Jamaica's tipping point

Esther Tyson, Contributor

THE EVENTS of Monday, May 24, and Tuesday, May 25, 2010, are of our own making. The situation in Tivoli Gardens was allowed to develop for more than 40 years. A state seemingly outside of Jamaica's laws and regulations was allowed to exist by succeeding governments. We, the people of this nation, sat by and spoke of Tivoli Gardens in hushed tones and with fear.

This, the "mother of all garrisons", spawned other garrison communities around Jamaica, because in the eyes of the politicians, the pattern seemed to work.

So, around our nation, enclaves of the dispossessed are committed to one political party or another, or one don or another, in an effort to gain material benefits which the State has failed to provide them. These communities spawn gangs, which are violent and become breeding grounds for criminals. We have created a monster that is now devouring us.

Not only have we allowed this pattern of garrisons to be replicated throughout Jamaica, but we have accepted it to such an extent that it is now acknowledged as a part of our culture. A part of a culture which has accepted that politicians grant dons contracts under the guise of them being building contractors; that dons are so powerful that it was being proposed to bring them to Parliament to broker peace deals; that if you have 'two cents, u affi let aaf pon anodder man'; that anything you can do to earn a money, even if it breaks the law, is fine because 'man affi live'.

That 'passa passa' and the like are acceptable forms of entertainment for the young; that mothers can teach their babies, once they can speak, to sing lewd lyrics and gyrate their young bodies to music describing how man must ... them; that obscenity is an acceptable form of expression; that vulgar loud music and pornographic movies can be shown on public transportation to school children; that gun lyrics - once it rhymes - is good music.

That to be dissed is a sin worthy of death; that the other great sin is 'informer fi dead'.

That the first response in a conflict is violence; that to break the law is fine, as long as you can get away with it; that politicians are expected to be corrupt and the police the same; that morality is a bad word; that decency and manners are colonial vestiges which tie us to our slave past; that freedom of expression in whatever form is the highest good; that sexual immorality no longer exists, apart from homosexuality, since marriage is no longer necessary, with even ministers of government 'shacking up'. The list is unending.

Government must be challenged

We have come to quite a state. Never again are we to allow our country to come to such a pass. We are at a tipping point in this nation. We, in civil society, must ensure that we tilt this nation in the right direction.

The Government must be challenged and held accountable to act on behalf of the nation. It must now put the nation's interest first.

The anti-crime laws that need to be passed must be fast-tracked in Parliament. Enough talk, action, 'not a bag a mouth'. The laws governing political campaign funding must be put in place and enforced. In fact, Fae Ellington's proposal that the private sector not contribute scarce funds to such an exercise in grandstanding is an even better plan. A plan needs to be developed to 'degarrisonise' communities supporting the Jamaica Labour Party or the People's National Party.

In addition, standards of decency in the public sphere must be established and maintained. We must hold public officials to higher standards of conduct. The crude and vulgar display in Parliament is symptomatic of a culture which accepts vulgarity as the norm. It is embarrassing to watch our elected officials behave in a way which I would not condone in the classroom among students. Am I then to point the students to them to observe their behaviour as an example of what is expected?

The effort at having transparency and accountability in public life needs to be made a priority. We see that the USA is now focusing on wealthy Jamaicans who have amassed wealth without a known source. Why aren't there laws in our nation which would have the tax administration enforcing disclosure of such funds and its sources to them? Is it that these persons have bought out our politicians with campaign donations so that their hands and mouths have been committed to them and they have, therefore, been made incapable of acting?

Furthermore, there needs to be clear distinctions made in law between the Government and the judiciary so that the politicians, even those in power, cannot use the legal system to further their own agendas. In like manner, the police certainly cannot be allowed to be investigating themselves. There must be a civil body, which even if it does not oversee the process, then certainly should participate in such investigations, not just the Bureau of Special Investigations.

I want to commend the brave members of civil society who have been making their voices heard during this traumatic period in our history - persons such as Joseph Matalon, president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, Carolyn Gomes of Jamaicans for Justice, and the former head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin.

I want to encourage the church leaders who have been speaking out on the state of our nation to continue to do so. I commend Bishop Herro Blair on his attempts to assist the unfortunate citizens of Tivoli.

We, however, need more Jamaicans to make their voices heard. We need more Jamaicans whose lives can stand the glare of transparency to stand up and speak up in support of truth and integrity in this nation. Never again are we to be lulled into a state of complacency and fear of politicians and 'bad man'.

The Bible says, and Jamaica is a case in point, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."

Esther Tyson is principal of Ardenne High School, St Andrew. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.