I THOUGHT I would ignore the letter from Mr. Snead in reply to my own letter on the Opium Wars. But now comes Ms. Moren with questions. Clearly they both missed the point so permit me to make a few remarks and then I'll leave the matter alone.
No matter where you or I chose to live, no matter what atrocities were and are being committed and will be committed in the future in any country, does not alter the facts as stated in my letter. Drug-running, slavery and piracy and other forms of exploitation of lands and peoples far away from their kingdoms, were sanctioned and financed by the colonial monarchs. For centuries that was their chief business which made them wealthy and powerful. A fact.
All the questions and points raised, whether so or not, cannot change those facts, and all the barbarism in any other place, makes none right or justifiable in any place.
I wonder how many people in the Caribbean, or in the world, agree with Mr. Snead that there was no exploitation by the colonial powers. And all that we have 'inherited' (his word) - was through the work and merit of the colonial powers. He even included the beautiful island in the 'colonial' legacy. Tell that to the thousands of African slaves, the Indian and Chinese indentured labourers, whose labour helped to create the wealth of Colonial Europe, and the thousands of their descendants who post-emancipation, despite the continued oppression, created a viable society. Inherited? It was, in great measure, acquired with the blood, sweat and tears and lives of countless of the oppressed, and that too is a fact. And another fact is that even today the exploitation continues.
In the same way on the matter of Hong Kong, Ms. Moren is willing to grant that the colonial powers made that territory into a 'financial powerhouse,' but ignores the contribution of millions of Chinese and other nationalities who worked themselves to death sometimes in that cause. And what of the problems that were left behind? It cannot be denied that many horrible things with devastating and long-lasting effects happened during colonisation, and many would argue, as well as some good things, but the question is now being asked, and rightly so, by the descendants of those who bore the burdens "At what cost," as they struggle to find self-worth in a world still heavily influenced if not dominated by colonialists and equally damaging by a colonial mentality. For this new found 'freedom' knowledge, worldly wealth and alien baggage is not an easy combination for many to handle. And it is only when it is all seen in light of authentic history and the wisdom of the ancestors including that of the Bible, that we can sometimes get a handle on the situation, and learn to tolerate each other and live as human beings together.
There are many in Jamaica and in Hong Kong, I am sure, who wish Britain was still in charge, and there are thousands who have migrated and continue to migrate. Despite all the difficulties there are those for whom Independence, and the return to the motherland is the right thing. It is instructive, that not once in the over 100 years of British rule in Hong Kong was representative democratic government mentioned except on the eve of their departure. It was quite in order for Colonial Britain to dictate to Hong Kong, but not for the Chinese Government, the legitimate owner, to do so. But there will always be the apologists for the colonial powers, that's part of the legacy too and I hear Bob Marley sing, "Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds..."
As to what really took place in Tiananmen Square we will never really know, as that news was carefully managed by all concerned, and by those who sought to concern themselves with the issue, to fit their own agendas, and the propaganda machinery of the 'free' world went into high gear, no less so than its Chinese counterpart... But the Chinese argue that and the phenomenon of Chairman Mao and the Red Guards are China's internal affairs. So for that matter is Tibet, for China shows what she regards as abundant proof that Tibet has been a part of China since ancient times, even before some of the world powers could call themselves such. There are vast numbers in Tibet who share this view.
There is evidence that today many are trying to physically get into China and Tibet in one way or another, in one disguise or another, not because they care about China or Tibet but because it suits them at this time. Once more China, the world's most populous country with its phenomenal development, and steadily growing spending power is seen as a coveted prize. The statement then that no one wants to get into China is a fallacy. What is happening now is no different from old colonial days. There are those who are seeking to get involved in the question of China and Tibet, and other territories claimed by China seeking to impose their will on the situation. Divide and rule. Surely a country's internal affairs are their own.
I have read The White Swan, a tragic tale, one side of the coin. And clearly there were atrocities, and that cannot be denied. I have also read See the sunrise another side, Years of trial, turmoil, and triumph yet another side, two stories of heroism and patriotism. Pity there is no comparable firsthand accounts of slavery and the period except those written by the 'masters' and their apologists, though there are graphic accounts orally passed down from generation to generation, so we know there are three sides to every story, yours, the truth and mine. So the debate/discussion on human rights will never end, and no country can win that argument, for "...All have sinned and come short..." and the sinning continues.
Many of our original inhabitants and other enslaved, committed suicide, killed their offspring rather than having to endure the horrors that were visited on them. That has been an honourable path for many ancient civilisations which see death as a release. That is their tradition, their belief. Even as we write there are thousands starving to death, children among them in many countries, even in so-called democracies and developed countries, many barely survive in a chronic malnourished state and many others survive by eating from garbage. Why? Many will argue, with good reason that much of the ills in some areas, geographic and subject, is as a result of colonisation. Even now the exploitation continues. Look at globalisation and the so-called free market, and read Ian Boyne and Robert Buddan in The Gleaner of Sunday, July 21, and get a glimpse of what I am trying to point out.
But the reports and documentaries will continue, focused on the weaker nations, and we wonder for whose purpose, for make no mistake about it, every country has its agenda, and despite what you will hear, nothing is done by countries for any other country out of the goodness of their hearts, but in plain and simple self-interest, "Han go packi come" and "strong man caan wrong." The real tragedy though is that many of us do nothing to help those among us in need in the throes of the remnants of exploitation and many visit their own exploitation on the weak and powerless. Another Jamaican proverb reminds us, "What is joke to you is death to me," another "What is profit fi butcher is death fi bredda ram goat" and a truism from the Chinese, "Your shirt is not clean because mine is dirty."
What we must do in this age is to recognise the atrocities, against people - which cause so much human pain, suffering and degradation - for the evil they are, not to try to excuse them nor profit by them in one way or another but in our own way, in our place by what we do and how we do, ensure that we do nothing to aid or perpetuate them but more importantly that we do everything to see that they are not repeated.
