Early indications suggest that both the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) are leaning towards Jamaica having a ceremonial president when our island home becomes a republic.

Needless to say, the seemingly indecent haste with which both parties are seeking to subtly ram constitutional reform down the throats of unsuspecting as well as cynical Jamaicans is to be noted with some amount of alarm. Already, a number of special interest groups have voiced their concern about the lack of sufficient and in-depth public consultation, in addition to public education, the latter being extremely important as most Jamaicans really have no clue what a nation’s constitution is all about.

Legal and Constitutional Affairs Minister Marlene Malahoo Forte’s stance so far on this important national issue reminds me somewhat of that song from the musical Mary Poppins which declares “just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down in a most delightful way”.

In an age of misinformation and disinformation, the Andrew Holness Administration had better be wary how it proceeds on this matter as the whole exercise could backfire in its face. A number of experts in the sphere of sociology and psychology recently observed that the country is “on edge”, so it can be interpreted that any major bungling on the part of this Government, with respect to the future status of this country, in terms of its democratic processes, could be likened to striking a match in a room replete with leaking gasoline.

Against this backdrop, many well-thinking citizens are not too impressed with the lacklustre and nonchalant way in which the Mark Golding-led PNP is dealing with what is Jamaica’s most pivotal legislative move since Queen Elizabeth II signed the order in council promulgating the Jamaican Constitution, as we now know it, prior to us gaining political independence in 1962. Back then, our founding fathers, whether wittingly or unwittingly, helped to set in train a narrow tribal approach to governance and politics that has since been pathologically embedded in the psyche of most Jamaicans.

The only meaningful response so far from the PNP, which seems to be more caught up with regaining State power rather than being in the forefront as a reformist movement to ensure what Michael Manley (who must be turning over in his grave) envisioned and started back in the turbulent 70s, is its call for the deliberations of the Constitutional Reform Committee (CRC) to be opened to the public, which makes a lot of sense.

In this context, I hail Stephen Golding, president of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), for his testicular fortitude in urging lawmakers involved in the reforming of the Jamaican Constitution to empower Jamaicans to vote for an executive president instead of a ceremonial head of State outside of the existing partisan structure. Spot on, Golding! You have hit the nail on the head. After all, having a ceremonial head of State is simply helping to perpetuate the last vestiges of British colonialism.

Indeed, young Golding should take a page out of his father’s (Bruce Golding) book, which speaks to the separation of powers in order to ensure a greater level of accountability and transparency. To put it bluntly, the people of this country ought not to allow the JLP/PNP to take them down the garden path in order to foist on them a reheated version of the Westminster parliamentary system that has not allowed this nation, after some 60 years of political independence, to make that great leap forward.

Here is what young Golding postulated, interestingly, at a PNP confab, “Give the Jamaican people a head of State who is not obligated to the political party, though he may be a member of it, but can say to that political party, in those difficult times, that I have an obligation to the people of Jamaica.” As it stands, both Holness and Golding have an obligation to the JLP and PNP, respectively, period.

Also, it is pertinent to point out that, at present, given the low voter turnout that has been plaguing the Jamaican elections and given the fact that most Jamaicans are turned off by both political parties, what guarantees do we have that most Jamaicans will bother to vote in a referendum that does not provide a meaningful alternative to the first-past-the-post system, which has Members of Parliament and Senators who are nothing more than “tribalists”? In real terms, the country could end up with the tyranny of the minority. Methinks that if Jamaicans are given the golden opportunity to vote directly for their head of State, then this would help to reignite that nationalistic fervour that has been lost, and no doubt more citizens registering to vote in order to be seen as part of the solution rather than the problem.

As Golding has posited, “We are intelligent people, and there is plenty of space on the ballot, wherein we can vote for our MP [Member of Parliament] and we can vote for our president. We are old enough now, we are wise enough now.” And he states, conclusively, and with much logic, “It is not fair to the people of Jamaica, who will place a vote for their MP as a proxy vote for who they want to be prime minister. You are robbing them of the suffrage that their ancestors shed blood, sweat, and tears to win for them.” True word and all bona fide descendants of Sam Sharpe, Marcus Garvey et al should buy into this proposition.

And as the debate around constitutional reform unfolds, up for serious consideration should be implementation of citizens’ right to recall a non-performing MP; mayors should be elected not selected; term limits; fixed date for both local government and general elections; job descriptions for MPs; clear-cut impeachment laws; among other enlightened legislative moves to ensure good governance, which is so sadly lacking.

The bottom line is that the new Jamaican Constitution should empower the people, not just politicians, and if this means more time to ensure that due process is observed, then let it be so. Tom drunk but Tom no fool.

Lloyd B Smith has been involved in Jamaican media for the past 48 years. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica, where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.