Growing up in the 70s and the 80s I often heard people discussing political corruption, government corruption, and various forms of injustices within the system.

I started working in 1986. This was a different time in what seems like a different nation. It seemed, to me, as a young man that the system was deliberately set up to accommodate particularism, nepotism, and corruption.

In 1990, the Government appointed the retired Colonel Trevor MacMillan to head the Revenue Protection Division (RPD) in the Ministry of Finance. This was a Customs oversight body. It was obvious to me that the Government was doing what it could to end the corrupt malpractices that were rampant at that time.

That man, Colonel MacMillan, fit into a particular category in which he could be labelled “beyond reproach”; incorruptible to the point of being unassailable.

Although I didn’t agree with his approach when he later started to lead the police force, I still maintain that whatever he did, he did because he thought he was doing the right thing.

After his appointment to head the RPD I still heard people labelling the Government as corrupt. This seemed somewhat contrary, as if you are corrupt, then why would you appoint a man like Trevor MacMillan?

I have seen this practice by multiple regimes since 1990, yet I still hear everyone accusing those same regimes of being corrupt — always blanket allegations without any real substance that go nowhere but stick like glue.

I have personally avoided government appointments because I don’t have the temperament to be accused, maligned, and embarrassed, and do nothing about it. Time and time again I have watched Government appoint men and women to positions that could not favour them if their intention was to corrupt the process, or to be used as pawns.

A perfect example was Terrence Williams, the original head of the Independent Commission of Investigations (Indecom). I could not have agreed less with his approach, but he was without doubt incorruptible. It could never have been their intention to manipulate that organisation and appoint a man like that. He is going to do what he thinks is right, whether they, God, or I think otherwise.

There are many other examples that I could highlight. They are spread over multiple regimes. Yet the label of government corruption continues to be the rhetoric of choice.

Look at the judiciary? Look at the people who lead it? Any leader who appoints a man like Chief Justice Brian Sykes could never expect that he could control him; that simply is impossible. He is incorruptible and impossible to influence. I would put my life on the line for that.

There are many others whom I would put my life on the line and say that they are incorruptible. They were all appointed by governments at various times.

Justice Marva McDonald-Bishop is the president of the Court of Appeal. No Government hoping to influence the decisions of the Court of Appeal would appoint a jurist like that. It is obvious that it was the intention that our highest court would be beyond reproach.

Look at the people who have been chosen to lead our two major law enforcement organisations. Dr Kevin Blake is without a shadow of a doubt incorruptible and beyond any possibility of political influence. The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is the most powerful organisation in the country. If a Government intends to manipulate it, it would never appoint a man like Dr Kevin Blake.

Retired Colonel Desmond Edwards is head of the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA). This is the organisation that investigates government corruption. This man is incorruptible to the point where nobody can say otherwise. If it is your intention to foster corruption then why would you appoint a man whom you cannot influence to lead the process of investigating it?

Major General (Ret’d) Antony Anderson has been appointed chief executive officer of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA). This organisation will be involved in reconstructing the country’s infrastructure post-Hurricane Melissa. Can you imagine the potential for corruption in an organisation like this?

Appointing Anderson is an indication that the organisation will be held to the highest ethical standards possible. This man is without a doubt incorruptible.

It was not always like this. I can recall a man who owed everyone in Kingston money when I was a bad debt collector as a very young man, and he just dodged everyone and paid no one. His political party was, of course, in Opposition. After the Government changed he was selected to lead an organisation that was handling millions of dollars. I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, rubbing butter on puss mouth.”

I have cited several examples of individuals appointed by regimes led by both political parties. I could name dozens more, some of whom I have had to endure reading them being maligned by individuals with far less integrity than them. So I have chosen people who nobody can say otherwise, and haven’t been accused of corruption or nepotism.

The political disgraces of the 70s and 80s are behind us. There has been a concerted effort by successive governments, led by both parties, to appoint people who are beyond reproach.

Nobody speaks about them. We just sing on allegations that serve to malign men and women who have chosen to serve. If we continue this practice the only person who will accept a government appointment is going to be someone who needs it.

It can’t be acceptable that for you to serve a Government you must accept that you will be accused and your character will be assassinated. We cannot continue to push the narrative that government appointments are based on the assumption of manipulation if time after time, decade after decade, individuals are appointed who are intractable.

The corrupt who serve us are in the minority. The majority, like you, are dreaming and hoping of a better Jamaica.

Feedback: drjasonamckay@gmail.com