Barbados PM Urges Unity and Reflection Amid Rising Gun Violence Crisis

Prime Minister Mia Mottley has issued a call for collective reflection and unity in Barbados, particularly in the face of rising gun violence. Her comment comes as Barbadians today stop at midday to pause, reflect, pray for a peaceful country, and observe a five-minute period of silence and reflection to acknowledge the national issue of violence.

Speaking to the media as she observed the parade of bands taking part in the 2024 Junior Kadooment at the National Botanical Gardens in Waterford, she noted that the commitment to guns by a few individuals threatens the Barbados that its citizens know and love.

“Because we’ve reached a point now where a handful of people cannot take the Barbados that we know or the Barbados that we love because of their commitment to guns. Guns don’t walk; guns don’t talk,” the prime minister said.

Drawing a contrast with historical injustices, Mottley pointed out that the current crisis is within the nation’s power to change. “Unlike slavery, where something was imposed on us from outside, we have the capacity to make the choices, make the difference, and to walk away from guns and leave that out. It starts first and foremost.”

Quoting the lyrics of the 2016 Alison Hinds hit Togetherness, “the fussing and the fighting and the war must done,” she stressed the importance of reducing societal anger and anxiety, emphasising the need for counselling and support. “Fussing and the fighting start there…There’s too much anger, and there’s too much anxiety. There’s an issue if we know that a person needs help; counselling is there, and doctors are there. At the same time, if we have the capacity to think for ourselves, then let us not get into the foolish fussing and the fighting. It’s not worth it.”

The prime minister called for a national chorus of peace and unity, stressing that these values should be echoed in every household and community. “So, that has to be the mantra, that has to be the refrain, and that has to be the chorus in every household and in every community across the country. And if we start with that, then those who are committed to violence and guns will be isolated more and more. And as we say, we need people to step up.”

She further emphasised the importance of early intervention and community support. “In [that] sense, waiting until something happens to hold your belly and bawl; you need to step up early. And that’s the simple, simple, simple message. These youngsters here at [Junior] Kadooment, we want a better Barbados for them. And we want them to be able to enjoy the country as we did when we grew up. There must not be a fear of being able to move about and do things in this country. And the only way we’re going to do that is if the majority say this is not the direction that we want to go in.”

Reiterating the urgent need for change, she concluded, “There’s too many guns, there’s too much violence, there’s too much anger, and there’s too much anxiety. Let’s pull it back.”

Mottley recalled the traditional Barbadian values of patience and conflict resolution. “The fussing and the fighting, the ability to walk away, the ability not to anger quickly — those things are as bajan as I know. People would laugh at Bajans and say Bajans walk away from a fight. Bajans don’t fly up in people’s face that way. That is who we are.”

She further emphasised the importance of early moral grounding and community involvement. “Now, with the ability to want to resolve everything yourself, life doesn’t work that way. So we have to train, and that’s why we made the commitment to get our kids, whether it is Sunday school, the mosque, or whatever it is, to go back there. Even if they walk away from it as adults, they must have what the old-time Bajans call the early groceries.”

Mottley highlighted the role of various community members in fostering a culture of peace and understanding.

“They must have the grounding. And there are people who I am talking with across the country to be able to see how in communities we can get people to understand that that basic difference between right and wrong, the understanding of it in terms of our religious anchoring, whether it is Christian or whether it is Muslim or whether it is Hindu or whether it is Rastafari, it doesn’t matter what, the grounding is there.

“Because all of these religions teach us about the virtues of doing good for people, caring for each other, and the difference between wrong and right,” she said as she called on Barbadians to play their part in creating a peaceful society.

“Now, at the end of the day, that’s the role of the parent; it’s the role of the aunt; it’s the role of the godparent; it’s the role of the grandparent; it’s the role of the neighbour; it’s the role of the community; it’s the role of the sporting groups and the cultural groups; it’s the role of everyone to be able to tell everybody, bring it down, and let us talk this out, talk with each other. Those prepositions that I talked about earlier this week are important. Talk with, not talk at, not talk to, and certainly not talk about.” (RG)