THE EDITOR, Sir:
THIS IS an open letter to the candidates for leadership of the PNP.
I have no doubt that each of you can, if given the opportunity, contribute greatly to Jamaica's future growth and development. As you embark on this phase of your political journey, I would suggest that you look closely at change. Many people claim that although the political system is inherently corrupt, they will change it from the inside. Guess what? The system either changes them or spews them out two minutes after they enter it.
The questions, I believe, are:
A. Do we really believe that the system should be changed?
B. If it is to change, change to what?
C. Don't we get what we pay for, i.e. isn't the level of corruption in the system due to our own personal corruption collectively or our indifference to this corruption as long as we or our family tacitly benefit or are at least not affected negatively?
D. Isn't personal, internal change the first step to fundamental change?
E. Is it that Jamaica is more corrupt than elsewhere, or is it that we are a smaller society?
F. Has our quality of leadership over time, contributed to an increase in corruption levels?
G. Should new entrants to the system be advocating a review of the system and of how we should behave from this point onwards?
H. If we don't start to change it now, what will Jamaica be like in 10 years? Is the vision for Jamaica in 2015 plausible or just a useless statement on a Jamaican Cabinet website?
I. Will you be part of the change, or will you join the pantheon of other young, bright Jamaicans who decide to be part of the status quo? The elder politicians, to their credit, did at one point contribute to change, change from colonialism to political independence. They, however, are unable to take us the next step of the way, i.e. economic and social independence. Will you follow the string of younger politicians who instead of blazing their own trail are content to follow the tired old methodologies which are proving again and again to be ineffective and thus corrupt?
FORMULATING STRATEGY
It is only after contemplating these questions and formulating, with a group of like-minded people, a strategy for true, sustainable change, with a set timetable for implementation, and set deliverables and metrics to measure progress, (and at the right time sharing this vision with the larger national constituency for buy in), that one should enter the current system. Otherwise, I fear it is meaningless and will only contribute to the general malaise currently being experienced by many.
I was talking recently to a group of young business people who were looking to begin a small investment company and I expressed the concern about sovereign risk i.e. political and social instability and the long-term effects on investments. Most of them seemed very comfortable with the status quo, indicating that people actually make more money in unstable socio-economic climates. While this might be true, the growing instability in Jamaica is really around gradual dehumanisation of whole communities, and already this year, the murder of 1,450 persons, many of whom are women and children.
I am, etc.,
RICHARD HALL
hallra@cwjamaica.com
Kingston 10
Via Go-Jamaica
