The ghost in the great house:

THE EDITOR, Madam:

There is an old maxim in political philosophy: “You can respect the office of authority without respecting the person in authority.”

It is the shield that allows a democracy to survive a bad leader. But in Jamaica, we are currently facing a much deeper crisis of identity. Our problem isn’t just about the “person” in the office; it is about the “office” itself.

As we inch closer to becoming a republic, we must confront the fundamental contradiction sitting at the heart of King’s House: a governor-general who represents a foreign king, and a prime minister who represents the Jamaican people.

The Jamaican Constitution is a masterpiece of British “Westminster” engineering. It was designed to split power. On one side, we have the prime minister, who holds the “mandate of the people”, the blood, sweat, and votes of the electorate. On the other, we have the governor-general who holds the “authority of the Crown”.

Philosophically, this was meant to provide stability. The GG is supposed to be the “referee”, ensuring the “players” (politicians) follow the rules. But herein lies the flaw: How can a referee be truly independent when he is appointed on the ‘advice’ of the lead player?

Under our current laws, the GG acts on the advice of the PM. This creates a bizarre loop of authority. It is a system where the highest symbolic office in the land is tethered to a colonial past that many Jamaicans now view as “unworthy” of our modern dignity.

THE “ANANSI” GOVERNANCE

For decades, Jamaica has practised what could be called “Anansi Governance”. Like the clever spider of our folklore, we have navigated a system that doesn’t quite fit us. We salute the “office” of the Crown because it provides the legal framework for our courts and our parliament, but we have long since withdrawn our “internal respect” for the monarchy it represents. This creates a psychological duality.

This is not just a sentimental issue; it is a logical one. When the GG signs a bill into law, he does so in the name of the king.

The move towards a republic is the final act of the Morant Bay Rebellion and the dream of Marcus Garvey.

We are resolving a 60-year-old contradiction. We are moving from being “subjects” of a Crown to “citizens” of a State.

However, we must be careful. A truly Jamaican republic requires a head of state who derives authority from the Jamaican people, perhaps through a joint vote of Parliament or a direct election, ensuring he has the moral weight to check the power of the PM when necessary. We can no longer afford to have a “ghost in the great house”.

If we are to truly be “servants of the law” and not “slaves to a legacy”, our offices must reflect our faces, our history, and our own sovereign will. It is time for the office and the person to both be, unequivocally, Jamaican.

MORTIMER MCPHERSON