The Auditor General’s report on public sector pay, the death of jockey Al Gopie, and national footballer Ricardo Fuller’s kicking of an opponent might seem to have little in common. But the official reactions to these events all reveal an unwillingness to take decisive action which might be unpopular, and a refusal to take responsibility when things go wrong. Such traits are as old as man – victory has a hundred fathers while defeat is an orphan goes the ancient proverb. But in Jamaica the refusal of those in authority to say ‘It was my fault’ or ‘I was wrong’ has reached almost pathological levels. Our so called leaders have completely forgotten the concept of doing what duty demands even when it may have unpleasant results - they greedily covet privileges, but flee all obligations. With such shameless examples from the top, is it any wonder that the common man in Jamaica often seems so unwilling to accept responsibility for the consequences of his actions?

‘Cool, cool Mandeville’ has long been regarded as the neatest and most

attractive town in Jamaica. Travel books and tourist brochures still refer

to its green parks and British-like order and charm. But anyone driving

through its town centre nowadays during rush hour sees merely a chaotic

traffic jam of impatient drivers and careless pedestrians with street

vendors spilling into the streets. The bus park is a loud unsightly mess as

aggressive ‘ductors try to push every passing person into their bus, while

idle loiterers molest passing females with impunity. The market was once famous throughout Jamaica for its cheerfully bucolic atmosphere. According to Barbara Gloudon, a visit to the Mandeville market was like an enjoyable Sunday outing. But it is now slovenly, unpleasant and a known haven for all sorts of illegal activities.

It is impossible to disagree with the idea of civil action in theory. Such groups are at least making an effort to better the country. Surely, as the old but true cliché goes, it is better to light one candle than curse the dark. Unfortunately many Jamaicans view any talk of ‘citizens action’ with jaundiced cynicism. And who can blame them? Jamaican citizens groups over the years have been long on talk and very short on results.

Julius Nyerere was widely admired for his unquestioned sincerity and integrity. Almost uniquely among African leaders of his generation he lived simply and was not corrupt. Under his one-party rule Tanzania was politically peaceful and was spared civil war. On the other hand his social experiments almost ruined the country economically. Though honest himself, his regime was bedeviled by widespread theft of foreign aid. He preached justice, yet had political opponents and persons accused of economic crimes jailed without trial.

Though satellite dishes, cable and the internet have made the outside world more difficult to ignore, Jamaicans are parochial at heart. Perhaps it because we are an island with no bordering countries - certainly we have little contact with our closest neighbours Haiti and Cuba. We might follow overseas sports and soap operas avidly, but we are great navel gazers in political and social affairs. How many Jamaicans can name six world leaders? Even most university educated persons probably get stuck after Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and Fidel Castro.

The latest Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index ranks Jamaica 50^th out of 99 countries, and even sanguine observers must find it worrying that we are seen abroad as more dishonest than notoriously corrupt nations like Brazil and Zimbabwe. It is cold comfort that we are tied with South Korea and above Argentina. Relatively strong economies may be able to support the costs of corruption, but unchecked it can virtually ruin weak ones – look at Indonesia and Nigeria.

Jamaica and Cuba are only 90 miles apart, but their historical paths have completely diverged. Since it gained independence in 1898 after the Spanish American War, Cuba has known only American occupation and military dictatorship. Pre 1958 administrations were primarily noted for corruption, and social insensitivity - especially toward Afro-Cubans. Fidel Castro is, in many ways, an unquestionable improvement on his predecessors. Yet Cubans still enjoy little political freedom. Earlier this year four prominent opposition activists were jailed for criticizing the Communist Party and calling for political and economic reforms. Cubans remain unable to choose their leaders, and the ultimate guarantor of Castro’s power is not the people’s will but military force.

‘Can the past make nations ill as repressed memories sometimes make individuals ill? Can a people be reconciled to its past by replacing myth with fact and lies with truth? All societies forge myths of identity that allow them to forget their unhealed wounds. Nations, like individuals, cannot bear too much reality. But if too much truth can be divisive, how much is enough?’

Why did Alexander Bustamante break with the Norman Manley led People’s National Party in 1942 and form the Jamaica Labour Party? Some say Manley and Bustamante were ‘two bulls in a pen where only one could rule’. There is probably something to this. Politicians are by definition egotists. A man must think well of himself to ask others to vote for him. All election campaigns boil down to ‘I am the best man for the job.’

Murder, bankruptcy, unemployment, debt, illiteracy  - the news in Jamaica is increasingly depressing. Some say this unending litany of gloom is creating a feeling of hopelessness, and the media should concentrate on the positive - talk about what’s right with the country and not what’s wrong. But journalists are only telling it like it is, and shooting the messenger never solved anything. Indeed perhaps the most heartening aspect of Jamaican life is the fact that the media is able to and willing to tell us all what we are doing wrong.