NIA premieres second anti-corruption documentary
IN recognition of International Anti-Corruption Day, the National Integrity Action premiered their second documentary, Building Integrity: A Work In Progress, at the Cineplex Movie theatre last Tuesday.
The documentary was locally produced and featured entrepreneurs, athletes, civil servants as well as persons within the music industry.
On the heels of the first documentary, The Cost of Corruption: Jamaica’s Barrier to Prosperity, this documentary sought to highlight the more positive side of the coin. Executive Director of the NIA, Trevor Munroe, spoke with teenAGE about the inspiration behind the film.
“We wanted to show that Jamaicans from various walks of life can practise integrity. The film makes the case for integrity, and we are hoping that the film will give encouragement, information as well as inspiration to live a life of integrity.”
The documentary looks at the areas in which Jamaicans have shown hard work and integrity and other areas where it has been a work in progress.
Areas such as track and field and the music industry were highlighted for having made great accomplishments through hard work and integrity. It was shown that Jamaica’s athletes and artistes have put Jamaica on the map, with raw talent, hard work, and little resources.
Jamaica’s electoral process and the ongoing problem of payola were highlighted as areas where there is still need for improvement.
The electoral process, in light of Jamaica’s marred political past, was shown to have made significant strides. And so now, Jamaica can have free and fair elections.
Payola was shown to be one of the remaining hindering factors, as the nation marches toward a free press. Radio stations and the Broadcasting Commission, however, were shown to be taking steps to eradicate the illicit act.
Timar Jackson, 2014 Rhodes Scholar, also shared his story in the film. He spoke about not being able to read very well up to age eight. A turnaround came for him, however, when he went to the Vauxhall High school, where through the mentoring of his maths teacher, he began to take his academics seriously. Certainly, through hard work, Timar reaped his rewards.
If you want to become a volunteer with the NIA, you can visit their website at niajamaica.org/get-involved/volunteer/