Dear Editor,

It is fair to say that, generally, Jamaicans are proud of their nationality and country. We often remind others and ourselves that, “Wi likkle but wi tallawah” and “Nuh weh nuh betta dan yard”.

Sports, cultural festivities, and social gatherings unite us; however, many of us are still hopeful that very soon — wishful thinking — we will significantly reduce our crime rate and improve our educational outcomes. But while we worry about and struggle with these pressing matters, we cannot ignore the fact that political tribalism and intellectual dishonesty contribute to stifling our progress.

Incontestably, Jamaica has matured from the political violence of the 1970s and 80s, though we still have some remnants of it being displayed today. Many diehard supporters of both the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and People’s National Party (PNP) are more loyal to their parties than the country that they cannot credit the valuable ideas or contributions of each other. It is acceptable to pledge allegiance to whichever party and support whatever ideologies that party upholds; that is a part of our free, democratic will. However, what is problematic and disingenuous is if we cannot genuinely assess a situation to acknowledge that one’s opponent has made a meaningful contribution to better the lives of the citizenry, whether through passing or amending a law, allocating budget to uplift lives, or improving infrastructure.

These loyalists’ biases are at times so profound that once their party is not the one in power they find every reason to criticise or obstruct Jamaica’s progress. Humans share divergent views, and it is reasonable to be critical of governments, but when opponents stall a process out of personal, selfish reasons, it says a lot about their character.

On social media, people go the extra mile to counter facts and narratives to defend their respective parties and affiliates, even when the information is unbendable and the truth stares them in the face. They dig up the archives and reference unrelated material in an effort to justify the wrongs done by public officials. The exchanges are sometimes very tense and laced with colourful fabric. But funny enough, many of the politicians they are defending aggressively are family, friends, and business associates.

What is equally concerning is the high level of intellectual dishonesty that comes from people who should know better. Several university professors, attorneys, journalists, medical doctors, and other high-profile members of the society are guilty of this. These are the so-called learned people who purposefully disseminate mis and disinformation. Understandably, many of them sing from the same party hymnal because they benefit from favours.

Another group found wanting is civil society. They conveniently speak on issues affecting government policies and members in the name of keeping the Government accountable; however, they are super quiet on issues concerning the Opposition. More Jamaicans are starting to see them for who they truly are. They claim to be neutral voices, but their partiality pelts profusely like the extremely high temperatures we have been experiencing.

We must have frank and fruitful engagements regarding constitutional reform without being self-serving. Similarly, we must deeply investigate the lease agreements undertaken by the Tax Administration of Jamaica; we cannot afford to be squandering taxpayers’ money. We must put country above party.

Oneil Madden

maddenoniel@yahoo.com