Alfred Dawes | Blueprint for the revolution

The events of the last week have highlighted more than ever the need to fix this country. More scandals and more mud-slinging from both sides of the political fence a la Box A in the Corruption Game.

On one hand, we see the cost of corruption from the latest anonymous whispers from doctors in the public health system, even while there are over 100 doctors unemployed who can help to fill the nightmarish staff shortages killing sick Jamaicans.

On the other hand, we see how easy it is for politicians to direct state assets to connected parties. Oftentimes, it is through these channels that allies and families enrich themselves at the taxpayers’ expense. Every time a crony or relative gets a contract, there is a strong likelihood that we are not getting value for money. Full stop.

This practice has condemned our country to economic stagnation and our people to substandard healthcare, education and security. Yet we continue as a nation to sit idly by while the nepotism, cronyism and outright theft continue unchecked. There is no way but a downward spiral along this path. So we either demand better governance or those who can afford to migrate do it now before it gets worst. History will not be kind to those complicit with their silence.

Let us once and for all disrupt the game.

As explained in my last article, the crooked politicians and their cronies benefit from the game being played in Box A. They can get away with stealing unchecked as long as they don’t cooperate with the law-enforcement agencies or enact strong anti-corruption laws.

CHANGE RULES OF THE GAME

What suits the country is Box D, where strong anti-corruption legislation and enforcement act as a deterrent to nepotism, cronyism and theft. This is where we need to be, and to do this we need to change the rules of the game.

The party that is most serious about corruption stands to lose the most. They will alienate or imprison their corrupt financial backers, making it impossible to match spending by the other side. The voting population, according to our national pollsters, is unconcerned by corruption, as both parties are equally corrupt so they are not inclined to vote for the party that talks the better talk on anti-corruption. The only way we can change the game is to change these two variables.

The country needs to come together, irrespective of party loyalties, and throw their support behind the party that will, within the first 100 days of its term, pass strong anti-corruption laws and empower the anti-corruption agencies that exist. A clear message should be sent that under these new rules, the only way they can win the next general election is to pledge (with measurable targets and firm timelines) to be the government that roots out corruption once and for all. And it must be this election. We cannot afford another five years of the same old story, irrespective of which party is in power.

The party which would get the support of the people would be the one that:

A. Makes it a criminal and/or impeachable offence to recommend or influence the awarding of contracts or divestment of state resources to any connected party by the direct contracting method.

B. Makes all contracts above a certain threshold be available for review by the Integrity Commission or an inspector general assigned to each ministry within one month of signing.

C. Empowers the Office of the Auditor General to investigate, and instead of reporting to Parliament, recommend directly to the equally empowered director of public prosecutions to prosecute all suspected criminal cases of corruption involving state agencies, individuals, and companies conducting business with the Government.

These three actions, if implemented, will save the country billions of dollars each year. Money that will be better spent on educating our children, improving the healthcare sector, deployed in the fight against crime, and immediately help to create a better country.

ONE VOICE

In order to force the willing party to pledge to implement our demands, we must speak with one voice. Every stratum of society must declare their allegiance to this ‘velvet revolution’ where the people take back the power for themselves and end once and for all the decades of corruption that threatens the soul of the nation.

The business community should take a stance that they will not finance any political party unless they pledge to enact legislation similar to the ones suggested. This now changes the paradigm where the ability to get the campaign financed is linked to the ability to return the favour through corruption. The party that will do the most to fight corruption will be the one to raise more capital if the business community is 100 per cent behind this initiative.

The second prong of attack is to convince the masses to place greater weight on anti-corruption measures as a deciding factor in who gets their votes. This is within the purvey of social-media warriors, civil-society groups and all well-thinking Jamaicans who can get the message out there that this is the election to change Jamaica once and for all.

If we successfully incentivise anti-corruption by linking it with a greater likelihood of winning an election, we change the rules of the game so that the political party that manifests a greater commitment to anti-corruption is the one with a greater chance of winning the national elections through access to financing and voter sympathy. And winning elections is what political parties are about.

If we can pull off this bloodless revolution without even taking to the streets, then we would have set a precedent that could change the course of modern human history.

The only question that is left to ask is: “how much do we really want to see change?”

The answer will define our generation.

n Dr Alfred Dawes is a general, laparoscopic and weight loss surgeon, and medical director of Windsor Wellness Centre & Carivia Medical Ltd.; Fellow of the American College of Surgeons; former senior medical officer of the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital; former president of the Jamaica Medical Doctors Association. @dr_aldawes. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and adawes@ilapmedical.com