Letter of the Day | Good governance critical to well-ordered society

THE EDITOR, Sir:

Governance is difficult. Periodically reviewing and updating our various laws to ensure that they are relevant is not an easy task, but it is a necessary one. Our laws should both encourage compliance and restrain breach. Our laws should forestall making criminals out of our citizens, because, they are either difficult to follow, or difficult to enforce.

Our laws should not be so outdated that citizens trample them with impunity. Much has been said about the quantum of some of our fines currently on the statute books, and there has been some attempt to improve that situation. The Law Reform (Amendment of Penalties) Act, 2019 is one example.

However, there is other situation, where, if we are not careful, our citizens are unwittingly made into criminals. An example of this is the duty-free allowance of up to US$500 worth of goods that each citizen is allowed upon entry into Jamaica. Of course, this is quite a jump from the US$50 ceiling that was in place some decades ago. However, the reality is that in 2022, with cost of living being at the level it is across the world, the US$500 ceiling is now woefully inadequate. I appeal, on behalf of my fellow citizens, for this situation to be addressed quickly.

That is just one particular instance, but it can be extrapolated to demonstrate how the matter of governance, generally, is slow to respond and gives the appearance that the law is more about punishment and less about incentive. For a well-ordered society, I believe that a balance between the two must be struck.

In closing, I reiterate that I appreciate the difficult task as it relates to good governance, especially when one is seeking to play catch-up. However, if there is going to be a well-ordered Jamaica, it is a worthwhile effort.

REV MICHAEL ALLEN