By Robin Lim Lumsden, ContributorJAMAICA SEEMS to have an uncanny ability of fixing what ain't broke and sticking with what ain't working. Our problems persist like perennials, flourishing alongside endemic frustration, disrespect and distrust decade after decade.
We must stop looking to the architects of our national predicament for the solutions. They are only capable of getting us further in the hole with their procrastination, lack of ability to implement and lack of probity.
Year after year they exhibit a genuine unwillingness to change the status quo, despite glaring failures, like the failure of our education system. A survey recently conducted by the World Economic Forum (W.E.F) on global competitiveness showed Jamaica's ranking continuing to decline. Dr. Augusto Lopez-Claros, chief economist of the W.E.F., concluded, "If there is one lesson to be drawn from the report, it is that the strength and coherence of government policies have enormous bearing on a country's ranking."
Our policies are not working. It is time we start calling for the systematic fixing of what's broken and the changing of what isn't working. The following are useful suggestions.
TRANSFORMATION
I believe this would make a change for the better. Many ideas have been voiced before by groups and individuals, they are not an exhaustive list and neither do they require spending a lot of money. Mostly what they require is a change in thinking.
Education: Make education the nation's number one priority. The recent World Economic Forum cites the inadequate spending on and commitment to education as the key reasons for the lack of economic growth in some Third World countries. In order to do this:
Move resources from tertiary into early childhood education. Regulate the basic schools so that they offer a standardised product. Individuals have a right to a primary and secondary education and the government has an obligation to deliver it, but tertiary education is arguably a choice. Scarce resources would be better spent where they can achieve the greatest return on investment and that is at the front-end in developing young minds rather than at the back-end in doing remedial work.
Adopt a different policy towards tertiary education that involves giving corporations and individuals massive tax breaks for funding programmes, particularly research-based programmes, scholarships, department chairs and endowments at the tertiary level. Technology is making tertiary education more easily deliverable and cheaper and there is now a plethora of offerings from overseas tertiary institutions. Local tertiary institutions should move quickly to replace government funding with alumni endowment programmes and to sell their research developments to corporations, both locally and internationally.
NEW WAYS OF DOING THINGS
Establish a means test using our taxes and TRN numbers to establish what a person can afford to pay for his child's education. The present secondary school system subsidises persons who can afford to pay the full cost of their child's secondary education. This is evidenced by the fact that the majority of those who attend private preparatory schools go on to traditional secondary schools at a fraction of the cost. Re-channel government funding away from the traditional high schools and into the poorer secondary schools. Institute teacher performance testing and pay teachers commensurate with their counterparts in Trinidad and Barbados. Equate our per child expenditure with these countries. Teachers should also receive preferential housing and other service-based incentives.
Put back funding into local family planning clinics and make population control once again a priority. It was working and studies have shown that women who receive an education have fewer children.
The economy: Make the Bank of Jamaica an independent central bank, thereby removing the ability of government to print money or manipulate the interest rate. This essential change would introduce two badly needed commodities into our economy: trust and confidence.
INTRODUCE LEGISLATION
Introduce legislation capping government's debt and ability to run an excessive deficit. A maximum of three per cent Deficit to GDP ratio is now under consideration by the Central Bank of the EU. This along with a Debt to GDP ratio of 60 per cent was part of the Maastricht Treaty to achieve growth and stability in the EU. Jamaica, with eight per cent deficit to GDP and 150 per cent debt to GDP ratios respectively, is at present in the untenable position of having ratios of almost three times those internationally recommended. This legislation would curtail the amount of debt an administration could leave to coming generations and should be the precursor to balanced budget legislation.
Formulate a coherent national energy policy that involves rapidly finding cheaper energy sources. One of Jamaica's greatest natural resources is its year-round sunshine. Promote the use of solar energy heaters by removing the import duties on solar equipment.
Stop the subsidy of sugar and divest the sugar lands. There are many available alternatives: aquaculture, tree crops and Sea Island cotton, etc.; waiting to make this transition is only prolonging the agony.
Justice: Put an end to impunity. Years of impunity have led to lawlessness. Stop the cover-ups and the excuses and punish the perpetrators, be they police officers or high-up government officials. This will have the logical and desirable outcome of more respect for law and order.
MODERNISATION AND REFORMATION
Modernise and reform the justice system. Cleaning up our act should be the requisite quid pro quo of any nation state seeking to join the Caribbean Court. Promote the understanding of the importance of the notion of the presumption of innocence and due process to our democracy.
Appoint a corruption czar to head Jamaica's new anti-Corruption Commission. This should be part-funded by the private sector because it is a fact that getting rid of corruption is good for business. The present level of lawlessness and corruption militates against economic growth.
Politics: Institute a two-term limit and a fixed election date. These would limit the amount of damage an inept or corrupt administration could wreak to 10 years. A fixed election date would minimise the political manipulation by an incumbent party.
Give overseas Jamaicans a vote in our national elections. The overseas vote would dilute the entrenched partisan nature of our politics. They keep our economy afloat with $1.2 billion in remittances annually and deserve a say in our national affairs, as it is their birthright as stated in chapter three of our constitution. If this constituency is given a say in the running of our country they may be inclined to invest substantially more.
Pass a constitutional amendment allowing for nine independent senators like Trinidad. Trevor Munroe and Douglas Orane raised the level of the debate in the Senate. What happened? Clearly, what the House needs is more intelligent and independent thought.
Strengthen the role of the Permanent Secretary. Over the last 40 years the ministers have taken over the job of the Permanent Secretaries. Few ministers have the proper qualifications and many use their office to play party politics. Why not return to a system of professionals who actually work?
MPs should be required to reside in their constituency, have job descriptions and a development plan for their constituency against which their performance should be measured.
Pass a law equalising gender representation in both the House and the Senate. We need to harness the creative energy of more women in elected office. Women represent 50 per cent of the population and 70 per cent of tertiary professional graduates and they should have equal representation in government. This constituency has different priorities and are, for example, more likely to build schools than highways.
The army: As we are not in any imminent danger of invasion, we should utilise the army as a national guard in tourist towns, as environmental wardens and coastal guards. Our talented men and women could be trained as vigilant protectors of our people, our national assets and keepers of the peace.
ENVIRONMENT
The environment: Privatise the National Water Commission, waste management and the garbage collection industries and fix the defunct water treatment plants. This should also include the cessation of dumping of raw sewage into Kingston Harbour and a national plan to substantially increase pit toilet facilities throughout the island. We have to stop using our rivers and our sea as lavatories. Impose recycling laws and stiffer fines for littering and dumping. Zero tolerance in this area was a big part of Major Guiliani's success in New York. Our tourism product depends on our success in keeping our environment clean.
THE CYCYLE MUST BE BROKEN
We cannot continue as a failing state, because as Bob Marley heeded; "when the rain falls it don't fall pon one man house." While I believe in sweeping constitutional reform, I think we need to take the discussion from the abstract and put it into a specific, practical and philosophical context. We need to create an economic and political arrangement which delivers the benefit of equal opportunity - a level playing field - and safeguards our democracy. This 'new' arrangement must protect and expand the rights of all, empower individual agency, inspire confidence and trust, restrain power and its abuses, while responding with more alacrity to the emerging global trends. The role of government not only has to be redefined it has to be reduced so that it does not continue to be the stumbling block to our national development. As someone I know says, "If you walk down the same road everyday and fall into the same pothole, it's time to change course." I believe that time is now.
