By RICKEY SINGH, From Barbados Nation News

So the minister of Culture, Youth and Sport and Stephen Lashley strongly disagrees with those who complain that costumes being worn for Kadooment Day – the key event in Barbados’ premier annual Crop Over festival – are “too skimpy”.

So long as what they wear as participants for this popular event does not violate the laws of the country, it’s really not a problem, as pronounced by Minister Lashley, who has been steadily increasing his public profile with varying commentaries, before and after Crop Over.
Seemingly ever ready to engage in matters he considers relevant to his portfolio responsibilities, Minister Lashley also thought it necessary earlier in the week, to publicly advise the media why they should “do more to help the youth” (WEEKEND Nation July 29).
Perhaps he should exercise the initiative to so engage the relevant media to exchange ideas on how best to achieve what he and the media participants may be interested in achieving.
The assumption is that Minister Lashley has already given consideration to what he views as evident shortcomings in the media’s coverage of matters pertaining to enhancing youth development. If so, he should be willing to engage the media on this important dimension in nation-building as Barbados continues to be engaged in events and developments to mark its first 50th anniversary as an independent nation.
Further, Minister Lashley, who seems to be well-meaning in seeking to justify his defence of what others view as “morally”, if not “legally” skimpy could find it quite relevant to have a read – if he has not yet done so – what this columnist considers a most thoughtful, relevant contribution on “the missing morality” dimension of Crop Over.
The experienced and respected former journalist of state-owned Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Olutoye Walrond, last month offered a most appealing argument on what he perceives, with grief, on the Missing Morality, as headlined last month in the DAILY NATION of July 18.
“Traditional boundaries for public conduct” he contends, “are fast disappearing, as more and more of those who chart our cultural paths pander to the lowest common denominator in youth behaviour, all for the sake of 30 pieces of silver. It can be difficult to see the trees when we are in the woods . . . .
“And”, he added, “as we wallow in this new moral freedom, led by the heady exuberance of the youth, we fail to take cognisance of the damage being done to the very fabric of our society by the promotion of this morally loose culture . . . . Those with power to shape the lives of the youth must lead and never be led . . . .”
Well, as indicated earlier, since Minister Lashley has declared his interest for the media to “do more to help youth”, he has an obligation to provide some specific examples how best this could be achieved by mutual cooperation in the interest of national youth development and new creative efforts to promote what is viewed by Barbadians of the calibre of Olutoye Waldron, as the “missing morality” in the advancement of Barbados’ premier cultural festival – Crop Over.
Across our Caribbean community, there are often government leaders and ministers that call for efforts to inspire youth development as well as greater involvement of women in the restructuring processes of national development. The pity is, that as well meaning that such exhortations may be, they often remain mere slogans rather than translate to practical implementation initiatives.
It must be quite frustrating for national women and youth organisations to have their interests stirred by official pronouncements of the important roles they could play in national development, only to realise in frustration the absence of any practical action to the rhetoric.

• Rickey Singh is a noted Caribbean journalist.

For more on this story go to: http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/84338/caribbean-minister-lashley#sthash.ucYEvVKB.dpuf