Beverley Anderson-Manley

Some Jamaicans are determined to turn this wonderful country of ours into a wasteland. A wasteland has waste human beings. Therefore, it is not surprising that in areas prone to criminality and poverty, an individual who seems to be going nowhere is often called a 'waste man'. However, it is possible that a so-called waste man, given the opportunity, can redeem himself and become a useful citizen.

Governance must necessarily be obsessed with creating opportunity for people, particularly those who represent the most vulnerable in the society. Creation of opportunity is largely determined by a number of factors. An examination of the mental models of our policymakers and bureaucrats is an appropriate entry point for the discussion. What is the nature of the lens that these paid women and men see the world through? How does this view of the world keep reinforcing the systemic structure? What are the assumptions, implicit or explicit, in this mental model? What are the patterns of behaviour that perpetuate the crisis so that the same thing keeps on happening over and over again, while people do go to 'waste'.

Role of the bureaucrat

In more practical terms, if someone is viewed as a 'waste man' how does this impact on policy and policy implementation? Often, speedy action by a politician and/or bureaucrat can make a fundamental difference in the life of a human being or inside communities.

For example, there is a government programme that addresses the needs of the vulnerable by providing assistance in repairing houses destroyed by hurricane or fire. Many people who have applied for this benefit are still waiting for assistance, long after Hurricane Ivan. How does the bureaucrat see the written applications for this assistance - as mere pieces of paper to be shuffled around or as human beings living in sub-standard houses? Competent bureaucracies lead to successful countries.

Any woman or man in the public sector who has scant regard for taxpayers' money must be punished, and swiftly. Who are the real 'waste men' in our society? "Who the cap fits, let them wear it."

We need to create a society where persons who are corrupt are not rewarded but punished. No matter the public institution, persons who contract to manage them must take responsibility and be accountable to the people of Jamaica, whose money they have squandered, either wittingly or unwittingly. Persons who make the fine distinction between illegal and ethical corruption must understand that from the point of view of taxpayers, this distinction is meaningless. One cannot be a little bit corrupt. This is the same as saying that a woman can be a little bit pregnant.

Public officials as money managers

There is substantial data available now to show that although availability of money is critical, what makes the difference is how money is managed and allocated. Ask any working class housewife and she will explain how she 'stretches' her money - 'every mickle makes a muckle'. What are the systems that make it difficult for corrupt individuals to survive? What are the systems that determine who gets what, when and where?

Persons who collude in and benefit from corruption know who they are. A corrupt individual cannot survive in a world where the dominant mind-set sees corruption as a crime against humanity. We need a mind-set that sees the interconnectedness between corruption and bad governance and the myriad ways in which this gives rise to waste men - whether these are politicians, policemen, bureaucrats or poor, vulnerable women and men living in the squalor of our inner cities.

Instead of a wasteland inhabited by waste men let us create desired systems, structures and patterns of behaviour that create empowered women, men and children. We can no longer be content to sit and watch while 'Jah kingdom goes to waste'.