Are we still slaves?

EDITORIAL

Supposedly, in 1834, the British abolished slavery.

The reality is that those formerly enslaved, had to give another four years of free labor under the “apprenticeship system.”

The British Government took out a loan in order to give financial compensation to the former slave owners. In today's terms, the figure would exceed 20 Billion dollars.

Twenty Billion to the former slave owners who took that money to start new businesses and make new fortunes. Many of those businesses still exist today.

Not one dime to those formerly enslaved. Nearly 200 years later, have we received anything?

Nearly 200 years later, the United Kingdom is still forcing unreasonable economic, political, and social demands on their remaining Caribbean colonies.

Nearly 200 years later, we have just started to realize that our survival means that we must work as one Caribbean people.

Nearly 200 years later, Independent countries still have the Queen as Head of State.

Are we truly “Emancipated” as yet?

Christopher Famous is the government MP for Devonshire East (Constituency 11) in Bermuda. You can reach him on WhatsApp at 441-599-0901 or e-mail at [email protected].