The corruption of conscience

LLOYD B SMITH

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

THERE has been much talk about corruption in the Jamaican society. Many versions of corruption have been described and analysed but the one that has not been getting enough attention is the "corruption of conscience". What exactly is this?

Corrupt, as defined by the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, reads: willing to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain; evil or morally depraved. Conscience, in the meantime, is defined as a person's moral sense of right and wrong.

If one were to toss these two words into Gordon House during a sitting of Parliament, be it the Upper or Lower House, then it would be a classic case of putting the cat among the pigeons and watch the feathers fly! After all, it is safe to say that some of those who were elected as well as selected to serve the people have not only been accused of corrupt practices but have also been fingered for acts of moral turpitude. And what is most disturbing about this entire scenario is that here we have our lawmakers being lawbreakers.

In the event that some Jamaicans have forgotten, our parliamentarians are legislators. Members of parliament as well as senators sit in what is regarded as the highest legislature of the land, and enjoy what is known as parliamentary privilege, which means that they can say anything in the House and get away with it, even when it is libelous or slanderous. But with privilege comes responsibility, and unfortunately our parliamentarians have been very irresponsible, indeed reckless.

The findings of the contractor general on numerous occasions have clearly indicated that much is rotten in the state of Denmark, oops, I mean Jamaica. In recent times, the perception of corruption has become the reality. All national polls have revealed that the majority of Jamaicans believe that there is a great deal of corruption in the country. What is even more frightening is that one of the most recent polls indicated that the current Jamaica Labour Party Government is seen as being more corrupt than its predecessor, the People's National Party.

This revelation has come as a surprise to many well-thinking Jamaicans based on the pre-election promises and mouthing of the JLP, whose leader Bruce Golding had been seen as an agent of change and one who was prepared to take up the issue of corruption head-on. But, alas, this has not been so. It has been the usual situation whereby Labourites who have been starved of state largesse for over 18 years could not resist the temptation of dipping their snouts in the trough. Yes, pork barrel politics is alive and well!

This now brings me to the matter of conscience and corruption. In a seemingly disingenuous bid to rationalise, if not excuse, themselves and the party they support, Labourites have been seeking to justify their corrupt and immoral acts by saying that the PNP did it for 18-and-a-half years, so "a no nutten." Some have even gone as far as to say, "A fi we time now."

You see, in Jamaica politics is a business, not a vocation; an opportunity to pillage the public purse, not to serve the people; self-aggrandisement, cronyism, nepotism plus the acquisition and retention of power take precedence over accountability, integrity, sincerity of purpose, transparency, competence and honesty. In this context, the fact that just about every government project has an unexplained overrun hardly raises any eyebrows or draws public condemnation; members of parliament can sit in Gordon House earning a salary at the people's expense knowing full well that by being a dual citizen they are infringing on the Jamaican Constitution; our legislators can lie, mislead and confuse the people without facing any sanctions, and I could go on.

The greater tragedy is that a politically divided Jamaica cannot see the forest from the trees, so when fingers are pointed at the Golding-led Government with respect to the now infamous Manatt, Phelps & Phillips/Christopher 'Dudus' Coke extradition issue, others are quick to point out that the Portia Simpson Miller-led PNP had its fair share of woes and culpability with the Trafigura scandal. How conveniently have so many of us forgotten that two wrongs do not make a right!

This rabid corruption of conscience is likely to have a long-lasting effect, not only on the body politic, but on generations of Jamaicans to come. Is this the legacy that Mr Golding and Mrs Simpson Miller want to be remembered? The burden rests more squarely with the prime minister at this time as he is in the driver's seat. Having declared himself the Chief Servant, one would have thought that Mr Golding and his party would prefer to drink from the fountain of integrity and probity.

The sad truth is that our beloved country has sunken into a quagmire of corruption and more corruption. It almost seems impossible to jump out of it. Meanwhile, an increasing number of Jamaicans have become very cynical about politics and see every politician as a crook and a liar. Not surprisingly, our politicians have no one to blame but themselves. They have made their beds a certain way and so must lie in it.

Is all hope lost? Methinks not. The encouraging number of civil pressure groups and think tanks being established both locally and in the Diaspora is a clear indication that there is an appreciable number of Jamaicans who are prepared to go down fighting. I am unrepentantly one of them. Are you?

lloydbsmith@hotmail.com

or governor-montegonian.blogspot.com

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COMMENTS (6)

george watson
9/29/2010

One of the problems with this country is that we siphon off acts of corruption MAINLY to politicians, probably because they are more visible or because as an act of transference it shifts the spotlight and make us feel better about ourselves.
In the meantime people who contribute to the wellbeing of our lives get away with massive acts of fraud and corruption every day; from the businessman who under reports his invoice to the higgler who puts his thumb on the scale. They include reporters and talk show hosts and media houses who by pejorative and biased reporting push political parties of their choice and divide the people. It has nothing to with truth but whether it is PNP or JLP.
Ultimately the politicians are to be blamed because they have the power to change the status quo which would make themselves and others accountable, but for one reason or the other choose not to do so.

Trevor Harris
9/28/2010

Lloyd B its a doggone shame! Corruption has escalated unprecedentedly inthe past three years beyond belief. I was expecting an upward movement but nowhere near its present level but as you suggested in your column , the present crop has been out in the wilxerness for so long now they are taking their share. Sad but true.yb

Wilfred Gray
9/28/2010

it is sad,situation, lloydie, for us to say,both leaders, wrong,which one wronger..what a choice..
very good article,sah

ESTEBAN AGOSTO REID
9/28/2010

Quite frankly, the entire island, from the ensconced oligarchy, to the average joe and jane on the street,we are all drowning in the sea of corruption.Unfortunately,it will only get worse, because as a people, we have totally lost our moral and ethical compasses and the principle or standard governing conduct with respect to right, good and wrong. Ergo,most of us will be claimed by the sea of corruption.Hopefully, corruption is not our fate or destiny. Because,if it is, Jamaica is doomed !!

Trevor Dawes
9/28/2010

Mr. Smith, you're correct that two wrongs don't make a right but hypocrisy by any other name is still hypocrisy. We all know that corruption is and has been rife in J'can governments and it's not some new phenomenon manifesting itself in the last 3 yrs. In my honest opinion, PJ Bruce and Portia deserve to be in prison for aiding, abetting, and facilitating the practitioners of corruption within the PNP and JLP. We deserve and must demand more and better from our leaders, it's that simple.

Jaye Stone
9/28/2010

Nothing new. The same sad reality couched in a net of hackneyed expressions.

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The corruption of conscience