This Independence Day is a most pivotal one, in that it comes on the eve of Jamaica’s 60th anniversary, come 2022, as a nation emboldened, but not necessarily fully empowered, to determine our own destiny. In this vein, the time has come when both the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) and the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) should set about establishing a contract with the people of Jamaica. Forget the various manifestoes coming from the respective parties which are all fluff and no substance – promises made, promises for the most part not kept. The only way forward is for there to be some kind of national consensus – a shared vision – a common platform on which issues take predominance over personalities.

In recent years, it has become obvious that the majority of Jamaicans are fed up with the current political system. General elections have become a bruising fight between die-hards of both the PNP and JLP, while an overwhelming number of Jamaicans have chosen to remain uncommitted and could not care a damn about politics. We have seen this played out in the polls; whereby increasingly fewer and fewer Jamaicans are taking part in the electoral process for which our forefathers fought hard and long to accomplish. This type of attitude cannot be good for a fledgling nation that has so much potential, yet has remained in the economic doldrums because of the recurring failure of our leaders to deliver good governance.

The defeat of the PNP on September 3, 2020 — the result of a massive swing to the JLP in short order — clearly indicates the fickleness of the body politic. Already, the PNP is getting itself into election mode, which means that the nation will never really settle down to tackle the real issues. Instead, we just keep bouncing from one election to another. Our politics can be likened to a rocking chair — we keep rocking but are going nowhere. A fitting description is the well-used adage: “The more things change, the more they remain the same.”

When will we come to terms with the harsh reality that we are not producing enough and there is too much waste and corruption? For too long the dependency syndrome has smothered us. Politicians, for the most part, have helped to perpetuate persistent poverty by encouraging a culture in which the people rely on handouts, scarce benefits, and spoils.

If Jamaica is to become truly productive then its people must begin to take responsibility for their actions, and the role of Member of Parliament must be clearly defined. It is in this context that the idea of a contract looms large. And, it is incumbent on civil society to come together and format a contract with Jamaica that both major political parties can, and should, buy into.

In other words, unless there is a clear, shared vision, people will perish.

Since 1962, the first-past-the-post system has not truly benefited Jamaica. The Westminster model presupposes certain cultural norms, ethics, and moral issues which, alas, many Jamaicans do not embrace at this time. That is why constitutional reform must be the template on which the new Jamaica is built. The ongoing tragedy is that the nation cannot even come to terms with its cumbersome monarchical trappings, á la Queen Elizabeth II, and move decisively towards a republican form of government. The full acceptance of a Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) seems almost unattainable because of narrow partisan one-upmanship. The recent appointment of Prime Minister Andrew Holness to the Queen’s Privy Council has further complicated this burning issue.

For the past 59 years, Jamaica has been plagued with economic stagnation, increasing crime and violence, rampant indiscipline and lawlessness. Throughout my entire life, I have been bombarded with various slogans, in essence promising “better must come” or “prosperity”. Regrettably, bitter has come and it is time that both the leadership of the PNP and the JLP realise that we are all in this thing together. Neither the PNP nor the JLP by itself can take Jamaica to the Promised Land. It will have to be a collaborative effort. Scoring cheap political points; tearing down, rather than building up; waiting for one party to fail so that the other can gain office then fail is a road we have travelled too often – it is the road to nowhere.

As part of their Independence pledge, parliamentarians must move towards a closer relationship with the Jamaican people, which should see them honing out a contract which must include good governance; taking responsibility; intensifying the fight against graft, corruption and waste; constitutional reform; redefining the roles of councilors and Members of Parliament; restructuring the education system to meet the demands of today’s Jamaica; reforming and improving the justice system; intensifying a values and attitudes campaign through character education; identifying and developing those aspects of our people that are marketable, especially our music, cuisine, and sports; and putting agriculture on a pedestal, rather than treating it as a bastard child. These are but some of the ingredients that must be part and parcel of a national contract on which both the PNP and JLP should sign off.

The harsh reality is that if we continue to believe that our sure salvation rests only in an election victory gained by the party of our choice, then we are doomed to continue pursuing a peculiar kind of insanity that condemns us to keep doing the same things, repeatedly, while expecting different results. Rome is burning even while Nero fiddles.

A serious challenge to our national development at this time is the clear and present danger of the dreaded and debilitating novel coronavirus which, unfortunately, many Jamaicans are treating as a joke. The widespread resistance to the take-up of the COVID-19 vaccination has revealed an ugly side of the Jamaican people based primarily on ignorance and benighted belief in ‘sciance’, rather than science, as well as their unwillingness to be a part of the solution, rather than the problem. Every well-thinking Jamaican must see it as their constitutional and patriotic duty to stand with the Andrew Holness Administration, and the Mark Golding-led Opposition must cooperate on this issue, by getting vaccinated and encouraging every doubting Thomas and Jane to do so as well.

It should be the hope of all Jamaicans that by our 60th Independence anniversary we would have achieved herd immunity. Let us not be shackled by mental slavery which engenders conspiracy theories, distrust, and wanton disregard for common decency and humanity. In the words of renowned Jamaican poet Michael G Smith: “Let us forward before it is too late!”

Lloyd B Smith has been involved full-time in Jamaican media for the past 45 years. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica, where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.