When our government has failed us it is time for the people to ask what part we played in the failure of the government. And how should we hold our government accountable? The prime duties of government are, first, to protect the national territory; secondly, to preserve peace within its boundaries; and thirdly to ensure that every family unit of the nation has space in the nations territory for a home and a means of livelihood, but there are also secondary ones, and others that would depend on the personal ethics of individuals. There is a lot of debate going on in our country about our present government having failed us, and the reason for this debate is multiple. The allegations of corruption are rampant, the fear that Chinese will not very long from now be the majority population on our small island, the unproductive dependency culture that is now being perpetuated among our people, the lack of real sustainable development, problems with crime and rule of law, the unemployment statistics, the division among our people, just to name a few of the burning issues. I want to make this fundamentally clear; our government is not causing our country to fail. That’s an illusion. It’s the people. We are the reason Dominica is falling. We can’t have a quality democracy if we fail to participate FULLY in it. Not only is our right, but it is our sacred duty. Mahatma Gandhi said it so eloquently “The true source of right is duty. If we all discharge our duties, rights will not be far to seek. If leaving duties unperformed we run after rights, they will escape us like will-o-the-wist, the more we pursue them, the farther they will fly.” The civic and personal duties of Dominicans should transcend the physical boundaries of Dominica our beloved homeland. Nationhood my people is what it’s citizens are. What are we? What have we done as part owners of our government to ensure that it is accountable to us, and do our wishes? How do we see ourselves? How do we see our nation? Our beloved Dominica! My Dominican people, for those of us who call ourselves Dominican patriots, I have this to say to you; a true patriot will defend his country and the honor of his people against any government at any time. A true patriot takes his duties as a citizen seriously; for those of us who are not too sure about what those duties are, please permit me to give you an idea of what I think the fundamental duties are: “It shall be the duty of every citizen of Dominica“ (a) to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem; (b) to cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom; (c) to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of Dominica; (d) to defend the country against all forces and influences and render national service when called upon to do so; (e) to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of Dominica transcending religious, regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of every man, woman and child; (f) to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture; (g) to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures; (h) to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform; (i) to safeguard public property and to abjure violence; (j) to strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity, so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavor and achievement.” (b) (k)To embrace and safeguard our sovereignty and independence (c) (l)to ensure that our natural resources remain in the hands of our natural citizens (d) (m) To pass on to our children the importance of the dignity of work and self sufficiency. Our nation is now at a time and place were we all Dominicans at home and abroad should take those duties very seriously. And to ensure that those in Government take theirs seriously also, and if they don’t, it is our duty to hold them accountable. There are some among us who claim have all the answers for every one of us; they question our patriotism, and try to disparage every one of us who seek to perform our duty as true Dominican citizens who are genuinely concerned about our nation. No place too low for them to go in their attempt to do so; be so warned that we have to be aware of the so called intellectuals who as Mark Lilla described them in The Reckless Mind: Intellectuals in Politics “they consider themselves to be independent minds, when the truth is that they are a herd driven by their inner demons and thirsty for the approval of a fickle public.” They incite passion rather than thought; they divide in order to rule. It’s not education that they give, it is not philosophy; it is hubris. Be aware my Dominican people, be aware. And perform your duties as citizens of our beloved Dominica.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 14:59:57 +0000
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