There Can be No Tolerance of Mediocrity in a Progressive Society!

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]ransforming a society means changing the thinking and behaviour of a targeted population from mediocre or average to excellent. What concrete evidence can we show to prove that point, and what exactly does transformation mean in the context of Saint Lucia?

The halt in the spread of bilharzia by changing the behaviour patterns of certain rural communities on the island in the 60s and 70s and by making pipe-borne water available to these communities in exchange for the use of river water, comes to mind. Government intervention through rural community education, the provision of public standpipes, laundries and baths worked together for the eradication of bilharzia disease on the island.

Another meaningful transformation has been the construction of primary schools island-wide that afforded students the opportunity to learn to read and write.

Transformation is often a long-term process. The need for education and use of clean water persists with every new generation. It never ends! Another unending transformative process is the way citizens dispose of waste. This subject has long been discussed on the island and there has been improvement. Still, there is much more to be done if we are to maintain a clean environment.

The pro-active Mayor of Castries, Peterson Francis, has taken his ‘clean the city’ crusade one step further by offering to pay cash for garbage collected in city streets and drains. The mayor’s action reminds us that in the 1970s the John Compton government established ‘litter wardens’ whose duties were to warn, dissuade and prosecute persistent litterbugs. Perhaps the mayor also has in mind the use of strong disciplinary incentives with matching public education as he applies the carrot and stick approach to keeping our city clean. Every right-thinking citizen wishes the mayor success. He has certainly set out to transform the city of Castries from the smelly dirty urinal it was fast becoming to a place where one can, well, breathe easily.

The renaming of the former Ministry of Social Affairs to the Ministry of Social Transformation is a hopeful sign that social and economic progress imports the idea of transforming the behaviour and attitude of people for the better. This needs to be underpinned by a clear command structure and prescribed periodic review of the delivery mechanism of the relevant government department. I have stated in previous articles that the new nomenclature ought to be used as a foundation upon which the work and life of the island’s Nobel laureates would be used to bring the people out of the country into the light; from mediocrity to excellence.

The process of transformation is even more crucial as the government embarks on investigations into IMPACS and Grynberg. These investigations must not be vengeful and threatening, as were past enquiries. Instead, they must be looked upon as a search through the recklessness and incompetence of poor management decisions, and procedural missteps, to better guide decisions and management of state affairs. 

Hopefully, the reconstruction of St. Jude Hospital in Vieux Fort will be included in these important investigations. The government must remain resolute in its determination to shine a light on the darkness of St. Jude Hospital. Future leaders must be persuaded to avoid similar recklessness.

It also appears that there was a meeting of minds of Caribbean governments when they agreed to introduce the word transformation into the lexicon of government services, clearly indicating their societies needed to undergo sea changes. It bears repeating that implicit in the idea of transformation, something—usually the people—needs to be changed from backward, uneducated and intemperate to the best that can be. Indeed, transformation also means leaving behind a failed and unsatisfactory past while moving steadily into a new way of seeing, doing and being. The word imports a migration from inferior standard of thinking and living, into a better, healthier and progressive lifestyle.    

Notwithstanding the above, professional engineers experienced in the construction of hospitals have all given a thumbs down to the St. Jude hospital project being completed along the same lines that gave birth to much discussed disaster. It is difficult not to be angry with the former regime and those who now make excuses for the St. Jude hospital fiasco. I fully understand the reasons for the artificially created smokescreen (whirlwind?). My information is that there were several dummy companies entrusted with the purchase of furniture, materials and equipment for the hospital. Some of the more sensitive equipment has obviously become useless, while some is yet to reach the island.

If this is all political propaganda and speculation then the Prime Minister, and not Guy Joseph or Mary Isaac or anyone else in his Cabinet must reassure the people of Saint Lucia, that he will indeed do all in his power to clear the suffocating smoke around the issue. I repeat that the aim of the investigation must be to uncover wrongs never to be repeated. The ball is now in the Prime Minister’s court. He cannot his sworn enemies also to be enemies of progress for selfish purpose. It is time to begin work on the new hospital in Vieux-Fort; it is also time for the start of a full inquiry into St, Jude in the best interests of all Saint Lucians.

See The STAR Businessweek lead article: From Waste to Wealth.