The news last week that Jamaica had slipped further down the corruption index of Transparency International attracted less attention than the downgrade of the country”s economic outlook by Moody”s rating agency. But the link between the two cannot be missed; corruption weakens the economy and a weak economy is a fuel for corruption.

Accordingly, the two issues demand new approaches to political leadership that not only recognises that the country is in deep crisis; leadership must give a realistic basis for hope that our problems are not unfixable.

So when Prime Minister Bruce Golding addresses the annual conference of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) today, he must resist the temptation to retreat into the bosom of “rock-stone” Labourites. Instead, he should use the opportunity to restart the renewal process he so brilliantly laid out at his swearing-in just over two years ago. A lot of political capital has been squandered since then, but all is not necessarily lost.

Mr Golding will be speaking to JLP delegates and the wider Jamaican community against a background of intense public debate about how the country is perceived by critical agencies and players in the international community. He also knows that perception has the power of reality and that these agencies and players – and investors whom they influence – will act on the basis of how they perceive us and not on what we are or how we think of ourselves.

On the corruption index, in which the best possible score is 10, Jamaica scored 3.1, down from 3.7 in 2006, to rank 99 of 180 countries rated by Transparency International. This is three places down from a year ago and puts Jamaica in the bottom rung among Caribbean Community countries.

On the economic side, Moody”s – coming after Standard & Poor”s – downgraded the country”s local and foreign debt with a negative outlook. The Economist magazine and Barclays Capital also weighed in, suggesting that we may have passed the point of no return and that a dreaded debt restructuring may be necessary.

Even if the much-delayed Stand-by Agreement with the International Monetary Fund for US$1.2 billion arrives before Christmas, as the prime minister is now suggesting, it will not come as a gift from Santa Claus. The ribbons holding the gift box in place will be strings of hardship, binding all of us for a long time.

Some aspects of the corruption fix are relatively easy and certainly inexpensive. Contractor General Greg Christie in his special report on the Mabey and Johnson corruption allegations made some recommendations that can be addressed in the short run.

He called on Parliament “to urgently examine its current anti-corruption institutional and legislative framework” to insulate anti-corruption institutions “from any possible interference, obstruction or direction” from the administration and provide these institutions with more resources to more effectively “fight against the scourge of corruption”.

As noted in this space recently, the OCG also wants to see tougher sanctions against persons found to be engaging in corrupt activities. The measures would include seizure or confiscation of the proceeds of acts of corruption. The OCG should be empowered to be more proactive and aggressive in investigating alleged acts of corruption against the State.

At the level of institution building, note is also taken of the November 12 inaugural meeting of the Multi-agency Task Force of Jamaica”s anti-corruption agencies, coordinated by the UWI-led National Integrity Action Forum. The prime minister himself participated in that meeting, indicating he appreciates the importance of the work of coordinating the agencies so they are more effective in the fight against corruption.

Jamaica”s struggle against corruption involves bringing together officials from Jamaica”s anti-corruption agencies, with leaders from the private sector and from civil society.

These ideas, along with the contractor general”s specific requests, are all reasonable and doable proposals which should attract support from well-thinking Jamaicans.

However, we must also recognise that new laws and strengthening anti-corruption institutions are not sufficient to turn the tide against corruption which may have become endemic, as exemplified by the arrest of two jurors for allegedly seeking a bribe to free an accused person and thereby subvert the justice system.

Reversing the perception of Jamaica as a corrupt place will also require, as a Gleaner editorial pointed out last week, “a fundamental shift in the political ethos” especially as it relates to garrison politics as practised by the two major political parties over many decades.

Not so long ago, Mr Golding – wearing the NDM political hat at the time – warned of the dangers of this kind of politics and promised to turn away from it. There have only been tentative steps in the journey which requires long, bold strides.

At a recent Area Council conference the prime minister, citing former prime minister Edward Seaga as reference, chided those who were “writing, speaking, pronouncing and pontificating” about garrison politics, pointing to the fact that a few individuals from Arnett Gardens and Tivoli Gardens were playing football for each other”s team in the Premier League as evidence of the transformation going on in formerly warring communities.

This is clearly a positive development indicating a welcome reduction in the tribal wars of an earlier era.

What it does not address is the larger issues reflected in a succession of reports and studies about the link between politics and organised crime and the extent to which politically connected “dons” exercise tremendous influence in the political process.

As the Gleaner editorial pointed out, the Government”s handling of the request from the United States for the extradition of Christopher “Dudus” Coke, the West Kingston “businessman” and reputed “don” whom Washington accuses of exporting narcotics to the United States and importing guns into Jamaica, illustrates the point.

“Many Jamaicans are persuaded, we feel, that the Government has dithered on the request, and not because, as is claimed, the administration is intent on respecting the constitutional rights of a Jamaican citizen. The perception is that the Government is stalling because of who Coke is, where he is from and what he represents,” the editorial commented.

This matter has become extremely controversial. Reports from the police that they have intelligence indicating threats against two media houses, Radio Jamaica and the Gleaner for reporting and commenting on the US request, should not be trivialised.

So when the prime minister speaks today, he must avoid the temptation, irresistible though it may be, to attack the messenger – the local media, Transparency International, or the rating agencies. He must reaffirm Jamaica”s commitment to democratic values including the freedom of expression so loudly proclaimed in the Charter of Rights passed in the House of Representatives last week.

He should also resist blaming the 18 years of successive People”s National Party (PNP) administrations for all the crosses he now bears. It”s not a time for debate. That will only lead to a new round of recrimination.

When the prime minister speaks today, he must tell us in the clearest possible language the tough choices he faces; what he intends to do; the burdens that will have to be shared; and how he intends to rally the country behind a vision and programme that will get the economy back on track and re-establish faith in our public institutions.

kcr@cwjamaica.com