Opposition leader Portia Simpson Miller made an important call for unity in her new year's message, which bears some discussion, especially in light of the severe challenges we face as a nation."At this time of grave economic and social challenges, we need to bond together - community by community and parish by parish as one family working for the betterment of our country," the Opposition leader said.

If we could only internalise that as a goal and really work toward it, Jamaica would be that much closer to development without the investment of one dollar. But we would have to overcome our proclivity to be fractious, divisive and partisan - a daunting task for us as Jamaicans.

As I have said before, the trait I despise most about us is our partisan, fractious and divisive spirit, which makes it difficult to achieve consensus and compromise. Our skills in building partnerships, alliances and in brokering win-win outcomes are woefully lacking. At all levels of our society we lack a cooperative spirit. This has a significant economic and social cost associated with it. Our low levels of social capital represent a major hindrance to economic development and no amount of economic and political reform will deliver the results if this cultural trait is not changed.

Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller.- Anthony Minott/Freelance Photographer

In light of our cultural orientation, the Opposition leader's call was most appropriate and timely. The fact that she herself did not choose to attack the Government stridently - or even at all, despite what must be the obvious temptation - shows that she was setting the example with commendable restraint.

year's wish for Jamaica

"My new year's wish for Jamaica is that as brothers and sisters we will make 2009 the year of unity." If you say she is a hypocrite, for she and the PNP will still have to criticise the Government (and they frequently do), then you don't understand unity and manifest the very problem we are talking about.

The fact that one believes in pursuing unity does not mean that he can't be critical of others or that he can't complain. The country is better for the more vocal and vibrant Opposition PNP we have now. Criticism, critique, debate and contention are not bad words, and a part of maturity is understanding that sometimes in the pursuit of unity one has to engage in criticism and critique.

It is out of the dialectics of criticism, contention and struggle that a new synthesis often emerges. Failure to offer critique and counter-points often result in ossified, sterile positions which, of course, is counterproductive to growth.

The Opposition leader pulled on Desmond Dekker's song, Unity, which says, "This is the time that we all should live as one brothers and sisters." And though those words were written in 1967, this is indeed the time for us to live as one, brothers and sisters.

common goals

"Nothing worthwhile can be achieved without unity," Mrs Simpson Miller told us in her New Year's message and it is a message we should well remember throughout the year. There are some common goals, she said, to which we should commit ourselves. She suggested some. The year 2009, she said, is a time "not for fighting against each other but for fighting for the equality and respect of all citizens, for the freedom from injustice, oppression and exploitation and for the empowerment of our people in the management of their homes and their communities".

There are some new year's resolutions which I wish we would make as a people. This is chief among my list:

I wish we could resolve - and our political parties could unite around - eliminating garrison politics. I realise that the two main parties have a deeply vested interest in what Bruce Golding once appropriately called "dutty politics".

Politicians are reluctant to cut the links with garrison politics for it supports their interests. They will see the need to break when sufficient pressure is brought upon them from civil society and powerful voices in the private sector, and when garrison politics becomes too costly for them. I hope this is the year when those things can come together.

The PNP and the JLP have to see that it is no longer in their interest to maintain garrison politics - and we have to help them to see that, if you understand what I mean. Mrs Simpson Miller talked about uniting around certain goals. I would like her and Bruce Golding to take on the goal of eliminating garrison politics as one concrete goal to unite around this year.

The Government, which as responsibility for running the country, must bear the primary responsibility - and its roadmap on national security commits it to that - but the Government alone can't do it.

This is one area we have to keep up the pressure on. We can't cede whole territories to criminals and dons. We shudder at the warlords' power in Gravel Heights, but the fact is that it is garrison politics which facilitates that. We have to cut the thing at its roots. Civil society needs to be more organised in forcing the politicians on this matter. And the politicians must see that they are being catastrophically myopic when they continue their links with criminals and terrorists because they feel they need them to win elections and maintain power over certain communities.

The political parties should work together seriously and systematically to extricate themselves from the stranglehold of the criminal dons, shottas and whole criminal network which supports garrison politics. This is something which they can be united around.

Another matter which they need to unite around is the elimination of corruption. Now I know I sound unforgivably naive when I talk about politicians being serious about tackling corruption, but if we can't believe that that is possible what hope is there for the political project in Jamaica?

All your dreams, ideals, goals and strategies will amount to very little if we continue to foster a culture of corruption. A culture which winks at "the runnings". A culture which turns a blind eye to corruption once it is being done by your party or your in-group. You can't just be passionate about corruption when it is in the other party. You have to have an aversion to corruption. Period.

unite

What's hard about uniting around that? And if we as a country unite around that, civil society must find the practical and concrete means of bringing that unified action to bear on the political class. Remember that in a democracy, the politicians, by nature, have to be responsive to pressure from below and to mass action. They are afraid of their shadow. They can't ignore public opinion or a groundswell of action on any matter. The problem is that we chat a lot on our verandahs and on radio, but are not good at organisation and I am not talking about blocking roads.

There is a way to build critical mass on certain issues and in 2009 we have to be effective in finding these ways. Now that the Opposition leader has suggested that we make 2009 the Year of Unity, it's good to wrap our minds around some priority areas for unified action.

Another matter we should be united around is our support for independent, non-partisan thinking and thinkers. We must come as a people to value dissent, debate and disagreement. This is a very important point which relates to development. Our narrow-mindedness, pettiness and emotional fragility which make us over-react to every perceived sleight, every criticism, and every disagreement is a serious cultural shortcoming.

The discouragement of dissent, debate, intellectual ferment and even intellectual promiscuity can be fatal. Companies and corporate cultures which punish dissent, diversity, disagreement suffer at the bottom line. Countries which are known for their scientific ingenuity, innovation and creativity cherish dissent, creating tension etc. Others which foster the yellow-pencil approach might get wealthy but through adopting other's inventions and creativity.

respect

Unity cannot come if we don't respect one another's right to their own beliefs. We must give people the right to be wrong. This is the essence of pluralistic democracy.

Our high proclivity to violence in Jamaica has its roots in our intolerance, narrow-mindedness, bigotry and our revulsion to dissent and diversity.

Some kill over disagreements; others of us merely trace in writing and speech (sometimes in refined tones) while some others with power victimise those who disagree with them, while others without power just "malice" their "enemies". But it's the same spirit. Just that some of us don't have the heart to actually murder, but we have a murderous spirit.

We would willingly support certain people's losing their jobs just because of their politics; we would support some people not being promoted because of their politics and we would fail to support good men and women just because they say something negative about our political party.

In my view, if we as Jamaicans could be less partisan and divisive and embrace diversity, disagreement and dissent, we would find the emotional and intellectual resources to pursue unity, as Portia Simpson Miller has so wisely recommended.

Ian Boyne is a veteran journalist who may be reached at ianboyne1@yahoo.com or columns@gleanerjm.com.