Dear Editor,

The late Lee Kuan Yew believed that the quality of governance could be improved by using attractive salaries to lure the best minds to serve in Government.

Today, Singapore ranks number one on The Chandler Good Government Index, and achieving this was not an easy feat, because Singapore’s public sector was once marred by corruption.

Singapore’s politicians are therefore entitled to lucrative salaries because they have delivered for the Singaporean people.

Jamaica, on the other hand, has regressed relative to former backwaters like Botswana and South Korea. Indeed, global economic shocks and environmental factors have affected development; however, political economist John Rapley argues that Jamaica’s failures are largely a consequence of defective management.

Yet, despite the mediocre performance of politicians they have been granted a salary hike of over 200 per cent. Sensible people would not oppose an increase of 50 per cent as an incentive to encourage better people to serve the country, but rewarding the current crop of mostly non-performers with a hike of over 200 per cent is contemptible.

Although, Jamaicans are outraged by the new salary package, until they send a message to the two useless political parties leading the country astray by endorsing an effective third party they will continue to be treated with impunity and contempt.

The unfortunate reality is that the deference of Jamaicans to the present political establishment makes it impossible for a viable third party to displace the JLP and the PNP. Despite an outward appearance of aggression, Jamaicans are really passive people who genuflect to political authority and local politicians are aware of their submissive nature.

So, since the Jamaican people are unwilling to dump the JLP and the PNP, they must stop complaining and embrace the subpar governance meted out to them by the JLP and the PNP.

We would be remarkably stupid if they expect the JLP and the PNP to change course, because voting for either party is really a case of exchanging zero for zero.

Lipton Matthews

lo_matthews@yahoo.com