[dropcap]I[/dropcap]have lost count of the times I’ve heard it said: We come into the world bearing different, sometimes unique, gifts. While growing up, I observed how clumsy some children were at simple chores like tethering a sheep or at bat in a cricket game. Other kids could not pass a simple school test. I saw them as misfits, reasoning that if I could do a task, then anyone could. It took a while before I accepted that some people are better at certain disciplines than others. When, therefore, I read a piece of nonsense in a newspaper or hear some semi-literate talk-show host spewing his dirt, I hit my reject button and save myself having to process gibberish.
The late realization of unique, individual talent has come with a gut feeling for the credible. When some people relate to me a negative comment by a talk-show host, my quick retort is: Why do you listen to garbage and lies? Have you no better use for your time? I am aware that some persons view talk shows only as Entertainment, others as political fixes—in the same way some use an early morning coffee or a cigarette. Political junkies have developed a craving for anything political; bogus or real, it matters little. Calypso lovers who look eagerly to a witty calypso during the carnival season are likewise afflicted. Thankfully, many more people thirst for simple truths and factual information regarding the social and economic development of our country. For such people, matters of importance are a priority. For example, how and why the government pursues a particular economic agenda is followed by many citizens. Such information begs the question of the role of the opposition in the social and economic development of the island.
The system of politics, as practised here, tends to leave the entire burden of improving the social and economic life of the citizenry in the hands of the government—the executive. The official opposition seeks often to add to the government’s difficulty by noisily opposing whatever the government proposes, including unfinished business left behind by the opposition when it was the government. Some politicians have perfected the art of opposing. They oppose even when there is nothing to oppose. Their minds seem programmed only to say no! Such minds are useless, even when in government, for their owners can see things only in a negative light.
The fear of being caught with their pants down, or their hands in places where they don’t belong, leads them to raise their voices in false protest against everything that offers an opportunity for distraction. The United
Workers Party has demonstrated little enthusiasm for opposing, unless against something egregious. The Labour Party, on the other hand, lives to oppose, leaving the impression that opposition is all it is capable of. The UWP says that it only knows how to work to develop the country. The SLP is tongue-tied and ambivalent about its policy for job creation and economic growth.
In a climate where cheap talk flourishes, con artists and little minds are able to worm their way to the top of the propaganda pile. In that atmosphere, the government has little choice but to push back hard, exposing the cardboard horns and hollow criticisms. It’s not rocket science to explain how the government does what it does, and to what end. The ultimate goal of a straight and incorruptible government is to build sustainable and resilient economic growth, for all who live in this country. To help attain this vision, it is proposed that the nation come together in prayer at least once a month on a determined day and time. The intention is to ask for divine intervention to guide and protect those who lead and work for the nation. It is clear to those who can see that there are people who would stop at nothing in order to bring down a man who has been in office for only two years of his five-year term.
I recommend one of my favourite passages in the Bible as part of this monthly prayer event and suggest the first Monday of every month (before Cabinet meets) as a suitable time. Isaiah Chapter 40, verses 30 and 31 in Holy Writ reads: “Even those who are young grow weak; young men can fall exhausted. But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak.”
I am convinced that the parliamentary opposition needs prayers as much as the government. I believe more things were wrought by prayer than the world realizes. So, I invite the nation also to pray for Her Majesty’s loyal opposition, and ask for divine intervention in their words and actions. Pray also that they may be transformed to fit the role for which they have been elected to parliament.
In closing, may I remind you, dear reader, that the purpose of prayer is to instill in us our oneness with a spiritual God. We are made spiritually in God’s image and likeness. Prayer is not an insistence; we do not say, “Listen Holy Spirit, I’m speaking to you.” No, it’s an invocation: we say instead, “Speak, Holy Spirit, I’m listening.” The everlasting spiritual truth is that God is love. And love sustains and supplies everything it has created. Our prayers are for ourselves and our fellows, not for God. They are meant to help attain our highest purpose in life. The unique gifts we bear are for one another—to make each other better, happier. They are a spiritual goodwill meant to heal our nation, and to stop those who wish to divide and destroy it!
