Dear Editor,

I wish to make it absolutely clear that I did not vote for the Dr Andrew Holness Administration. I am a card-carrying member of the People’s National Party (PNP) and had hoped for a change of Government.

I wanted a PNP Administration because I would be better positioned to influence public policy in a Government that would be more accountable, more responsive to the working class, and more committed to advancing the interests of ordinary Jamaicans, particularly the marginalised and underserved.

That said, as a Jamaican activist and advocate, it remains my duty to work with the Government of the day to achieve desirable outcomes for the people. A change of Government would have breathed new life into the society, sweeping away entrenched privilege — not only within the political directorate but also among the unproductive bureaucratic elite whose arrogance and contempt continue to obstruct the efficient and respectful delivery of services to the Jamaican people.

I do not believe I need to be polite, cautious, or meticulous in order to curry favour with the powerful on issues about which I am deeply passionate. To do so out of fear of being labelled partisan would be a betrayal of conscience. Neither am I prepared to placate or appease the powerful under the guise of diplomacy. In the words of reggae icon Bob Marley: “We are what we are, and that’s the way it’s going to be.”

One of my major disappointments with this Holness Cabinet is the failure to introduce fresh energy and new leadership; there should have been changes. Why, for example, does Aubyn Hill remain in the Ministry of Industry? His tenure has not delivered the bold industrial policy shifts Jamaica urgently needs, and his continued presence reflects, in my opinion, the Administration’s resistance to renewal.

The problem-prone Ministry of Health is in urgent need of a reset. With all due respect to the veteran Olivia “Babsy” Grange, under her leadership the Ministry of Culture has become ossified. The Ministry of Local Government, meanwhile, cries out for young blood — particularly in the community development portfolio in which participatory governance has been deferred and the Social Development Commission has lost its sense of direction.

It is my fervent belief that there ought to be a social contract between the Government and the people, including those who did not vote for the governing party. In this social contract, each party has obligations: the people to respect the rule of law and the State to uphold justice, fairness, and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedom, which represents only a portion of that contract.

The State has at its disposal the police, the military, and the courts as instruments of compliance. But, equally, the people, in keeping with the spirit of democracy, retain the ultimate authority. As the American Declaration of Independence (1776) boldly declares:

“That whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.” And further:

“…[W]hen a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government and to provide new guards for their future security.”

These principles remind us that citizenship is not passive. The people not only have the right but the duty to resist and dismantle any Government that becomes tyrannical and ceases to serve their interests.

Jamaica needs a Government that not only governs but also listens. The true measure of leadership is not found in the exercise of power but in the willingness to be held accountable by the people it serves. Our democracy will not be strengthened by silence, fear, or compliance, but by citizens who assert their rights and demand accountability.

The Government may wield authority, but the people hold sovereignty. That is the essence of the social contract. And it is upon this foundation that Jamaica’s future must be built.

O Dave Allen

Community advocate

odamaxef@yahoo.com