Editorial | Rebuilding values

Few people will be surprised by the findings of a more-than-year-old survey – some of which were released this week – showing that a significant share of Jamaicans is willing to use shortcuts to get ahead.

Nor is it surprising that younger people, those between 18 and 44, are more inclined than older groups to bend the rules for personal gain.

A more positive interpretation, based on the thin slivers of data disclosed by pollster Don Anderson and businessman Howard Mitchell – who is increasingly emerging as a vocal voice of conscience – is that 69 per cent, or roughly seven in 10 Jamaicans, prefer to operate within the rules rather than cheat for economic gain. A similar proportion (67 per cent) says it is wrong to prioritise oneself over others.

There is also the finding that just under three-quarters of Jamaicans (73 per cent) are willing to follow due process, rather than take the law into their own hands when they feel wronged. On a purely conceptual level, support for adherence to the justice system is even higher at 82 per cent.

These are, on their face, encouraging results that provide a basis for optimism. There is something to build on.

But the flipside cannot be ignored: three in 10 Jamaicans (31 per cent) are either ambivalent about their ethical positions or are willing to cut corners and break the rules – perhaps even the law – in pursuit of self-interest.

That is a critical mass, capable of undermining the well-being of society. It demands urgent intervention to halt further erosion before it metastasises into an incurable national cancer.

As Mr Mitchell put it: “We are in need of social reform … no amount of economic success will make us human beings. We are made human by our understanding of our worth and the respect we give to ourselves and others.”

The crisis revealed by the survey – conducted months before last September’s general election – did not develop overnight. Indeed, many of the issues it highlights have surfaced repeatedly in previous studies.

They can be traced largely to a deterioration, if not a breakdown, in good governance, as well as a deepening perception that self-interest, rather than a sense of community, is paramount.

In that context, it is understandable that 81 per cent of Jamaicans subscribe to the saying: “Jackass seh di wul no lebel” – the belief that the world is not fair and that equal treatment is not guaranteed.

This reflects low levels of trust in the society, supported by findings from previous surveys that nearly 90 per cent of Jamaicans believe they live in a corrupt or highly corrupt country, along with declining confidence in key institutions such as politicians, the legislature, and the police.

Moreover, at 53 per cent, support for democracy in Jamaica lags behind most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a 2023 report from Vanderbilt University’s LAPOP laboratory. Only 23 per cent of Jamaicans believe democracy, as practised locally, works for them.

While such perceptions may sometimes be overstated, they rarely take root without cause. Typically, they are shaped by the behaviour of those in leadership, who citizens believe enjoy privileged access and distribute patronage unfairly.

Nor does it help that Jamaica’s low-wage, low-technology, low-productivity, low-growth economy has, for decades, failed to meet the aspirations of the majority.

These failings, combined with weak education outcomes and entrenched patronage politics, have contributed to the rise of antisocial behaviour – an issue Mr Mitchell has placed on the reform agenda.

Addressing the crisis, particularly the erosion of values among young people who believe bending the rules is acceptable, will require extraordinary leadership at the highest political level. It demands that leaders of both Government and Opposition take a firm and uncompromising stand against corruption and all forms of wrongdoing.

This calls for moral government and governance.

At the same time, leaders must unite in a national campaign to rebuild values and attitudes, moving Jamaica towards a more humane and respectful society.

Three decades ago, former prime minister P.J. Patterson attempted such a campaign, but partisan politics led to its failure, to the detriment of subsequent efforts.

In revisiting the idea, The Gleaner’s editorial board reiterates its suggestion that the values programme piloted at the University of Technology (UTech) last year be refined and made compulsory across all Jamaican educational institutions.

The board also restates its proposal that Mr Patterson, in his role as an elder statesman, be invited to serve as patron of the new values campaign, with Mr Mitchell as chief executive officer, backed by the full and unequivocal support of Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness.