Mindset of cleanliness needed - NDP Radio panelists
This sentiment was expressed on the NDP radio programme which was aired last evening, September 17, 2012 on a local radio station.
“Simple as these things are,” he added “just the national song and flag raising and standing at attention… it is that pride, that foundation that the Premier always speaks about that is going to help us to understand this is how [we need to behave].”
“If I don’t keep my home clean, then I can’t invite other people to come into my house,” he stated, adding that they won’t feel welcome.
It’s a mindset, Hon. Pickering felt in reference to the issue of maintaining cleanliness and pride in the country.
At the time, the topic of the cleanliness in Singapore and Bermuda was being discussed.
Host of the radio show, Ms Eileene L. Parsons had earlier agreed with the Minister saying that she too had visited Singapore, “it is almost a mindset in Singapore that you do not litter your street, when plants are planted along the roadside you do not pull them and carry them home.” “You can’t spit in the street in Singapore,” she continued “because it is against the law.”
“Bermuda is a country that is four hundred years old, Signapore sixty-nine years old and they have a jump start on us,” he said.
“Although we understand this is where we want to go, we also understand, appreciate and are realistic that this is going to take time,” he continued.
He also added that we are going to build it from the ground up so that our children understand that cleanliness is next to Godliness.
Earlier the members of the panel were discussing the issue of getting pride instilled in the children through the new measures implemented at the schools in the Ministry of Education and Culture led initiative.
Hon. Delores Christopher added that “lately a lot has been said about that, I just want to emphasize that we do see the effort being made to keep the country clean… yet, there are some people who are still tossing their little bags and then the dogs and the chickens… they are trashing the [garbage] all over the place.”
10 Responses to “Mindset of cleanliness needed - NDP Radio panelists”
Mrs. Parsons, we aint no way there and we will be no where there any time soon. Here in the BVI it's a free for all. Everybody comes here and do as they please because that is the way our culture operates. We have no discipline, no pride and no ambition. Take a look at who we hiring to represent us in government. Just because we want these hodlum off the street we hiring them as government workers. The young boys dem aint worth nothing, deh young girl dem show up on the job armed with their cell phones in constant contact with their man on the other line (dats if he ain in jail).
Our country has gone to the dogs and there is nothing we can do about it.
When I was in primary school, I remember there were some things that were the norm here in our schools. Each morning we sang the Black National Anthem. Every child knew it word for word. In the schools and everywhere in the Territory there we trash cans with the green PitchIn stickers and it was the norm to not litter. Over the years, some smart Government see it fit to take away the trash cans and to this day, I do not see a trash can in Road Town. I've travel all over and every city have trash cans on every block. There are beautiful lines of receptacles out there that would enhance the beauty of the Territory. We have to tell people how to act when they come to our home. There are no signage advising people of what is and isn't allowed here. When you go to someone's country don't they tell you how to behave and what is and isn't allowed? And there is also signage telling people what the penalty is if they disobey. We need signage on our beaches and we need receptacles on the beaches. In addition to placing the receptacles, there then needs to be a process and accountability of having them maintained on a regular basis. If there are no receptacles anywhere.........Guess what........people are forced to litter.