THE EDITOR, Sir:
The debate rages on the appointment of Senators to the upper House. Some say that there should be independent Senators and others argue that there is no need for such Senators.It seems to me that the debate should be whether or not there should be Senators. My view is that the Senate should be abolished. It serves no useful purpose and is a waste of taxpayers' money. It is merely a rubber stamp for bills passed by the government. The Government Senators who are traditionally in the majority, are obliged to support the bills put in front of them. A minor change here or there during the "debate" is neither "here nor there" as the substance of the bill is not likely to change.
The Opposition Senators see it as their duty to object whether the bill is appropriate or not, merely to harass the ruling party and cause mayhem. We are a very small island, and as it is, Government is already too large, and to be burdened with a useless body of men and women pretending to performing a useful function is absurd. What is required is fundamental constitutional reform that dissolves political parties and the need for a Senate.
I suggested the basic format of a new system of Government which was published in this newspaper on November 17, 1992, that would put this country on a forward path, but nobody is taking me on. The system I suggested would eliminate the need for political parties, tribal politics, the need for a Senate, and just about all the corruption associated with politics. The basic system is as follows:
Anyone could run for president with a vice president as a team, having satisfied a set of criteria. The first team past the post in the election becomes the president and vice president. The president appoints his cabinet which becomes the executive arm of Government. The members of his cabinet can be called Ministers or Secretaries or any other appropriate name. A parliament would also be elected and anyone satisfying a set of criteria could select a constituency and endeavour to be elected.
The first one past the post is the winner and is the representative of all the people in the constituency. These parliamentarians would be full-time politicians and paid a decent salary so that they can dedicate their time to the people's business. It means therefore that anyone with the potential could become President or a representative of the people.
Power would not be confined to the hands of the few who have joined and laboured for decades in a political party waiting to fight for the leadership position when the leader steps down or is booted out. It seems to me that every Jamaican should have an equal chance to play a pivotal role in the highest level of Government.
Having had an effective parliament and an executive arm there is no need for additional political bureaucracies. The president and his cabinet would shape the policies, prepare bills etc. under which the country is operated and governed, and present them to the parliament for ratification. These are debated and voted on. Some may require a two-third majority and others, a simple majority. Once they have acquired the passing vote they become law and are implemented.
Each parish would be managed by an appointed Executive Officer reporting to a board of directors. His or her responsibility would be to manage the parish and implement all the required functions as designated by Parliament and the Executive arm. These functions would include all the requirements for a wholesome life and include such elements as tax collection, education, housing, health, water, community policing, infrastructure and general development.
The one-pot financial mechanism that we have in place now is not adequate to properly distribute the wealth that the country generates. There are some functions that serve the entire island such as defence, major highways, airports, seaports, customs, and justice. These could be considered as "federal" and come under a federal executive officer or officers. The Most Hon. P. J. Patterson can go down in history as the longest-ruling and greatest Prime Minister of Jamaica, if he leaves as his legacy fundamental constitutional reform using the guidelines as stated above, to put us on a path of unity, growth and development. He has four to five years to do so. By the time the next general election rolls around there will be no more tribal conduct and violence, no fighting for scarce benefits. No more green and orange shirts, no bells to be rung and no heads to chop off. No roadblocks and stoning of party buses. The vice presidents of the People's National Party would not have to fight for the presidency to become Prime Minister when PJ steps down. Jamaica will indeed be a wonderful place to be.
I am etc.
Al Richards
alfonz112@cwjamaica.com
