Maturing - the next 50 years. The Peter O'Connor column

Well, the fireworks and fetes and bickering and spite and hatemongering are now hopefully over, at least in terms of Independence celebrations and recriminations. 

We had a long weekend to play reggae and dancehall and to argue, as usual at Independence, over who was or was not among the awardees. It does not really matter that this is being written before all the bacchanal actually occurs, for the lead-in to the events indicates how genuinely uninterested we are, or were (you think it passed?) in our Independence-- Golden, rusted, or otherwise.

Our immaturity—as a nation, a society, and as individuals, is what shone through, like a bright arc-welding flash, obliterating everything which should have truly mattered, what should have been considered, done and achieved. 

And we reach just where we reach every Ash Wednesday morning, watching part-time people (cleaners, vagrants, politicians and the rest of us) drunkenly trying to clean up the debris and the mess which mark our untidy passage through our lives. Nothing changes.

Even the artificial glitter of Olympic Gold failed to shine upon our Golden Anniversary. And that was because the light was smothered by officialdom and egoism, which just distracted the nation and everyone from how those victories should have been honoured. 

Only in some petty two by four little society could an Olympic Victory be pappyshowed to the extent which occurred here over the past few days. I am sorry, Prime Minister and other cabinet members: it was not your place to ride motorcades all over the country, dancing and waving as if it were your victory. 

And whoever told you, or allowed you to be so classless as to hand out souvenir teacups of your image to people along the routes made a bad mistake.

In real countries, in mature societies, national leaders give the conquering heroes their time in the spotlight, and wait in their office, or some public space, for the heroes’ arrival, and then bestow congratulations and honour upon them. They do not stand there for hours with the heroes, waving as though they are part of this triumph. 

But we do not understand this, and I doubt we ever will. We must push ourselves to the forefront of every celebration and acclamation, and behave as if it is our triumph which is being celebrated. And the true tragedy is: we do not even understand, even those who criticize, for when their time comes, they will all behave exactly the same.

And how emblematic it was, that in the face of rising murders, rising floods, rising prices, and justifiably rising rage among our people, the main issues under discussion last week all involved childish petty bickering—over whose faces were on what flags, over who was having which celebrations, and where, and how! 

Our political parties have taken us to a new low in childishness and petty nonsense, and have thus reaffirmed the greatest danger to our society: We cannot govern ourselves.

So, how much would the bickering and “boycotting” of the Golden Anniversary have been burned into the national psyche? 

I was no sycophant admirer of Dr. Eric Williams, but I cannot see how we can acknowledge or celebrate this anniversary without recognizing his key role in the development of our politics (not admitting this was a “good” role) and the achievement of Independence. 

Indeed, the most magnanimous and “politically effective” action that the government could have taken over this celebration would have been to recognize and honour Williams memory and efforts (let us never say “struggle”) to achieve independence for T&T. The policy adopted—of petty exclusion and spite—was immature and a clear admission of their total insecurity. And indeed it was a poor choice, from any politically strategic viewpoint.

The government should have hung the PNM out, front and centre, and forced them to smile and squirm or be forever condemned. 

Instead, the PNM were given reasonable grounds for grumbling. But of course, the Dancing with Olympians and shutting out the PNM are just further steps in a lengthening journey marked more by petty mishaps than by solid achievements. 

And I make this comment fully aware, as are many of you, that much of what has been done wrong can be put at the feet of a recalcitrant sector of the Public Service, who literally believe that there is some ordained right of the PNM to govern us. And they work to sabotage the government.

But armed with this knowledge, cabinet especially needs to grow beyond their own governing mantra “We turn now”, and begin to move this country forward, and let us, hopefully, grow to our true potential over the next fifty years. But dare we hope, far less expect, such maturity, from any sector of our society?