It was as if the 8.0 magnitude earthquake that jackhammered the bottom of the Caribbean Sea last week shattered the very ground under our feet. Many did not feel the tremor in the natural, but spiritual turmoil, sifting, and shifting ricocheted everywhere.
Hear the rumblings; sure signs of disintegration are even rocking Gordon House! The government is in panic mode. The floorboards of the House, where the nation’s Members of Parliament congregate to pass laws, set budgets, and discuss the people’s business, is crumbling under strong disagreements, crassness, crudeness, and nastiness, only short of fisticuffs and gunfights.
Anyone who has been paying the slightest attention to the antics of the government and their counterparts would have noticed the sharp decline in standards over time and the more toxic tenement yard contentions in recent weeks.
Three of four vacancies that opened up in the Upper House have been hastily filled with rabid party faithfuls and the perceived level of corruption across public agencies has jumped four points.
If no one else took notice, Transparency International certainly did. The country now ranks 73rd out of 180 countries on the Corruption Perception Index, compared to the 69th position it held in 2023.
Of the nine English-speaking Caribbean countries ranked, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana are the only countries with consistently poor sub-50 CPI scores over the years.
Transparency International, again, lists the island as a “flawed democracy,” where elections are fair and free and basic civil liberties appear to be honoured, but media freedom is infringed and there is evidence that the voices of political and civil opposition are being silenced.
Interestingly, Jamaica earned its lowest score on the CPI in 2017 when the Integrity Commission Act was passed in Gordon House. The Act, pregnant with potential, gave birth to the Integrity Commission, which is tasked with monitoring, investigating, and prosecuting corrupt politicians and public servants.
Today, some of the same politicians who piloted and passed the Act eight years ago are threatening the very existence of the Commission because of its exemplary performance and remarkable diligence. Jamaica House and its underlings have placed the Integrity Commission in the line of fire, where it is fighting tooth and nail to maintain its focus.
The once highly opinionated Jamaican population has lost its voice. The people have become cowards, living with the prevalence of bribery, the lack of punishment of corrupt officials, and public institutions that constantly fail to respond to their needs as citizens.
Everyone knows that if things continue along the current trajectory and the corruption is left unchecked, Jamaica will fast become a failed state. Very few persons are willing to say a word or do anything about it because of the crippling fear of the state, its rogue agents, and rabid defenders.
Even the church, which is supposed to be fearless and bold as a lion, has been silenced for the most part. Large chunks of this once-powerful body are compromised and have abandoned the divinely assigned role as gatekeepers for righteousness, integrity, and against injustice.
Unfortunately, too many who claim to be Christians seem to be sold out to mammon and are not in any position to speak out against the duplicity of standards among the religious leaders or within the political, academic, and business classes.
While the usual suspects regularly take a public stance against corruption and demand integrity in governance, recently their own hypocrisy was on show as they came out in flying colours to bat for the Satanic assault on our schools that was being mounted through the popular female dancehall figure.
These self-assured commentators were blind to the fact that the proposed school tour was the poster child of the very duplicity they claim to detest.
The dancehall artiste proudly declared that she has two distinct personas with opposing values. She credits her success as a businesswoman to the peddling of her bawdy, perverse brand on stages in Jamaica and abroad, even in a gay pride parade. However, in her duplicity, she demands the right to stand in front of students to tell them to do as she says, but not as she does.
This is no different from the works of corrupt politicians with their pretty promises and inaction while feathering their nests with ill-gotten gains snatched from the public purse. They attend gatherings, even in churches, appearing pious and sincere, even as they plot their next assault on public funds.
Wisdom truly begins with the fear of God. This school tour controversy demonstrates to all and sundry that a large percentile of Jamaicans, cutting across education and class barriers, have no fear of the Almighty.
It is this absence of the fear of God that led the government of Jamaica to put its signature on the unrighteous Samoa Agreement, allowing for comprehensive sexual education to be taught in schools, even after the leadership of said government told a meeting that it would not happen in this country.
It is the absence of the fear of God why so many in government and the population have sold their souls to mammon. The love of money continues to be the root of all evil. It is behind the rise in corruption, robbery, scamming, prostitution, and myriads of other ills.
Because it does not fear the true and living God, the government has partnered with unrighteous international partners, following their diplomatic edicts regardless of consequences. Backed by their mighty mammon, those who occupy the high seats of politics are ready to sign away the rights and will of the people they swore to serve.
According to the world’s standards, mammon is the god driving industries, politics, careers, dreams, and relationships. Those in leadership who worship this god are likely to be steeped in secret societies, the occult, and practise high levels of corruption.
Integrity is murdered on the altar of mammon. The fact is, where the Sovereign Lord is not honoured, righteous principles will not be upheld. Jamaica has become the playground for Satan, and since he is on a mission to steal, kill, and destroy, every semblance of integrity is fractured, conmanship is celebrated, and donmanship is elevated.
The rejection of God and righteousness clears the way for reprobate rule with impunity. With the country appearing to be losing the anti-corruption fight, it is clear that Jamaica is in serious trouble.
Scriptures are littered with stories about the ultimate demise of kings who chose the way of the wicked as they ruled over Israel. Neither the king nor the people prospered. Jamaica is no different; there is no prosperity outside of God. We are either for God or we are against God. Nothing or no one can stand against God and survive.
We are in the season of exposure. There are tons of hidden things that will be shouted from rooftops. The spiritual 8.0 magnitude earthquake has hit. The earth is rumbling, and the splintering has begun.