Gordon Robinson | Governance is the problem | In Focus

Recently, Jamaicans have grasped every opportunity to contest tribal squabbles about every societal dysfunction on display.

For me, the week’s highlight was the taxi drivers’ “strike” to demand a ticket amnesty. Yes, THAT’s what it was all about despite the hasty change of narrative (after blowback from citizens) to the sheepish complaint about paid tickets remaining as “unpaid” in the system. I’ve some bad news for these undisciplined road hogs. We all have that problem, which is why I carry ticket-payment receipts wherever I go years after they were paid.

Perhaps taxi drivers might tell me against whom they were striking? Normally “strike” relates to an industrial dispute. But this was no industrial dispute as workers and employers (taxi owners) seemingly collaborated in a blatant attempt to extort the Government. What I find amazing was the Government’s reaction. My usually impeccable sources tell me the “taxi strike” was a Cabinet meeting agenda item for Monday, November 14.

Why? How wasn’t it just a simple escalation of taxi drivers’ standard lawbreaking practices that should be dealt with by police? Does Cabinet employ these unruly, uncouth, uncaring lawbreakers? What is a fact is that cabinets have foisted these miscreants upon law-abiding road users by way of a ludicrous “licensing regime” that allows too many to use random disorder to terrorise the rest of us then thumb their noses at authority.

The good news is that the average Jamaican hasn’t deserted law and order. Throughout the day, including during Cabinet’s deliberations, outrage against the “strike” was overwhelming. Citizens stood their ground loudly, denouncing the activity despite intimidation, threat, and violence by some of the strikers’ enforcers. By the time Cabinet finished “deliberating” on an issue it should’ve roundly ignored, the message to taxi drivers was “Go fly a kite!” We’ll see how long that lasts and if the “amnesty” demanded will be revamped and presented by another name.

We’ve also been forced to endure yet another adverse Auditor General’s Report highlighting unaccounted-for government spending and yet another breach of basic humanity by Warmonger Warmington. Also, Criss Tufftimes implied that Georgie Porgie should be forgiven for something he hasn’t said he did and for which he hasn’t apologised. Talk about putting several carts before a tired horse.

BLINKERS AND CHEEK PIECES

Let’s not forget the Government’s reaching for blinkers and cheek pieces to support its tunnel-vision declaration of new States of Public Emergency (SOEs), which it irrationally suggests, despite past performance results, can stem the brutal tide of murders nationally even if the SOEs only last for two weeks. Public statements by the National Security Minister suggest that he plans to target and interrogate persons of interest based on “intelligence packages” and that that should be enough to “disrupt” organised crime.

This is definitely the Guy Lombardo Show!

The PNP is no better as its national security spokesperson repeatedly alleged that SOEs don’t work and that these latest are just a PR stunt to boost JLP Conference. Yet he seems terrified of proving himself right by simply allowing the Government to extend them so that he can garner evidence to support a resounding “I told you so!”

I could go on and on. The full has never been told!

Each of these examples of societal decay has been treated as fodder for tribal finger-pointing by political sycophants apparently determined to appear dyslexic rather than address political issues realistically. JLP sycophants blame “a minority” of bad taxi drivers (ROFL) thus deflecting from the Government’s responsibility to provide a safe, efficient public-transportation system. PNP sycophants told the Government to grant the amnesty.

Kingston, we have a problem.

The Government’s fundamental obligations to citizens are health, education, security, transport, and infrastructure. After 60 years of Westminster One Don dictatorship, we’ve not even a façade of any of the above. It’s past time for Jamaicans to step outside of intellectually comfortable tribal bubbles and agitate for fundamental constitutional change. We should at least separate Government from Parliament and introduce fixed election dates and staggered terms for elected MPs, senators, and executive presidents.

If we limit an executive president to two five-year terms (forcing that office holder to get things done in a timely fashion); if we give MPs four-year terms and constitutionally entrench their job descriptions to prevent them from spending tax dollars; if we give senators three-year terms and make them parish representatives; if we divvy up the vetting-of-Government-appointments chores between the Houses so that the Lower House can better monitor and supervise day-to-day operations of Government, we’ll have the beginnings of accountable governance. No system in a nation of human beings can eliminate corruption, but it can ensure that it is deterred, reduced, exposed, and sanctioned.

Currently, our system of governance doesn’t even try.

But a real separation of powers is just the beginning. If we are serious about REAL Constitutional Reform, we should explore all facets of governance accountability. These include an Integrity Commission with its own prosecutorial powers and the repeal of the anachronistic colonial concept of one human being controlling all prosecutions. It includes reform of the tax system/how tax dollars can and should be spent with a view to encouraging citizens to pay their taxes. How many of these lawless taxi drivers complaining that they can’t eat because of fare controls are on the tax roll? If they couldn’t eat they wouldn’t be in the business.

CIVIL SERVICE

Real constitutional reform includes a reduction in the number of statutory bodies by at least 50% and a return to government being run by the civil service. Too many of these agencies are ineffective, redundant producers of political slush funds with little or nothing to show the public to justify their existence. We also need a constitutional limit on ministries – no more than 12 needed for 3,000,000 people; ministers of state – no more than five; and abolition of the ridiculous, oxymoronic “Minister without Portfolio.”

O! And what about summoning the spiritual strength and political humanity to repeal constitutionally entrenched bigotry against gay men and same-sex marriage? That one act would carry us, kicking and screaming, into the 20th century (we currently reside in the 19th) and end our shameful status as global gender-rights pariahs.

There’s more but not enough space today. Only comprehensive consultation by a Constitutional Reform Commission including a majority of political independents and mandated to advise on genuine social and political reconstruction can provide what’s required. After 60 years of dancing around the problem, it’s time for the Government to either put a ring on it or get off the floor. Government and Opposition must commit to implementing fundamental change. If not, they shouldn’t bother wasting time and money trying to bamboozle us with fake constitutional reform that only allows for states of public emergency to be extended without bipartisan consent. So to the current Government (the only one with authority and responsibility), I recommend a recording by Terror Fabulous and Nadine Sutherland that should be familiar: ACTION, not a bag a mout’.

But if any (or many) of you are content with a system of farcical finger pointing (“you did it first; no you did it first”), prepare to enjoy another 60 years of stagnant economies; high crime; undereducation; and under-resourced, unaffordable healthcare. That’s because we get what we deserve, especially if by our conduct, we ask for it.

In 1972, we changed ogvernments from JLP to PNP. In1980, we changed to JLP. In 1989, we changed again to PNP. In 2007, we changed to JLP. In 2011, we returned to PNP. In 2016, we changed to JLP. So this rubbish I keep seeing that “we have a two-party system so it must be one or the other” is deliberately or unwittingly obtuse. We’ve tried changing them repeatedly, yet here we still are. Been there. Done that! What we’ve NEVER tried is changing the system of governance within which the two parties operate. We’ve NEVER tried to force both parties to govern in a framework of accountability. Until a new system of constitutional accountability is a reality, why should you or I care which of the two gets its noses deep into the trough of our tax dollars? Should we contribute to reflex party-swop while watching from Bellevue wishing and hoping for different results?

What ga’an bad a mawnin cyaan come good a evenin’. Until we force fundamental change, we’ll be parroting cute slogans like “time come” forever. Change of Jamaica House occupant isn’t an answer. Change from systemic indiscipline, arrogance, and corruption is the ONLY WAY FORWARD. How much longer must we suffer and die, ensuring that “our party” wins state power while our leaders play the giddy ass with our future?

Why are we so hell-bent on self-harm?

Peace and Love.

Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.