On the eve of what would have been National Hero, late Prime Minister and the Father of Independence, the Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow’s 105th birthday, the spotlight remains on his outstanding contribution to Barbados’ development.
Barrow lived in an era without social media or the immediacy of the Internet. Yet, that did not prevent the political icon from spreading his message of regional interdependence, or the need for significant social advancement and economic enfranchisement of ordinary citizens.
His address to the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1966 still offers perpetual relevance in a world that is increasingly hostile to small, developing nations ruled mainly by descendants of African enslaved people.
Barrow’s admonishment to be “friends of all and satellites of none” provides valuable foreign and diplomatic policy tutelage in an environment where leaders are increasingly transactional.
Those who have no resource or strategic geopolitical relevance with which to negotiate are left to plead for crumbs or are prepared to fall prostrate to be used and abused.
This appears to be a rather dark assessment of the period in which we operate, but this is no time for romanticising and idealism; it is about putting in the work, being deliberate and leaving nothing to chance.
Barrow’s legacy is one that emphasises the need for preparation. His focus was on fortifying the Barbadian population for the challenges that were ahead.
His May 13, 1986 “Mirror Image” speech is even more relevant today as the country grapples with a spate of gun crimes and murders that have sent shock waves across communities.
Barrow wanted citizens to understand that each of them had a role to play in shaping the kind of nation in which they lived. He warned that integrity should not be sacrificed at the altar of greed and ostentation.
“I want to know what kind of mirror image do you have of yourself? Do you really like yourselves? There are too many people in Barbados who despise themselves and their dislike of themselves reflects itself in their dislike of other people. Now, what has bothered me in this society is that every time after elections, people expect certain things to take place. And although the law says that he that giveth is as much guilty of bribery and corruption under the Corrupt Practices Act as he that receiveth, we know that even on polling day, people were given envelopes with $100 bills in them. So what kind of mirror image would you have of yourself? If there are corrupt ministers in Barbados tonight, you have made them corrupt,” Barrow stated.
He continued: “I am not trying to make any excuses for you, but I realise what has happened in this society. I look around and see people who have not done an honest day’s work in their whole lives driving around in MP cars, having an ostentatious standard of living, unlike my poor families in St John, who the Welfare Officer gives $50 to feed a family of ten for a whole week.”
Barrow did not just talk the talk. He took action. We know of his delivery of free education from primary to tertiary. It was the most consequential social policy action by any government in Barbados’ history.
Free education was the platform for the rapid expansion of Barbados’ middle class and the shrinking of the island’s underprivileged working class. Today, the island struggles with shaping education to align with national development policy initiatives.
At the same time, older Barbadians are struggling to understand why so many young people are failing to grasp the many opportunities provided by the educational system. They are baffled by the lure of the “gangsta” lifestyle and the “get rich or die trying” mentality.
Whether the local educational system is fit for purpose or there are other social, economic and cultural factors negatively impacting the effectiveness of education is still to be fully determined.
What we do know is that the island’s first prime minister would have understood the connection between a man’s social conditions and his attitude towards fellow citizens; that if people do not have faith that they will enjoy a better quality of life than their parents or grandparents, then the State needed to intervene and right the situation.
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