Why are we asking the nation to have a pity party for a strong young man?

13.FEB.09

EDITED: I read with great interest the writings of a concerned citizen in a recent Letter to the Editor, on the issue of the state of unemployment of Mr. Israel Bruce. An appeal was made for the nation to come to this young man’s assistance, since “he has no means of feeding himself”.{{more}} This story was extremely attention-grabbing before I realised the emptiness of the plot, so I must respond to the writer.

As someone willing to help, permit me Editor just to ask a few questions:

(1) Was Mr. Bruce ever employed by the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a teacher at the North Union Secondary School?

(2) If yes, why is he no longer a teacher? And

(3) Were there any circumstances which precipitated his exit from the North Union Secondary School?

Mr. Bruce has all the answers.

My mind was cast into a state of utter confusion when Mr. Bruce’s credentials of being a past President of the National Youth Council (NYC); a member of the Constitutional Review Commission; the holder of a Law degree; and most outstanding manager in a cricket tournament, yet he cannot find a job. I suggest that what is missing from this appeal is the whole story about our dear friend Mr. Bruce. I am certain I will get the support of some past students of the North Union Secondary School to add their bits and pieces when I am ready to write again on this topic at the most appropriate time, so that we may get a better picture of how we can assist Mr. Bruce.

In 2009, a man in his thirties, who has so many boasting accolades, “cannot feed himself”? Stop it! It’s nobody’s fault but his. Where is your spirit of entrepreneurship? No one owes you a job, Sir. There are so many without a degree who are currently employing hundreds today. Sir, how should your past students feel to know that instead of making progress you have regressed to the pits of absolute poverty? Not a good example at all, Sir. I hate to believe that the concerned citizen knew what he was talking about. Today, we are in need of leaders who lead by example. No one owes Mr. Bruce a job, so why are we asking the nation to have a pity party for a strong young man? This is more than a shame. The Mr. Bruce I know is not disabled. Is he now disabled? I am curious. Or does he prefer to sit at home and pen letters in the newspaper? Probably this is his lot!

There are many who have made greater contributions to the development of their communities than Mr. Bruce and do not have a degree but are doing extremely well as we all toil to build this nation state of ours. Give a better account of yourself!

Today we are looking for young persons to lead our communities, who will be able to assist other young people to find jobs and become motivated to employ themselves in various capacities. Those are the ones who the communities will elect to be their leaders, not one who cannot even provide a job for himself. We do not want “men” who lack vision and foresight and are practically crying for public assistance.

Lead by example, Sir. Don’t join the bandwagon. It is easy to do an “Otto Sam”, which means to simply sit and criticize, using wayward arguments in the printed press… though he may be forgiven for writing in ignorance most times. Stop blaming victimisation.

We all know the whole story a bit too well about Israel. Do one better than Otto Sam. Get up and help yourself!

Concerned Teacher, NUSS