Commentary: Caribbean Savages

CAYMAN ISLANDS – I grew up in a family where the group motto was Suam Quisque Curat Salutem or every man for himself. It was a cry often heard on sinking ships, bar fights and army retreats. This was neither unusual or uncommon among many families where each and every one was a savage. It was a microcosm of a large part of society and fitted in nicely with criminals, corrupt politicians, unstable bureaucrats, thieving siblings and a few spouses.

Group Motto

It is a lucky thing that all families do not follow this motto and an errant child is often saved by those great saviours, teachers. For people involved in the great wholesale saving of young minds, encouraging young minds and producing a finished product for society, they are often treated with disdain.

Politicians, government finance officers and even the beneficiaries of a stalwart education themselves, frequently look down on from ivory towers on humble teachers who struggle with daily existence, all the while being good shepherds when others are not. They are ignored on salaries, conditions of work as well as the degraded and overheated classrooms many separated from nature by thin plastic.

Children are there for an education not a camping trip in nature.

The political leaders have gone from the irreconcilable back to nature plea to flimsy press releases that portions of a phase of school repair are almost complete. Little pieces crumbling into Never Never land.

Government Schools

Every parent in Western Jamaica with children at government schools will be filled with revulsion that their child is not only not getting the best, it will fall behind other children from Kingston and the East like an orphan.

This will be an enduring legacy for all those responsible, even after they recline to collect substantial pensions and other undeclared things.

It may not be too late to quickly devote necessary resources and avoid the bottomless pit of the curry favor clique for actual results.

Otherwise, the best thing would be to save up every stretch of terrible roadway, damaged or disused schools, poor health services, economic distress and idiotic remarks from upon high, like parables for the future when the time is right.

Keep smiling like the overlords, keep attending meaningless meetings, keep avoiding the vacant media of government punditry and keep count of the numerous after action attempts to resolve that which should be prevented.

Perhaps the answer lies with Proverbs:

The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbour.  But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.

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