Celebrating and ignoring Ian Boyne's message

Michael Aiken, Contributor

AS WE celebrate 25 years of Ian Boyne and his television programme 'Profile' in Jamaica's 50th year as an independent nation, I believe his most poignant contribution to Jamaica's national consciousness and conversation is his consistent call to us, whether in his afro or low-cut grey, to embrace the link between achievement and mores (cultural values) and economic prosperity and morality! "This nation is in a moral and cultural crisis," he has said and written! (Moral here speaks simply to a new belief code and related behavioural practices held in common by all, and not something mystical or religious, which only few may feel inclined to embrace).

"I have," he said, "frequently chastised our intelligentsia" for their lack of "explicit focus on values and mores". "We have not spent time in developing ... the moral sentiments".

Yet, it is commonly known that "Jamaica cannot advance with our dysfunctional family life, social anarchy and our ... hedonistic, atomistic cultural values - no matter who is in Jamaica House", This, Boyne has non-partisanly declared, is Jamaica's "pre-eminent crisis". Yet, this "moral crisis" has largely been ignored by political, pastoral, private sector, civil society and opinion leaders!

Instead, attention has been given to the economic crisis, the International Monetary Fund crisis, the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips crisis, the job crisis, the education crisis, the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme crisis ... but all these crises are the result of our moral crisis! Other crises have been deliberately placed on a government agenda, green papered, tabled and budgeted while our moral crisis has been given no similar serious attention. The "fixing" has been left to chance.

Yet, "The teaching and practice of common values ... determines that nation's social and economic prosperity and cannot be left to 'natural processes' for their propagation in society." So said Malaysian Prime Minister, The Hon Dato Seri Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad, at a Harvard Club dinner on July 28, 1993. Had nations like Rwanda, Bosnia, Burindi and Darfur accepted and acted expiditiously on Mr Dato Seri's words, perhaps there would have been no civil war, ethnic strife or genocide as part of their national journey.

An ancient text on human history and socio-economic development years before Mr Seri's advice also advised, "Where there is no vision, the people perish". The current human history and journey of nations like those listed above, along with Jamaica's stumbling gait, seem also to give credence to this ancient observation.

Establishing a positive vision

Don Robotham, more currently, in his GraceKennedy Foundation lecture of 1998, 'Vision and Voluntarism', said in reference to Jamaica's national journey, "The fundamental issue is ... How do we establish a positive vision of Jamaica?" This answer to this "vision" question, he intimated, can only be realised in tandem with the questions, "How do we strengthen the moral bonds of Jamaican society?" And "How do we give real meaning to the concept 'Jamaica'?"

Those are the questions Ian Boyne has been putting in our consciousness and conversation for years, and we have by and large ignored him! There is a plethora of sometimes-contradictory concepts because there is no connected unifying vision and defining moral foundations! There is, therefore, an urgent need for values and attitudes to be an essential part of our socio-economic development, if we are to avoid the challenges that caused Rwanda, Bosnia, Burindi and Darfur to self-destruct.

We must, as a nation, rally around a clear vision that collectively focuses us and a praxis of values and attitudes that provides a firm foundation for our sustained socio-economic development.

Jamaica's National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030 Jamaica provides that vision for Jamaica and articulates it in four clear goals:1) Jamaicans are empowered to achieve their fullest potential. 2) The Jamaican society is secure, cohesive and just. 3) Jamaica's economy is prosperous. 4) Jamaica has a healthy natural environment.

Who is to lead?

But who is to lead or facilitate the empowering? Vision 2030 Jamaica explicitly indicates the need for an active ongoing positive values messaging programme of concepts and interventions that will keep us energised to attain the stated goals. (It's a 'must-read' for all journalists, writers, politicians, pastors, business persons, informal commercial entrepreneurs). The messaging component of the NDP is called the National Transformation Programme (NTP).

The People's National Party's pre-election manifesto spoke about a "progressive individual who is ethically and socially responsible", and "Communities with shared interests and values ... ." The Jamaica Labour Party, in its pre-election promises, "committed to transforming our society by 2030".

Yet, despite Vision 2030 Jamaica's recommendations and acknowledgements by both major political parties, not many seem to realise the symbiotic connection between our negative values and negative economic performance and social issues.

We must heed Ian's consistent call to give a new set of values centre stage!

Michael Aiken is an educator. Send comments to columns@gleanerjm.com