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Racr division12/20/2023 The short, swift boycott of Ramsaran products was instructive in showing that people have power and that it can be awesome when we act together. We cannot force people to love one another, but we can make them respect others’ rights and privileges by insisting upon it. I cite seatbelt legislation, which profoundly changed the narrative from, “The police will catch you,” to, “You are risking your life.” Wrong! Free “hate” speech is racist and should be outlawed. Ralph Balgobin believes calling black people vermin is “intolerant and stupid” and that free speech allows for that. The strategy could facilitate a shift in our culture that will gain momentum.īut we need urgent legislation against racism. I feel encouraged by some of the promised focus of the government and hopeful about change being realisable. The government has kept some old ministries and created some new focal points, such as digital transformation as part of the Ministry of Public Administration, and I hope that extends to the business of education and involves parents and all citizens, particularly students and teachers. The syllabus and teaching methods must cultivate more critical thinkers who can get themselves through the even more complicated future they will eventually face. We all know that we need to radically transform the curriculum, to make schooling fun, of the 21st century, and to have at its heart teaching about life and responsibilities and society and people, rendering that part of education as important as getting a good grade in exams. The pandemic exposed the inequalities and fault lines in our outdated education system and they have a real chance to undertake a root and branch reform. These ministers need courage, but they must surely sense that everybody is behind them, and so is fate, as this is a moment of opportunity. A bulwark against that trend includes the important role of civil society in rallying to the cause of nothing less than our future.įull marks to Dr Rowley, then, for seeing the need to add “citizenship” to the curriculum and for the appointment of two women who promise to be excellent in their roles as minister and junior minister of education. because it is a source of isolation and works against co-operation. Social media has a huge role to play in what has to be a new campaign of healing. Other countries have had similar challenges and put themselves together again, so recovery is possible.įirst, we must accept that the racist rants, the general lack of civility and the wilful demolishing of those with whom we disagree is not healthy and decide that we want, as Dr Rowley advises, to be on the same side, for everybody’s benefit. The slide has quickened over the last few decades as our self-seeking politicians continued to divide us in order to rule us, having learned at the knee of our colonial masters. The big question is how can we regain what we have lost of the worthy endeavour to be one people? The "Us" and "Them” isn’t about real differences in ideology, since, for the most part, the main parties have little that divides them in terms of big ideas it’s more a question of priorities and, sadly, to whom favours are owed, but we have been encouraged to perceive it as a matter of race. The public may have laughed at some of it but it sank in, threatening to deepen the damaged trust between the different ethnic groups and provoking an even larger mistrust in our institutions. That is a tall order, since the campaign on both sides was very personal and attacked supporters as much as leaders. Our returned PM Dr Rowley has requested us to once more believe that we are one people and to put aside the rancour and slander of the last two months. The 2020 election campaigns conducted by the main two parties were bruising, leaving a nasty taste in our mouths.
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