From the outset, let me declare that I support all those who, in times past and present, have championed causes to alleviate the people’s plight. I also understand those who have given up the struggle for whatever reason or reasons, as I seek to awaken new energies in an effort to keep the spirits of those who have perished in the struggle alive. It seems as if a tranquilizing cloak has been placed on the ascendant spirits, but it is my hope that the following article will help to inspire the next generations of revolutionaries. I rest this claim in the will of the good spirits of the ancestors.
What I am sure of, however, is that playing on peoples’ vulnerabilities is never an advisable means of gaining their trust and acquiring their endorsement for governing authority. This is a very messy path to pursue which almost always ends poorly – more so for the governors because they have the most to lose.
There is a desperate need for the rekindling of the public protest fire in Dominica, although the seismic magnitude of the silent protest may catch the ruling elite with their guards down. Ironically, this essay is a means of protest also, but the mother of all protests is peoples’ public manifestation against oppression and lack of progress. This has been the case since the biblical times.
It is said that Dominicans talk too much and take very little action, but talk is a form of action. So, keep talking because when the people stop talking they will take other forms of action which could be more devastating. As far as the spirit of Dominica’s goes, I recommend that consumers of this post give a listen to Andrew ‘The Scrunter’ Bazil, who in 1991 sang a song entitled: ‘Dominicans Get Smart.’ In that song, Scrunter gives a commentary of the state of affairs with public protests in Dominica then.
If what Scrunter said is true, and it is, the situation today is ten times the case. Are we the wiser for it? I promised to answer this question: Why was it so important to replace the governing class? Please allow me to do so in part II.
This article is copyright © 2019 DOM767
