Editorial | Little things, great legacy

It is not publicly known if Prime Minister Andrew Holness makes New Year resolutions, and if so, what were his promises for 2023. As head of the Government of a middle-income country with myriad problems, and not infrequent crises, Mr Holness might well claim that everything is a priority.

Were we permitted to offer the prime minister a bit of advice on the promises he should make to himself this deep into the year, when for many people New Year resolutions are already fast fading, it is that among his resolutions must be that his administration also focus on the little things, and getting them right. This includes a commitment to transparency and honest discourse with the Jamaican people.

Jamaican governments and their leaders, like others around the world, are often consumed, and sometimes overwhelmed, by the seemingly big issues of the day: the state of the macroeconomy; climate change; global tensions; national security, etc – all of which are important. What they overlook is that these major issues sometimes are an accumulation of small neglects, like failing to regularly collect garbage in communities, trim verges, clean drains, or repair sidewalks, thus forcing residents to walk on the roads, in competition with motor vehicles.

As this newspaper is always keen to remind, communities that are decently maintained – their streets are not strewn with garbage; with no overburden of derelict buildings or overgrown lots; whose drains are swept and verges are trimmed – are more likely to be ones that residents feel good about, helping to make them feel good about themselves, and therefore less likely to engage in antisocial behaviour. Which leads to less crime.

Conversely, those characterised by neglect and decay tend to be the ones where antisocial behaviour and crime are prevalent – of which there are too many in urban Jamaica.

The deeper fix of these communities must include major programmes of urban renewal. But some of the mitigating fixes, doing the small things consistently and getting them right, are relatively inexpensive – if the money allocated to them is spent for what it is earmarked, rather than wasted or syphoned off into people’s pockets.

And if done properly, they not only enhance the quality of people’s lives, but would go a long way in securing the lasting legacy which Mr Holness says he is after at this stage of his premiership. Put another way, legacy is not only about leaving physical (objects/projects). Ideas and people’s well-being matter.

In this regard, the prime minister can also burnish his reputation and make a consequential difference by ensuring that bureaucratic action is synchronised with policy, whose implementation proceeds with certitude and in the clear interest of citizens.

An example of how things should not happen is the launch of a new Road Traffic Act, which came into force this month after a badly designed ticket amnesty and other subsequent hiccups. The law’s aim, the Government said, is restoring order to the island’s roads, especially among public transport operators. It is up for discussion whether heavy new fines – rather than robust, efficient, uncorrupted enforcement of the old ones – were necessary to achieve that end.

In any event, it is clear that despite the legislation’s long gestation, there was insufficient dialogue with critical stakeholders to identify and work out the now obvious kinks. So, there was the absurdity that route taxis, small vehicles that transport the bulk of Jamaica’s commuters (including children), at seemingly uneconomic fares, would have to install special booster/restraint seats for children, thereby reducing their capacity without a commensurate increase in fares. Many parents and children would be impacted.

SAVE SOCIETAL ANGST

In the face of an outcry, the Government says it will adjust the regulation. Getting that little thing right from the start would have saved a lot of societal angst.

While motorists now have to pay significantly higher fines for traffic offences, the penalties ought not, primarily, to be about raising revenue for the Government, but to influence road safety and save lives.

This, therefore, is a partnership between regulators and motorists, who should be helped do the right things. The strategic, visible and unambiguous placement of traffic signals and markings are critical to this partnership. But the authorities do not vigorously uphold this side of the bargain.

Many motorists, for instance, are ‘caught’ doing the wrong thing because of the absence, or inadequacy, of road markings or signs.

On many roads in Jamaica, lanes are unmarked, or the paint faded. In some cases, speed limit signs are non-existent. Rutted roads create dangers for motorists.

Especially on major thoroughfares, these are small things that might have been fixed ahead of the promulgation of the law.

We are aware of the burdens and the competing priorities confronting the prime minister. But the strain can be eased if the little things are attended to, which, when they work, will contribute to a softer, gentler and kinder Jamaica. And that would be a great legacy for Prime Minister Holness.