EDITORIAL - How the gangs of Gordon House might rescue themselves

The impairment of ministerial recall apart, among the more enduring images from the public enquiry into the Christopher Coke extradition scandal was Prime Minister Bruce Golding's gritty insistence on not revealing who paid for the lobbyists who sought to soften America's attitude on the extradition request.

Mr Golding's formulation, on close reading, went beyond the specific payments to Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. He spoke more broadly to a policy against disclosing who funds the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

Mr Golding and his party have that right. There is no law in Jamaica to compel the gangs of Gordon House to be transparent in their operations. So, for more than half a century, the gangs, the JLP and the People's National Party (PNP), have alternated in government, managing the Jamaican state as though it were a private fiefdom, run for partisan benefit.

There would, perhaps, be less complaint if the rewards from their stewardship were reasonable. But ineffectual leadership and the gangs' equating of partisan and national interest have left an economy that has been stagnant for 40 years. Unemployment is high, as is crime. Jamaicans are disillusioned about the future.

worrisome findings

All this, as has been documented in a recent survey on attitudes towards democracy in Jamaica - by the University of the West Indies, Mona, and Vanderbilt University in the USA - translates into diminished support for, and trust in, the Jamaican State and its institutions.

For instance, only around 42 per cent believe national government to be a credible institution, down nearly eight percentage points from two years ago. Trust in Parliament has fallen seven points to 40 per cent, bringing it, statistically, to the same level of support as the national government.

Two years ago, the 41.4 per cent of Jamaicans who retained faith in the credibility of political parties might have been considered low. But that support has tumbled to 33.5 per cent, a dip of approximately nine percentage points.

Prime Minister Golding might want to take comfort in the fact that his personal support - or, perhaps more correctly, the credibility of the office of the prime minister - is 5.3 points better than that of the parties. However, in 2008, nearly 53 per cent of Jamaicans felt that the office of the prime minister was a credible institution worthy of their support. Today, that support has tumbled 14 points.

systemic overhaul

It, therefore, ought to be a matter of concern to people who hold faith in democracy that the most credible institution in the country is the army, with a 66 per cent support, especially when this backing is juxtaposed against the third of Jamaicans who would have no difficulty supporting a military coup.

Of course, the crisis of confidence in political leadership that these numbers reflect transcends party or particular leader. Rather, it is a response to seven decades of their combined corruption of the political process and our democracy.

Regaining people's confidence will demand hard work by the parties to shed their image of gangs, crudely assembled to grab state power for partisan ends. They have to end their relationship with criminal enforcers and be transparent with their affairs.

Mr Golding's declaration, notwithstanding, another general election should not take place without a law that brings transparency to party financing.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.