Dear Editor,
Two Church Organizations recently joined a chorus of critical analysis of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Bill, bringing to a grand total, some 30 civil society groups and individuals that are voicing serious concerns.
The Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches (JUGC), and the Watchman Church Leaders Alliance are asking pointed questions about oversight, transparency, financial accountability, and the limits of executive power; as they should.
Who’s Talking?
Lest we miss the weight of who they represent: The JUGC alone represents seven major denominations including the Seventh-day Adventists, the Church of God in Jamaica, Full Gospel Churches, Pentecostal, the New Testament denomination, and Independent churches. Together they speak for roughly 94 percent of all churches in Jamaica and have the potential to mobilise over 1.6 million Jamaicans. That is not a fringe voice. That is serious and unbiased representation of probably the largest voting block nationally.
Speedy Bills
Now it must be noted that there is context for caution in matters where billions of dollars, and extraordinary powers hang in the balance . In 2017, this same administration championed the National Identification System Bill. They were confident it was good for Jamaica. They pushed it through Parliament over the objections of civil society, protests and thousands who signed a petition; ignoring calls for a joint select committee and refusing to slow down. And in April 2019, the Supreme Court struck down the entire act, unanimously, declaring it “null, void and of no legal effect”. Despite the Prime Minister’s declaration that they do not intend to abuse the rights of the people, the Supreme Court found the bill contained unconstitutional provisions that violated the fundamental rights of Jamaican citizens. The lesson from the NIDS 2017 situation is not that government is always wrong. The lesson is that confidence is not the same as correctness and sincerity and speed cannot replace oversight, accountability and the appropriate consultation.
Low-Trust
Recent studies, including a 2026 report by Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) and the Mico Foundation, confirm that Jamaica operates as a low-trust society, characterized by a significant lack of confidence in formal state institutions such as the government. We did not arrive here by accident. Decades of political patronage, corruption scandals, and governance failures have made citizens rightfully cautious when power is concentrated in too few hands. In this kind of environment, the answer to complex national problems is not less oversight, it is more. More transparency, more whistle blower provisions, more financial accountability and more consensus building. Speedily passed bills that avoid meaningful consultation only create more distrust and betray a lack of understanding of the cultural context in which we operate.
A Final Thought
This is what the JUGC and WCLA are communicating. The churches and civil society are not standing in the way of progress. They are standing for the kind of progress that lasts. As the JUGC said “true resilience cannot be built on weakened accountability, but on the firm foundation of integrity, transparency, and justice.” I sincerely hope these unbiased and well reasoned cries do not fall on deaf ears; but are treated with the appropriate attention required by a healthy democracy.
I am,
Dr. Daniel Thomas
President
Love March Movement