Trust betrayed! Resignation needed

Lambert Brown, Gleaner Writer

Trust is the essential ingredient for sustaining a workable relationship. If a wife or husband cannot trust each other, the relationship will be doomed. Similarly, if a pastor has lost the trust of his congregant, or a client his lawyer, untenable will be the relations. In politics, it ought not to be any different. In his maiden Budget presentation as prime minister, Bruce Golding acknowledged the importance of trust between leaders and the governed. In that 2008 presentation, he declared as follows: "I thank the people of Jamaica for the confidence that they have placed in me and the team that I lead. They have placed on us a burden of trust. I promise to hold that trust sacred, never to betray that trust, never to let down the people of Jamaica." These were fine words spoken then. The issue now is whether Mr Golding has lived up to this noble undertaking "never to betray that trust" or "let down the people of Jamaica".

Recent opinion polls carried out by Professor Ian Boxill and his team, on behalf of the RJR Group, provides very good insight as to the current thinking of the Jamaican population. Fifty-eight per cent of the people responding to the poll were of the opinion that PM Bruce Golding can no longer maintain credibility with the Jamaican people. Forty-nine per cent of the poll sample said that Bruce Golding should resign as prime minister. Interestingly, many of the persons who last year were supportive of Mr Golding have withdrawn their support. Fewer people this year say they think our head of government should not resign or could maintain credibility.

Destroyed by extradition saga

The handling by the Government and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) of the Christopher 'Dudus' Coke extradition issue has damaged, if not destroyed, the trust between the Government and the people. The polls revealed that more than 70 per cent of the people say there was evidence of 'a conflict of interest' between the Government and the JLP as far as the handling of the extradition request for Coke, who was a fugitive wanted by the US government for drug dealing and gunrunning. It is, therefore, understandable when Information Minister Daryl Vaz admitted that the prime minister was not connecting with the people. As he said recently, "There is no denying that the Manatt affair has had a negative impact on the perception of the prime minister, and, by extension, the party and the Government." The reality is that trust has been betrayed and the relationship between the PM and the people is unlikely to be restored. Trust is like a vase; once broken, it can never be the same again.

In addition to the betrayal of trust, the people are feeling that they have been let down by the Government. It appears that Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller has tapped into this sentiment among the people. In what some have described as a brilliant Budget presentation, she outlined a litany of failings of the Government. Like a passionate prosecutor, Simpson Miller accused the Government of letting down the members of the Jamaican family.

Among the charges were that more than 600,000 Jamaicans were now below the poverty line, with the doubling of poverty under the stewardship of this Government. With more than 100,000 Jamaicans losing their jobs, and whopping price increases on basic foods since 2006, Simpson Miller seems to have scored big with the jury. She did not mention the numerous business failures, but that would only be additional evidence of the hardship being experienced by most of our people. All this is contrary to the personal objective set by Mr Golding in 2008. In that year's Budget speech, he ended by saying; "I simply want to right the wrongs that should not exist, to help the poor to escape from their poverty, to enable that young man on the streets of the ghetto to walk around with a smile on his face instead of a gun in his waist. I do not dream an impossible dream! I simply want to make this a better place for all Jamaican people to live a better life."

The people reposed their trust in the prime minister. The reality is that the lofty dream of Mr Golding has now become a fantasy. The dream is, indeed, becoming an impossible one for the majority of Jamaicans. The trust between the leader and the people has been fundamentally betrayed. Much effort will be made in an attempt to convince our citizens that all is not lost and the dream of a better Jamaica is possible from leaders whose words have sadly not been their bond. During the course of this week, many new promises to this end will be made in the Budget Debate. This will be a continuation of grand announcements made by our leaders, only to be forgotten by their non-implementation. Our media practitioners have a duty to recall for the people these promises made and hold our leaders accountable to ensure consistency between words and deeds.

Several promises

In 2008, during his Budget presentation, several promises were made by our prime minister. Then, he said, "We are working on a number of major new projects: Downtown Kingston/Port Royal redevelopment, including its potential as an international financial centre; Vernamfield cargo trans-shipment airport; development of the Montego Bay Commercial Centre; expansion of the Ocho Rios Cruise Ship Terminal; major free zone complex for the Caymanas/Fort Augusta area; new airport facilities for Duckenfield; and the development of Port Antonio as a high-end tourist destination." In addition to these, we were promised two major casino operations: "We have already secured agreements with these two investors for major developments involving over 6,000 new hotel rooms and US$2.8 billion of investment." Finally we were told: "The hotel sector will continue to dominate major investments with approximately 7,000 new rooms to be built over the next two years with total expenditure for this year of US$157 million."

These promises remain unfulfilled. Good governance demands an accounting for these promises. Betrayal of trust and the letting down of the Jamaican people cannot be cured by more promises. Resignation is usually the best antidote.

Lambert Brown is president of the University and Allied Workers' Union. Email comments to columns@gleanerjm.com and Labpoyh@yahoo.com.