Cultured warriors

It shows refined courage, fighting for a good cause. In these days of darkening scepticism, “cultured warriors,” few as they may appear, are welcome as change agents — civic engineers.

Let me briefly explain.

“Cultural” means “related to the cultivation of the mind or manners.” And of course, when we here say a person is “cultured,” or “has class” we usually mean that person shows good manners, respect, uprightness and even a discerning demeanour.

Not necessarily money or “big job.” I am tempted to make such references mainly because as a bastardised child of colonialism, this country’s life is infused with tensions over cultural identity and struggles for social class status. And from much of what you read and hear these days, there is a feeling that we could do with some more “cultured” people.

Messrs Sinanan, Parsanlal and Chin, in different ways, revealed themselves as being “cultured” and “classy” in the way that our folklore describes it.

High class does not necessarily mean good character. When here we say that person has “class,” we don’t necessarily mean plenty money or high position. We mean good manners, etc. This was a major theme of Mr Parsanlal’s address last week in appreciation of my book donation to Nalis and our university libraries. He appealed for change.

I always remember the late Archbishop Anthony Pantin telling me “a lot of high class people in this society have low class ways, and a lot of low class people have high class ways.” He recalled an incident when a receptionist blocked someone from seeing him, by saying the person looked like a “low class person.” The Archbishop allowed the person in.

Last week, I found some “culture” in Minister Sinanan and, more precisely, as a “civic engineer” courageously striving “to “get things right” at the troubled Wrightson Road Licensing Office. He emerged as the kind of brave “warrior” the public service and its thousands of suffering consumers need. A cultured warrior striving to change the “public service culture.” Can he, really? After unexpectedly arriving there at 7.45 am, he found 75 persons lined up and up to 8.30 am, no cashier around.

Obviously upset, he quarrelled: “You can’t tell me you have two cashiers, none of them there. Nobody in the office is telling the people anything and is only when I come, you see people running to their phones to say the cashier not coming today, they late or something about a road block.” Road block? Minister, this is a usual thing down there. The “road block” is inside the Licensing Office.

Relieved to express their pent-up disgust over these long-time problems, people explained how many up-anddown times they spend at this office, etc. “Totally unacceptable,” Sinanan said. He added: “But some like it so, benefiting from the inefficiency.

Amazing how long the population accepting this.” Accountability? Last week Neil Parsanlal gave a civilizing address. He said: “There is need for more authors to unmask the inequity and inequality in this masquerade country. I am hopeful in laying bare our masks we will then have the opportunity to grow new skin and develop the mechanisms to deal with the inequity which bedevil us.” He too called for change. There is wonderfully more from him, but space here is limited.

Businessman Derek Chin — a bold, cultured, and passionate risk-taking warrior - impressed me with his conviction that “regardless of which political party in office,” he will continue to help build the prosperity of his country. And with this, he recently opened a million-dollar MovieTowne in south, hoping, as well, to change our “recreational culture” by building a billion-dollar “International City” at Westmoorings.

All three – in different ways – are cultured warriors.

The country needs more.