What will we stand up for?

Fri, Mar 2. 2012

Editor: Three letters in last week’s editions of the SEARCHLIGHT left me disheartened that there is any progress towards healing the emergent political rift in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.{{more}}

The response to Maia Eustace’s letter underscored her point that Vincentians are still unable or unwilling to talk about race. I found Ms. Eustace’s letter a poignant, profound and probing look at how even today we’re still mental captives of Eurocentric beliefs and stereotyping. I saw no political motives in a letter challenging us to be mindful of how we speak and the messages we send by our words and our actions.

The woeful responses of Ms. Fontaine and 100% Vincy letters was so hostile, they seemed written not to further expand the conversation but to enlarge the flaring of political and race differences. I also found it ironic that while both persons accused the Leader of the Opposition of hiding behind his daughter’s letter, they in turn felt compelled to hide behind an alias. The arguments of politics and attacks on Ms. Eustace and her father reminded me of an old saying; “If you cannot argue the facts…argue the man.”

Elvis Daniel’s letter underscored my dismay that things really have to get worse before getting better. That such a glaring act of political discrimination is practiced without even a spasm of protest from the teachers’ union, the church or any other group is preposterous. Are we now so immune to bad governance and corruption that it has now become the accepted?

St. Vincent has a church on just about every street corner. What does it mean when we leave our homes and go to worship? Are we really attempting to ascribe to the teaching of Christ? During this season of Lent, it will be a good thing for us to reflect on who we are, what is our purpose and what if anything, we are willing to stand up for. In other words, what will Jesus do?

Sharon Haynes