COLLECTIVE CITIZENSHIP

by

Dr. Kevin J. Alcena

The Bahamas, as a nation, has undergone different political, social and economic phases towards the attainment of high national expectations that our founding fathers had envisioned.  While many nations underwent protracted and often extensive bloodshed towards becoming a nation, and even further years of extreme economic and social malfunctions, we have had relatively peaceful, planned and conceited development over the years, before and after independence.

The efforts of our leaders, both living and dead, speak eloquently of the tenacity and determination that have seen The Bahamas becoming a small, high income and successful nation, within a region prone to mediocrity, acrimonious pursuit of political power, racial tension, abandonment of homeland in pursuit of greener pastures, and very repressive and dictatorial governments.

The determination and perseverance that have led us so far to great success as a nation must not be taken for granted. We must realize that success is a virtue, which must be vigorously embraced and pursued. Success is not an attribute to any nation that must be attained, if the right attitude, planning, determination and vision are lacking. The uniqueness of our national success exemplifies our conscious self-restraint not to imbibe the unnecessary infiltration of alien cultures that self-destruct our national way of life and scuttle the dreams and struggle for national success.

Our collective determination has been our strength and providence. We must continue to be our own personal guards to ensure that we do not drift from the virtues that have led us to where we are today. In our daily lives as citizens of this great nation, we must meticulously strive to advance the cause of the nation’s success: politically, socially, economically and religiously. We must uphold the various components of the society that strongly reminds us of the sanctity of our beloved country: the independence of our nation; advancing the creed of our nationhood; and above all, our collective citizenship.

The foundation of our country: the family, the government; our economy; our environment; and our sovereignty must not and should not be compromised for anything else than the life we live. Our Leaders pre and post-colonial era; our service men and women; and most of our illustrious sons and daughters have demonstrated this stand.  We, in this generation, must continue to uphold the bedrock of our country against any external beliefs, culture, and values contrary to those that have kept and preserved the nation’s peace, friendliness, and the intrinsic essence that abound in our land.

The sanctity of the home and the family must be respected and upheld. The family structure must at all times be maintained and respected. This is the rudimentary and enduring aspect of meaningful socialization and internalization through which our teenagers and adolescent members of the community are inculcated with – the cultures and virtues that have made The Bahamas a unique, progressive nation we are today.  We must, in spite of the need to fulfil our diverse and multiple roles in the wider society, ensure that each Bahamian child is given the proper cultural upbringing, education and love for each other and the nation. This is the stage (pre-teen, teenagers, early adolescence) in life to imbibe in the child an understanding of the sacredness and singleness of life.

Failing to adhere to the family’s essence and structure has led to the current heightened crime level as fellow citizens are routinely maimed or killed for the sake of unscrupulous economic gain; sinful carnal relationships; adventure; egotist maladies; drugs and drug addiction; and simple exasperation. Our failing has caused the great many unwanted pregnancies, which in combination with other factors, deprived unfortunate teen fathers and mothers of the beautiful future that awaits them. We have failed our children for not providing them with the proper developmental task that would have led many to very stable and meaningful callings, thus depriving many of them, the same family they need for their stability and the nation’s stability.

 It is our collective responsibility for the upbringing of the youths of this nation. This would help us build a consciousness that is deep bonding as the youths become leaders of their time, thus creating a new political dispensation that further guarantee our nation’s progress. We are blessed to have a political atmosphere devoid of acrimony and physical hostilities. How long could we have this peaceful, political atmosphere if youths, filled with violence in mind and are recidivists to crime, mature to become leaders of tomorrow?

We must collectively prepare the nation’s growing political leaders-to-be to continue the path the country has charted since its creation - political leaders that do not condone mediocrity, rancor, incivility and greed.

The collectivity and continuity of our ordered and stable “lifestyle” should be embraced alongside the preservation of our environment. We, as a nation, are currently basking in the embrace of nature that attracts tourists in great numbers. The use of our land must strictly be for national development and preservation purposes only, and should be paramount to the political rhetoric of attracting foreign investors with vested personal interests.  Any controversy regarding areas of national importance should constructively be considered in our national interest first, before dangling the economic benefits to the people.

In addition, it is our collective interest for the upliftment of the nation’s future growth and geo-landscape development that all pieces of land located 30 feet from the sea exclusive of currently developed sites should be preserved as national frontiers to serve multidimensional purposes, beautification and sustainable development.

We have to come together from all aspects of life to bridge the gap and lay the foundation of tomorrow’s greatness. No nation is worth recognition, if there is no collectiveness amongst the citizenry. Collectively we can withstand the threat of globalization through World Trade Organization (WTO) and Free Trade Areas of the Americas (FTAA) through our resourcefulness and dedication to the nations.

August 18, 2006