THE RIGHT to dissent is a fundamental tenet of democracy. That is inherent in the notion of multi-party government which accommodates opposing views. So in theory there was nothing wrong with the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party staging what was billed as peaceful protest demonstrations which took to the streets across the island.
The problem was that the peaceful nature of the protests could not have been guaranteed, if indeed that was the genuine intention. And the main reason why that was virtually impossible is that the roadblock was the main tool - an illegal practice which has become the knee-jerk reaction by public protesters espousing a wide variety of grievances.
In the continuing debate pro and con since last week's demonstrations, the predictable stances are inevitable, depending on political bias. But there have also been useful analyses pointing to market forces which determine the movement of prices; and to the utility of official policies which can determine how those forces can be countered or accommodated.
There have also been realistic assessments of the means by which the people can register their dissatisfaction with public policy. Hence the view that protesting by way of marches and blocking roads is a universal means of popular dissent which has a long and chequered history.
Be that as it may, the history is also replete with the consequences of violence on the streets which can be a prelude to anarchy. In our own circumstances, to accept that approach is to revert to the oldstyle politics which has been condemned as tribalism - a characterisation which spawned the founding of the third party National Democratic Movement, by Bruce Golding no less.
In the days preceding last week's demonstrations, the Opposition Leader was heard on television expressing impatience with the parliamentary processes of tabling motions and debating resolutions. If such strident repudiation is to be taken seriously then the nation could be heading for dangerous ground indeed.
What has hitherto been a sharp divide between Government and Opposition has, in recent times, reached conciliatory episodes of useful consultation, along with private sector participation. If all this has now to be discarded, credible alternatives must be substituted. The government-in-waiting must express dissent by way of economic and social policies and programmes that can sway an electorate. These must be crafted and fed through the established channels of democratic debate; and not through the hazards of street fighting.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
