The story of Christmas is filled with the power of symbolism and metaphor. It is a message of hope and joy associated with birth. The birth of a child is a reason for celebration in all cultures. Messengers announced his coming to men of humble beginnings, shepherds in the field tending to their flocks, but also to wise men and kings, indicating that the message is for all. The lowly circumstances in which the baby was born signalled that one does not have to be born into wealth to make deep and meaningful changes.
The giving of gifts by the three wise men also symbolised service to the community. That they journeyed from far away places to pay homage to a newborn in a manager, demonstrated the meaning of service in the widest sense of the word, duty. That they were warned not to return to Herod illustrated the need to be cautious as there are always powerful, vested interests that are resistant to change. Such is the world in which we live.
Over time, the Christmas story has become commercialised. It has been translated into one of joy and merriment associated with partying, eating, drinking and the giving of material gifts. In the rush to share material offerings, we often forget the spirit of care, concern, compassion and service to and for our fellow man.
To their credit, many NGOs attempt to share gifts with the needy, those in difficult family circumstances and those affected by unforeseen events which change their life circumstances suddenly and for which no preparation is possible. There are more events of this kind than we care to admit. Many affected by the floods this year have had little time or opportunity to rectify their position. Some have been affected more than once.
There is evidence that these incidents have been all too frequent and can be prevented or mitigated by addressing the causes of these events, flooding in particular. Greater deliberation and planning by government and para-governmental authorities in the execution of their duties is necessary. This week the Privy Council upheld a decision of the local court to award damages and compensation to Darwin and Kamalar Sahadath whose home was irreparably damaged by a landslide caused by leaking water lines in a road which WASA failed to repair in a timely manner. The precedent is clear. WASA is obligated in law to fulfil its responsibilities all year through.
This was WASA’s second failed appeal, indicating that WASA did not understand its duty to the ordinary citizen. This incident is not unique to WASA. Another recent Privy Council decision upheld the ruling of Justice Quinlan-Williams that the State had breached its constitutional duty for the care of a minor whose treatment was an appalling admission of institutional failure and was therefore liable to pay damages.
This week the National Security Minister demonstrated how disconnected he is from the concept of selfless service without expectation of praise or reward. As Mandela articulated, real leaders use every issue, no matter how serious or sensitive, to ensure that at the end of the debate a country could emerge more united than ever before. It is a lesson that the minister, his Cabinet and parliamentary colleagues and subordinates would do well to heed.
The Christmas message is a year-round call to service, not gift-giving at Christmas or election time.