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Published: Sunday | November 27, 20114 Comments
The existing political system and the attendant political practices over many years have been given a vote of no confidence by professor of anthropology Don Robotham, who says the politicians do not have the guts to implement the medicine needed to fix the country's problems.
Robotham, speaking at a Gleaner round table at the newspapers' headquarters on Friday, said a moment of truth is staring the political leadership of the country squarely in the face.
"If you look objectively at our current political system, you can't but conclude that the existing political structures are unable to implement the kinds of policies and programmes that the country needs by itself. It's just a fact. We can lament it, we can analyse why. It will not be possible to address the problems that this country faces unless there is a broad representation of the citizenry participation in the solution. It simply will not happen," Robotham said.
Speaking against the background of the impending general elections expected to be announced this week, the absence of manifestos from both parties, the public furore over the complexion of political debating teams to participate in national debates and corruption which permeates the process, Robotham depicted a politics with heads buried in the sand.
"This election is too important to be left to the politicians. Our political situation is too important to be confined to a particular set of institutions. Our political situations and the economic challenges we face are our responsibility as citizens of this country. And they will not be addressed, unless we take some active role in addressing them. They will not be addressed by saying, well let's hear what the political parties have to say on x or y. But if we don't play an active role in defining the issues, and putting positions out there, including options, then we are going to be in a very serious situation," the respected professor, who is a former dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of the West Indies said.
vote-spinning machines
Describing the parties as "vote-spinning machines" and in a state of "decay" he told the group of leading professionals, drawn from several different sectors in the country, that there were some good people on either side of the political fence.
Robotham's presentation, not without objections, reinforced calls and demands from civil society in recent years for dialogue with the Jamaican people. His vote-spinning diagnosis comes also against the background of last Thursday's Gleaner polls conducted by Bill Johnson which show that Jamaican electors are willing to sell their votes to the highest bidders.
In a clear case of selling their presence at party conference, at least two politicians were prevented from leaving the car park when the Jamaica Labour Party concluded the public session of the 68th annual conference last Sunday. Supporters blocked their paths in front of The Gleaner and POWER/106FM microphones.
Similarly, in the September conference of the Opposition People's National Party, some of those attending were seen, and heard, demanding money from middlemen, who are charged with the responsibilities of providing "refreshment" costs.
Robotham said the country's economic problems have not been properly explained in the local media, and neither by the parties.
The challenges were of immediate concerns, but have to be placed in context of a much-wider picture for the population to have a grasp of all the issues, he believes.
Turning to the immediate economic challenges and the connection between the political system, Robotham said, facing the problem of the debt of gross domestic product ratio; the political landscape and the problems of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will cause them to be addressed in different ways.
"I think it's very important that we put options on the table as to how to approach these problems and that these things be discussed. It may well be that, when we put the options on the table many of these options turn out to be non-options. But it is important that in dealing with the situations, people have a sense of what options are available," he stated.
erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com
The existing political system and the attendant political practices over many years have been given a vote of no confidence by professor of anthropology Don Robotham, who says the politicians do not have the guts to implement the medicine needed to fix the country's problems.
Robotham, speaking at a Gleaner round table at the newspapers' headquarters on Friday, said a moment of truth is staring the political leadership of the country squarely in the face.
"If you look objectively at our current political system, you can't but conclude that the existing political structures are unable to implement the kinds of policies and programmes that the country needs by itself. It's just a fact. We can lament it, we can analyse why. It will not be possible to address the problems that this country faces unless there is a broad representation of the citizenry participation in the solution. It simply will not happen," Robotham said.
Speaking against the background of the impending general elections expected to be announced this week, the absence of manifestos from both parties, the public furore over the complexion of political debating teams to participate in national debates and corruption which permeates the process, Robotham depicted a politics with heads buried in the sand.
"This election is too important to be left to the politicians. Our political situation is too important to be confined to a particular set of institutions. Our political situations and the economic challenges we face are our responsibility as citizens of this country. And they will not be addressed, unless we take some active role in addressing them. They will not be addressed by saying, well let's hear what the political parties have to say on x or y. But if we don't play an active role in defining the issues, and putting positions out there, including options, then we are going to be in a very serious situation," the respected professor, who is a former dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of the West Indies said.
vote-spinning machines
Describing the parties as "vote-spinning machines" and in a state of "decay" he told the group of leading professionals, drawn from several different sectors in the country, that there were some good people on either side of the political fence.
Robotham's presentation, not without objections, reinforced calls and demands from civil society in recent years for dialogue with the Jamaican people. His vote-spinning diagnosis comes also against the background of last Thursday's Gleaner polls conducted by Bill Johnson which show that Jamaican electors are willing to sell their votes to the highest bidders.
In a clear case of selling their presence at party conference, at least two politicians were prevented from leaving the car park when the Jamaica Labour Party concluded the public session of the 68th annual conference last Sunday. Supporters blocked their paths in front of The Gleaner and POWER/106FM microphones.
Similarly, in the September conference of the Opposition People's National Party, some of those attending were seen, and heard, demanding money from middlemen, who are charged with the responsibilities of providing "refreshment" costs.
Robotham said the country's economic problems have not been properly explained in the local media, and neither by the parties.
The challenges were of immediate concerns, but have to be placed in context of a much-wider picture for the population to have a grasp of all the issues, he believes.
Turning to the immediate economic challenges and the connection between the political system, Robotham said, facing the problem of the debt of gross domestic product ratio; the political landscape and the problems of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will cause them to be addressed in different ways.
"I think it's very important that we put options on the table as to how to approach these problems and that these things be discussed. It may well be that, when we put the options on the table many of these options turn out to be non-options. But it is important that in dealing with the situations, people have a sense of what options are available," he stated.
erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com
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