By Brian Francis, From Barbados Nation news

Ever since the global financial and economic crisis of 2008/2009, many analysts throughout the Caribbean, including myself, have argued that if our countries are to return to the days of economic prosperity and continue to grow and develop in a sustained manner, then, clearly, it cannot be business as usual.

While to some that statement might sound rather elementary, the fact is that we in the Caribbean have to accept that unless we change the manner in which we function, it is highly unlikely that we would be able to achieve the kinds of outcomes we desire in every aspect of our daily lives.

You see, it is always easy for us as a people to point to success stories and behave as if those are all that matter. For example, from time to time, we boast of strong economic growth performances, reductions in the level of unemployment, the lowering of our fiscal deficits, major investment projects taking place in areas such as tourism and agriculture, a booming construction industry, and important gains made in relation to poverty reduction, among other things.

As important as these achievements are, the fact remains that they all represent progress mainly on the economic front. But more importantly, while we tend to place a tremendous amount of emphasis on the things that can cause us to progress as small countries, we fail in many regards to focus equally on those issues that hurt our development potential.

Can we seriously expect our countries to progress holistically in circumstances where serious crimes are rising daily, the level of hopelessness among sections of the population is growing, there is a breakdown of law and order, the governance of our societies is deteriorating, our cultural and historical heritage is being ignored, the use of drugs and other illegal substances is on the rise, there is little accountability and transparency in government, individual freedoms are eroding, and our democracy is constantly being undermined?

The message here is quite simple. For Caribbean countries to grow and develop, we have to be able to address a broad range of issues in relation to things such as our economic circumstances, aspects of our social lives, law and order, history and heritage, culture, religion, good government and governance structure, and political maturity and stability. If we continue to focus heavily on economic matters with token attention given to the other aspects of our lives, then in the end we may very well experience economic progress but our countries may fail to adequately develop.

To turn the tide around, what we need in the Caribbean is strong leadership in all of the areas identified above. Those charged with such responsibilities have to begin to lead by example to make a difference. When that happens, they ought to be applauded and supported by all and sundry.

Hence, as we move forward as a region, let us all embrace and replicate the example being set by the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago in her handling of Cabinet members when good governance is under threat. If her actions do not amount to strong leadership, then I am not sure what does or will in the context of Caribbean countries.

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