Visions of a new beginning

by Maxwell Haywood 25.JULY.08

At last Vincentians have realized the power of their unity in consciousness and action aiming to root out the social, political and economic evils from their society. It is not happening now, so let us fast-forward to the year 2017, but let me urge you to consider the possibility that the visions expressed in this article could come before 2017. So when I look into the crystal ball to see the future what do I see in 2017?{{more}}

It is now 2017 in SVG, a social movement has finally provided the opportunity for Vincentians to build a society for all based on positive values and attitudes of social justice, peace, and an economic infrastructure of compassion, solidarity and productivity. SVG is buzzing with conscious development activities. Vincentians are now more than ever before filled with a renewed hope, love, peace, determination, and a very high sense of social responsibility and resistance to all social evils. A national conversation has indeed come of age. You can hear

people in the streets and other popular places talking happily about the new SVG they are experiencing.

In 2017, social classes have become more vibrant. I see an SVG where farmers individually and collectively have a meaningful influence on the decisions made on their behalf. I see all those workers who work in the private and public sectors are now voicing their concerns in the public policy process about productivity, the situation in which SVG finds itself, their rights as workers, and about the need to have their concerns respected and attended to by a responsive government, private sector, and civil society organizations.

It is pleasing to see the majority of workers at last becoming fully conscious about their role as creators of wealth, culture, and a higher standard of living. They are no more to be misused and abused! A sense of determination for building a new society that respects the rights, roles and rewards of workers now permeates the land.

In the year 2017 in SVG, I am delighted to also see that all social groups, including youth, women and men, disabled persons, older persons, cultural artistes, sports persons, and unemployed persons have become so conscious and public-spirited that they are able to organize themselves at the village and town levels in organizations or other relevant formations. They are able to organize genuine national assemblies or organizations, which are able to competently reflect on the situation facing SVG and to formulate actions that will help to complement or change national development policies.

In 2017, I see that at last Vincentians got the good political governance they deserve. Those elected were more attentive to the concerns of their constituents since they could now be recalled once a majority of their constituents have decided to remove them because of lack of responsiveness to their concerns.

The elected leaders were no more able to use party divisiveness to divide and rule citizens since Vincentians had become fed up with political divisiveness and they rejected all those who fanned the flames of the divide-and-rule syndrome. No more do we see politicians promising Vincentians all kinds of things just to get their votes. No more can politicians give jobs primarily to their political party supporters regardless to if they look like square pegs in round holes, and regardless of the harm done to our already dwindling social capital.

In 2017, SVG now is a happier nation since the public service commission and the human rights organizations are now more people-oriented and stand guard against negative political interventions in the management and development of the nation’s resources. So now in 2017, our society is in a state of maturity where political victimization is not tolerated. I could hear people reflecting and saying that gone are the days when Vincentians were fired from their jobs, or prevented from getting employment, or were frustrated in their job because they did not support a government minister or the political party with government power. They are rejoicing that they have ended this reign of political party terror over their lives and they are now able to discipline those in government who commit these acts and create an atmosphere of political party terrorism.

In 2017, I got the opportunity to observe a recall vote held in a leeward constituency. It came about because the elected political representative consistently behaved arrogantly. The villages rarely saw him.

Vincentians no more are waiting on politicians to mobilize them. In 2017, all communities were busy organizing in order to tackle social, political, economic, environmental and cultural development challenges.

I am pleased at what I am seeing. At last, Vincentians have managed to establish a national development process that meets their needs and has become a best practice or model for the rest of the Caribbean region and the world.

In 2017, I see how all this came together through the force of a deadly national crisis whereby the nation was at a standstill because the national social capital was highly damaged and fundamental changes were necessary. But Vincentians rose to the challenge and removed both the crisis and the leaders who could have prevented it but were too arrogant, incompetent, greedy and absent-minded to do so.

Vincentians can make 2017 arrive long before that time and before a national crisis forces us to do so. However, these visions of a new beginning need a social movement to bring them to reality.