By RICKEY SINGH

SHARPLY contrasting national moods prevail this weekend in our Caribbean region, but nowhere more pronounced as in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, St Lucia, Jamaica, and Barbados.

Concerns range from the astonishing, bizarre plot to assassinate the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago and three of her top Cabinet colleagues, to lively controversial debates in Barbados on declining moral behaviour and general lifestyles.

In-between, there is understandably much excitement over election politics with Guyanese and St Lucians trekking to polling stations tomorrow, while Jamaica's new Prime Minister Andrew Holness keeps Jamaicans guessing about the date for an anticipated snap poll.

An eye surgery is keeping me away from on-the-spot coverage of the Guyana elections, where I was expected this past week. But from all reports it promises to be a most challenging contest as the incumbent People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) battles a new combined five-party coalition, under the umbrella of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), and the six-year-old Alliance For Change (AFC) to retain state power for a fifth successive five-year term.

The Barbados experience, in contrast, is a mix of lively lifestyle issues of homosexuality; the consent age for teenagers; plus the harm being done to more than the nation's youth by the lyrics and sexual performances of the country's own internationally famous celebrity, Rihanna.

Her latest video, We Found Love, has now been banned from viewing before 10:00 pm by, of all European nations, France.

At the time of writing, and with at least a dozen arrests made, the security forces in Trinidad and Tobago were still engaged in round-the-clock investigations and a hunt for suspects linked to the uncovered plot to assassinate Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, her National Security Minister Brigadier John Sandy, Attorney General Annan Ramlogan and Foreign Affairs Minister Suruj Ramjattan.

The prime minister herself has already stated that she was not surprised to be advised on the assassination plot, which she deemed as "an act of treason" and associated with her Government's decision to place the nation under a state of emergency, the more pressing curfew dimension of which was recently terminated.

Whatever the coming developments, the uncovered assassination plot against a head of government and a trio of Cabinet ministers is the first of this kind of very unnerving criminal politicking which could also raise serious concerns for other Caribbean Community nations with their challenging mix of divisive and unconventional politics, narco-trafficking and criminal violence.

ELECTIONS: Both in Guyana and St Lucia, on the other hand, the mood is focused on tomorrow's parliamentary elections with the respective incumbents -- PPP/C and the United Workers' Party (UWP) -- showing confidence of retaining control of state power in the face of strong challenges from their opponents.

In Guyana, the private sector and labour movement have called for tomorrow to be declared a national holiday -- as was the case at the August 2006 elections -- though there are dissenting voices that point to this again impacting negatively on overall voter turnout. But the Government has decided in favour of a national holiday. The latest NACTA poll predicts a decisive win for the PPP/C.

Across in St Lucia, Prime Minister Stephenson King was on a collision course with the local bar association for his surprising criticism of a judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court for ruling against the transfer, about two years ago, of the then Police Commissioner Ausbert Regis to the Prime Minister's Office as Director of 'Special Initiatives'.

His first-term administration is also under intense pressure from the Opposition St Lucia Labour Party to account for millions of dollars in political funding from Taiwan, one of the crucial issues during the campaign. Prime Minister King is also faced with the Labour Party of former Prime Minister Kenny Anthony showing much confidence, based partly on an opinion poll, for a return to government.

Meanwhile, Jamaica remains in election mode, though by last week it was becoming increasingly unlikely that an earlier anticipated pre-Christmas poll may not now be realised before early next year.

However, in sharp contrast to the mood of election politics in Jamaica, Guyana and St Lucia, and the sensational claim of an assassination plot in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados is focused on sensitive lifestyle issues.

Rihanna factor

Barbados will mark its 45th anniversary of political independence on Wednesday this week, amid some rather stirring and controversial, statements and comments pertaining to moral uprightness, homosexuality, spirituality as well as the age of sexual consent for teenagers and visitations to doctors -- the latter without prior parental approval.

The growing concerns over the range of issues, as being reported with varying emphases by the media, point to a nation engaged in critical self-examination about lifestyles and declining social mores that could further weaken the fabric of this Caribbean Community state, long reputed for its commitment to established Christian values and family life.

In the interesting mix and commanding, as expected, more headlines than others, is the 23-year-old Rihanna, whose credential as an official roving ambassador of her native Barbados has been coming under increasing criticisms for the "bad messages" she keeps sending -- particularly to youth -- with her gyrating and sexually suggestive performances in the marketing of her albums, the latest of six being Talk That Talk.

Last Sunday, a leading Barbadian pastor, Bishop Dr Marlon Husbands, speaking at a service to launch the official Independence anniversary celebrations, organised by the governing Democratic Labour Party (DLP), unleashed a stinging verbal blast against Rihanna, whom he accused of "always doing foolishness" and "unworthy" of being an ambassador of this nation.

"The bishop also decried "the level of indiscipline, immorality and homosexuality in the country". While I consider myself liberal in my thinking on fundamental social and cultural issues, my immediate family members have long come to be aware that I do not consider Rihanna an admirable role model for the youth of this Caribbean region.

I am not asking others to agree with me, though I hope my own grandchildren would see the serious flaws of a beautiful and wealthy pop star who is proud to sing, rather mockingly, "good girl gone bad".

Sex consent

Then, apart from the controversy over homosexuality — a long recognised lifestyle for which Barbados is known — a conflict has now arisen over the age of consent by teenage girls and when they should be able to make visits to doctors without prior permission of parents or guardians.

While still struggling to effectively cope with lingering controversies over management of the country's health sector and the state-run Queen Elizabeth Hospital in particular, minister of health Donville Inniss has chosen to become actively involved in promoting arrangements for teenagers to make visits to doctors and seek medical care without their parents' permission. He said he will discuss the issue with the attorney general and minister of family, youth, culture and sports, among others.

However, within three days of Inniss' stated position, president of the National Council of Parent-Teachers' Associations Rhonda Blackman was advocating that the age of sexual consent be legally raised to 18. This should also be made applicable, she feels, for the right to visit doctors for medical care without parental permission.

And so the debates continue on a range of sensitive lifestyle issues as Barbados faces up to its varied social, cultural and economic problems and challenges, beyond celebrations marking its 45th Independence anniversary.

For now, we await the results of the intense probe into the uncovered plots to kill Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar and three of her ministerial colleagues; the outcome of elections in Guyana and St Lucia; and for Prime Minister Andrew Holness to ring the bell for Jamaica's now inevitable early poll in 2012.

Meanwhile, in this week of Barbados' 45th Independence Anniversary, Barbadians will continue to concern themselves with vexing lifestyle matters that further threaten moral and spiritual decline.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

jamaicaobserver

Caribbean Blog International