According to Isabell Allende (A Long Petal of the Sea) “…without science, industry and technology, no progress is possible…”

Former Premier Fahie always repeated that ‘when you fail to plan, you plan to fail’ and it is beginning to be crystalline that we plan to fail at independence.

To be clear, independence sits on the road of the natural trajectory in human development.  Parents expect it of their children and a people, at some point, desire to be masters of their own destiny.

BVI no less.

“I and I, I wanna rule my destiny.” (Buju Banton)

But independence is a process.  It has costs.  It has obligations.  It has responsibilities.  It demands a mature and thoughtful approach.  

And the fledgling nation should have some shared values and goals around which the people unite.

National pride must be instilled which means that civics and the people’s history/journey should be taught in schools.  And the college has a role in debating the issue and educating the community.

The church enjoys its silence so we make no demands of her.

But our leaders and influential voices in the territory want a short cut.  They want independence by stealth.  No planning; No teaching; No preparation; No financial analysis; No consulting; Nothing!

They run around the halls of CARICOM where we are only associate members, to drum up support.  They forget that it was through an entrustment from the British that we were able to join that organization.

For BVI is a dependent territory and while we can plan our way out of dependency, we cannot wish our way out.

They also run around the UN with complaints oblivious to the fact that Britain is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and her views would matter in those halls.

They have been secretive about most of their independence overtures as if they want to have a nation for their private use.

 What is really the goal and the urgency?  

To build a narco-state?  To destroy legitimate businesses?  To pass more greedy bills?  To create a dictatorship?  

On the campaign trail, both sides spoke about amendments to the greedy bill.  

There is no country in the world where four years of work results in a benefit of two years of full pay; Where allowances suddenly become salary for the purpose of calculating a pension; Unless the goal is to institutionalize corruption and to drain the treasury dry.

Would it that they were as bullish about paying Civil Servants their earned increments!

And yet BVI’s greedy bill was assented to by the British.  No laws were broken?  Perhaps not.  But is this good governance?

Are the British deserting that concept in the same manner that the exporter of democracy is failing its converts?  

(We were chilled this week to witness the arrest of a former leader of the free world.)

And there is still no move on the part of the House of Assembly to discuss the checks and balances that are needed to avoid any future leader of the Territory pushing us to a day like 28 April 2022.

Is it that the representatives only care about what the Territory can do for them?   

Ah!  A personal fiefdom.!

In any case, we believe, like Allende, that we must embrace the pillars that make progress possible.  

We must invest in education like Singapore does.  We have to build a strong private sector that is the cornerstone of any country otherwise, the fledgling nation we create will not fly.

Not even on Fridays.

Happy Friday!