“He who refuses the lessons of the past is condemned to live the same disasters.” I can’t remember who uttered these wise words but whoever it was succeeded in distilling the sum of all human foibles in one sentence. And it’s not just the soundness of the warning that rings true, but also our propensity to repeatedly and willfully ignore it. The bloody pages of history are littered with episodes starring megalomaniacs who believed that they, contrarily to their predecessors, could foil fate. Sadly, they tended to drag millions of people down with them. So how does one break the cycle of suffering and delusion? A first step towards purification is to earnestly recognize and repent for any reprehensible act that may have been committed. In short, to apologize. In its report on slavery and indentured labour, the Truth and Justice Committee (TJC) has asked that the country do just that. It’ll be fascinating to see how government, the private sector and the church react to this brave and important recommendation.

There’s a temptation for those who have been named by the TJC to refute its suggestion by saying that they are not responsible for the actions of their forebears. That’s both gratuitous and disingenuous. They may not have personally exploited the slaves and indentured labourers, but they have profited handsomely from a system that was based on the exploitation of other human beings and the negation of even their most basic rights. They may also fear that by recognizing the egregiousness of the actions of their ancestors, they will be opening themselves up to demands for reparations. Well, nobody ever said that saying sorry was easy. If it was then the act of apologizing wouldn’t really mean much, would it? In the event that they do choose to acquiesce to the commission’s recommendation, they will doubtless have to draw from their reserves of courage and humility. But what, they will probably wonder, is in it for them?

Well, that’s where things get especially interesting. If certain industries and institutions have profi ted from the mistreatment of slaves and indentured labourers, so too have politicians in that they have capitalized enormously on the divisions that these practices have engendered. Every time the elections come round, our political class does its utmost to demonize the private sector (whilst pocketing its financial contributions). It’s a very convenient time to develop a sense of justice simply because the time-tested “us against them” argument is the easiest way by far to gain points with the electorate. There’s no need to discuss ideas or a programme when railing against those who are presented as historic oppressors. The fact that this strategy still has traction more than forty years after independence is proof that it retains some contemporary resonance.

The industries and institutions identified by the TJC are not known for being particularly progressive. But if they were to consider the commission’s findings as an opportunity to get rid of the stick used by politicians to beat them, they might be more amenable to performing a mea culpa. For them to be believable however, they will have to genuinely reflect on the enormity of the crimes of their forebears, present a sincere apology to the descendants of those who were wronged and find ways of cauterizing the wounds of the past. It’s called catharsis and it’s a liberating feeling.

Nicholas RAINER