The following is the sermon preached at the service of recommitment of the People’s National Party (PNP) to nation-building held at the Boulevard Baptist Church on Sunday, January 17, 2021. Parts one and two were published on Wednesday, January 27, 2021 and Thursday, January 28, 2021, respectively:

There is need for a comprehensive policy and framework for addressing agriculture and food security for this nation. While it may be good business for some individuals and organisations to build their foundation on imports into this country, it is to our detriment if we ignore the signs of vulnerability which the novel coronavirus pandemic so aptly exposed.

We have known for decades that sugar can no longer be a cornerstone of our economy, and have used short-term political pragmatism to prop it up, and then complain about the extent to which the industry has to be subsidised. At the same time, we have known that the best lands for agriculture are the flat lands used for growing sugar cane. We are now on a dangerous path of using those lands for residential and other purposes, even if they bring immediate cash into the public purse through sale and leases, thereby relegating agriculture once more to the hillsides, where the peasantry of this country has traditionally eked out a living. We must move beyond the sensational announcements of the prospects of cassava, castor beans, or fruit orchards, and have a comprehensive plan for the development of agriculture in this country.

Silicon Valley status may be our aspiration, but let us not ignore the warning signs regarding the importance of food security for national development, and the potential for agriculture to contribute in significant ways to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Education

Education is perhaps the most important factor in driving the development of any nation. If it is one thing that the pandemic has done for us it is that it has exposed the inequities which prevail in our society where the pursuit of educational opportunities is concerned. We already know the failings of the educational system and do not need to have additional research to be placed on files. Neither do we need to just lift models for our educational system based on the latest PhD studies which some brilliant Jamaican has undertaken. We need consensus between those involved in governance at the level of our two political parties so that we are not starting over each time there is a change of government.

Crime

While the role of a political party that forms the parliamentary Opposition is not one of rubber-stamping the programmes and activities of the Government of the day, there is a pressing need for the political parties in this nation to be sources of community and consensus-building, which take us beyond the tribalism which has characterised our politics from time to time with violent outbursts and consequences. There is no denying the fact that there has been a connection between crime and violence and our political culture, and which is still on the list of priority concern for most Jamaican. There are many who see the solution to the problem to reside in better policing, equipped with all of the latest technology. Some even go as far as to suggest that all we need to do is take down the criminals one by one. Thankfully there are those few sobering voices which point out that for every one you take out in this way as the end game, two more are waiting in the wings.

As a society we seem comfortable focusing on the murder statistics and in playing with numbers. Borrowing from a term within our faith tradition that has gained new prominence by its use by new US President Joe Biden, I would assert that there is something that has gone wrong at the very soul of the life of our nation, when domestic violence is a major source of murder and when human life can be treated with such scant regard and lack of respect across the society in the crimes being committed.

In addition, do we have eyes to see the reality of the social environment around us with the anger citizens experience in dealing with some of our public and private institutions, including the banking sector; the indiscipline which is evident on our roads and which is also threatening our communal health with the failure to observe the health protocols; and the feeling of alienation among many of our people? Even the zones of special operations (ZOSO) are not giving us the results that had been anticipated because, while “it takes cash to care”, it takes more than cash to transform the lives of people and build a sense of community in which people can feel they are part of a national project of nation-building.

Rich vs poor

At the same time consensus is necessary if we are to take responsibility for how as a nation we perpetuate conditions that are driving a widening gap between the rich and the poor and other inequities. As we pursue a path of economic recovery and growth there are those who are victims along the way, even when we delight in quoting statistics which point to macro-economic growth. In so doing, we are using labels and other means of disguising the real status of the marginalised, excluded, and the most vulnerable among us, as we have used employment statistics which conceal the fact that there are many whose wages keep them at or below the poverty line.

But let us be clear about one thing, the achievement of consensus on matters of national import between our two political parties cannot be achieved if, within the ranks of each party, there is not unity and a shared vision which comes out of a culture of truth-telling, healthy debate, and divergence of opinion, accompanied by a renewing process of forgiveness, healing and reconciliation.

What Joshua wants his nation to see is that the real life-giving option is to be found in a personal and a communal commitment and, for them, that was to be found in serving the Lord, whose mighty hand and outstretched arm had brought countless generations of Israelites safely through times of brutal hardships and fierce conflict with their neighbours.

This kind of hard decision-making to which Joshua is pointing is something which most human beings prefer not to have to do. Not only did Joshua see that God demands faithfulness and obedience, but he also saw that, in a very real way, you are what you believe. Perhaps this points to the need for a clear philosophy which informs the policies and actions pursued by a political party. What you make the centre of your world of faith and meaning determines who you are, not just your material possession, as contemporary society seems to assume.

Joshua lays his card squarely: “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” This is what this act of recommitment today must mean for the leadership of the party, making it clear to the nation once more the core values and commitments of the party, as it has been argued that the outcome of the last election is a manifestation of a sense of a lack of a unified commitment within the party, and a disconnect between party and people.

But more than having a philosophy to guide the policies and programmes of the party that is dynamic and contextually relevant, there must also be a clear vision for this country. It was the prophet Jeremiah who said, “Where there is no vision, the people perish,” words which have informed our national anthem in Jamaica. Another way of expressing the same idea is that the society looks at things in terms of how they are, while visionary leadership looks at things in terms of how they should be. So, if a society is to move ahead, it needs men and women and political leaders of vision who can imagine things as they could become. People who simply maintain things outlive their usefulness eventually.

Read the final instalment tomorrow in the Observer on Saturday.

Howard Gregory is Anglican bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands as well as archbishop of the Province of the West Indies, primate and metropolitan.