Still celebrating individual success

RECENTLY in responding to critics of the 50th Independence celebrations, the prime minister stated that some people know the cost of everything but know the value of nothing.

Well, Mr Prime Minister, I’m not very concerned about cost at this time. Right now I am more concerned about what we are really celebrating. After listening to all the ads and viewing the big bash, I’ve noticed that what we are celebrating is the achievements of individuals: a former prime minister, a cricketing legend, Olympic medallist award-winning beer and a singing superstar.

While these are all marvellous and laudable achievements worthy of celebration and praise these could have been achieved with or without Independence.

What I think is sad Mr Prime Minister is that 50 years after Independence we have ruthless murderers sitting in prison after taking innocent lives in the execution of their heinous crimes. And we still cannot carry out the appropriate punishment as stated on our law books.

We have state departments of other countries who don’t have the moral authority telling us about police brutality and when prisoners’ rights are violated in prison. Ambassadors from foreign groupings telling us if we should or should not flog our children. A foreign leader using threats if countries like us don’t change laws regarding buggery.

I think what we should be celebrating is that we are no longer controlled by the colonial or imperial systems of fifty years ago. But we can’t.

– Glyne O. Harrison