation was the expert use of social media to spread lies and propaganda. This is certainly largely true, but the ruling oligarchs were long able to bring about that result, well in advance of Facebook and Twitter.

Money is a powerful medium which can buy people, as well as governments. In an era of selfishness, voters are more promiscuous. Who pays more gets their support. Little thought is given to the fact that the money will not go too far, but their lives may be poorer in the future.

Barbados has embarked on a year-long fete. One certain effect of this will be the directing of the people’s attention away from the serious decisions that are taking place on a daily basis. But that is only a continuation of what started 18 months ago.

Barbados Advocate

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