POLITICIANS worldwide, who operate within a truly democratic election system, must be wondering what is happening in California, the most populous state in the United States. In case you have been hibernating through this gubernatorial election, the incumbent California governor, Gary Davis having just been re-elected in 2002, was ousted by a recall petition and replaced by the movie actor, Arnold 'Terminator' Schwarzenegger, (shades of Ronald Reagan, another former California governor).
What is of interest to us, is that a recall petition was used, something that is strongly resisted by both of Jamaica's major political parties. Should a modern democratic system, in the 21 century, not insist on term limits and recall petitions when the idea of 'minimalist government' is more prevalent?
POPULAR VOTE
If democracy means accepting the popular vote, then it cannot be suitable to have one person representing a constituency or a division, or even a national post for a decade. Growth means new things and democracy encourages changes, whether good or bad. Should a democracy not institute term limits for major posts (e.g. prime minister or president) to allow no one ruler to become absolute?
In Jamaica these two issues (term limits for incumbents and recall petitions for dissatisfied constituents) have not been of particular concern to elected representatives. They tend to see it as challenging their authority (given the autocratic nature of our politics) and destabilising to the long-term constituency/development plans (if they have to be fighting off recall petitions, or focusing only on an eight to 10-year tenure).
YOUTH ARMS
The youth arms of the two major parties (who should in their own self-interest promote it) have never put these two issues at the top of their priorities, and have refused to fight the existing hierarchies to establish them.
We need to, however, ask ourselves, can we continue to rely on a select few, to be the democratic representatives and only replace them when they fall terminally ill, or at their own volition? If that is the case, our democracy may continue to stagnate.
