Ronald Thwaites | Of many things

Life is too short, hunger too gnawing and love too compelling for us to tolerate the mix-up concerning constitutional reform. Clearly, many of us think we are immortal. We waste scarce time on purpose. Why not cut short all the fuss as to who agreed to what in the Constitution Reform Committee by just publishing the uncensored minutes of all proceedings as well as the final report?

And why would the members, particularly the PNP representatives, have agreed to secrecy about what is clearly the business of everyone? Who determined the very convenient “phasing” of the exercise when the public obviously has different priorities from those in power? Why have the church representatives become so servile to the Saducees that they have signed something without any reference to the congregations which they are supposed to represent? And what is the simple, clear (?) position of the JLP about Jamaica’s final court of appeal? Let me ask them the straight question: why are they intent on retaining the British Privy Council? In this self-created confusion, failure of the reform project is imminent.

SUPPORTING JUSTICE

Admiration is in order for South Africa’s effort before the International Court of Justice to give pause to the slaughter of Palestinians. It is in the fora of the United Nations and its agencies that small countries like ours exert oversized influence. Should Jamaica not have joined the proceedings? If circumstances prevent us from exercising financial clout, surely we can exert moral strength, not just to do the right in international eyes, but to both reflect and instruct the conscience of the nation. That’s what being “likkle but talawah” should mean – not just that we can run fast, sing sweetly and shoot straight.

DRIVER COMPETENCY

Full support must be given for Prime Minister’s insistence that public passenger drivers are to be tested for special competence. But this is a half- measure. Anecdotal evidence and road behaviour support the contention that fully a third of all drivers have never been adequately trained – if at all. The practice of “buying a licence “ has been and still is widespread. Until this reality is confronted and phased universal retraining and retesting is prescribed, the carnage will continue despite all the tears, hand-wringing and partial remedies.

UPSKILLING ILLITERATES

Minister Dixon correctly points out the urgent need for the labour force to upskill so as to facilitate a changing job environment. But she knows that little of that is going to happen when 40 per cent of our school leavers have considerable literacy and numeracy deficits. Why not attend to root causes first? The adult literacy program has been subsumed and diminished under HEART and child and adolescent illiteracy has not attracted the requisite investment from education professionals or the Ministry of Education. Dr. Chang implicitly acknowledged as much last week. As long as we continue to graduate illiterates, a full-scale JAMAL is embarrassingly essential.

Should the board of the HEART Trust not feel obliged to explain the efficiency of their use of our cash, which the Patterson Report correctly proposed should be redeployed to create the obviously missing solid foundation upon which technical and vocational skills must be built?

UNDERMINING DEVELOPMENT

The brilliant piece of investigative reporting by Jovan Johnson laying bare the corruption at the National Land Agency has drawn no convincing rebuttal. Professionals who have to deal with the many aspects of the Agency will attest to the constipation of function which is undermining a major sector of the economy. Attrition of qualified and experienced staff is sabotaging the titling initiative so needed for economic development. The delays in dealing with surveys frustrates investors and increases the temptations for corruption.

The elevation of a failed politician’s crony to a position where decisions about sale of government-owned land are made should never be allowed. There should be complete disclosure of all divestment of public land and assets by ministries, departments and agencies since 2016. This ought to precede the next election. The Opposition can demand this by way of parliamentary questions or committee interrogation since access to the records by the press will continue to be blocked.

With the serious and unexplained pull-back on lending by several finance houses and continuing high interest rates, the capacity to process land transactions is critical to maintaining the rhythm of commerce. Suspicions of political interference are rife. My main concern is worsening inefficiency. Between these agencies and myopic and introverted municipal corporations, the business climate is suffering despite all the rosy macro-economic statistics.

When does a sense of propriety, or if that fails you, shame, lead the person with political responsibility to resign when that over which you have charge is in such a mess?

WE WILL REMEMBER

“Whey di gunmen dem deh”? I grieve with Dr Claudette Clarke who, 14 years after the murder of her husband, had to relive in the public glare, the ordeal which took place in the sanctum of her bedroom. Other than that comment, I say nothing about the ongoing case. But the “Dudus War” must never be forgotten. The political considerations which played out in the festering of that national security carbuncle which, when burst, claimed multiple lives, has never been acknowledged and regretted by those who played up to it.

Many of those who sat in Cabinet then, who scorned the extradition request and coddled the Presidential Clique, are still seated there now. There is blood on their souls, if not on their hands. The taxpayers had to pay compensation for the carnage they festered. (And yes, the same consideration would apply to the Green Bay incident.)

In revealing moments, some of their number speak of curtailing the Charter of Rights as part of their vague and dangerous phasing of constitutional reform, even as they hide from us their raw thinking and authoritarian intent. They have robbed themselves, and us, of any basis for trust.

Rev Ronald G. Thwaites is an attorney-at-law. He is former member of parliament for Kingston Central and was the minister of education. He is the principal of St Michael’s College at The UWI. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.