Letter of the Day | Power must serve, not be concentrated

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I am writing with reference to the news report in The Gleaner ‘Malahoo Forte and Opposition MPs pick apart NaRRa Bill’, which highlights a concern that warrants both affirmation and deeper reflection: the troubling consolidation of power and decision-making within the Executive branch.

Malafoo Forte and members of the Opposition should be commended for identifying this critical weakness. Their intervention underscores a fundamental principle of democratic governance: power must be balanced, accountable, and subject to meaningful oversight. Centralising authority in the hands of the prime minister and the Cabinet risks undermining Parliament’s role as a deliberative body serving the common good.

This pattern reflects a recurring approach to legislative drafting in which complex national projects are placed under executive-heavy structures, often justified in the name of efficiency. In reality, such frameworks frequently erode transparency, weaken institutional checks, and open the door to partisan decision-making. Jamaica has seen how multi-layered agencies, lacking robust governance and oversight, become opaque spaces where accountability is diluted and public trust is eroded.

Recent regional experience offers a cautionary tale. In Trinidad and Tobago, the proposed ZOSO-style legislation failed precisely because it concentrated excessive power in the Executive. The United National Congress-led government faced firm resistance from the Opposition and Independent senators, who rightly judged that such centralisation threatened the democratic balance. Jamaica would do well to heed that lesson.

Simultaneously, one must ask a harder question: why does this clarity often emerge only from those outside the corridors of power? Historically, many who now criticise executive overreach have been less vocal when seated on the “front bench”. This inconsistency does not invalidate their current critique, but it does call for a more principled, non-partisan commitment to good governance across the political spectrum.

Despite this, the issues raised must not be dismissed. The prime minister should resist the temptation to close ranks or to reject the bill outright in response to criticism. Instead, this moment should be seized to strengthen the legislation – by embedding board-led governance, reinforcing parliamentary oversight, ensuring procurement transparency, and fostering inter-agency collaboration.

If the NaRRa Bill is to serve as a vehicle for national recovery and resilience, it must be built on structures that inspire trust, not suspicion. The people deserve legislation that reflects not the concentration of power but the integrity of shared responsibility.

FR DONALD CHAMBERS

frdon63@hotmail.com