Perhaps one of the most intrinsic reasons Jamaica is yet to reach a state of economic independence is the culture of dependency which has pervaded the society for numerous decades.

Too many Jamaicans in the lower echelons have a sense of entitlement and believe they ought to be the recipients of handouts and other forms of benevolence. This becomes even more apparent during the festive season, particularly at Christmastime when one is oftentimes approached by individuals, some in a most barefaced manner, asking, “Whey mi Chrismus deh?” or “What you a give mi fi mi Chrismus?”

At a recent function in Montego Bay, Mayor Leroy Williams had a pained look on his face as he declared to the audience that, for him, Christmas was one of the most stressful periods of the year as an elected representative. Although he did not go on to elaborate on the reason, it was obvious to most people present that he was alluding to the extent to which he would have to provide for his constituents who perennially expect him to deliver “goodies”, whether in cash or kind. And his acts of generosity would not only be limited to the needy, but to the greedy as well.

The sad truth is that most, if not all, of our politicians, both the elected and those seeking to be elected, have to be prepared at all times to “let off”, even more so at Christmastime — after all it is the season of giving. Of course, one is not saying that politicians should not practice a spirit of generosity toward the needy in their respective divisions or constituencies, or that members of the wider society should not opt for altruistic pursuits, but when the level of begging becomes overbearing without much accompanying sense of gratitude, then it becomes a seriously stressful situation.

Coming out of the experience of slavery and colonialism, Jamaica, like other Caribbean states, has been a victim of persistent poverty and underdevelopment of human capital. In a recent study it was noted that in the 60th year of Jamaica’s Independence, “it is necessary to review the history of the state and question whether it and other Caribbean nations have truly achieved freedom since the time of colonisation. Through an economic and sociopolitical analysis of the Caribbean Dependency Theory, it becomes obvious that the freedom of the Jamaican people, and of the Caribbean region in general, has been a myth propagated by the dominant metropole states to sustain the economic domination put in place under the colonial powers. This domination has come to define and determine the future of the Caribbean hinterland states, which have found their economic systems trapped in a cycle of debt, accompanied by a decline in standards of living, gross domestic product, and savings”.

In this context, one of Jamaica’s greatest drawbacks is the glaring and worrying fact that we have a political economy. As a result, so much of what we do and how policies and programmes are shaped and promulgated are decided by the “gangs of Gordon House”. Needless to say, our elected representatives revel in the knowledge that, in the final analysis, they call the shots and are able to put their sticky fingers in the public purse from time to time to keep the hungry mob in check. Let us not fool ourselves, our politicians have this country by the balls and are not in a hurry to change that scenario, which is why most of them are not in a hurry to change the status quo.

Why, for example, is it taking so long to bring about meaningful and lasting constitutional reform? Yet, when it suits them, they quickly push through laws and policies to keep the people in check while not paying much attention to accountability and transparency when doing the people’s business. So, in recent times, Members of Parliament (MP) have been clamouring for more money in the Constituency Development Fund, which, in essence, is nothing more than a slush fund to perpetuate the dependency syndrome.

I will never forget the horrifying experience I had during my tenure as MP when a certain minister informed me that he was allocating a special sum to be distributed to some of the most needy in my constituency. I decided to share it among my three councillors — which was a big mistake — so that they could identify such individuals. All seemed to be going well when I was told by a party functionary that one of the councillors had conveniently put on the list a number of relatives as well as cronies who could not be described as being in desperate need. When I accosted said councillor, the response was, “Lawd, MP, you no know say a so di ting set!” What further shocked me was when the matter was reported my complaints went nowhere, and that incident, in fact, helped to convince me that representational politics in Jamaica was not to be my calling.

Of course, another deleterious side effect of the dependency syndrome is vote buying. Increasingly anecdotal accounts point to the sickening reality that young, unemployed men are easily lured into casting their ballots for a particular party or candidate with the offering of money. This is a threat to the democratic process, which should be fully investigated and discouraged. The sad truth, however, is that when there are so many hungry “youthman” out there they become easy prey to unscrupulous, partisan operatives who set out to give them a “one-day bellyful”.

The time has come when our elected representatives should collectively and individually devise ways and means of teaching their followers to fish rather than providing them with the proverbial “fish head”. Do we dare ask them to make this one of their new year’s resolutions?

Lloyd B Smith has been involved full-time in Jamaican media for the past 46 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.