Every country has its defining moment, and conversely it also has its ‘Achilles Heel’ which, over time, can erode the virtues and characteristics which have defined it.
My country, Anguilla, once known for its resiliency in the face of crises, natural and manmade, is now threatened by a self-inflicted wound which is eating at the very fabric of our social life. I refer to the cancer of division based on deep seated mistrust which is rooted in our negative collective colonial experiences. A leading regional economist described it this way: ‘Caribbean people have been schooled in the art of division and not multiplication.’ (Multiplication means working together for the common good.)
This deep-seated cancer of mistrust (this social pathology), which is often paraded as rugged individualism, is draining us of our innate creativity – making us vulnerable to the economic and financial forces marshalled by entrepreneurs and financers from oversees. They exploit our inability to forge those linkages which will enable us to control the levers of the economy and our destiny.
How do we remove this self-inflicted cancer? Firstly, in spite of our differences, we must recognize that ‘unity is strength’. This unity is based on mutual respect and tolerance. Secondly, through public dialogue, unity becomes the multiplying force which defines our national purpose and destiny. Thirdly, the mathematics of multiplication becomes an irresistible force which our children learn from the environment we have created. Education, then, is the instrument by which this irresistible force is further engrained, thereby creating generations of thinkers, creators and proud Anguillians.
Wycherley Gumbs (All Rights Reserved).
