THE human life cycle is characterised by a number of transitions from birth to old age then death. These transitions provide moments of challenge, introspection and reflection and, if not properly addressed, can lead to a crisis in the life of the individual. A 49th birthday falls within that transitional phase known as midlife and, therefore, brings with it challenges and a growing sense of the movement of life which confronts avoidant behaviours.

The passage of time in the life of a nation cannot be reckoned in the same way as that of a person, but that is not to say that there are not moments of transition in the life of a nation. In this regard, 49 years is a short time in reflecting on the life of our nation as we celebrated the anniversary of our Independence. Nevertheless, it should be obvious that the decades since our Independence have witnessed various transitions.

Like the individual, however, we must recognise that time is not standing still, and as we move along in time there are changes to which we must adjust and on which we must reflect. We can begin this process by pointing to some of the positive indicators that have characterised the life of this nation since 1962. Among the indicators of this would be the physical and material transformation, which have taken place in the infrastructure of this nation; economic prosperity which has attended many, even in a context of growing disparity; the educational and social mobility which have attended many; and the impact which our small nation has had in the international arena in a multiplicity of fields and disciplines.

We have also seen shifts in the economic strategies pursued through the decades such as the focus on the development of screw-driver industries in the 1960s into the 1970s, the Caribbean Basin Initiatives of the Ronald Reagan era, the birth of Caricom and its teetering between stillbirth and viability, and in more recent time the mandatory participation in globalisation and the global marketplace with its rules and regulations enforced by the World Trade Organisation and the powerful nations, primarily of the North. Our participation in any or all of these movements often came not from the development of a long-term strategic development plan by those in charge of governance and the nation as a whole, but as a response to external forces. Parallel to much of this movement have been changes in the government with differing political ideologies, including a time of flirtation with democratic socialism under the late Prime Minister Michael Manley and the People’s National Party.

A strategic development plan has been developed for the country known as Vision 2030, of which most Jamaicans are unaware. It remains for the majority of the population a mere document in which they have had little, if any input, and in which there is consequently little investment. It is one of these top-down policy documents which those charged with leadership are supposed to implement, with the rest of the population benefiting at some point. This, of course, raises some serious questions as to how the path to continuing independence for the nation can be achieved without a broad national consensus on the way forward.

It must be acknowledged that the document expresses a level of realism in terms of its assessment of our problems as a nation since Independence, in the following terms: “periods of expansion have alternated with periods of poor economic performance; growth has occurred alongside social issues of inequity including inequalities in wealth and opportunity; and we have experienced major social and political reforms, structural adjustment processes, and a collapse of some locally owned financial institutions from 1995 to 1997”. It goes on to speak of “relatively low rates of economic growth that compare unfavourably with our regional andinternational counterparts, low productivity in most sectors, lack of national consensus on critical socioeconomic issues, poor student outcomes, severe environmental degradation, and high rates of violent crime. Governance has been an area of particular concern, with erosion of social capital and trust, an inefficient justice system, political polarisation, and weak accountability mechanisms in the public sector. One profound impact of this has been the sustained outward migration of many Jamaicans, including the highly educated, who have chosen other countries in which to live and dedicate their talents”.

Having presented a broad survey of the major problems which have confronted us since Independence, it then goes on to deposit a Vision Statement and the Guiding Principles which are supposed to take us forward. The vision is that “Jamaica, [becomes] the place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business”. In order to effect this there will be seven Guiding Principles as follows: transformational leadership; partnership; transparency and accountability; social cohesion; equity; sustainability; and urban and rural development.

One of the things about life transitions is the fact that persons must become increasingly realistic about their achievements up to the present and the prospects for the achievement of the vision which they have for the future. It is the point at which reality informs the vision. The question we must ask ourselves is, where are we today and in what context are we observing this milestone? Does the reality of the present have anything to say about the vision which is being entertained for the future? One only has to turn to the news media to see the issues that are facing us and how we are positioning ourselves to face the future.

Among the reality orienting factors of which we must take note at this time is our captivity to the policy directives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Government can tinker with the economy within the confines of those boundaries set by the IMF, but it is not the one setting the boundaries at this time. It has been stated repeatedly that the current arrangement with the IMF is not one that is designed to generate growth in the economy. If that is the case, then how realistic are the economic and developmental targets which we have set for the future? At the moment both the Government and the Opposition are constantly exchanging ungracious, if not abusive words, concerning the overdue quarterly tests and what these mean for the country at this time. It is becoming clear, however, that the Government has fallen short in its agreement with the IMF, and will need to enter into a new round of negotiations which could lead to even more stringent conditions for any further disbursements.

The primary paradigm which seems to be driving the policies and programmes pursued in the nation at this time is an economic one, designed to curtail spending and to maintain tight fiscal control of the economy. While one can appreciate the significance of this focus for the life of the nation, it is necessary to ask questions concerning the human cost. We need to learn from developments in some of the countries which have been pursuing a similar path such as France and Spain, where there have been serious upheavals, driven primarily by the youth who are unemployed, alienated, and who do not see much of a future for them in the policies being pursued by their governments. While it is easy to label the riots in London and other cities of the United Kingdom as simply criminal activities, I suspect that what we are seeing are disaffected and alienated youth in protest who have been waiting for the right trigger to vent their anger. The attack on the commercial enterprises and the police may be telling. We love to pontificate on whether developments in other parts of the world will ever be a part of our landscape, but I would urge that we pay careful attention to our youth and the prospects which they see awaiting them while we lay out developmental plans and goals for the nation.

The House of Representatives has brought to the fore the longstanding concern regarding the high cost of energy for the productive sector and consumers. Energy is at the very heart of the cost of living and affects the quality of life of every citizen. The Jamaica Public Service has disclaimed responsibility for the high cost of energy, while the Government seeks to ward off criticisms that it and previous administrations have pursued policies which have and are contributing to the high cost of energy by way of the franchise granted to the power company and the level of taxation derived from the sale of the various energy sources.

Crime and violence have been cited as impediments to development in the Vision 2030 document, and yet the level of criminal activity and the turn that it is now taking is frightening to citizens and cannot augur well for the generation of a climate of investment or development. This all points to the fact that developmental strategies cannot be separated from the whole moral fibre and tone of the society. It must mean something to how citizens view themselves and their nation when beheadings have become a new strategy in the arsenal of criminals. Clearly, however, criminals are not our only concern. When children have become a primary target in the widening criminal network, and children are now resorting to killing siblings with the most vicious expression of violence, we know that something is eroding the very heart and soul of our nation.

One fundamental principle to which Independence must speak as a further extension of Emancipation is equal status of individual citizens in relation to the state, equality before the law, equal worth and value as any other, and, therefore, deserving of social justice, rights, and respect. The reality of the growing disparity between the rich and the poor in this society is something to which Vision 2030 speaks, but is a problem which is not getting better, and which covers not just economic fortunes but human rights violation and denial of access to social benefits by some citizens because of political affiliation.

Corruption and the culture of dishonesty defeat the best of plans and the most systematic of economic strategies. It means then that the nation does not receive quality work and results for its expenditures, persons who do not perform or are not entitled to certain assignments receive them and as a consequence have a demoralising effect on those who would play by the rules. Expressed in terms of praedial larceny, it means that the agricultural sector will never achieve its production targets as farmers and those who would invest in agriculture become demotivated.

As we celebrate our Independence we can find much to celebrate by way of achievements over past decades, but our celebration must involve a time of reflection when we look also with critical eyes at our current reality and ask how it can and must inform our future because, like the experience of life transitions, a future that is constructed only on a vivid imagination will become nothing but wishful thinking and lead to despair.