A slim majority of the popular vote in the recent general election went to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) electing it to a third term as Government. A significant 60 per cent of registered voters stayed away from the polls.

Many of those who chose not to exercise their franchise and also many among those who voted have given up hope they will, in their lifetime, experience the promise encapsulated by the following line from the national pledge: “…so that Jamaica may, under God, increase in beauty, fellowship, and prosperity, and play her part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race”.

That Jamaica falls short of its potential is neither political mischief-making nor conjecture. It is validated by performance measured against global indices such as the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), Human Development Index (HDI), and the more recent Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI) out of Singapore. Jamaica typically falls in the lower quartile on quantity and quality of life measures.

Bringing it closer to home, in delivering the third G Arthur Brown Memorial Lecture on July 28, 2022, former Prime Minister of Jamaica Bruce Golding started by reminding the audience of a benchmark against which to measure Jamaica’s social and economic progress when he said the following: “The late Norman Manley, in his farewell speech as he exited public life in 1969, said that the mission of his generation was to secure political power and to win self-government for the people of Jamaica. The mission of the generation [political leaders] that followed, he said, was to reconstruct the social and economic society and life of Jamaica.” Golding spent much of the rest of the speech presenting “our scorecard” of the years since Independence, surmising that more and better could have been done.

The dire forecast for Jamaica’s economic and social redemption was confirmed by news coming out of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). Director of Vision 2030 Peisha Bryan Lee made the following shocking revelation: “It is fair to say that Vision 2030 Jamaica continues to be the guiding framework for the country. And has provided, I think, a measure of stability in terms of how we look at our development process and pathway. However, our data does suggest that the goals and outcomes, and, particularly, I would say, the targets that were benchmarked against developed country status standards, most likely will not be achieved by 2030.”

Will the new Dr Andrew Holness-led Government break the jinx and at last deliver on Jamaica’s promise of prosperity, justice, brotherhood, and peace that makes us the envy of the world? His words, taken from a Jamaica House social media post, suggest he understands the “urgency of now” and the enormity of the task: “But these achievements [of the Jamaica Labour Party Administration] are not the destination. They are the foundation. We have stabilised the ship and set Jamaica on a new course. Now the task ahead is to fulfil our potential, building an economy of strength, a society of opportunity, and a nation of justice and peace.”

In order for these not to be empty words or mere platitudes, Holness and his Administration must, along with economic issues, make this a Government of good governance. Without good governance a country will fall short of its potential: Its resources will be squandered, the productive efforts of its citizens will be frustrated, and trust in the institutions of government will dissipate. How is the lofty and, up until now, elusive goal of good governance to be achieved?

In boasting about the herculean and national effort it took to turn around the Jamaican economy, not enough credit is given to the Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC). EPOC was established in 2013 as a partnership between the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) and the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) primarily to ensure the former adhered to the terms of a Stand-By Arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Despite its good intentions, it is doubtful whether GOJ on its own would have stuck with the painful potentially election-losing aspects of the agreement, such as the annual primary balance of 7.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

After 11 years of undeniable success, EPOC has left a benchmark and a process that can be emulated to achieve good governance. The intended purpose of this new initiative would be to hold Government accountable for doing what it says it will do and keeping promises made when seeking electoral mandate in treating with areas such as transparency and accountability, economic equity and inclusiveness, vulnerable groups, family and community, crime and corruption, cost of living and welfare, health, education, and individual upliftment. By its nature, good governance has an unmistakable moral overtone.

While EPOC relied on key economic indicators, the proposed Governance Standards and Monitoring Committee (GSMC) would rely on key moral indicators. The Church would be an ideal partner to Government in developing and implementing a biblically informed, data-driven governance framework and dashboard that would gain buy-in from the wider Jamaican populace.

There are few, if any, options open to the Government to create the economy and society envisioned by the national pledge. It’s time for a new partnership involving the moral agents of the country and a social contract with the people to attack the problems that hold our country bound, which are moral and spiritual at the root. To use the concluding words of the prime minister in the aforementioned Jamaica House post: “Jamaica is destined for more.”

Dr Henley Morgan is founder and executive chairman of the Trench Town-based Social Enterprise, Agency for Inner-city Renewal and author of My Trench Town Journey: Lessons in Social Entrepreneurship and Community Transformation for Development Leaders, Policy Makers, Academics and Practitioners. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or hmorgan@cwjamaica.com.

Henley Morgan