George Orwell’s classic Animal
Farm is a cogent reminder of the need to be ever vigilant as ordinary
citizens. The book which is a political
allegory, is based on Russia’s 1917 Revolution. That revolution overthrew an autocratic system
and put in place a set of people who were thought to be more benevolent with
ideas for fairness, justice and prosperity. What started out as a promise of a
free and just society became a brutal dictatorship and misery for ordinary
people.
In Orwell’s story-Animal Farm- the
animals live for years under duress until they find the courage to strategise
and overthrow the farmers, their masters. What began as a hopeful experiment
ended in disillusionment with the pigs assuming leadership of the farm and
enlisting the protection of the dogs. At the end of the novel, as the ordinary
animals who do the majority of the work peer into the Great House, they can no
longer differentiate between the pigs and the humans. Such became the behaviour
and mannerisms of the new leaders that they only served to protect their own selfish
interests.
The most enduring line of
Orwell’s novel is the saying, ‘All animals are equal but some are more equal
than others’. It highlights the fact that many countries start out with
peaceful and democratic ideals, yet inequality festers and the law is in favour
of the most powerful. The pigs in Animal Farm demonstrate this point as they
continuously changed and manipulated the rules to suit their needs. Such rules
were reinforced not by the consent of the people but through brute force in the
form of the well-trained dogs.
Though written in 1945 Animal
Farm has an enduring lesson for our societies. The rights of ordinary citizens
are frequently trampled while justice is swiftly meted out when they transgress
the laws they have no say in. In our Caribbean scenario, St. Lucia is presently
facing a scandal of enormous proportions. A recent independent report revealed substantial
evidence of extra-judicial killings by members of the Royal Saint Lucia Police
Force. No senior officials have been suspended or charged and families of the
victims remain in the dark on justice and compensation.
In Jamaica, less than two weeks
ago two policemen were involved in the shooting of an unarmed civilian who they
claimed was resisting arrest. However thanks to video evidence the two were
identified. Jamaica’s Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) issued
a press release stating that one officer was charged for murder while the other
was charged for perverting the course of justice. Had it not been for the video
capture of the situation there would likely be no arrest.
One can only imagine how the
family of the deceased must feel having his life taken so callously and
unjustly. After years of police brutality and extra-judicial killings, Jamaica
has managed to resolve some of these issues by appointing independent bodies to
oversee wrong doing by law enforcement officials. A people cannot feel safe
knowing that the authority of the state instead of being used to protect them
is actually used against them in unjust ways.
Under the Constitution of
Barbados the right to life is guaranteed except where a court imposes a death
sentence for a criminal offence or in justifiable instances such as the defense
of a person from violence, the defence of property or to prevent the escape of a
person lawfully detained.
With the 50th
anniversary of independence approaching and talks of completing the
independence project by becoming a republic, Barbadians must critically reflect
on what really is the rule of law and whether justice actually exist.
The death of Selwyn Knight is
clearly an unconstitutional act. What is even more worrying is the glaring delay
in justice, the lack of transparency and the obvious double standards in this
matter. Were it a civilian who had pulled the trigger on two plain clothes
policemen, justice would have been executed swiftly and severely.
However as Orwell reminds us,
some are more equal than others. The lesson for ordinary Barbadians is not to
become complacent as the animals in Orwell’s allegory did. By the end of the story
with the treatment the animals received they became disillusioned and could not
distinguish between their current leaders and their former masters. Having independence does not guarantee a free, fair and just society. We must be
ever cautious that history does not repeat itself.
May Mr.Knight and his family find
justice !
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