Discipline has to start at the top

POLITICAL scientist, Dr. George Brathwaite, believes that if a Government and its Cabinet are not disciplined, then it is not setting an example for the rest of the country to follow.

Dr. Brathwaite, a lecturer at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill, made the comment while participating in a panel discussion on the current state of the Barbados economy and what should an economic recovery plan look like.

It was sponsored by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Barbados (ICAB).

He drew on the writings of Leon Trotsky, a former intellectual from the Soviet Union, who said that the character of a society is determined by the character of its economy, and that the character of its economy is determined by its use of productive means.

He said that at least three aspects of national life have been developed in Barbados in recent times. Dr. Brathwaite listed them as a culture of procrastination, a culture of excuses and a culture of accepting the lowest denominator.

“If you do those things you shape the very character of the society that you live in,” said the political scientist.

Stating he has been speaking to other political leaders across the region, Dr. Brathwaite said that discipline has to start at the top.

“You cannot look to reduce wastage, you cannot look to bring home the title of enthusiasm for the pride and industry which Barbados is known for. “You cannot do it,” he reiterated.

He argued that there must be more than just political talk.

“It means that you have to make tough decisions, you reach out to your people,” Dr. Brathwaite stated.

He recounted that when Barbados faced economic challenges in the early 1990s, the then Prime Minister Erskine (now Sir Lloyd) Sandiford in devising a rescue package, asked the people of Barbados for their trust. He said this is important for going through with the programme

However, Dr. Brathwaite maintained that with the ongoing economic situation, the country has seen that the statistics and the political rhetoric they have heard do not always match up.

He lamented that all of this has led to a culture of disconnect.

The UWI lecturer indicated that from what has been said by commentators, the business community and civil society have all been calling on the government to something about the fiscal deficit, the rising debt, and other challenges in the economy. Government, he advised, has to talk to the people.
(JB)