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Dr Carlton Davis' 'State of the Nation'
JEAN LOWRIE-CHIN
Monday, April 14, 2008
DR Carlton Davis barely raised his voice as he spoke about governance and our constitution, yet he kept his audience spellbound. The Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) and the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) honoured this brilliant patriot at their Long Service Awards Ceremony last Tuesday, and he returned the favour by bestowing on us a historical address, his enlightened view of the state of our nation.
ECJ chairman Professor Errol Miller's citation to Dr Davis reminded us why we must leave no stone unturned to get our children educated. Carlton Davis' parents Rupert Davis and Amy Briscoe-Davis of May Pen, Clarendon were two such Jamaicans. They urged him through May Pen and Four Paths Elementary schools, to Holmwood Practical Training Centre, now Holmwood Technical High School, to the Jamaica School of Agriculture, to the University of the West Indies and finally to McGill University where he earned MSc and PhD degrees in soil chemistry. Rae, Jennifer and Omar followed suit, members of a family whose contribution to country is simply immeasurable.
The cabinet secretary, who retires at the end of this month, did not wear his education as a decoration, but used it as an instrument for nation-building. Having served as scientist (he is one of the world's leading experts on the bauxite industry), public servant and community leader (in the best sense of the term), who better than Dr Davis to give us an experienced, enlightened view of the way forward for his beloved country?
The first lesson we took from his address was the importance of a balanced perspective. Too many of us can see only the good or the bad in one or the other political administration. In commenting on the state of governance in Jamaica, he said, "I am not going to join in with those who feel little, if anything, has been achieved (presumably from colonial times).
Rather, the evidence is clear that we have achieved much." He made it clear that governance was not the sole responsibility of government, but as Prof Trevor Munroe put it, also that of "sites of power located outside the state".
Among these achievements he cited:
. "a strong culture of democratic governance" and an electoral system "strengthened. beyond belief"
. transparency in management of our affairs of state
. involvement of the private sector and civil society
. strengthened procurement procedures supported by the National Contracts Commission and an Office of the Contractor General
. public sector reform, freedom of the press, independent judiciary.
If we are so good, then why are we looking so bad? Carlton Davis called for urgency in addressing our constitution, defined by author Anthony King as "the set of the most important rules and common understandings in any given country that regulate the relations between that country's governing institutions and the people of that country".
As I reflected on that definition, and Prime Minister Bruce Golding's long-standing passion for constitutional reform, it became clear that his government's offer of free tuition for high school is necessary for such "understandings", even if it also earned him political points.
Dr Davis called for implementation of the various recommendations from successive committees chaired by the late Justice Kerr and Dr Lloyd Barnett. He said that another matter, not mentioned in the report, that "begs urgent consideration now is the appointment of permanent secretaries.The prime minister has a fairly limited engagement, as outlined in Section 126(2) and 126(3) of the constitution."
He observed that while Barbados and Trinidad had used our constitutional framework at the time of their independence, Trinidad had introduced its Republican Constitution in 1981. One of Trinidad's constitutional alterations is Section 121(3), dealing with appointments by their Public Service Commission which states that for offices such as permanent secretary and administrative head, the person "shall not be appointed if the prime minister signifies to the Public Service Commission, his objection to the appointment of that person to that office." This makes so much good sense - why should a prime minister be at the mercy of individuals who may not share his or her vision and mission?
What struck a high note was Dr Davis' discussion on the importance of manners. He quoted statesman Edmund Burke, "Manners are of more importance than laws. Upon them in a great measure, the laws depend. According to their quality, they aid morals, they supply them or they totally destroy them."
Carlton Davis appealed to us to "recognise vulgar behaviour for what it is and seek to stamp it out". If we do not heed such advice, then like Red Stripe, we will have to feel it in our pockets. That company's CEO explained that they would no longer be sponsoring mass dancehall events where violence is often glorified in the lyrics of dancehall artistes. Why? Because popular cafes in the UK were protesting by no longer serving Red Stripe! Serves us right!
This matter of manners goes right back to the home, be it ever so humble. Diligence, integrity, courtesy, compassion - these are the values that built individuals like Carlton Davis.
At CVM's 15th Anniversary Service at Holy Cross Church last week, Father Don Chambers told us the story of a retiring builder whose boss asked him to use his great skills to make a special house. The man grumbled about this new task, so close to his departure, and did a shoddy job. When it was completed, his boss handed him a key and said, "This is your house, a gift from the company." Father Don warned us that we must be very careful of the society we are building, as we are the very ones who will have to live in it.
We should be grateful to the scores of Jamaicans, led by Prof Errol Miller, former EAC chairman William Chin See and director of elections Danville Walker, who have worked unstintingly to build one of the strongest electoral systems in the world. Kudos to the long-serving honorees at the EOJ/ECJ awards, especially Florence Bernard, Beverley Marshalleck and Cherry Cummings.
As Dr Carlton Davis demits office, we salute his timeless contribution to our national development. Let us advance his excellent initiatives, and give this gentle man a more harmonious environment in which to enjoy his well-deserved retirement.
