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Let the healing begin
Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Dear reader,
By the time you read this, the people of Jamaica would have made a decision about which party they wish to govern the country for the next five years. I trust that whatever the outcome, all of us will come to realise that governments reflect the will of the people, and that we the people have a responsibility to hold them to the trust implicit in the popular mandate.
If there was ever a time for the healing of a nation it is now, and I would like to humbly suggest that whoever the victor is, serious consideration be given to the pursuance of a truth and reconciliation process that would seek to heal the wounds and mend the fences as a prerequisite for good governance.
For starters, there has to be a process of "de-education" and desensitisation of the political campaign process, and a complete lowering of the temperature in order to facilitate cooperation and unity. The political campaign of 2007 will probably go down in history as the most morally depraved one the country has ever seen, and while it may not have been the most violent, both parties together redefined the terms of engagement, and in so doing lowered the bar close to rock bottom.
The country must send a very clear message that victory will never again be achieved through the tactics of foul, degrading and indecent language; through threats and fist fights and through death and mayhem. It is not only the main actors who debase themselves in that type of environment, but the dignity of a whole nation gets lowered in the process.
Quite frankly, an apology is in order, and before any victory speech is given, both leaders should say they are sorry for what the country has been subjected to over the past few months. The children and young people, in particular, have been fed on a steady diet of "politricks" which will not augur well for the future if left uncorrected.
If the PNP wins, some serious house-cleaning needs to take place. The image that is out there of an administration rife with corruption, "incestuousness", mismanagement and arrogance, must be dealt with post-haste if the country is to move forward with a unity of purpose. I would expect to see a Cabinet spring-cleaning exercise that will restore credibility and respectability to the PNP, and a move towards constitutional reform in certain critical areas.
I must admit, though, that the problem with house-cleaning after political victory is achieved is the need to reward party loyalists, particularly those who were instrumental in securing the victory. It is going to be interesting to see what type of shuffle takes place within the PNP government, should it remain in power.
If the JLP are the victors, the party ought to know that it has won largely by default, that is to say that many people voted against the PNP, and not for the JLP. What this means is that there are people who are not particularly enthralled with a Bruce Golding-led government, and are going to be paying very close attention to how the new government operates and the many promises made during the election campaign.
What is promising is that despite the political tribalism associated with the campaign, one gets the feeling that there is a growing awareness and maturity among the populace about transformational politics. I get the distinct impression that Jamaica is entering into a new era of political vigilance on the part of citizens, particularly younger voters, and I would not be surprised to see increasing numbers of pressure groups emerge over the next few years.
The other development of note is the quiet but steady growth of militancy within factions of the established church. There are certain pastors now who are not afraid to call a spade a spade, and are even prepared to go against their own congregations to speak the truth. It is interesting that historically almost every successful movement for social reform has had a strong spiritual base - the Civil Rights movement in America, Gandhi's India, etc. I am heartened that elements within the established church are realising that the church has a critical role to play in the social and political transformation of the nation.
Regardless of who wins, the test of leadership is going to characterise governance, particularly over the short term. Any leader who is not prepared to make hard decisions to pull our country back from the brink of social and economic disaster is in for a rough ride. Especially challenging, is the crippling crime problem that singularly stands in the way of any meaningful growth the country could possibly realise.
Whichever party wins, the task of ridding the country of the huge cache of weapons must be at the top of the agenda. It is going to be interesting to see how the winner will move toward disarming his or her own garrison communities of gunmen and gun violence.
But the most pressing task is that of healing a divided nation. While the leaders undoubtedly have a critical role to play in setting the tone for restoration, I say, let it begin right now, and let it begin with all of us.
With love,
bab2609@yahoo.com
Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Dear reader,
By the time you read this, the people of Jamaica would have made a decision about which party they wish to govern the country for the next five years. I trust that whatever the outcome, all of us will come to realise that governments reflect the will of the people, and that we the people have a responsibility to hold them to the trust implicit in the popular mandate.
If there was ever a time for the healing of a nation it is now, and I would like to humbly suggest that whoever the victor is, serious consideration be given to the pursuance of a truth and reconciliation process that would seek to heal the wounds and mend the fences as a prerequisite for good governance.
For starters, there has to be a process of "de-education" and desensitisation of the political campaign process, and a complete lowering of the temperature in order to facilitate cooperation and unity. The political campaign of 2007 will probably go down in history as the most morally depraved one the country has ever seen, and while it may not have been the most violent, both parties together redefined the terms of engagement, and in so doing lowered the bar close to rock bottom.
The country must send a very clear message that victory will never again be achieved through the tactics of foul, degrading and indecent language; through threats and fist fights and through death and mayhem. It is not only the main actors who debase themselves in that type of environment, but the dignity of a whole nation gets lowered in the process.
Quite frankly, an apology is in order, and before any victory speech is given, both leaders should say they are sorry for what the country has been subjected to over the past few months. The children and young people, in particular, have been fed on a steady diet of "politricks" which will not augur well for the future if left uncorrected.
If the PNP wins, some serious house-cleaning needs to take place. The image that is out there of an administration rife with corruption, "incestuousness", mismanagement and arrogance, must be dealt with post-haste if the country is to move forward with a unity of purpose. I would expect to see a Cabinet spring-cleaning exercise that will restore credibility and respectability to the PNP, and a move towards constitutional reform in certain critical areas.
I must admit, though, that the problem with house-cleaning after political victory is achieved is the need to reward party loyalists, particularly those who were instrumental in securing the victory. It is going to be interesting to see what type of shuffle takes place within the PNP government, should it remain in power.
If the JLP are the victors, the party ought to know that it has won largely by default, that is to say that many people voted against the PNP, and not for the JLP. What this means is that there are people who are not particularly enthralled with a Bruce Golding-led government, and are going to be paying very close attention to how the new government operates and the many promises made during the election campaign.
What is promising is that despite the political tribalism associated with the campaign, one gets the feeling that there is a growing awareness and maturity among the populace about transformational politics. I get the distinct impression that Jamaica is entering into a new era of political vigilance on the part of citizens, particularly younger voters, and I would not be surprised to see increasing numbers of pressure groups emerge over the next few years.
The other development of note is the quiet but steady growth of militancy within factions of the established church. There are certain pastors now who are not afraid to call a spade a spade, and are even prepared to go against their own congregations to speak the truth. It is interesting that historically almost every successful movement for social reform has had a strong spiritual base - the Civil Rights movement in America, Gandhi's India, etc. I am heartened that elements within the established church are realising that the church has a critical role to play in the social and political transformation of the nation.
Regardless of who wins, the test of leadership is going to characterise governance, particularly over the short term. Any leader who is not prepared to make hard decisions to pull our country back from the brink of social and economic disaster is in for a rough ride. Especially challenging, is the crippling crime problem that singularly stands in the way of any meaningful growth the country could possibly realise.
Whichever party wins, the task of ridding the country of the huge cache of weapons must be at the top of the agenda. It is going to be interesting to see how the winner will move toward disarming his or her own garrison communities of gunmen and gun violence.
But the most pressing task is that of healing a divided nation. While the leaders undoubtedly have a critical role to play in setting the tone for restoration, I say, let it begin right now, and let it begin with all of us.
With love,
bab2609@yahoo.com