An article by Mr. Michael Perkins in the 8 June edition of the Observer gave me pause and set me thinking. The subject - and his complaint - was that as an opposition member he is being forced to seek employment outside of Nevis. Without talking to Mr. Perkins, I do not know specifically what type of position he is looking for. He believes no job opportunities are available to him on Nevis because of his political affiliation.
I have two questions for Mr. Perkins:
First, is it not possible for you to wait until after the July court decision?
Second, is it not possible for the CCM to provide some support in finding suitable employment?
Mr. Perkins mentions “political tribalism” and I agree with him. In some ways I feel and have felt victimized from time to time by government and other organizations. Unfortunately, this has happened at the Nevis Turf and Jockey and been accompanied by covert racism on the part of some board members.
I was President of the club some years ago and there were never politics involved at all. In over 20 years on Nevis, including Dr. Simeon Daniel's and Mr. Vance Amory's administrations, I have never seen Nevisian society as divided as it is now. Attitudes such as this come from the top and are reflected in the behavior and attitudes of people who normally would be fair and unprejudiced. I believe that the vast majority of Nevisians are of this type.
My conclusion is that our leaders need to set a visible example of how a good citizen should behave and the values each should reflect. It is obvious this is not currently being done.
