Our incorruptible political leaders

​THE EDITOR, Madam:

I write to commend the Jamaican politicians for their remarkable immunity to the bacteria of corruption that plagues so many other countries. Despite (in)credible allegations of corruption throughout our recent history, few Jamaican politicians have had to endure the indignity of legal consequences. Numerous American politicians have been arrested, tried and convicted for bribery, extortion and other crimes. An egregious example is the recently convicted Senator Bob Menendez, who faces years in prison for bribery and obstruction among other crimes.

The frequency with which US politicians have been brought to justice has caused me to wonder why similar accountability is so uncommon in Jamaica. Jamaican politicians appear to maintain a nearly immaculate ethical standard. This is the case despite a 2023 Sunday Gleaner study that found that almost 50 per cent of respondents rate our politicians as the most corrupt group in our country.

IMPECCABLE MORALS

I now know why our honourable politicians have persistently proven themselves invulnerable to prosecution despite a plethora of scandals and accusations. The absence of prosecutions is, ipso facto, evidence of our political leaders’ impeccable morals which form the foundation of their incorruptible conduct. The manufacturing of malicious accusations against our nearly infallible leaders must end forthwith.

We ought to count ourselves blessed and highly favoured. Our political leaders are God’s gift to us and, indeed, to all of humanity. If ethical conduct in politics were a global sport, Jamaican politicians would be as celebrated as Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. The Integrity Commission (IC) is a redundant institution, struggling to justify its relevance. What purpose can the IC serve when our leaders are such a sanctified lot?

Let us all rise and praise our puritanical politicians. Let us consider sharing Jamaica’s ‘political antibiotics’ with the world as a prophylactic that ensures incorruptible global governance. They might just become our biggest export and our most splendiferous contribution to civilisation.

XANDER J. BROWN

Educator