Why is it that Jamaican governments in power cannot root out corruption from among their ranks? Why do we have to wait for a change of ruling party for corruption in government to be exposed - but in the previous administration?

This was one of the virtues of the two-term syndrome: that ruling parties changed every decade or so, which did not allow corruption to become entrenched. But let us not forget: before J.A.G. Smith there was no drive to arrest, try and jail corrupt politicians. I remember the revelations after the 1972 elections about the questionable Beverly Hills land deals, and the three missing schools; and the incoming PNP government did nothing to bring anyone to book.

The scandals surrounding the PNP government of the 1970s were legendary - Green Bay and Orange Lane among them - but the incoming JLP government did not launch any investigation to discover those accountable. You wink at my corruption and I will wink at yours; you will get your turn and I will get mine. Poor us!

This changed when the PNP paved the way for the trial and conviction of a JLP minister of labour. Then came the end of the two-term syndrome. And in the '90s and the new millennium, Jamaican civil society matured, and required higher standards of behaviour from parties in power. And now after the recent change of government, the JLP is on a crusade to expose and have prosecuted corruption in the previous PNP government. Jamaican politics will never be the same; when the PNP returns to power, the JLP can expect no quarter.

Refreshing change

The result of this refreshing change can only be good for the people of Jamaica. The fear of exposure by the media and the real possibility of future prosecution will lead a responsible political party to put systems in place to prevent corruption. Hopefully, these systems will be both internal to the party (to discover potential scandals before they become public) and in the state bureaucracy for full public transparency.

The real litmus test about whether there has been a real change of heart (to turn away from corruption) is whether Jamaica's political parties - especially when in power - are willing and prepared to jail their members guilty of corrupt practices. We are clearly not there yet. The previous PNP government had several opportunities to expose corruption within its ranks which it chose not to take advantage of; I am here thinking of the furniture scandal, and the street people scandal; and there are many others.

I am also thinking of the Trafigura affair, where the PNP in government refused to allow Dutch investigators to come to Jamaica to make enquiries. If there is a commitment to root out corruption wherever it exists, then we must allow investigations to proceed, and let the chips fall where they may. The Jamaica of the new millennium is not the Jamaica of the 1970s; Jamaican civil society and the Jamaican media will not easily allow political parties to be soft on corrupt practices among their members without suffering vilification.

Plug loopholes

The present JLP government needs to stand up and take notice. "The same knife that stick sheep, stick goat". Old habits die hard, and corruption was not a stranger to previous JLP regimes; sooner or later a member of this JLP government is going to be caught in corruption. Should the Bruce Golding regime buck and shuffle, and waffle, and put in place sham inquests and commissions of enquiry, they will be harshly treated in the court of public opinion.

I have been writing this column for over 15 years, and have not been slow to talk about government corruption. I have pointed out that both parties have supported legislation without teeth and guidelines without the force of law which have created opportunities for corruption. So-called anti-corruption legislation which does not provide for public disclosure of the assets of politicians helps them to hide ill-gotten gains; both the PNP and JLP have agreed to this!

Procurement guidelines which apply to both PNP and JLP do not have the force of law; guidelines for the disposal of government lands do not have the force of law. Politicians who have clearly breached them have been able to truthfully say they have broken no law; but these breaches are still corruption, and the loopholes must be plugged.

We are a young nation, and still immature. But we are growing up fast, and growing pains can hurt. This is a testing time for the PNP, and maybe more heads will have to roll; but in the end, both the PNP and Jamaica will be the better for it.