- lowriechin@aim.com
JEAN LOWRIE-CHIN
Monday, April 14, 2008
DR Carlton Davis barely raised his voice as he spoke about governance and our constitution, yet he kept his audience spellbound. The Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) and the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) honoured this brilliant patriot at their Long Service Awards Ceremony last Tuesday, and he returned the favour by bestowing on us a historical address, his enlightened view of the state of our nation.
ECJ chairman Professor Errol Miller's citation to Dr Davis reminded us why we must leave no stone unturned to get our children educated. Carlton Davis' parents Rupert Davis and Amy Briscoe-Davis of May Pen, Clarendon were two such Jamaicans. They urged him through May Pen and Four Paths Elementary schools, to Holmwood Practical Training Centre, now Holmwood Technical High School, to the Jamaica School of Agriculture, to the University of the West Indies and finally to McGill University where he earned MSc and PhD degrees in soil chemistry. Rae, Jennifer and Omar followed suit, members of a family whose contribution to country is simply immeasurable.
The cabinet secretary, who retires at the end of this month, did not wear his education as a decoration, but used it as an instrument for nation-building. Having served as scientist (he is one of the world's leading experts on the bauxite industry), public servant and community leader (in the best sense of the term), who better than Dr Davis to give us an experienced, enlightened view of the way forward for his beloved country?
The first lesson we took from his address was the importance of a balanced perspective. Too many of us can see only the good or the bad in one or the other political administration. In commenting on the state of governance in Jamaica, he said, "I am not going to join in with those who feel little, if anything, has been achieved (presumably from colonial times).
Rather, the evidence is clear that we have achieved much." He made it clear that governance was not the sole responsibility of government, but as Prof Trevor Munroe put it, also that of "sites of power located outside the state".
Among these achievements he cited:
. "a strong culture of democratic governance" and an electoral system "strengthened. beyond belief"
. transparency in management of our affairs of state
. involvement of the private sector and civil society
. strengthened procurement procedures supported by the National Contracts Commission and an Office of the Contractor General
. public sector reform, freedom of the press, independent judiciary.
If we are so good, then why are we looking so bad? Carlton Davis called for urgency in addressing our constitution, defined by author Anthony King as "the set of the most important rules and common understandings in any given country that regulate the relations between that country's governing institutions and the people of that country".
As I reflected on that definition, and Prime Minister Bruce Golding's long-standing passion for constitutional reform, it became clear that his government's offer of free tuition for high school is necessary for such "understandings", even if it also earned him political points.
Dr Davis called for implementation of the various recommendations from successive committees chaired by the late Justice Kerr and Dr Lloyd Barnett. He said that another matter, not mentioned in the report, that "begs urgent consideration now is the appointment of permanent secretaries.The prime minister has a fairly limited engagement, as outlined in Section 126(2) and 126(3) of the constitution."
He observed that while Barbados and Trinidad had used our constitutional framework at the time of their independence, Trinidad had introduced its Republican Constitution in 1981. One of Trinidad's constitutional alterations is Section 121(3), dealing with appointments by their Public Service Commission which states that for offices such as permanent secretary and administrative head, the person "shall not be appointed if the prime minister signifies to the Public Service Commission, his objection to the appointment of that person to that office." This makes so much good sense - why should a prime minister be at the mercy of individuals who may not share his or her vision and mission?
What struck a high note was Dr Davis' discussion on the importance of manners. He quoted statesman Edmund Burke, "Manners are of more importance than laws. Upon them in a great measure, the laws depend. According to their quality, they aid morals, they supply them or they totally destroy them."
Carlton Davis appealed to us to "recognise vulgar behaviour for what it is and seek to stamp it out". If we do not heed such advice, then like Red Stripe, we will have to feel it in our pockets. That company's CEO explained that they would no longer be sponsoring mass dancehall events where violence is often glorified in the lyrics of dancehall artistes. Why? Because popular cafes in the UK were protesting by no longer serving Red Stripe! Serves us right!
This matter of manners goes right back to the home, be it ever so humble. Diligence, integrity, courtesy, compassion - these are the values that built individuals like Carlton Davis.
At CVM's 15th Anniversary Service at Holy Cross Church last week, Father Don Chambers told us the story of a retiring builder whose boss asked him to use his great skills to make a special house. The man grumbled about this new task, so close to his departure, and did a shoddy job. When it was completed, his boss handed him a key and said, "This is your house, a gift from the company." Father Don warned us that we must be very careful of the society we are building, as we are the very ones who will have to live in it.
We should be grateful to the scores of Jamaicans, led by Prof Errol Miller, former EAC chairman William Chin See and director of elections Danville Walker, who have worked unstintingly to build one of the strongest electoral systems in the world. Kudos to the long-serving honorees at the EOJ/ECJ awards, especially Florence Bernard, Beverley Marshalleck and Cherry Cummings.
As Dr Carlton Davis demits office, we salute his timeless contribution to our national development. Let us advance his excellent initiatives, and give this gentle man a more harmonious environment in which to enjoy his well-deserved retirement.
- lowriechin@aim.com