Alfred Dawes | Is paying bribes a norm?

The Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) is once again in the news over allegations of past and present corruption. It is obvious that Messrs Meadows and Dalling have personal vendettas against each other. Both have traded barbs publicly. Nothing has been said from either side whether the character assassination attempts are worthy of civil suits. Even more deafening is the silence of the present board, not just the chairman’s musings.

The FLA controversy is only a flashpoint in a larger systematic problem. The bureaucracy in this country is such a hindrance to progress, that it serves to create situations where persons in strategic positions can remove roadblocks at a price, leading to a culture of corruption-ingrained inefficiencies.

If a legitimate citizen with a valid reason to own a firearm goes through the proper channels, the outcome is in the balance and will most certainly be frustrating. Recently, it emerged that a police officer, who had carried a government-issued firearm for years, had his application for a personal firearm turned down by the FLA. Businessmen are often rejected or have their licences revoked over questionable circumstances. At the same time, the bribery pathway guarantees a licensed firearm if you have the right connections and cash on hand.

The corruption at the FLA is not for want of proper oversight, but because of a system that allows circumvention at a cost to otherwise upstanding citizens. With the grey area now being who is an otherwise upstanding citizen, the waters become muddied enough that adverse traces are ignored. The incentive is now to rake in as much cash under the table as possible. Greater oversight will not fix this if there is no transparency and accountability, with clear pathways to owning a licensed firearm.

MONEY AS LUBRICANT

Our broken systems make it necessary to have money as a lubricant for every process. Whether it is building permits, customs duties or getting a fitness for a car. As there is no incentive to fix them, and clear financial benefits in maintaining the status quo, we will be left wading in the swamp of corruption and inefficiencies forever, amen.

Recently, I was pulled over for a routine traffic stop. Unfortunately, I had misplaced the receipt I had received from the tax office after renewing my driver’s licence. No worries because there is a new system where your information can be verified on the spot, right? Wrong. Despite the request for renewal being made weeks ago, there was nothing on the system. According to the records, I had a driver’s licence that was expired and was illegally driving a vehicle since then. The officers checked with some friends who would try to see if there was any way to verify if what I was saying was true. Alas, there was nothing in the system that was so widely touted as a solution to modernise the operations of the police force.

Lo and behold, I was told after some checks that this was now an arrestable offence. Now my adverse trace will be because I lost my receipt, in a country full of announcements about improved systems but without any working solutions.

The police officers were very professional. In the end I was issued with a ticket for failing to renew my driver’s licence. I have a valid driver’s licence and proof that it was renewed at the time of the alleged offence. The burning question is, do I now go to court and protest my innocence or do I pay the whopping fine? Even better, if I was of that inkling and fortunate enough to have run into less honourable cops, would it have been even better to bribe them and be done with the affair? That would have been the perfect workaround.

Going to court is another nightmare. If you are gainfully employed, that is money lost. The cases never start on time. Policemen do not show up and the possibility of the hearing being put off to another day or days of misery very likely. Yet we wonder why people pay bribes to traffic cops.

EASIER AND COST-EFFECTIVE

It is easier and more cost-effective to engage in bribery in Jamaica. Developers know this. Importers know this. Anyone requiring a permit to conduct any form of business knows this. Officials turn a blind eye to glaring infractions because the right people at the right levels are involved. One senior government official, who was recently advised of a blatant disregard for the policies they had publicly advertised, simply responded that they would issue a press release reminding the public of what is right. To this day not one peeps, even as the entity continues to operate and expand in contravention of their terms of operation.

When you hear about corruption in building permits and import licences, it is fashionable to feign outrage. But many who lambast one avenue of corruption support it otherwise by paying bribes or maintaining the bloated, inefficient bureaucracy that enables it. To play by the rules is to be shafted by the rules. Simple.

I am still undecided as to whether I will channel Bob Marley and stand up for my rights, or start a gofundme campaign to pay my $2,500 fine. After all, what is the point in fixing one part of a termite-infested house when the whole foundation is collapsing. Maybe it’s time we burn the whole thing down and start from scratch.

Epilogue: The author decided not to play hero. Contributions to his gofundme account are welcome.

Dr Alfred Dawes is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, CEO of Windsor Wellness Centre, and medical spokesman for Lifespan Spring Water. Follow him on Twitter @dr_aldawes. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and adawes@ilapmedical.com.