The stories we will tell

By T. Coreentje Phipps

When morning breaks on Tuesday, January 26, 2010, no matter on which side of the political divide we find ourselves, Kittitians and Nevisians will likely breathe a long sigh of relief. The weight of political differences will finally be laid down. 
 
The all consuming political campaign to govern a twin-island federation, spearheaded by the main political parties on St. Kitts and Nevis, has been one extremely “hellacious” journey, not without many damning consequences, the likes of which has included rifts between families, severed ties between once seasoned friends, intense community rivalry based on colours, and much more.
 
Still, we live with the belief that from January 26, 2010, Kittitians and Nevisians will move forward into 2010 and beyond, barring our differences, for the good of St. Kitts and Nevis. 
 
At this point in our nation's political and social history, like times before, we will all have our own unique stories to tell.  Our youths will likely tell of the reverie and excitement they engaged in during the election campaign, much like the spirit of carnival just past; they will tell of the night when our Prime Minister decided to ring the bell; of the merriment awashed at one of the family activities organized for supporters of the red, yellow, blue and green teams.
 
Adults will recall the verbally charged exchanges between political groupies, battling for the cause of the politician they support; they will recall the excitement they felt at one of the political rallies and will likely hail the performance of Wyclef Jean, Vybez Kartel, Infamus, and other local acts as the best audience supported events ever held in St. Kitts in recent history.  Indeed the stories told will be many.
 
But when the elections would have come and gone, no matter the euphoria of the political climate that we either latched on to or shone, the story of Haiti will prevail. This impoverished, independent nation, trounced upon by one natural disaster too many on January 12, 2010, wiping thousands of its people from the face of the earth, and subjecting thousands more to suffer for lack of food, shelter, and medical attention, is in a REAL CRISIS.
When matched against any natural disaster in history, the Haitian crisis will be renowned as one of the most profound stories of a natural disaster that we will ever tell.  The images, replayed over and over, are haunting.  The devastation in Haiti is a rude awakening for Haitians on the one hand, but it is a stark reminder for all members of the human race, that no matter our social class, no matter our political persuasion, no matter our aspirations in life, we are a vulnerable lot. Death and destruction has no mercy or bears prejudice.  We NEED each other, and to exist as though we are islands of men and women; as if we stand alone, is the biggest social error that we can make as a people.
 
Leading a country is one of the most demanding, yet powerful roles an individual can hold.  But with leadership comes vision and the men and women we entrust to lead us today must be mindful of their legacy; of the stories that will be told when they would have sailed off into a quiet world away from public life. 
 
Numerous stories have flourished during this election campaign; stories that are telling of a hotly contested, all consuming general election; stories about personalities, about the past, present and future.  In all of our attempts to unravel what our tomorrow holds, not one human being can engineer the script of his life; Not one! Yet as devastation after unforeseen devastation strikes around us, a clear need for positive human relations exist. We need our yellow, red, blue and green neighbour.  If only we could step up to the demands to save our nation, how riveting will be the stories we will tell?
 
On January 26, we can tell stories of a twin-island federation united; of political tribalism finally laid to rest allowing, our leaders - mindful of the vulnerabilities around us - to humbly place all and sundry at the altar of human forgiveness, celebrating, not in traditional party colours, but in the neutral colour of WHITE, symbolizing a renewed commitment to the peace path on which St. Kitts-Nevis needs to be on.  If we vow to silence the youth and gang violence, or to bury the disharmony and hate sown over these years of political feuding, January 26, 2010 can well be a marked day in our history, when we collectively renew our oath to serve our country first.  Only then can we tell the story of a divided nation made whole again; of a people not beholden to political parties; of citizens "hungry" to rise up to the challenge of nation building.
 
What an extraordinary story to tell.