Ronnie Thwaites’ article on Monday, September 23 raised a painfully critical issue: the erosion of trust in Jamaica’s public institutions and its most prominent leaders. The unsettling revelations surrounding the prime minister’s financial returns have only deepened this scepticism. The Integrity Commission’s findings cast a long, chilling, and ominous shadow over his leadership.
The trust deficit in Jamaica has deep roots, darkened by past betrayals and abuse of power. The Ruel Reid and Dudus affairs left wounds that, having never properly healed, continue to ooze distrust into the national consciousness. These events have exposed the fragility of faith in our leaders, showing how easily those in power can morph from protectors to predators, exploiting their authority for selfish gain.
Now, our nation’s psyche – and its youth – must contend with a new, twisted trinity: Dudus, Ruel, and Andrew. Is the last, verily, an unholy spirit hovering above us, insidious and invisible? I weep for the prospects of those beneath. Is it any wonder, then, that the arrival of destitute Haitian CARICOM citizens at our doorsteps stirred little empathy? Too poor, too desperate for Jamaican care, they were ghosts before our very eyes – unseen, unwanted, and kickable krapo yo.
Thwaites argued that a society cannot function without trust at its core. Where trust is absent, coercion creeps in, replacing cooperation with fear and suspicion. Though the prime minister’s situation may.