I was very impressed and refreshed by a little item of news that appeared in last Saturday’s edition of the The Gleaner. One can be sure that it escaped the attention of most people. It was certainly not displayed in bold on page one of the newspaper. It was entitled ‘Westmoreland Youth Push for Jamaican Republic, Presidential Elections’.

The heading caught my eye because it captured a sentiment that I have long held: Young people ought to become more engaged in important matters that will affect their lives, now and in the future.

The subject of constitutional reform, though it may sound abstract or esoteric to some young people, is certainly one of those subjects. Another important one is the economy and, of course, climate change. When I read the article, I was more strengthened in my resolve in this regard. I found it refreshing that the students, and some teachers, who were involved in the forum should find it necessary to immerse themselves in discussions regarding the future governance of their country. They seemed passionate about it too.

The forum was held at Manning’s School, with students from several schools in Westmoreland in attendance. It was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Constitutional and Legal Affairs to discuss constitutional reform.

The Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC) must be commended for staging this event. One could not help but think that this is the kind of initiative with which the CRC should be engaged, not only with our young people but with other citizens throughout the length and breadth of Jamaica. The charade that passed for citizen participation by the commission, prior to the submission of its report to Parliament, was nothing but a sham and an insult to the Jamaican people.

We cannot have an informed vote on what the committee is proposing in phase one until such islandwide consultation is embraced. Making a few eclectic appearances in a few parishes and laying out lame advertisements about reform will not cut it. Perhaps it is a good thing the Opposition, through its own ulterior motives, using the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as a casus belli against the commission, may unintentionally give the CRC more time to reconsider rushing reform as it appears to be doing. But given its indecent haste to get this done, one can expect it to proceed, given the Government’s great majority in Parliament. Robust consultation with the people be damned!

What the people, including these bright young people in Westmoreland, think may not be too important to this agenda. And these young people are on to a good thing. For example, they believe, like many of us, that the Jamaican electorate should vote directly for a head of State of the Jamaican republic. Such a person should not be chosen in the form the CRC recommends, wherein the prime minister will continue as ‘king’ in what is clearly a watered-down version of what presently obtains in the Westminster system. They want to see deep, fundamental change and not the kind of cosmetic changes being offered by the CRC.

It is within their remit to insist on this kind of change. It certainly cannot be left to the whims of the politicians who, by their present posturings about reform, clearly want the status quo to continue as it is. This means more power concentrated in the hands of the political directorate, with the people becoming more marginalised in the process. We need a people-centred approach to power, not one that aggregates more power in the hands of an executive or Parliament.

The assertiveness of the young, for which I call, is not about this being young people’s time now. But they must assert themselves in more fundamental ways than they have been doing. They must learn from what has gone before and not seek to discard the wisdom of those who have served.

The distractions of the gadgets of modern technology which pull them away from real civic engagement must be cauterised. Civic ignorance is a scourge which must be eschewed. Instead, they must use these gadgets in more strategic ways to organise, make their voices heard, and influence for themselves a more secure future on a liveable planet.

The future is in their hands.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; The Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. He also hosts a podcast — Mango Tree Dialogues — on his YouTube channel. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.