Incivility: The Politics of ‘People on the Margins’ in Jamaica

Abstract

This paper employs and scrutinizes Asef Bayat's theory of [the] 'quiet encroachment' of the 'informal people' in the Middle East to reflect on civility and governance in Jamaica. The central argument is that while the practices of the economically dispossessed represent rational ways to survive hardships and improve their lives, the alliance of members of Jamaica's informal sphere with 'community dons' flies in the face of civility and civic engagement, engendering destructive, criminal behaviour, which undermines the state's capacity to regulate the space and uphold the rule of law. The essay recognises the validity of the episodic mobilization of 'people on the margins' in Jamaica as a useful, autonomous aspect of civil society, without romanticising it or abstracting it from its counterpoint to the state. It however maintains that such a collectivity, operating vicariously, exerts a burden on social stability and cohesion with dire consequences for democratic governance.

Performing protest in Jamaica: the mass media as stage

“…This model of resistance was manifested in the violent labour unrest of the 1930s and 1940s, the Black Power movements of the 1960s, (including the Walter Rodney riots of 1968), the violent partisan political upheavals of the 1970s as well as the fuel protests of 1979, the all-island strike of 1985, and the Gas riots of 1999 (see Charles 1977;Munroe 1999;Meeks 1996Meeks , 2000. Since the mid 1990s, deficient delivery of social services -water, proper roads, sewerage, electrification and public transportation -as well as growing concerns over inflationary standards of living and issues of justice embodied in human rights violations (police killings and abuse) regularly drive large numbers of Jamaican citizens onto the streets mounting roadblocks and engaging in disorderly demonstrations (Johnson 2007(Johnson , 2005. Together these issues are fundamental to basic survival and the quality of life.…”

“…This is how a former media colleague once described street protests and demonstrations in Jamaica. The remark was meant as a comedic reference to the extraordinary frequency of citizen protest (some 200-300 roadblock-demonstrations annually) and the regularity with which the news media lend it coverage (Johnson 2007, refer to chapter 6). The description is an intriguing one because, as my colleague continued, 'the media is where a forum is established which allows poor people to speak and be heard'.…”

Homicide Through A Different Lens

“…A number of people were shot and injured. Five people lost their lives including a soldier from the Jamaica Defense Force, and military armoured and police vehicles were set alight (Harriott 2000;Johnson 2005). In an effort to quell the social unrest and chaos that was spiralling out of control, law enforcement agents and politicians decided that the don was the person who could bring an end to the rioting.…”

“…A constituency is a geographical political unit and Jamaica has a total of 60 constituencies each of which is represented by an elected Member Formed in the 1930s and early 1940s, both political parties have, since their inception, engaged in highly competitive and partisan political practices. Jamaica has had, and to some extent still has, a clientelist political culture in which the political patron who has access to material resources, state patronage, private or public wealth, distributes it to favoured clients who are often the most socially disadvantaged in society (Johnson 2005;Sives 2002: 69). In exchange for the material and economic assistance received from a political party, the poorer classes show their loyalties by voting exclusively for that party.…”

JAMAICA: A famous, strong but damaged brand

“…Indeed, over the last 50 years, Jamaica has undergone a fundamental revolution in the values, attitudes and behavioral norms, which have guided the society. This has manifested itself in the intensification of crime and violence, civil disorder and other manifestations of social deviance (Munroe, 1999;Gray, 2004;Johnson, 2011Johnson, , 2005Johnson, , 2008Boyd, 2004).…”