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Saturday, August 1, 2020

The Colonial Mentality Throughout the Caribbean Diaspora - has Created a System of Political Clientelism

Emancipated Day! "But today we are Mentally and Economically - Slaves"


By Dr Kevin Alcena:
  

Happy Emancipation Day to all Africans in the Caribbean — It is indeed a culturally mixed dichotomy  in regards to freedom. The colonial mentality throughout the Caribbean diaspora, has created a system of political clientelism. In other words,  an “all for me baby”syndrome. 

When we look around, all we see is failure, from Haiti, Jamaican, Trinidad, Guyana, The Bahamas and the list goes on. We inherited a system after the emancipation, called democracy by default, that is orchestrated and manipulated by an elite black class who has a colonial mentality that is worse than the slave masters. 

We have somehow lost the social contract to the common man and woman. A good example- a number of young Bahamian men trying to make an honest living selling guinep and coconuts being arrested by police. Since when did you need a license to sell guinep and coconut water?

Are you going to deprive these children of their opportunities? Most of the children are wearing masks but the state sees fit to harass them, and this is what we call “the people’s time”?

Not so long ago the Prime Minister of the Bahamas Hubert Alexander Ingram, used to walk to school barefoot. And, if I’m correct, he used to shine shoes—did he have a license to be a shoe shine boy? 

Civil society in this country is laughable, they have no clear understanding in terms of our history and where we’re going. Our national debt—I don’t even know if it’s even manageable at this point.

And whilst we are experiencing an increase in the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of Bahamians are going to bed very hungry, unable to find jobs, can’t pay their light bills, or even their landlords.

There is no thinking system, whilst the elite benefit. What we have inherited on this incredible Emancipation Day is a form of economic and mental slavery.

There’s a form of application for the common man and woman that is unprecedented at this time. There is no care of the church to the politicians.

I must compliment one man who is doing a remarkable job in feeding thousands of Bahamian people, Philip Smith and other individuals who are taking matters into their own hands. 

What is remarkable about this country is that we are small; it is easy to fix our problems. Every Bahamian should be tested for Covid-19 so we can nip this in the bud.

We don’t have millions of people. Why is not every Bahamian being tested?

We have the data to deal with this crisis. Emancipation means responsibility and our government has abdicated their responsibility.

They are governed by ego and emasculation “I’m in charge, I am the boss”. This is a very symbolic emancipation, we need the Marcus Garvey’s, the Sir Lynden’s we need the Michael Manly’s to count the chains that hold us, and to remind us that it was only yesterday that our great grandparents were slaves.
 
Happy Emancipation Day Bahamas.

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