Dear Editor,

“…power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” – Lord Acton, 1887.

The sheer number of spurious and half-baked ideas circulating about our polity is disturbing. Jamaica stands on the cusp of a great opportunity to reform its governance profoundly and doesn’t realise it. Since Independence we have traditionally and foolishly voted for one or the other of the two main tribes to the exclusion of all else. Many were the worthies from elsewhere who put themselves forward, to be rejected unceremoniously in favour of the dominant tribes. That this has not served the country well is beyond debate. The tribes have, accordingly, put the interests of their members above every other consideration. The current uproar over the JLP government’s efforts to protect one tribesman is the latest evidence of same.

We stand now at a defining moment in history, and must not allow the tribal mindset to blind us to the power of the hour. We can and must seize the opportunity to re-establish our sovereignty. Enough of the foolish talk that there is no one to vote for! This is the outworking of a messiah-seeking mindset. The folly of this course is transparent. First and foremost, we must get involved in the running of our country. We can no longer give the job to a set of people who express an interest in it, and walk away. That’s what has got us into this mess in the first place. We must ensure that any group to whom we delegate charge over our country’s affairs, knows that it enjoys a temporary stewardship and that it is there to serve the people’s interests. If they don’t like the terms of engagement, they need not apply. We must be prepared to hold our leaders responsible for their performance in the job they have sought. Our history is full of examples of our own delinquency in this regard – a fact which has contributed in no small degree to the present state of affairs. We have long known of the association of political parties with criminals, and done nothing.

We have effectively ceded sovereignty of Jamaica to the two dominant tribes. Their absolute rule has spawned a self-propagating, corrupt political culture. True as that may be, there is no need for us to wring our hands in despair at the paucity of options. Let us reclaim our country by holding our employees accountable for their actions, for the first time at last. Let us ensure that they know that they are our servants, not our masters.

Michael R Nicholson

PO Box 5171

Kingston 6