LAMBERT BROWN
LAMBERT BROWN
We begin the new year with having to resolve several of the challenges of the old year or as some may say, the old era. We could dub this as the 'year of retirements'.
The imminent retirement of Opposition Leader, The Most Honourable Edward Seaga from active politics in a few days, will be followed later this year by that of the other living Most Honourable.
According to People's National Party General Secretary and Minister of Information, Burchell Whiteman, the Hon. Prime Minister is expected to bow out of active politics this year as well.
Certainly these retirements will put an end to the tenure of those political leaders whose political activities commenced before Independence.
ACCOUNTABILITY
We also start the new year with the retirement of the Commissioner of Police, Francis Forbes. While new personnel will fill the positions previously occupied by these individuals, we need seriously to assess whether a mere change of personality is sufficient to meet the needs of the nation at this time.
While Jamaica has undoubtedly made some progress over the years, there are those of us who correctly feel that significantly more progress could have been made had our political leaders not put partisan politics ahead of the nation's interest.
Equally, the absence of a culture of accountability by our leaders has contributed immensely to the social and economic chaos that now faces our country.
Why should we be satisfied with per capita GDP below most of our Caribbean neighbours, when at Independence we were way ahead of them? Why should we be happy with being the third most murderous country in the world?
REAL CHANGE
So as we get set to welcome new leaders in 2005, let us seek not only an exchange of personnel but let us demand real change.The cultivation of and placing the culture of accountability to the fore and the interest of the nation over and above party interest would indeed be the beginning of real change. This is therefore not a job just for party delegates or services commissions.
It is for all of us, as citizens, to ensure by our active involvement, excellence from our leaders rather than be consoled by mediocrity and political spin-doctors as is currently the case.
We must stop being afraid and start writing letters to the press, call the numerous talk shows and if needs be, peacefully use our constitutional rights to protest.
It is an active and informed citizenry, not merely new political, police or administrative personnel that will be the guarantors of real progress for Jamaica.
In a sense, too, many of our citizens have retired from the political process thus leaving those who should have long ago retired for under-performance in charge of our politics.
AHEAD OF LOYALTIES
Countries that have become prosperous do so by setting high moral values and standards for their leaders. They put the country and people ahead of political loyalties and friendship. Their leaders do not worry about short-term political embarrassment. They tend to eschew expediency.
That is why in England a minister of government resigns because it 'appears' that he may have given a favour to a friend. This is the approach we need to adopt as the retirees enter their eventide and we look forward to the ascendancy of the first set of post-Independence leaders.
Can we get assurances that people who sit on public boards and have failed miserably to protect the interest of the nation not be reappointed to serve on restructured or other boards?
Can we get assurances that only board members with sufficient integrity and not political lackeys and personal friends will be appointed to boards and commission? Can we get assurances that there will be an end to the scandalous abuse of taxpayers money for 'internal party' matters as the PNP demonstrators on Wednesday, outside the Ministry of Transport and Works reportedly claimed?
Can we get assurances that the same anti-corruption rules that apply to civil servants will be equally and exactly applied to all legislators including those who are most
honourable?
PROPER GOVERNANCE
We must not be satisfied either, with pious declaration from our new leaders of these assurances. They must, like chief executives of companies, be held accountable for the achievement of specific and measurable targets and objectives. This will force them to demand the same from their subordinates.
Our new leaders must be willing to be paid by performance-related criteria and not just make grand demands that teachers and workers be so paid while they pompously bask in the mental accoutrement of the 'backra-massa'.
The politics of retirement will, therefore, only make sense if the tens of thousands of our people who have retired from the political process along with those who still vote become active and demand proper governance.
So, as those who received the baton for nation building from our founding fathers pass it to the generation which followed, let us all become custodians of our country's best interest.
Each of us can make that difference no matter where in Jamaica or the world we are, regardless of our station in life.
Lambert Brown is first
vice-president of the University and Allied Workers Union,
and can be contacted at labpoyh@yahoo.com
