Deon P Green, Gleaner Writer
MORRIS
BIRMINGHAM, England:
SIR BILL Morris, Jamaican-born former general secretary of Britain's Transport and General Workers Union, has accused Jamaican politicians of damaging the country's international image through the unending labelling of each other as corrupt.
Sir Bill told the Jamaica U.K. Diaspora Conference in Birming-ham on the weekend that he was 'fed up' with politicians calling each other corrupt on every radio programme and in every newspaper in Jamaica.
He said he was disgusted with the behaviour of political representatives because, "if the politicians cannot set the examples then who can?"
He said: "If a Jamaican politician is saying the other is corrupt, investors start to believe and they believe that as a nation we are corrupt and they will cut off their investment."
NO DUE PROCESS
Sir Bill suggested the country's problems were due more to a failure by individuals to follow due process than a result of corruption.
"If it's a short cut, however dangerous, we (Jamaicans) will take it without looking at the consequences, because the attitude is 'why bother to advertise for a job when you know someone who can do the job.'"
He added: "If there is a contract for a piece of work, why bother to go through the rigours of the tending process when you know a man who can."
He said the process of patronage, in place of open competition, where friendship dominates, weakens the authority of the individual and devalues the outcome.
However, Sir Bill noted that the development process can not be left only to politicians and we must all become stakeholders in the process of nation building.
He urged the delegates: "If we all become stakeholders, we have to speak out when things go wrong and give support when it is needed."
He added: "We have to think and speak up for our country. As stockholding Diaspora it means all of us become custodians of our country's image and it is not enough just to be in charge but we have to take personal responsibilities.
