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Columnists
Rishard P. Cooper
The Ideal Bahamian Citizen!!!
In my view, the ideal form of
Bahamian citizenship can be broadly defined as responsible citizenship,
which is characterized by active involvement in the functioning
and development of the Bahamas above and beyond valiant services
in the workplace. The ideal citizen is intimately aware of major
issues facing the Bahamas and is personally involved in the process
of creating solutions to these issues and coming up with new and
ingenious ways for the Bahamas to remain highly competitive in the
global market. Another important aspect of responsible citizenship
is the greek concept of paideia, which I interpret as holistic education
geared towards preparation for responsible citizenship. Essential
to the process of paideia is the continual reexamination of one’s
positions, beliefs, and dogmatic adherences.
Every Bahamian should make it a matter of habit to continually reexamine
and assess their beliefs, actions and habits. If you believe that
the main solution to illegal immigrant problem is summary deportation
of illegal Haitians, please wrestle with the strongest counterargument
to your position. Listen to the other side’s view. You may
not necessarily agree with them, but respect that someone has a
different opinion. We must become a more tolerant society not just
in words but also in our actions. We need to be a more honest society.
Christian Campbell’s critical analysis of the dichotomy between
the public image of Bahamians, which is ostensibly pious, Christian
and innocent but often contradicts strongly with the often dark
realities of our private lives. We must lay bare the dark side of
the Bahamas in honesty and love and let the healing begin. The ideal
citizen does not have time to articulate platitudinous mantras and
meaningless political jargon in discussing possible solutions to
the obstacles facing our country. Instead, that citizen is fixated
with real, substantive progress which can be felt at the grassroots
level.
Furthermore, Bahamian citizenship should involve mandatory military
service for all citizens between the ages of 18 and 20. This service
will help instill discipline and comradery among all Bahamians rich
and poor, white, black, of Haitian, Jamaican or American descent.
A responsible Bahamian citizen incorporates volunteerism and service
as a central part of their existence. Volunteerism and stewardship
is second nature to the responsible citizen because paideia requires
one to do away with narcissism, self-centeredness, ethnocentrism,
and xenophobia.
In addition, an ideal Bahamian citizen must be a consummate student
of Bahamian and world history. Also,it is incumbent that the ideal
citizen be well versed in the major economic drivers of the Bahamian
economy and understands why the Bahamas is competitive in those
sectors. Another crucial yet frequently lacking characteristic of
ideal Bahamian citizenship is an appreciation for and understanding
of our Caribbean heritage. To often I hear (and it pains me) my
fellow Bahamians say that the Bahamas is not a part of the Caribbean.
This is simply not true and does not consider our common history,
culture and traditions.
The world is the Bahamas’ market and it has been for some
time. Hence, in this globalized world, the ideal Bahamian citizen
cannot afford to be ignorant of the global economy. This citizen
understands this in a meaningful not superficial manner. She if
familiar with major economic trends around the world, identifies
economic opportunities and directs her entrepreneurial skills and
talents internationally. Bahamians, we must train ourselves to compete
internationally at the highest level. If we are to compete effectively,
we have to implement examinations whose results can be easily compared
with those from students in other countries. Hence, we should do
away with the BGCSE’s, incorporate the CXC programme that
every other English speaking community in the Caribbean uses. We
should then use the CXC framework and the collective knowledge and
experiences of our neighbouring countries to develop a wider, more
diverse educational system. Countries with better-educated populations
have a competitive advantage in this knowledge-based global economy.
Hence, the model citizen must commit her shoulders to the wheel
and work very hard to attain the highest and best education individually
and also work with government and other social partners to help
improve education in the Bahamas.
The model citizen travels and reads in order to expand her horizons,
learn about the cultural practices of other societies and becomes
a more tolerant, and informed individual as a result. Finally, the
model citizen is a student of finance and wealth creation. She knows
about stocks, bonds and other forms of securities and uses her knowledge
to wisely invest in the Bahamas and throughout the world. She creates
a budget and tries her bests to stick to it.
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