I dedicate this article to Mr. George Washington ‘Washie’ Archibald, who is hospitalized at this time, and wish him a speedy recovery.
A very significant 1st century senator and historian of the Roman Empire named Tacitus once said that the level of corruption in a state could be measured by the number of laws that it passed.
More laws mean more restrictions, more special favors sought (and granted), more kickbacks, more conflict between citizen and state, and between citizen and citizen, etc.
Tacitus believed that a society needed just a basic amount of well crafted laws in order to ensure harmony and stability.
He was especially insistent on the need for leaders, as guardians of the public trust, to be exemplary in their obedience of the laws, and in their respect for the legislature, and the legislative process.
Poor chap, if he was alive today and came to St. Kitts & Nevis, he’d have a fit. Because our leaders are hell bent on passing law, after law, after law, but cannot find the integrity and respect for the law and for democracy to debate a Motion of No Confidence which is supported by the majority of elected parliamentarians, and which has been staring them in the face for nearly eight months.
And he’d know how reprehensible it is when a former Acting Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean would go on radio and condemn this violation of the very fundamentals of our democracy.
In St. Kitts, Tacitus would also see a government going into parliament to pass a law to remove VAT from a horse race, but refusing to respect the rights and dignity of the human race.
He’d see a Governor-General watching the perpetration of this offensive, undemocratic and unconstitutional action by the government.
Old man Tacitus would hold his head in disbelief at the utterly nonsensical argument being pushed by and on behalf of the illegitimate government that it doesn’t have to treat the Motion with urgency, and that it’s Sam Condor and Timothy Harris who should resign from parliament because, having been elected on a Labor ticket, they crossed the floor.
Over the last 100 years, over 250 British parliamentarians crossed the floor. That’s over two of them every year, on average. And no resignation or by-election necessary.
Tacitus would perhaps be most concerned about the people who’re allowing themselves to be the messengers of this stupidity.
In Basseterre, he’d see a government whose members, both elected and nominated, use their seats in parliament to abuse and disrespect citizens, and generally to bring the legislature and their high office into disrepute, under a Speaker who seems to have a straight eye for the opposition but a crossed one for the government, and who, as much as anyone else, has been responsible for the degradation that has overtaken our parliament.
If Tacitus was here yesterday, he would’ve seen Church Street and abutting streets blocked and barricaded from the general public, keeping the people far away from the people’s house, as stern-faced and heavily armed security personnel (I’m sure many of them with heavy hearts) stood at the ready to defend illegitimacy, corruption and injustice.
If this 2000-year-old man was here today, he’d recoil in horror at these and other manifestations of the corruption that have infested St. Kitts & Nevis.
He’d hear, for example, about the Nigerian lady who is paid $30,000.00 a month from funds generated through our economic citizenship program as compensation for her ongoing work in getting Nigerian students at local universities, and other Nigerians entering our country, registered to vote.
He’d hear about the racket with the Nigerians who’re allowed into our Federation posing as students although they have no genuine student credentials, and whose names are getting onto the Voters’ List.
He’d find it very silly that while certain people here are banging their chests and saying how much confidence they have, electoral cheating to keep them in power is the worst it’s ever been in this nation.
Tacitus would see a society in which too many people have low expectations of themselves and of their leaders, and are, as a result, amused, entertained, deceived and misled all too easily.
He’d see a society in which we hold in higher esteem people who agree with us than people who do not. So we gather with the agreeables, and spit fire at the disagreeables. Emotion prevails over reason, intolerance over tolerance, bias over objectivity, false comfort over truth, ignorance over wisdom, and underdevelopment over development.
This is the perfect environment for corrupt, incompetent leaders who want to distract the people from the truth, and remain in control as they seek to have enough of the people subjugated, dependent, under-productive, unaware and divided.
But make no mistake. This story isn’t about Tacitus, or about what he’d like or want. This story is about us, and about where we are and what we need to do to make our country, our society, our political culture, and our social and economic behavior better.
The situation is tough, but the choice, though imperfect, is pretty simple. Either more of the same social, economic and political toxicity, corruption and under-achieving for the next five, ten or more years, or we move to a new dispensation. A move, above all else, based upon reasonableness and common sense, upon hope, and upon our love for God, each other, justice, and our country.
This story is about us and our children. If we write it correctly, no leader will ever again do, and we’ll never again allow any leader to do, what has been done to us by leaders present and past.
