In Christendom, the Ten Commandments speak to the obligations that Homo Sapiens owes to his God, who demands full allegiance, and to his fellowman. Our constitution devotes a chapter to the rights to which the citizen is entitled. And nowhere in that principal legal document is there to be found a recital of the duties that the citizen owes to the State or to his fellow citizens.

As a rule, it is the same with most constitutions; moreover, there is a United Nations Declaration that targets "human rights".

The third chapter of our constitution provides that the rights to which every person in Jamaica is entitled is "subject to respect for the rights and freedoms of others and for the public interest". This qualification is to be modernised and made more meaningful in the proposed new Charter of Rights.

The "rights" are then spelt out in the chapter, together with the considered limitations or qualifications. There is no statement of "obligations", "duties" or "responsibilities", except in the reference that the citizen owes a duty to other persons not to hinder them "in the enjoyment of their rights".

Perhaps for these and additional reasons, there has developed in Jamaica a culture of entitlement to, and protection of, rights. A culture of a sense of responsibility has lagged far behind, thereby removing one of the foundation elements from the principles which are meant to pave the way in moving towards the just society.

Constitutional architecture

In her contribution to the recent Budget Debate, Leader of the Opposition Portia Simpson Miller was of the view that "the new constitutional architecture will require the full and objective participation of every shareholder in Jamaica's success".

To participate fully and objectively in that process, the citizen is required not purely to pursue his rights and entitlements; he must be singularly alive to his obligations and his responsibilities. This requires that a new conversation be developed and properly structured in our country to foster a culture of responsibility in our societal arrangements and interaction.

Rights and responsibilities are the roots of the tree of "full and objective participation". The danger of an over-concentration on the projection of the one over the other will render the tree lopsided and out of shape. In time, it may even topple. So, developing that new conversation will require that both sides of the root equation be respected.

As we proceed to deal with the harsh challenges of the times, this is one goal that we are obliged to set ourselves - putting in place a settled platform for future meaningful engagement, with our citizens and our leaders armed with a sense of responsibility. We know that for those countries in which that culture has been allowed to blossom and flourish, their citizens will find a way out of the present crisis far more easily than other countries, such as ours, in which the populace has neglected that road for far too long.

Rights and privileges

Over the past 47 years of our independence, strong efforts have been made to have Jamaicans become increasingly aware of the rights and privileges to which they are entitled. That road had to be travelled, given our history of slavery and colonialism.

Further, the rights of people across the globe had been so severely trampled upon as a result of the terrible wars that were waged during the 20th century, that the protection of human rights, universally, took real shape and has ripened, some would say, even into a strident industry.

It is also true that workers, vulnerable groups, persons charged with criminal offences and several others have witnessed a solid measure of agitation on their behalf over these years. And it can be feelingly and reasonably argued that even that kind of attention has not been adequate.

One result, however, is that there has been a sharp imbalance in the approaches that have been taken concerning these initiatives. The obligations of the individual to the social contract have largely been left in the background, leading to an equal imbalance in the attitude of our citizens to "full and objective participation".

Process of governance

Of course, the prominent place that has been accorded to clientelism in the process of governance for such a long period of time has also served to relegate the responsibility imperative to an unfortunately low place in the public governance conversation.

Late in his contribution to the just concluded Budget Debate in the House of Representatives, the prime minister declared that: "We need urgently to develop a sense of responsibility. We need a conversation as to what is (the role of) government and what is the responsibility of government."

He is undoubtedly correct and, for me, nothing that the prime minister had to say surpassed that declaration in terms of weight and importance.

In point of fact, as a developmental mechanism for the near, medium or long term, this is the meeting place of the sentiments expressed by the two parliamentary leaders in the Budget Debate. For, in the process of development, a "sense of responsibility", as declared by the prime minister, is an indispensable tool for the "full and objective participation of every shareholder" as put forward by the leader of the Opposition.

This, then, is the essential meeting place of the required new conversation and it is recognised and put on the table by both leaders. The architecture of the new conversation must, however, extend to the responsibilities of individuals in all sectors of the society, including those whose hands are on the levers of power and those who seek to hold such positions.

Poor protesting Jamaicans

It can hardly be doubted that the prime minister was on solid ground in pointing to poor protesting Jamaicans, the "clever" tax-evading businessman, the neglectful father and mother and the distracted boy and girl in class as being required to shoulder their responsibilities. After all, that large grouping constitutes an integral part of the body of Jamaicans and a sizeable part of the present and future integrity of the country.

And he would surely agree with the leader of the Opposition that the architecture of the new conversation must spell out very clearly the rules that govern all of us, including the country's leadership, and that these rules must be adhered to.

This declared meeting place cannot be allowed just to be about the two parliamentary leaders receiving plaudits for their insightful points of view expressed in a debate. We have to insist that they lead the process beyond words and towards the road of a sense of responsibility being cultivated.

Throughout the ages, mankind has made progress in large measure as a result of exemplary leadership, in the home, in the school environment, at the workplace, at worship, at war or in the halls of power.

In that context, we insist that the parliamentary leaders cannot have it both ways as they seek to lead the process towards a sense of responsibility becoming embedded in the psyche of our people. They have to point the way forward by the manner in which they deal with their people.

For example, very early in his presentation, the prime minister affirmed that: "The global crisis caught us with our pants down. We did not drop our pants only since September 2007! Our pants have been at our ankles for decades! We were in a crisis long before this crisis".

Well, that is a conclusion which he must have arrived at long before September 2007, what with his decades of almost uninterrupted participation in public life in Jamaica. He would have been painfully aware of Jamaica's unfortunate position in that significant regard when he sought the leadership of his party and of the country.

The prime minister should courageously explain to the citizens of Jamaica the motivation that led him and his spokespersons, in those circumstances, to promise the miracles of SUVs being owned and driven by farmers in economic straits, doubling and tripling the pay of public employees, the creation of a mountain of jobs, and more. It must be appreciated that that irresponsible saturation has made it immeasurably more difficult for consumers to come to terms with bearing the cross of the present burdens.

Not long before September 2007, several parliamentary elections were conducted in our sister CARICOM territories whose citizens, as we are often reminded, do not have their pants at their ankles or, in fact, down at all. And in none of those exercises were those kinds of outrageous entreaties made to the electorate.

Sense of responsibility

In the interest of cementing the meeting place laid down by the two parliamentary leaders, we must be prepared to forgive the primeminister. For, it may just be that the required conversation to drive the development of a sense of responsibility and a new architecture for full and objective participation is to be the Philippi where leadership will meet, and invite us all to share in this exercise at this, another crossroads for Jamaica.

And, if that is so, the champions of Christendom will tell us that it is our duty to encourage the process.

A.J. Nicholson is Opposition spokesman on justice. Feedback may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com.