Dear Reader,

Many of us did not vote in the December 29 election, and for good reasons. I described it as an election of “convenience and corruption” — called hurriedly amidst a Jamaica fraught with allegations of corruption.

And it wasn’t just the scandals — Manatt/Phelps, Dudus, Tivoli, Trafigura, JDIP and others. It was the vulgar disregard for the critical electoral reforms that had been proposed after months of work by the Electoral Commission and stakeholders representing the broad spectrum of the society. In the rush to elections not one of the recommendations for campaign finance reform was adopted. So the People’s National Party won and the Jamaica Labour Party lost, but the biggest loser was the degenerating standard and quality of the democratic process.

For those of us who never thought about it before, a “novote” is actually an important protest vote, and in some democracies, the ballot actually includes the option, “None of the above”. I for one could not in good conscience participate in an election riddled with charges and countercharges of corruption, lies, deceit, votebuying, and the like, and cast within the context of murders, garrisons, political gangs and a myriad other ills and malpractices.

My position was very clear — “investigate and clean up the scandals, introduce crucial electoral and campaign finance reforms, and call the election for late 2012”. That I felt was the responsible and ethical thing to do and would demonstrate the respect and dignity the people of Jamaica deserved.

But having taken a powerful moral and principled “no-vote” stand, the question we must now ask ourselves is, “Are we prepared to change what we don’t like and if we are, how?” I was inspired by a statement I heard recently, made by a woman leader in South Africa who, in discussing the issue of “compromise”, said, “It is accepting what you don’t believe, because you refuse to stand up for what you do believe.”

Evangelist and author Jim Wallis, in his book God’s Politics, addresses the philosophical and political balance that is essential in moving a society forward. Says Wallis: “Protest should not be merely the politics of complaint. It should instead show the way for both personal and social transformation. That’s what excites people and invites them to give their lives for something larger than themselves.

“The power of protest is not in its anger but its invitation. The test of protest is whether it points and opens the way to change or merely denounces what is. When protest is both instructive and constructive in a society, it becomes something that has to be dealt with and not just merely contained.”

Wallis further cements the point by writing: “In fact, those who protest should be making a promise. They are promising their society that a better way is indeed possible. They are saying that bigotries, the injustices, the indignities, the indifference, and the unnecessary violence we experience today will not have the last word. Instead, their protest reveals the things that can and must be changed for the good and health of the entire society and the world. We need people who pledge themselves, not just to object to what is wrong, but to help find and fashion an alternative. In other words, the best protest is not merely counter-cultural, it is transformational. It gives a society a better vision for itself and for the future.”

Jamaica is at a critical crossroads – we must either swim or sink, and the truth is that the lifelines are becoming scarcer by the day. Those of us who are committed patriots must do something now, before the country gets to the point of no return.

There is absolutely no excuse for apathy or inaction, and there are innumerable avenues through which each of us can make a contribution. The country needs “think tanks” that can conceive, articulate and help implement critical programmes for national transformation. We need coalitions that will “coalesce” to find solutions for crime, education, youth unemployment, energy, water, agriculture, among other pressing concerns. There is tremendous scope for new and workable ideas and projects with the principles of justice, fairness and equity embedded in those initiatives. I was intrigued that printed in Wallis’s book was a letter written to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair from a group of five US church leaders, including Wallis, regarding the Iraq war. That initiative was sponsored by a group called “Business leaders for sensible priorities”.

The country’s voluntary sector is crying out for help, especially those organisations working with children and young adults. I am convinced that if each of us would help one family in a powerful oneon-one “national family recovery programme”, half the battle would be won.

As I write, another five Jamaicans have perished in a fire on Whitehall Avenue in Kingston. It is reported that among the dead is an 18-yearold, a 14-year-old and an 18-month-old baby. The families of those victims and that community need our help.

My fellow Jamaicans, we can choose to change the present realities, but we must first find the will to do it, and we must do it as a whole. So the question I ask is, “Will the 48 per cent please stand up?”

With love,

bab2609@yahoo.com