AMONG THE many characteristics of the late former Prime Minister, Hugh Lawson Shearer, whose life and work have been lauded throughout the country these past two days, was his commitment to public service.
To him, trade unionism and politics were but channels to achieve social advancement for many disadvantaged Jamaicans, not ends in themselves. It is a commitment to which political neophytes and aspirants to higher political office would do well to reflect on and seek to emulate.
The social and economic climate that gave birth to the trade union and independence movements have changed in the past 40 to 60 years. But the social conditions of many people in Jamaica still leave a lot to be desired. Beyond fancy highways being traversed by drivers in Sports Utility Vehicles, live men and women in hovels, thirsting for proper facilities from which to draw clean water for their domestic chores, or even a half-decent road to use to get their produce to market from which to eke out a living.
Certainly the times have changed from the days when politicians or union leaders were the principal visionaries of social development. But for good or ill, politics remains the route through which the society is governed and the public must demand more from those who will seek to act in our name in Parliament or municipal councils, to effect policies that will affect our lives.
We must look beyond the triviality of a horse-race derby within the political parties to turn the spotlight on those who would seek to lead and ask specific questions.
Where is the evidence of a commitment to public service? Is political power being sought for its own sake? To what end? Are the aspirants persons of integrity? What is their vision for Jamaica?
Whatever the criticisms of their time in government, our present and past Prime Ministers, in general, committed themselves to a raft of social and economic policies that have benefited a majority of our people. To be sure, given our resources, more could have been done, but there is little evidence of their using public office primarily for personal financial gain or for feathering the bed of their colleagues.
So while the ambitious jockey for positions inside the People's National Party and the Jamaica Labour Party, civil society should treat with scepticism clever or high-sounding slogans about "reform and modernisation", but which lack substance. We must seek to ensure and insist that clear paths of development and a vision for the future are articulated, and plans for implementing them outlined.
Times and circumstances will alter those plans, but the electorate should at least have a sense of where the would-be-leaders want to go and then determine whether we want to follow them or have them lead us.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
