The BIG LIE the Prime Minister is using to justify his massive wage increase

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According to PM Holness, 'we get the political leadership we pay for' and 'you get the quality of governance you elect'. So, all along, being poorly paid, when they were telling us how good they were, it was a lie? All along they could have done better it's just that they needed to be paid more? Mr. Holness cannot have it both ways, either the politicians have been lying to us all these decades saying they have been doing their best or pretending to be doing their best when all along they were lying to us. Or, is he lying to us now?  If you believe Mr. Holness, I have some beachfront land in Siberia to sell you.....

Secondly, most of us have not elected the current governance. Most of us stayed away from voting. If anything, the current government is illegitimate in the sense that only a small minority of the electorate voted for the JLP.

Jamaica's problem is not underpaid politicians! Jamaica's problem is that we have a corrupt political elite, financed by the corporate elite who are committed to a governance model that preserves the status quo. All of this is facilitated and allowed by a compliant media. And what is that status quo? Ignore their rhetoric and look at their results: 

To Keep 👉

• the wealthy political and corporate elites wealthy and to hog all of Jamaica's resources.
• Jamaicans undereducated so that they are not even aware of what is happening. Even when aware, they do not know what to do about it. The elites' children go to the best Jamaican educational institutions or study abroad. The day the elites are forced to send their children to the non prestigious Jamaican schools is the day when those schools will be improved.
• Jamaicans at a subsistence level where the daily scramble is one of survival so that there is no time or energy left for political study or political action. This keeps the people tired and in submission.
• a ramshackle public transportation system in place which does move people around as necessary but in a dangerous and uncomfortable fashion. The elites have private  or government issued cars. The day when the politicians are forced to use public transportation is the day when public transportation will be improved.
• good health care out of the reach of most Jamaicans preserving access to what little good private health care there is for the wealthy political and corporate elites.
• the gangs well armed so that their garrison communities (at least 13) continue to vote for them thus giving the elected government legitimacy - even though the majority never votes for them. This seeming legitimacy is needed to avoid international interference with what they are doing.
• the people poor and struggling by ignoring their needs for good roads, water and other services in their communities. Political clientelism is then used to manipulate the people by using politically connected persons to fix a road or installing a water tank here and there then having grand tours saying: 'look what I have done for you'. As if, that is not the normal required job of government?
• using a State of Emergency security model that pits the security forces against the poor while the rich elites live in gated communities guarded by private security forces that outnumber the public security forces.
• firearm licenses and non lethal weaponry away from the poor so they are unable to defend themselves while the rich elites have easy access to firearm licenses. Either everybody without a criminal antecedent, vetted and screened should have equal access to a firearm license or nobody should be allowed to have a firearm.

What kind of government should we pay for? Here are some suggestions:

A government committed to:

1. Electoral Reform

• Fixed election dates
• Public, limited financing of election campaigns. No corporate financing. This levels the playing field and prevents the current conflicts of interest where political parties are beholden to the corporate elite.
• Effective separation of powers between the political wing (Senate, House of Representatives) and the Executive wings of government. This would require an Executive headed by an elected president.
• Grassroots candidate selection instead of party or delegates selecting candidates. Candidates must live in the communities they represent.

2. Free education from basic  (pre-k) school onwards...

3. Free healthcare.

4. $1 million minimum wage indexed to inflation.

Our current governance model suits the political and corporate elites so to expect these elites to change our governance model is ridiculous. We in the diaspora are free from and untouchable by the Jamaican government. We in the diaspora can play a key role in publicizing, funding, leading and supporting the movement to liberate Jamaica from the current parliamentary dictatorship but in the final analysis, it is Jamaicans in Jamaica who will have to be the leaders and foot soldiers for change in Jamaica. If we Jamaicans want to fix our governance model, we are going to have to rise up and demand it. Who will lead this rising and demanding? The academic elite remains silent and inactive in their ivory towers.

Up you mighty Race! (Marcus Garvey)

Liberate yourselves from mental slavery, none but us can free our minds! (Bob Marley)

Raymond D. Grant