Consider independent senators

Barbara Blake Hannah, GUEST COLUMNIST

As the debate continues to rage on whether Andrew Holness acted constitu-tionally in using pre-signed letters of resignation to give himself a free hand to appoint a new slate of senators, I am reminded of the days when I sat as one of eight Jamaicans appointed to the Senate by the governor general in 1984 - the only time when the Opposition benches of the Senate were occupied by persons deemed to be 'independent', not members of either political party.

For those who do not recall the history or were not born yet, the People's National Party had refused to contest the 1983 general election called by then PM Edward Seaga, saying that the voters' list was incomplete. Seaga refused to cancel the election and, therefore, all 60 seats were 'won' by Jamaica Labour Party candidates.

Having appointed the 13 government senators, the puzzle remained as to how to appoint the remaining eight to serve in 'Opposition'. The Constitution was consulted and it was found to declare that senators were appointed "by the governor general" and also "in accordance with the advice of the prime minister".

true independence

In a politically polarised Jamaica, eight persons deemed of independent opinion were selected, appointed and we took our seats in the Upper House.

This was the first and only Senate in which the opposition senators were not tied to any party line. Two were well-known supporters of the PNP (former Jamaica Agricultural Society President Courtney Fletcher and educator Errol Miller), while one had served both parties in his political career (MoBay Mayor Charles Sinclair).

Eminent Queen's Counsel Emil George and Lloyd Barnett, then University of the West Indies Professor Dennis Walcott, and I, as a Rastafari and a woman. I am happy to say that our Senate has since been described in highly complimentary terms by individuals and media I respect, and I am confident that our hard work had received such recognition because of the total independence with which we served.

Though we often consulted to seek agreement on issues raised in the bills and motions we deliberated on, as well as the independent debate motions we each raised, none felt constrained or under pressure to agree unanimously. In fact, the only point on which we all were agreed was that it was time that senators receive some form of pay (or at least a pension) for their weekly work and the research necessary to perform the job properly.

Originally intended as a posting for wealthy businessmen and political party favourites, the Senate offered no income support for a self-employed journalist and new mother. After four years, I resigned the seat reluctantly, glad to have had a chance to make a contribution at such a high level of governance.

It is clear that the framers of the Constitution did not intend both sides of the Senate to be nothing more than just 'safe seats' for upcoming and former politicians, but rather hoped for a broad spectrum of views and opinions from different social spaces. There's really no difference now between deliberations in either the Upper or Lower House - just two more sets of the same opinions that carried matters there in the first place.

It is clear to me that the current debate gives the chance to consider independent senators on both sides to serve Jamaica as the Constitution intended.

Barbara Blake Hannah is a film-maker and culture consultant. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and jamediapro@hotmail.com.