Edward Seaga Some of the problems faced by Jamaicans have multiple connections buried deeply in the psyche of the mind. From this recess, they drive human behaviour, forming patterns of conduct.
One such pattern is the easy, informal way of life in which too little attention is given to discipline and perfection. A job of work can be performed casually, it is reasoned, because, in the end if the result 'nuh go so, it nearly go so'.
This is true generally in tropical countries where the lifestyle is relaxed and the environment hospitable. Little strain is needed to fight the hostile elements in daily life.
In contrast, countries in which the fight to make the environment accommodating is a work in progress on a daily basis, become a rich training ground to create a psyche of perfection because failure is more intolerable than it is in the relaxed environment.
This drive for perfection when rooted in enough people is a good part of the reason for success of the society.
The Jamaican society accommodates imperfections: unfinished business, loose performance and intimidation from good workmanship. This part - failure in life, it is expected, will bring no repercussion, because there will be an 'ease-up or let-off', if things go wrong.
The few who strive for solid performance are 'hard-markers' or sometimes 'wicked'. 'Him coulda ease up the man' is the cry, whether inwardly felt or expressed. This occurs widely in daily life.
Those who argue for a 'let off' for dual citizens to enjoy the best of both worlds at all levels are forgiving of the conflict of interest which arises in many scenarios which are treated with dismissal. Perhaps this imperfect thought process should contemplate a Jamaican ambassador to the United States, who is also an American citizen, in negotiation with an American ambassador on crucial national decisions about Jamaica. How can it be certain whose interests the 'Jamerican' ambassador is protecting? By extension of this reasoning, the logical conclusion is that persons holding positions of power and influence must not be given the right to expose themselves to conflicting national interests. For others, who do not enjoy these paramount positions, dual citizenship cannot expose either country to harmful choices and is not a liability to the person or the state.
Detective Constable Carey Lyn-Sue made an admirable decision. He admitted to submitting false evidence for convicting an innocent person. For this bold admission many feel he should be exonerated, not found guilty and sentenced. What then of many others who acted fraudulently? Should they also he forgiven? In the event of every confession to a robbery, should the guilty one go free because he returned the stolen goods? 'Unnu too hard; ease up the man'.
Many killers already go free because in the passage of time for the matter to reach the court, either by design or the normal inefficient delay of the administration of justice, passions lose their sting and aggrieved relatives settle for 'a money' out of court, since 'courthouse can't bring back life, ah may as well get something'.
The law was not fashioned to be a makeshift solution to be applied ad hoc. The law already provides ways and means of applying discretionary, compassionate judgement. But that is the perfect application, and our society does not place a premium on perfection.
Recently, Minister of Education, Andrew Holness announced a plan to sanction those students who do not master literacy skills by grade four in primary school. They will no longer be allowed to proceed to grade five, and if they fail again, they will not have a chance to take the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) to enter secondary schools. These habitual failures will enter a special 'dunce bat' programme to attend to their deficiencies without holding up the rest of the class.
wickedness
This is an admirable way to transfer the responsibility for success to the 40 per cent of students who fail the test because they know that they will, in the present circumstances, get an 'ease-up' and a promotion anyway.
'Is wickedness fe hol' back de pickney dem', is the cry of parents who, in earlier days, would hand unruly boy children to teachers with instructions to 'only save de eye'. They did not know that they were impairing the ability of the child to learn from that time.
Jamaica excels in sports, performing better in some than in others. The best performance is achieved when the training is more rigorous and disciplined. The great West Indies cricket team of old benefited from the days when many West Indians could play in the English League where they performed regularly in high-level competition which could hone their natural talent to perfection. With restrictions coming into force limiting access for West Indians and other outsiders from benefiting fully in the English League, the standard of the game has fallen so badly that there is talk of demotion of the team to a lower level league. This may be a simplification, but it is one that contains much truth.
Australia will play the West Indies next week after the players spent two weeks in a training camp. The West Indian have only recently assembled. This relaxed approach carries through to relaxed batting in a game which requires the discipline of rigorous concentration. We well know the result of that in today's West Indies cricket team.
disciplined
Contrast this with the perfection-oriented track and field programme with its star-studded world beaters who live disciplined lives and train as if their lives depended on it.
Perhaps the new crop of Reggae Boyz will reach a higher standard, in the light of the magnetic pull of the World Cup and the benefit of the rigours of overseas professional training. So far, they have been good for the first half, 45 minutes, and ordinary for the second half of the game because of the same lack of focus which comes with failure to perfect a disciplined approach.
Jamaicans like to have it both ways: live the easy way but get the benefits of the hard road. That is why the farmer, who was asked by the motorist which road to drive to find a shop, gave the best Jamaican advice: "Go around de bend till yu see a fork in the road. Tek it."
Edward Seaga is a former prime minister. He is now a Distinguished Fellow at the UWI. Email:odf@uwimona.edu.jm or columns@gleanerjm.com
