By Oliver Mills

West Indians are imported
people with an imported culture and institutions. Some of the
countries comprising the West Indies, now the Caribbean, were
colonies of conquest, while others were colonies of settlement.

The settlers brought their
institutions and culture to the region, and in the colonies of
conquest, the institutions were imposed. The point is that the West
Indies have always depended on the countries that colonised them, as
it does even at present. And although many islands have gained
independence, certain sectors of the population still feel they were
better off in association with Britain.

Many citizens of the West
Indies still feel that if they do not get an education from British
institutions they have not really been educated, despite being
educated at local tertiary and other institutions. The dependence on,
and psychological feeling that the best is always from the country it
has been historically connected to, is still grounded in the psyche
of the West Indian. Can this attitude be regarded as being smart?
What about prospects for decolonisation?

Throughout its history of
British influence, and even presently, West Indian economies have
been tied to that of Britain who gave them special concessions on
many of their products. It is only because of globalisation and
competitiveness, that changes were made. But even presently the West
Indies still receives British aid in numerous forms. Directly and
indirectly through Caribbean institutions. Has the West Indies then
been smart in its development, or is it that the nature of their
continuing relationship with Britain through the Commonwealth, has
influenced its development initiatives, providing moral support,
consultancy advice, and educational opportunities?

Take for example the idea
of industrialisation by invitation, a process copied from Puerto
Rico, where potential investors were promised certain benefits if
they invested in the Caribbean. It was thought this would bring quick
development to West Indian economies, but it was later found that
this initiative was lopsided, and produced growth, but little
development, apart from particular elites who were the beneficiaries.
This economic strategy was built around the trickling down of
benefits, which left the majority on the fringes of the society. Was
this a smart approach to development by the West Indies?

It should also be noted
that it was Britain that supported the establishment of the
University of the West Indies, initially a College of London
University, which has provided, and is providing educational
opportunities that continue to be critical to Caribbean development.
Is this evidence of the West Indies being positively smart in its
development choices?

The 1970’s saw many West
Indian territories being influenced by socialist philosophy, another
imported ideology. But when it did not deliver because of internal
and external opposition, it was soon dispensed with, although
elements of it can still be detected in the manifestoes of many
political parties. Socialism was seen as a strategy that would use
free education and health care, as a means of reaching society’s
underprivileged, and fostering equality and justice. Could this be
regarded as a smart development strategy?

In the realm of politics,
the West Indian elite retained the institutions the colonial system
bequeathed to it. There was no critique as to whether it suited the
new era of independence and nationhood, with indigenous institutions
relevant to the objectives of the new West Indian states. What
existed was allowed to continue along with its imperfections.

One Caribbean political
scientist argued that in the Old Representative System, those with
social and economic power also held constitutional authority over
affairs, and this framework became a factor in the independence era
as well. The existing structure of government was therefore
preserved. Nothing changed significantly on the road to independence.
This formed the basis of the dilemma between the desire for change,
and the necessity for continuity. Any changes that have occurred have
been at the margins.

Politics in the West
Indies has only tenuously been connected to development, which has
meant encouraging foreign investment, little of which filters down to
the majority population. The spin-offs in significant amounts have
not been realised. If anything, politics in the West Indies has taken
second place to development, since development, and the capital and
financial resources it brings determine the nature of politics. Many
West Indian governments seem to be beholden to foreign investment
that often influences their policy initiatives. They display soft
power to investors because they want their goods.

Could it then be said that the West Indies has been smart in its politics and development strategies overall?

About the writer: Oliver Mills is a former lecturer in education at the University of the West Indies Mona Campus. He holds an M.Ed degree from Dalhousie University in Canada, an MA from the University of London and a post-graduate diploma in HRM and Training, University of Leicester. He is a past Permanent Secretary in Education with the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands