by Leela Ramdeen, Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice
The CHOGM website states that “CHOGM is all about bringing people closer together to share ideas and create partnerships to address some of the most critical issues of the 21st Century.”
Let us pray that the deliberations between the Leaders who gather for CHOGM, will lead the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth and other countries that are represented at the meeting from 27 – 29 November, to commit themselves to adhere more closely to the fundamental principles and values that define the Commonwealth – as outlined in the Harare Commonwealth Declaration. We wish all those who will be leaving us at the end of the meeting Godspeed and a safe journey. Do come back and visit us.
CCSJ ran a free workshop in the People’s Space last Sunday on CHOGM’s theme: “Partnering for a more equitable and sustainable future.” It gave ‘ordinary’ people an opportunity to explore the meaning of this theme and to share their views about what we should be doing in our communities, in our nation and in the world to achieve this goal.
I also attended the Commonwealth People’s Forum at Cascadia Hotel and participated in the Assembly entitled: “Deepening Democracy and Governance”. Inter alia, we focused on “how democracy is enabled at local, national and regional levels”. We sought “to identify indicators that illustrate the challenges to democracy in the Commonwealth and potential failures.”
We addressed questions such as: “What is the responsibility and roles of civil society to ensure good governance and the successful development of democracy? How can civil society develop partnership with Government to promote governance for empowerment?”
So, after CHOGM, what? CCSJ hopes that all leaders will spend some time reflecting on ways in which they can deepen democracy and governance in their respective countries and work collaboratively with other leaders who were not present to save our planet and to build a better world. Perhaps it’s worth reminding ourselves of the words uttered by the late Dr Eric Williams on the first day of TT’s Independence, 31 August, 1962:
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Democracy means responsibility of the Government to its citizens, the protection of the citizens from the exercise of arbitrary power and the violation of human freedoms and individual rights. Democracy means freedom of worship for all and the subordination of the right of any race to the overriding right of the human race. Democracy means freedom of expression and assembly of organization. All that is Democracy.”
And although I agree with Agnes Repplier who says that “Democracy forever teases us with the contrast between its ideals and its realities, between its heroic possibilities and its sorry achievements”, let us continue to hold fast to our ideals and strive to build a world in which Lazarus and Dives can sit at the same table; a more equitable world; “a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace”(The Earth Charter). We urge our leaders to promote sustainable development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (UN’s Brundtland Commission).
We ask our leaders to pursue good governance which is characterized as being “participatory, accountable, transparent, efficient, responsive and inclusive, respecting the rule of law and minimising opportunities for corruption” Good governance is about right “relationships between leaders, public institutions and citizens, including the processes by which they make and implement decisions.” (Transparency International, The Anti-corruption Plain Language Guide).
One of the outcomes of Synod 2009 is that many TT Catholics feel more empowered to stand up for what we truly believe; proud to be Catholic – not the kind of pride that makes us feel that we are better than everyone else; but the kind of pride that comes from a true realization that we have a vocation to be Catholic. Yes, we’re alive and present in the land and we embrace this lifelong faith journey with joy. Come, let’s use our time, talent and treasure for the common good.
“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good Stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Peter 4:10) Let Stewardship become a way of life for us. Everything we have is a gift from God. When we reflect on the fact that the greatest gift He gave us was His son, Jesus Christ, this should spur us on to thank and honour God by being willing to share the gifts he has given to us.
Don’t wait for “Father” or the Parish Implementation Team to implement Synod Resolutions. Each of us has a role to play in ensuring that our parishes are nurturing, caring, sharing places. If each of us puts our shoulder to the wheel, we will create invigorated, renewed parish communities in which justice, peace, and love prevails.
I end by asking you to continue to pray for those who will be meeting in Copenhagen at the UN Climate Change Conference from 7 – 18 December. Pray that the Holy Spirit will fill them with wisdom so that they will do what is right to protect this beautiful planet which God has so generously given to us.
