I have just emerged from an excellent early morning interview between a talk show host and Mr Reginald Dumas, former head of the Public Service, and I am encouraged by the fact that there are still a few good men in this country who are willing to engage the issues that will take the country forward, in a forthright but level-headed manner.On the issue of misbehaviour with impunity in public office, Dumas points, in the first instance, to the absence of structures to deal with the problem, citing in the case of the public service, a plethora of rules which are there to protect the delinquent public servant. He goes further to emphasise the lack of will by those empowered to take action but do not, such as Permanent Secretaries, some of whom should be made examples of, if found wanting in this respect.
This issue of people having to answer for their behaviour is critical to a functioning society and it is to Dumas' credit to recognise the reform that is needed to correct the mind-boggling indifference in this country to this fundamental need.In the interview, Dumas also points to the need for the devolution of power, which if implemented would be a marker of the continuing "conversation" between those elected to office and the people who put them there, which of course is as progressive and as visionary as you can get.But even with the recent call for such conversation by the PM, does the reality of the politics in this country allow for such conversation? And it is in the answer to the latter that the vision of Dumas seems to end, for such progressive thinking can only take root if the body politic is conditioned to appreciate its value. Sadly such is not the case.
In answer to the host's final question about the racial divide in the politics, Dumas acknowledges its existence, and if he does, how will progressive ideas like the ones he articulated in the interview find expression, if such issues have little place in the political choices that people in this country are conditioned to make.Mr Dumas speaks of remedying this with continuing "conversation", or with people like myself continuing to write about issues, but what impact will these have, unless there is a long-term plan to enable this society, through education, to make intelligent choices about the way we live?
Dr Errol Benjamin,
via e-mail