Letter to the Editor
We need a national identity
Dear Sir,
These terms were used during the electioncampaign: UK, United Kingdom British citizenship, and Union Jack.
Whenever anything is dead; we bury it. So it is with the UnitedKingdom. The people of the Cayman Islands must understand thatthe United Kingdom is a dead empire.
By also agreeing to be a member state of the European Union (EU),she has given up her sovereignity, and can no longer be recognisedby member states as United Kingdom. She is known as Great Britain,and it is my opinion that in the near future, she will also giveup the name of Great Britain and will only be recognised as England,as the territory is named.
It is my opinion that the flag would be pulled down and the UnionJack no longer flown. This will happen because the EU will haveits own flag, because it is now a Federal Government. Just asthe United States has its flag and the member states are not recognisedinternationally, so it will be with the flag of Great Britain.
The EU must have its own flag, because it will be an internationalgovernment. Its purpose is to be a world power. The capital ofthe EU is now in Strasbourg. However, it is my opinion that ina few years, the capital of the EU will be in one of the maincities in Germany.
British citizens would automatically become citizens of the EuropeanUnion. Our affiliation with Great Britain will also cause us tobe known as an EU territory. It is my opinion that this will displacethe Caymanian people, causing us to be second-class citizens inour islands. This has happened in other territories in the pastand it will happen here, too.
One of the EU's problems is the high rate of unemployment, andit needs territories like ours to exploit and move people to.This will cause further confusion to the peoples of the CaymanIslands, when we seceded from Jamaica, and our citizenship wasBritish Dependent Territory Citizen. This, in my opinion robbedthe Caymanian people of a national identity. This is the reasonwhy, in my opinion, there seems to be no national pride and patriotismin the Cayman Islands that we call home.
This lack of national identity could also be a reason for theincrease in crime amongst our youth. We have no national symbolsor motto to live up to, or inspire the people of these islands.To top it off, we have created a national festival that honourspirates, who are thieves, murderers, drunkards and rapists anddisplay a type of vulgarity in which the people are asked to participateevery year. This, in my opinion, has undermined the Cayman society,in that anything is permitted for the promotion of tourism - crime,drugs, murder, and the exploitation of the Cayman youth.
We have also allowed ourselves to be influenced by the entertainmentindustry to import entertainment that is undermining our societyand taking out of our island a lot of money. All we are exchangingmoney for is the degradation of our society and culture.
This is why, in my manifesto, I said it was time to invest inthe people and to rebuild our society, thus charting a new course,which would give greater hope for the future. To do this, in myopinion, we should change the motto on our Coat-of-Arms. The motto,'He Hath Founded It Upon The Seas' is abstract, and does not instila feeling of national pride and unity between our people.
The turtle on our Coat-of-Arms does not instil any pride in us,because, it is not an animal with qualities to emulate. Besides,you do not eat your national symbol. We must have a national symbolthat has qualities that will inspire us to reach for and attain.
The words of our National Song should be rearranged. In my opinion,it does not create an allegiance in our people when it is sung.The people, in my observation, show no emotion or pride as itis being sung.
It is my opinion that we should start choosing:
1. A new symbol for our Coat-of-Arms
2. A new motto
3. A new flag
4. A new song
This is my opinion on how to help us rebuild and revitalise theCaymanian people. This will assist us to heal our scars and giveus hope for the future.
J Robert Bodden
CNP.