Devaluing our people

After almost 50 years of independence, we should reflect on why our country has not progressed more - socially and economically. To me, one of the principal reasons for this failure is the fact that the majority of the Jamaican people have not been full partners in the development of the country. Their role as citizens has been effectively devalued.

Why do I say this? For one, we do not provide quality education so that each and every Jamaican can realise his or her true potential and contribute to Jamaica's development. Despite the fact that we have built schools and trained thousands of teachers, the system still churns out so many who are barely literate, and though quite bright, are unable to function at more than the most basic level. I contend that this is quite deliberate, since a well-educated population would not be interested in low-paying work in agriculture and, to some extent, in tourism, the two sectors whose interests have determined the direction of this country.

However, signs that our people are largely devalued are also to be seen elsewhere than in education: low-quality social services in health, public transportation, etc, provide more evidence, and put most people at a tremendous disadvantage. Then, there is the question of political devaluation: many people live in 'garrisons' where they do not have the right to even choose the political representative they prefer; and we accept and put up with this devaluation of people's democratic rights.

Right to life

Even the very right to life is in question for a large part of our people. How many thousands of (mostly young) men have been killed by the security forces over the years in questionable circumstances? In very few cases has anyone been even charged, much less convicted of these crimes; and in a recent case, had there not been video evidence of the killing, it is likely that nothing would have happened. Poorer Jamai-cans can usually speak of their encounters with the security forces during which their dignity has been effectively stripped away.

For me, the most glaring example of the devaluation of our people is the fact that we seem to want them to leave the country. Yes, we lament when trained people - or people with money to invest - migrate, but they are a small minority of those who leave. We lose many more poor people who see no future for themselves here. And it doesn't seem to bother us. Sometimes we even seem to encourage it.

This scenario is costing us a lot. When a majority of our people are not able to contribute effectively to the future of the country, they see themselves with little or no stake in it. They love their country, but they are not sure that their country loves them. In some cases, they are quite sure that it does not, and so most want to leave.

Alienation a root cause

This alienation is, in my opinion, also the basis for the unusually high rate of crime and violence in the country. People who have no stake in the future of an enterprise, and who are being disrespected by it, have no interest in obeying its rules. Corruption at all levels, including extortion rackets, have their roots in this as well. And, of course, the standard responses to crime - heightened activities of the security forces, curfews, detentions, states of emergency, what have you - make no difference, since they only increase the level of disrespect and alienation among the very people that they are supposed to be serving.

And, of course, there is no chance of sustained economic growth in these circumstances. All the great private-sector potentates lament the effect that crime is having on business, investment and development. But they are not seeing further than their noses. Before they call for more states of emergency or crackdowns by the security forces, they need to demand that the Jamaican people be respected, that their rights as citizens be equal to everyone else's, and that they be given a chance to realise their full potential.

They need to call for an end to garrisons, for a much better deal for education, inclu-ding accountability in the system. They need to call for better housing, better transportation and for fewer high-profile projects, like unnecessary four-lane highways. And most of all, they need to be joined in these calls by other social institutions: labour unions, political parties, churches, civic groups, students and citizens' associations.

The Jamaican people, like their currency, now need to be revalued, not further devalued.

Peter Espeut is a sociologist and a Roman Catholic deacon. Feedback may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com.