When did the political season turn into the silly season?

We live by the so-called British Westminster system, a system that we acquired from our colonial masters and which we have continued to use post-independence. The stark fact is that it was not designed for us, a country that is supposed to be independent but now worship at different altars. The British House of Commons, the body in Britain that houses elected members, has about 650 members, catering to a population of over 60 million, I believe. We are a small, I was going to say tiny but to have use that word would have forced me to find a different one for our brothers and sisters across the Caribbean sea that have populations smaller than ours. We have maintained the system at independence but minus, of course, the norms, mores and values that would have helped to shape the system. With small parliaments, almost all persons elected through the governing body become members of Cabinet. In the UK there is always a large body of backbenchers that often challenge the position of its party and sometimes even create conditions for its downfall. On occasions the Prime Minister might challenge those members with a warning that he can call elections, especially when some of them might find themselves in positions where early elections could bring about their downfall. Regardless, there are many occasions of dissent by elected parliamentarians who sit on the backbenches.

In our situation the Westminster system is really a “Winner takes all”. It is a mockery of the system and often shapes the attitudes of those who seek and attain office. The thinking, the philosophy, the focus becomes five years, technically the time for the next election. So, the political season is five years. We have to remember too, that the Prime Minister can call elections at any time he feels. There is no standard election date as in the United States of America. The Silly Season is what I call the period leading up to the end of the 5-year term of office when it is known that elections have to be called before a particular date. But the political season has become the Silly Season.

Really our concern is not with the development of the country and the protection of its citizens. I say ours because this has now become the thinking of the voters. So long-term thinking on development hardly exists. The question is what therefore we can do that will bear fruit in five years. What happens after five years is another matter. We now see here a mad rush to have things that were not done in 10 or 20 years being attempted in six months or a year. The mad scramble means often that things are not well thought out. It leaves room for crooked investors from abroad to take advantage of this thinking and the situation as it exists. What is needed is an alert and knowledgeable populace. The media was considered one of the pillars of Democracy. It has in SVG never lived up to that role and there are many reasons for this, I suppose. I remember when I worked with CARIPEDA making attempts to get an association of journalists started. This never got off the ground. Today social media reigns. One of the good things about social media is that persons have immediate access to it and can share their opinion through it. So far, so good; but this media can easily be manipulated and quite often some of the information is simply fake.

Context is quite important in looking at democracy and democratic development. In our case, economic inequality and poverty are significant factors to be considered , for one gets the impression sometimes that things are done to take advantage of our relatively large poverty base and the prevailing inequality. Although a large percentage of our population is literate, many of us do not read and try to develop an understanding of our reality. Sometimes when one examines pieces and discussions on social media and even examines the newspapers one might wonder if they are writing and even more, living in the same country.

We really need to wake up and question a lot of what is happening. Is it that our main concern is how we benefit from certain policies even if at the expense of benefits to the country as a whole? Let our focus be on the development of our country and our own involvement in the mechanics. Let us examine projects and policies and try to decide whether they are in the best interest of the country or are mere election gimmicks, part of the Silly Season. To simply surrender to those who hold power is to find ourselves in a position where they have no respect for us, and anything therefore goes. As things happen especially during the Silly Season, let us make known that we see them for what they are, by and large, gimmicks. We have as people to take control of our country and be the drivers. We will for this be respected in the long run!

•  Dr Adrian Fraser is a social commentator and historian