Tearing down the garrisons

"Madam Speaker, I recall during the final election for this seat, I was physically prevented from campaigning in the area in which the election was to be held. It was not the people, Madam Speaker, who did not want me there; it was the enforcers of tribal politics.

"Madam Speaker, exclusive political fiefdom(s), garrison(s) that suppress the political expression of the electors and prevent opposing candidates from campaigning. Madam Speaker, this is inconsistent with the principles of a modern democracy.

"The Representation of the People Act, Madam Speaker, should be broadened to include specific penalties for obstructing a candidate while campaigning in the same way that it provides penalties for obstructing an enumerator or even a scrutineer during the enumeration process. Laws are not enough. The members of this House, within their areas of national leadership, must use their influence to dismantle the vestiges of garrison politics.

"If we are afraid to say to our organisers, and workers, and call the men on the ground that they should allow the JLP man to campaign freely in the PNP area, and likewise allow the PNP man to campaign freely in the JLP area, if we are afraid to do this, Madam Speaker, then we are weak leaders, and politics will continue to be a divisive element in the nation's development." - Andrew Holness, MP, in his maiden speech to Parliament, June 15, 1999.

"Jamaica is yearning for a new politics to emerge. How can we be fully free when some of us are not even free to express our conscience? How can we be fully free when some of us are not even free to make our own choices on a ballot? How can we be fully free when some of us are not free to walk around the block for fear of crossing the line? Zones of political exclusion are incompatible with freedom, and aspects of our politics are an affront to liberty. It is time to end garrison politics." - Andrew Holness in his inaugural address as prime minister, October 23, 2011.

CONSISTENT PM

Our new prime minister, Andrew Holness, has been consistent throughout his political career in passionately advocating and working for the liberation of our political garrisons. He knows the phenomenon well, certainly since he entered representative politics and worked in a constituency that contained garrisons allied to both political parties. He would have seen the debilitating effects on genuine development and, particularly, the negative impact on the youth.

There is little doubt that it must be frustrating for him to have seen the phenomenon continue to grow over the 12 years he has been in Parliament, for today, garrisons remain 'no-go' areas for persons of the opposite political persuasion.

Much has been written about political garrisons over the years. Many have spoken about 'garrison constituencies', but to think in that way risks missing the fundamental point that the real issue is 'garrison communities'.

The politicians have to accept much of the responsibility - and some have - for the creation of areas that were blocs of loyal voters. Over time, political enforcers came to use coercion and fraud to deliver those votes in exchange for the spoils of political patronage. The inevitable final stage was when the so-called area leaders and dons and their gangs broadened their scope of activities to include all forms of criminal activity.

EFFECT OF GARRISONS

Today, garrison communities affect the political process by distorting the free will of the people and influencing the electoral outcome in too many constituencies. But even more important, they enslave our people in enclaves of criminal activity, and are safe havens for thugs to terrorise the wider society. Their very presence within our country weakens our claim to being a functioning democracy.

Political victimisation in the distribution of state benefits and the easy accommodation between politicians and criminals undermine respect and trust in our system of governance and its leaders.

Today, the tail often wags the dog, as political influence has waned as 'area leaders' supplement political patronage with the spoils of their illegal activities. Their gangs and criminal networks control the state contracts, determine who get the scarce jobs and benefits, and maintain an unholy control over the lives of our citizens who live in their spheres of influence. The growing threat has been that rather than the politicians control the area leader, the area leader now controls the politician.

SHARE RESPONSIBILITY

Both the JLP and PNP have to accept the blame and will have to share in the responsibility to remove this stain from our country.

Too many of our leaders are in denial, but well-thinking Jamaicans are not fooled. If our leaders do not move decisively, they will not have heeded the people's call and we will discard them. The leader of the Opposition should accept the prime minister's call to walk the garrisons, even as both parties agree on a strategy to liberate them. Symbols are important and we shouldn't discount the impact of seeing the leaders of the 'warring tribes' embrace and unite around this common vision.

Civil society will have to play an active role, but it has not been consistent in its pressure and prescriptions. The leaders of the human-rights groups and so on should rally around the prime minister's call.

In addition, they should dust off the 1997 Kerr Report on Political Tribalism and immediately work for its implementation. Fourteen years have passed, but its findings remain relevant. Although we have gone a little way in implementing its prescriptions, we still need to go much further.

SOLUTIONS

We need to diminish the influence of the don and the gangs by continuing to empower the police and justice system and removing them from the allocation of state contracts and benefits. The creation of jobs and economic opportunities is critical.

Impartial structures and bodies to oversee the fair allocation of public housing, contracts, state jobs and other state benefits must be broadened and strengthened.

Poverty-alleviation programmes will have to be expanded and managed in a transparent and accountable manner. The amelioration of poverty is the short-term goal, but the long-term vision must be the eradication of poverty.

Education and training must be stressed to make the people employable.

We need to foster a culture of political tolerance as part of a larger educational programme that has a component of civics that includes the rights and responsibilities of citizens in a modern democracy.

In addition to the recent crime bills that will go some way towards reducing gang activity and crime in general, more legislation to further weaken garrisons must be developed and implemented.

Political campaigns must be monitored to remove the hostile language, irresponsible rhetoric, and reckless behaviour that deepen divisions and tribalise the society.

The operational independence and impartiality of the police force must be preserved and enshrined in legislation.

Community councils must be enshrined and implemented to bring democracy to the neighbourhood level.

The specific interventions in welfare and infrastructure needed to address the basic needs of the most depressed communities must be given the highest priority, irrespective of political allegiance.

Agreement between the political parties on these matters is critical and must be monitored by the political ombudsman, supported by the resources to make him or her independent and effective.

BE VISIONARY

For all these initiatives to be effective, our political leadership must be consensual and visionary. The pre-Independence generation started out in earnest on this path but lost its way. An opportunity has now presented itself for the post-Independence generation to lead us back on to the path of sustained development. Let us not miss it. There is good reason to be optimistic, but hope must be matched with action if Jamaica is to be the choice of place to live, work, raise families and do business.

Delano Seiveright is president of Generation 2000 (G2K), the young-professional affiliate of the Jamaica Labour Party.