Peter Espeut | How to win the trust of the people

By now it must be obvious to the Jamaica Labour Party (PNP) and the People’s National Party (PNP) that they are not trusted by the majority of the Jamaican people. Surely, the fact that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) won the last general election with the support of only 21 per cent of those on the voters’ list should have rung warning bells!

Two recent reports of scientific studies conducted in the region indicate the depth of the problem, but also point to some possible solutions.

A 2022 study released by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) last month titled Trust: The Key to Social Cohesion and Growth in Latin American and the Caribbean found that “Whether in others, in government, or in firms, trust is lower in the region than anywhere else in the world”.

Worldwide, between 1981-1985 and 2016-2020 – the IDB study finds – trust fell from 38 per cent to 26 per cent; in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region, including Jamaica, it fell from 22 per cent to 11 per cent!

The 2021 AmericasBarometer report, conducted by the Latin America Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) Lab at Vanderbilt University in the United States, presents the findings of surveys in 22 countries in the LAC region, including Jamaica. The majority of citizens in the LAC, including Jamaica, believe that more than half, or all, of their politicians are corrupt.

The results for Jamaica titled ‘The Political Culture of Democracy in Jamaica and the Americas 2021: Taking the Pulse of Democracy’ were launched last Wednesday by LAPOP. The document is 134 pages long (you can download it from the Internet) and I have not had the time to analyse it in detail, but I thought I would share a few findings that jump out at me.

INTERESTING RESULTS

The survey seeks to find out how democratic Jamaica really is. How committed to democracy are Jamaicans? Are politicians? Is the private sector? The results are interesting!

When asked “To what extent do you trust elections in this country?” only 35 per cent of Jamaicans say they trust elections (page 25). Could this partially explain why so few bother to vote in Jamaican elections?

When asked “To what extent do you believe that votes are counted correctly in this country?” 15 per cent of Jamaicans say they believe that votes are never counted correctly, 67 per cent believe sometimes, 18 per cent always (page 29). Comparison with other countries shows that in the LAC region Jamaicans have the lowest confidence that votes are counted correctly (page 29). No doubt this is the legacy of decades of voter fraud by both the PNP and JLP, the memory of which lingers on. Is it still going on? Most Jamaicans surveyed seem to think so.

When asked whether politicians have a way of finding out how we vote, 33 per cent of Jamaicans say that politicians always find out, 50 per cent say politicians sometimes have a way of finding out, and 17 per cent never find out how we vote (page 33). Clearly, there is a healthy scepticism about ballot secrecy in Jamaican elections, another legacy of PNP and JLP election corruption. Is it still going on? Most Jamaicans surveyed seem to think so. Could this partially explain who so few turn out to vote in Jamaican elections?

BUY ELECTIONS

When asked whether the rich (read the private sector) ever buy elections, 28 per cent say the rich always buy elections in Jamaica, 59 per cent say sometimes, and 13 per cent say never (page 31). Most Jamaicans seem to believe that “he who pays the piper, calls the tune”. If this is really happening, then neither the private sector nor the politicians really believe in democracy.

Is it true that the wealthy buy elections in Jamaica? The private sector gives money to help their party win, and the secrecy around political campaign contributions certainly raises legitimate questions about the kind of democracy we have in Jamaica.

In Jamaica, 55 per cent believe that more than half of the politicians are corrupt (page 47). This is the flip side of the lack of transparency in political donations, and is a direct result of the absence of transparency in their declaration of assets.

I have come to believe that Jamaican politicians (and the private sector) don’t care if they are thought to be corrupt or not; they do so very little to guard their reputations. Simply making donations public and publishing their inventory of assets would go a far way to fostering public trust.

When asked “In general, would you say that you are very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the way democracy works in your country?”, only 45 per cent of Jamaicans said they were satisfied (page 15).

MILITARY COUP

In the study, although 57 per cent agree that democracy is preferable to any other form of government (page 8), 46 per cent of Jamaicans would tolerate a military coup where there is high corruption in government (page 10). How near are we to this? How much do we really love democracy in this country? But our democracy is perverted, then what? Jamaicans express high trust in our military; where exactly is the breaking point?

In the survey, 65 per cent would support a system that guarantees access to a basic income and services for all citizens, even if the authorities cannot be elected – the highest in the LAC region (page 17). The data indicates that Jamaicans would prefer a good life to democracy. Is our number one ranking here an indication of the advanced immiseration of our people?

But only 18 per cent would support a system that guarantees access to a basic income and services for all citizens, even if they cannot express their political opinions without fear or censorship (page 17) – the lowest in LAC region. Jamaicans highly value their freedom of speech, among the highest in the world.

When asked “In deciding what laws to make, what do you think is best for Jamaica: should elected representatives of the people decide, or should citizens vote directly to decide each issue?” In the survey, 81 per cent believe that citizens should vote directly (page 18). We just don’t trust our politicians!

You deaf?

Peter Espeut is a sociologist and development scientist. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com