by Maurice Williams
Sandy Pointers at home, as well as those in distant lands, the proud people that they are and have always been, must admire the courage of the founders of that movement, born not too long ago to rekindle the flame of communal living by ‘inspiring real improvement throughout.’ With its stated objectives ‘to engender pride, virtues and civics, while highlighting the identity of the town’, ‘SPIRIT’ is well positioned and undoubtedly possessed of unlimited capacity to mobilize the talents, skills and abilities of the townspeople into positive action for overall improvement of Sandy Point .
SPIRIT is just what Sandy Point needs to create a social renaissance. For too long, residents have remained apathetic, almost in a permanent state of slumber, but nevertheless fully awake to the realities of what is lacking, why it is lacking and what ought to be done to return the community to ‘those good old days,’ while at the same time hoping that tomorrow someone will rise to this challenge. Now presented with the opportunity, Sandy Pointers must respond enthusiastically to the call for duty and rally around the noble cause of community development, the approach which SPIRIT appears to be favouring in carrying forward its crusade.
Notwithstanding its abundance of energies, talents and goodwill, SPIRIT will depend for its success, heavily on the support and encouragement of residents in good times as well as in bad. Sandy Pointers must therefore of necessity, recognize the importance of and accept the responsibility to, individually and collectively, galvanise into action to bolster the resilience of and inspire confidence in this community movement which offers a unique and maybe the last opportunity to infuse new life into every household, every street, every alley, every neighbourhood, every village, into the entire town of Sandy Point. This must be a crusade embarked upon by all, joining hearts, mind, body and soul with a determination forged on the anvil of purpose and unswerving commitment to triumph over setbacks and failures.
The journey ahead will not always be an easy one and no doubt will be paved sometimes with barbed obstacles, potholes of discouragement, hills of frustration, many valleys of doubt and despair and may often prove impossible to navigate, but there is no alternative route. It is the only path to restoring pride in the community. Residents must brace themselves, be prepared and equipped with the tools of dedication and patience which will be required to pave the road ahead, step by step, along the journey. This embodies the web and texture of community development, the process which SPIRIT has employed in realising its objective of enhancing the quality of life for the entire community by securing the active participation of residents, a process which is identical to that which the country is encouraged to embrace and which is being implemented by the relevant agency established for this purpose.
Community empowerment is about building bridges across the human divide and recognising that diversity does not mean division. This recognition is deeply embedded in the core values of SPIRIT. The members of this movement at the very instance of its inception have demonstrated maturity by devising a course of action to acknowledge and embrace differences; observe the right of others to hold and voice opposing opinions and views; invite fierce healthy debate and discussion but always in a climate tempered with tolerance, compromise and respect, all with the ultimate aim of strengthening communal bonds and preventing the community from plunging further into an abyss of disintegration and despair. This movement of young vibrant community leaders is imbued with the strength of character which will bring a new dynamism to the community of Sandy Point.
The current efforts by SPIRIT to ensure that Sandy Pointers are consulted prior to the renaming of the SANDY POINT HIGH SCHOOL should not be characterized as an attempt to create controversy. SPIRIT is simply requesting that the right of residents to participate in all decisions which directly affect community life is observed. This is central to the community development process and finds support in the mission of the Department of Constituency Empowerment which, according to Senior Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris, when established will be about “the preservation, promotion and expansion of democracy, and how best to involve each and every citizen in helping in the process of building a better nation for all and for future generations.”
Given this mandate, is there any similarity to that which Community Development espouses? Both are exactly the same (pardon the redundancy which is only meant to emphasize the resemblance. They are closer than identical twins) Constituency Empowerment is nothing more than Community Development dressed up in a suit of name brand clothes. This situation if not streamlined is likely to result in duplication of effort and a waste of human and scarce material resources. The omission and or neglect of effective communication and meaningful collaboration between both agencies would be fatal.
‘Involvement of each and every citizen’ in decision making through ‘popular participation’ is a pre requisite for success in the process of nation building, both at the level of the community and constituency.
Sandy Pointers are convinced that in giving effect to the spirit of community development and constituency empowerment, the current situation surrounding the renaming of the school will be resolved in a way which the community will be the winner and that it will win the support of all the parties involved. In the mean time work to continue rekindling of the flame of community pride in the town of Sandy Point must remain on course. It is crusade, a revival. Feel the SPIRIT Sandy Pointers!
