Copyright newsday
THE TERM "revolution" is usually associated with protests, violence, downfall of regimes and/or progress. From the 18th century to the 20th century, countries as France, Haiti, Cuba, Russia and the United States experienced revolutions. However, this was no guarantee of stability and prosperity. In 2025, democracy and progress are not enjoyed by all citizens of these countries. Revolutionary leaders often boast of successful revolutions, but these are romanticised. This is evident from the inequality, social problems and undemocratic incidents as jailing of opposition voices. A revolution could intensify racial and religious tensions as well as class polarisation. Revolutions are sometimes exaggerated and do not benefit supporters. And there is often regression with counter-revolutions. Frantz Fanon, a psychiatrist, supporter of the Algerian revolution against France and author of The Wretched of the Earth, believed, “At the individual level, violence is a cleansing force. It rids the colonized of their inferiority complex, of their passive and despairing attitude. It emboldens them, and restores their self-confidence.” Walter Rodney, in 1969, in The Groundings with my Brothers, contended, “Violence aimed at the recovery of human dignity and at equality cannot be judged by the same yardstick as violence aimed at maintenance of discrimination and oppression.” In 2025, the world does not need anyone to justify the use of violence or any ideologue espousing violence. Today, revolutions need to be peaceful and useful with positive effects. A genuine and comprehensive revolutionary movement that uplifts the citizenry is urgently needed. Maybe the masses should push for a literacy revolution, a clean water and air revolution, a healthy eating revolution, a kindness revolution or a recycling revolution. In 2022, there was an article in the New Scientist, titled “The happiness revolution.” The author spoke of the need to create a happy society. Yes! Citizens need to change their lifestyles, mentality and focus on an intellectual uprising, where people would become more empowered, happy, harmonised, educated and where equality would reign supreme. Citizens should focus on an empowerment where the term "uprising" means reduction of discrimination and people would focus on issues that are more meaningful. In retrospect, to begin any beneficial revolution there must be wise leadership. Unfortunately, many are not ready to follow someone or some group with unorthodox ideas and radical thinking. Such a movement cannot materialise with frustrated, marching people chanting slogans or demanding justice. A comprehensive revolution means maturity among citizens, a paradigm shift in interacting with others and more concern for the less fortunate and differently abled. Some countries have too much of a fete mentality. It is unfortunate that in TT many of us are mesmerised by artistes who tell us to wave our flags or drink rum. This shallow level of energy cannot sustain any tangible revolution. Some people would not want a revolution if it means disrupting their comfortable lifestyle of attending parties and fetes. Do developing countries have all the ideal conditions for a revolution? Maybe not. The instigators need to be wary of initiating any incident that becomes uncontrollable. Should a revolution occur, then there is also the possibility that conditions could be worsened and progress reversed. Not only a country’s reputation is tarnished but the socio-economic and political progress will be eliminated. The sporadic outburst of protests across the globe is evidence that we live in an era of combustible societies. Developed nations are susceptible to these eruptions and it’s largely due to imperfections of society and disguised dictators. There will be no existence of meaningful revolutions if politicians refuse to embrace such concepts as "consensus democracy" and "politics of inclusion." Furthermore, there is instability when a change in government reduces the smooth running of the economy. The victorious political party decides to discontinue treaties, agreements and projects. Cheddi Jagan in The Caribbean Revolution (1979) advised to never “underestimate the strength and aggressiveness of imperialism” and its “many disguises.” This ominous warning is relevant today as we witness the US military intrusion in the Caribbean and Latin America. Maybe a revolution is needed if citizens live in fear and there is a division between gated and ghetto communities. If Caribbean citizens are interested in successfully implementing economic and political models, then a suitable environment must be crafted. Sadly, there is feeble or no resistance when governments deliberately ignore qualifications and experience when making appointments. Maybe now is the time for a merit revolution to stop appointments and promotions based on ethnicity, religion, family relations and political affiliation. And a continuous revolution is needed to end corruption and wastage of taxpayers’ monies.
