Devon Dick IT WAS reported in the media that the Honourable Minister of Development, Dr. Paul Robertson supports term limits for party presidents and prime ministers. He needs to tread slowly on this idea to determine if it makes sense and is workable in Jamaica.
One needs to pay attention to the ideas emanating from Dr. Robertson because he is a Cabinet minister, former General Secretary of the PNP and a Vice President. His view carries weight in the party, government and country. He has done post-graduate research into the thinking of grass-roots Jamaicans in terms of political activity so it can be expected that he would want to see his idea gain acceptance at all levels.
In addition, Dr. Robertson is no newcomer to constitutional reform. In the 1970s, the Michael Manley administration gave him the responsibility to lead the process of constitutional reform.
CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
It appears that constitutional reform will again be a main item on the national agenda especially with the reformist wing in the ascendancy in the JLP and the Chairman of the party, Senator Bruce Golding, already declaring his hand in support of term limits. Not to mention that the long-serving Member of Parliament and independent thinker, Mike Henry, is also in favour of term limits and former Chairman of Region Three of the PNP, Paul Burke, is for it. Significant persons in the PNP, JLP, and NDM are all supportive of term limits. And when political parties agree on a matter it usually gets implemented. They agreed on electronic voting and there has been a pilot project.
Furthermore, there has been some activity in the constitutional area. The Prime Minister and his Cabinet members no longer make an oath to a foreign monarch but to the people of Jamaica. Final appeals will be vested in a Caribbean Court rather than the Privy Council; a symbol of faith in the competence and fairness of our jurisprudence. In addition, Jamaicans no longer accept the knighthood but rather place a premium on local national awards. There is a momentum developing for constitutional reform.
However, this call for term limits is fraught with dangers. The Americans have a different political system from Jamaica. They have term limits for Presidents, but not for Senators and Congresspersons. In fact there was the recent case of a Senator serving until he was 100! A President of the USA is not the President of the political party. They do not even hold annual national conventions. Conventions are only held in the year of presidential elections.
THE JAMAICAN CONTEXT
The Jamaican context is different. In Jamaica, one becomes a Prime Minister by virtue of being leader or president of the winning party. So, if the leader of the winning political party has only one year left for his or her term limit as leader and he or she wins the General Election, then what? Would this person continue to be the Prime Minister without being the leader of the party after the one year has passed? It does not work that way. The leader of the country must also be leader of the party. The party sets the manifesto and the leader must lead that process and articulate that vision. Having two different persons is a recipe for disaster. It would be giving the Prime Minister responsibility without authority.
In any case, would the MPs also have a term limit? This issue of term limits for top leadership really affects the few. What is needed is a deepening of democracy that will give the majority a say in governance. We need not just some tinkering of the system but some fundamental change.
What is needed is for Jamaicans to vote for their Prime Minister directly. People vote for their MPs and Parish Councillors. Portmore can vote directly for their Mayor but we cannot vote for our Prime Minister. Jamaicans do not have the competence to decide on that! It rests with a few thousand delegates in a political party and not the vast numbers of Jamaicans.
SPORTING ORGANISATIONS
When sporting organisations and the JAS are having elections one is allowed to vote for a slate of candidates in different posts. So why cannot this apply to the national political level?
Part of the reason why Supreme Ventures raked in billions of dollars is because they used the cultural game of "drop pan" and interpreting dreams and it was a winner. Jamaica must not just ape other countries but design an electoral system and procedure that can work in our situation.
The Honourable Paul Robertson needs to slow down and think about this proposal. Not so fast, Dr. Robertson.
The Rev Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church.
