Dear Editor,

Despite Jamaica’s many failures, the electorate has indeed matured over the years. However, the tactics of visionless politicians never change. Instead of creating workable policies to solve national ills, they continue to confuse citizens with their rhetoric.

Modern-day politicians are arguing that the acceptance of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as the country’s final appellate jurisdiction and becoming a republic will affirm our sovereignty and Independence. But this is a difficult argument to make. To idealistic politicians, sovereignty is the ability to eliminate the importance of anything that represents our former colonial master. However, to average Jamaicans, sovereignty means that a country has economic independence and it is able to provide citizens with essential services.

If we accept the definition of the latter, clearly Jamaica is not a sovereign state. Furthermore, too often our leaders overemphasise the importance of symbolism. For example, removing The Queen as head of State is politically important. But it does not make sense to celebrate such an event when national policies are being dictated by the International Monetary Fund. Additionally, how can people like Peter Phillips talk about sovereignty on one hand and then accuse developed countries of not doing enough to help poorer states like Jamaica? After all, shouldn’t sovereign states be able to help themselves?

The issue is that, as Jamaicans, we are more concerned with hype than substance. For example, presently the country ranks 96th on the Human Development Index and 60 per cent of us have no pension coverage. Such statistics should be interpreted in the context of a more competitive global economy and an ageing population. These are the issues which politicians should put at the forefront of development.

Further, the arguments in favour of the CCJ are purely symbolic. Like the CCJ, the Privy Council is a travelling court and it is willing to adjudicate cases in Jamaica. And, according to a recent comparisons of travel costs done by Expedia, it may be less expensive to stay in London for the duration of a case than in Trinidad and Tobago. Therefore, it cannot be logical to suggest that the CCJ is improving access to justice for poorer Jamaicans due to cost, since every situation is different dependent on its context.

Regional integration is also another emotive matter often promoted by idealists. But, contrary to propaganda, critics of Caricom are not isolationists. These individuals actually believe in integration, but they do not see Caricom in its present form as a viable institution.

Jamaicans want leaders with workable ideas, not demagogues who lobby for both aid and sovereignty and end up sounding deluded.

Lipton Matthews

lo_matthews@yahoo.com