Finding a way forward by Delroy Chuck Jamaica Gleaner April 28 , 1999 THE PEOPLE of Jamaica deserve better. They drift helplessly into destitution, yearn impatiently for wise and sound leadership and long for a sense of purpose and direction. Many live in squalor, unemployed for long periods and now economically disabled. Even the middle classes, many of whom are doing quite well, despair as they are aware of the simmering tension and swirling turmoil. Political leadership has failed, and it is understandable that they blame the political system for the underlying economic weakness and failure. Last week, the widespread demonstrations from Negril to Morant Bay served as a chilling testimony to the hardship, suffering and anguish being experienced. Ordinary Jamaicans, many without cars, understand, quite rightly, that the 31 per cent increase in gas prices will have a devastating impact. Transportation, food prices, bus fares, services, basic needs and virtually every commodity will go up. Overall, it is simply preposterous for government to increase gas prices so steeply, with its ripple effect throughout the economy, when mothers can barely make ends meet, children cannot afford to attend school, families are economically stressed out, and employers and employees struggle to keep businesses afloat. People are hurting, and the government fools itself in believing we are on the right track. The economy, and the country, cannot survive under the present economic model which merely tallies the unending count of human failures as jobs, businesses and lives are destroyed. The spontaneous outburst of protests, demonstrations and roadblocks, and subsequently, the looting and rioting, show the pent-up emotional rage of a people who are 'fed up', cannot take anymore, and are determined to send a clear and unequivocal message to those who want to hear. The people need an economic model to create jobs and opportunities, not to destroy them; to fuel growth and development instead of the decline and despair of the present one. Our people are eager to find solutions and a way forward to express their concerns. Lawful demonstrations and peaceful protests are the people's constitutional right and a useful outlet for freedom of speech. Roadblocks, burning and looting, however, are wayward and illegitimate strategies to get attention and justice. Yet, the people understand that only through these methods can they get a positive response. To be sure, solutions to poor political participation and representation are needed. One cannot deny our political system has failed to protect the people, to provide an effective mechanism to settle disputes and disagreements, to respond to the concerns and fears of people and to ensure, at least, that matters of state and national importance are discussed and debated in Parliament. The gas price hike was announced in Parliament without debate, approval or legislative sanction. That is an anachronism which should long have been outlawed. Parliament continues to be the mere rubber stamp of executive decisions, a public relations forum for announcements rather than debate and reason, and parliamentarism suffers from a powerful executive that can always rely on its parliamentary majority for support. I have no problem with the parliamentary majority exercising its power to support the executive. That can happen in any system, but I have a serious objection to decisions being made and announced without open, proper, and fulsome debate. I would argue that any new tax measure should be presented in Parliament, debated, and remain there for a period of at least three months before being implemented. Indeed, I am appalled at the undue haste with which matters are summarily dealt with in Parliament, and it is wrong. No doubt, the political pundits and missionaries of the separation of powers model delight in the failures and weaknesses of the parliamentary system without admitting that similar shortcomings exist in the presidential one. Indeed, nowhere are economic failures, corruption, stagflation, devaluation, abuse of power and so on more prominently displayed than in the separation of power's model adapted outside of the USA. Political parties hijack the model in Latin America, and the concept of the legislators being representatives of the people is more myth than reality. In every system, people are elected under the banner of political parties, to which they are philosophically committed and there is no reason to believe that they will behave any differently under any system. If Mr. Patterson and his Cabinet were removed from Parliament, is there any reason to believe that the remaining PNP majority in Parliament would behave differently from what they now do? I still contend our problem is economic rather than political. I do not accept that if we get the political system right then our economics would take off. That has not been the experience of countries that have introduced the American separation of powers model, for example Brazil or the Philippines. Barbados and Canada are countries that have similar parliamentary system to ours and are doing extremely well economically. It is not politics that will be our salvation but economics. I know that promoting individual freedoms, efficient government, democratic institutions and a free market economy are the keys to our economic salvation. I accept that power must be contained, balanced and circumscribed lest it be abused. That is why I favour a strengthening of our present parliamentary system to make parliament more functional, the executive more accountable, and parliamentary committees opened up for ordinary people to influence the decisions of parliamentarians. If Parliament is to survive and be the guardians of the people's interest, the forum to respond to the protests and concerns of the people and the ultimate arena to conduct the nation's business and to find a way forward then fundamental reforms to the parliamentary process are required. Only then, with a proper machinery in place, will the protests, demonstrations and roadblocks become unnecessary. Delroy Chuck is an attorney-at-law and Opposition Member of Parliament.