Our Most Precious Asset

“He who steals my purse, steals trash … but he who filches from me my good name, robs me of that which not enriches him and makes me poor indeed.” (William Shakespeare).
One’s good name and reputation is undoubtedly the most precious asset in one’s possession – and something to be protected at all costs … and that applies not only to individuals, but to entire countries as well.
We hear now and then – and it was brought to the fore just last year, at the height of the China/Taiwan controversy – reports that the integrity of St. Lucia may occasionally be put in question; that we have to constantly be wary that we are not regarded as a country that vacillates, that is untrustworthy as far as keeping our word is concerned.
Fortunately, we have been able to maintain our dignity and respect and have not fallen into the abyss of integrity-loss that some other countries have been victim of.
Whenever any such situation looms, it instantly becomes a concern for every St. Lucian, for our reputation abroad is a quality that we each hold dear and wish to maintain, in the sentiment that any disgrace that mars our country is a black mark against each one of us personally.
We hear of any indiscretion committed by a fellow St. Lucian abroad and we all bristle with indignation that he/she has sullied our good name in the eyes of the outside world.
That sentiment, we know, holds for all natural-born St. Lucian citizens, who have the interests of the land of their birth at heart.
But what of those who have obtained their citizenship by naturalization? Do they care, as much as the rest of us, about the good name of St. Lucia?

No doubt a great many do, having come to love their adopted country. But there are no doubt a few, who have sought and obtained citizenship not out of love for the island and its people, but for reasons – perhaps of business, etc. – that fit other agendas.
How concerned could those be about our reputation, us with whom they have no real link, no bond of affection?
And among those, have we made sure that we have not let slip, through our protective nets, individuals who may just be not as honourable, as full of integrity as we would wish? How thorough are the checks made with regard to applicants desirous of calling themselves St. Lucians and who carry our reputation with them wherever they travel?
Is our system sufficiently foolproof?
And if, after having obtained St. Lucian citizenship, one is found to have somehow managed to slip through the net, do we have the mechanism by which the status may be revoked, in order to protect our most precious asset?
No doubt – especially with the length of time that research, etc., is done by our immigration and law-enforcement agencies – only those who are truly deserving manage to procure that sacred right to call themselves legally St. Lucian … and we are confident that they go on to make us proud wherever they carry our label – we have had, thus far, no adverse reports of naturalized citizens who have failed to uphold our honour on the international scene … and that is a tribute to the efficiency of our system.
And as we commend them, we also wish to exhort our government to continue to be vigilant, as they are the watchdogs of the preservation of our most important asset: our good name.