Trevor Munroe | Election foundation firm; strengthen democratic structure now

We Jamaicans must now learn from experience that standing up, not sitting down:

• Stopped the repeated declarations of unconstitutional states of emergency over the last 10 years and the locking up of scores of innocent youth.

• Got former Minister Ruel Reid charged and now before the courts for corruption.

• Gave underpaid hotel workers their ability to exercise their right to trade union representation.

• Outlawed in 2017 money launderers like Olint’s David Smith from donating millions to both political parties, as he gave US$5 million to the JLP and US$2 million to the PNP in October 2006.

• Got Chief Justice Sykes promptly appointed in 2018 and kept unconstitutionally in an indefinite acting position.

Now, to strengthen democracy demands that we the people should stand up and speak out yet again to get the new government to:

• Pass the law to empower constituents to recall an MP who breaks promises, and to impeach ministers and public officials for gross misconduct.

• Appoint members of the Parliamentary Opposition to chair sessional committees to inquire into how our money is being spent by government; as was done by the Bruce Golding government from 2007 and remained the practice until 2020.

• Restore the practice of disclosing who gets which contracts from government and for what purpose.

• Amend the Integrity Commission Act, so that the statutory declaration of each minister is published annually, as the Prime Minister promised in 2017.

• Enforce the legislation to tell us, each year, whether and how each ministry, department and agency is spending or misspending our taxes to improve hospitals and educational facilities.

• Pass the regulation, as was recommitted in 2023, to give law enforcement agencies the capacity to use Unexplained Wealth Orders to get at persons suspected of enriching themselves illegally.

• To fix election dates from here on, so that no Prime Minister in future can call a general election to suit himself and his party, and keep us the people and businesses in a state of uncertainty.

• Give constitutional protection to the Electoral Commission of Jamaica.

• Get rid of Jamaican people and government being subjected to the King’s court and the Privy Council and establish the Caribbean Court of Justice as our final court.

• Pass anti-bribery legislation.

• Repeal the Official Secrets Act, used too often to intimidate public servants from reporting wrongs that they may see.

To strengthen our democracy in these ways requires civil society organisations, the Church, professional associations, the media, students and youth organisations and the private sector, as well as members of parliament who stand for integrity, to come together to hold power to account.

Dr Trevor Munroe, is emeritus professor of government at The University of the West Indies, Mona and founding director of National Integrity Action.