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Research Commons at The http://waikato.researchgateway.ac.nz/ Research Commons at the University of Waikato Copyright Statement: The digital copy of this thesis is protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). The thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use: Any use you make of these documents or images must be for research or private study purposes only, and you may not make them available to any other person. Authors control the copyright of their thesis. You will recognise the author’s right to be identified as the author of the thesis, and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate. You will obtain the author’s permission before publishing any material from the thesis. WHEN CITIZEN POLITICS BECOMES UNCIVIL: Between Popular Protest, Civil Society and Governance in Jamaica. BY HUME NICOLA JOHNSON Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications, University of the West Indies, Jamaica Master of Science in Government, University of the West Indies, Jamaica A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE & PUBLIC POLICY THE UNIVERSITY OF WAIKATO NEW ZEALAND DECEMBER 2006 ‘Hungry men and women have a right to call attention to their condition and to ask of people fulfilment of promises made to them so as long as they do so without using violence’. Rt. Excellent, Sir Alexander Bustamante, Trade Unionist, National Hero, and first Premier of Jamaica, 1938. ii Abstract _________________________________________ This thesis focuses on the problem of incivility within the domains of citizen politics and civil society by exploring the proclivity for popular protest in Jamaica and the intersections between popular citizen protest, civil society and governance in this context. It scrutinizes the tenor of contemporary civilian politics and assesses the consequent impact on the quality of civil society more broadly. The thesis challenges the assumption within accepted definitions of civil society that civic participation is always positive. It does so by examining the manner in which citizens engage collectively to defend their interests and make claims upon the state, as well as the extent to which this model of political participation serves the agenda and promise of civil society. Through an in-depth, country-specific, empirical case study, the thesis examines micro social processes of power at community level to raise questions about who should be represented in civil society and how the voices of the marginalized are to be heard. In this regard, it explores the role of social inequality, feelings of social injustice and political exclusion as contributory factors in the existing tenor of citizen politics in Jamaica. It also examines the challenges facing the contemporary state and the impact of violent protests on state engagement, public action and political performance. The study analyses the lived experiences, observations and perspectives of a wide cross section of Jamaican citizens, gleaned from face-to-face interviews, focus group discussions, as well as a range of secondary material, including audio-visual data, to illuminate this process of struggle and underscore the factors which drive violent protests in this political context. The thesis concludes that maximum disruption, including violence, has not only become the basis of civil protest in Jamaica, but that the varied and contradictory responses of the state bureaucracy and political actors (Members of Parliament, activists, other political iii officials), as well as the mass media, have directly contributed to the style and tenor of protest politics in Jamaica. This state of affairs reduces popular citizen participation over genuine concerns to mob-style incivility and undermines civil society as a source of positive and responsible citizenship. The growing political importance of grassroots-based citizen participation and community building—within the context of a global imperative to forge ‘democracy from below’—lends theoretical and normative credence to emerging concerns about the current character of popular citizen mobilizations and protest. This study thus establishes the basis for a presumption in favour of civility, civil discourse and civil action as fundamental to the construction of civil society. In doing so, it extends current scholarly understandings of civil society to Third World contexts, with a specific emphasis on Jamaica. iv Acknowledgements __________________________________________________________________________________ The ability to fasten yourself to a desk and chair for a minimum of three years is only one component of the discipline and tenacity I required to arrive at this point – the completion of the all-encompassing, time-consuming, intellectually-exacting and isolating project which is writing a doctoral dissertation. But I also arrived here because of the insistence, confidence and inspiration of some wonderful people to whom I feel particularly indebted. For initiating me into the fascinating world of fieldwork and the rigour of academic writing many years ago as an undergraduate at the University of the West Indies (Jamaica), I owe Professor Barry Chevannes a debt of gratitude. My deepest homage of course goes to one of my favourite people, Professor Trevor Munroe of the Department of Government at the UWI, who steered me in the direction of doctoral study at a time when my professional path seemed unfixed, and thanks to lively discussions and debates during my graduate years, inspired in me a love for the study of politics. My thanks also to Delano Franklyn, who placed on so many occasions, (perhaps) blind faith in my academic ability and set about to test my research mettle on various tasks during his work as Chief Advisor to former Jamaican Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson. Words are somewhat inadequate to express my enormous appreciation to my thesis directors at the University of Waikato – Drs. Priya Kurian, Patrick Barrett and Alan Simpson. With patience and open-mindedness, all three offered useful suggestions, critique and considered opinion as I grappled to make sense of mountains of empirical data and attempted to constantly reconcile the complexities and contradictions of studying and writing about citizen politics and civil society in Jamaica. In short, I had a team of quintessential scholars, whose expert academic guidance in a very gregarious atmosphere played no small role in the quality of the final product. v I am particularly grateful to Dr. Kurian for allowing me to unmercifully barge into her office for impromptu discussions and personal advice as well as for encouraging my efforts to write and publish peer-reviewed articles, a book chapter, participate in domestic and international academic conferences as well as whet my appetite for University-level teaching. My academic relationship with her influenced my research style and gave considerable breadth to my intellectual thinking. I also thank Professor Joseph Soeters from the Netherlands Defence Academy and the University of Tilburg, who took exceptional interest in my research work and insistently encouraged and made possible collaborative work between us. I look forward to continuing our research cooperation. I thank the Government of New Zealand for financing my studies in New Zealand and the staff of the International Centre at Waikato University for the professional and considerate manner in which they administered my scholarship. I had a great time in the Department of Political Science & Public Policy! Thanks guys for the loads of laughter, joie de vivre and camaraderie that made my academic journey feel more like a theme park ride. I am particularly indebted to the many individuals who lent their assistance, cooperation and time to this study especially during the months of field work carried out in Jamaica. I make particular mention of Norris Rhoomes of the National Computer Centre of the Jamaica Constabulary Force for providing me with up-to-date statistical data and trends in roadblocks and demonstrations in Jamaica. Sorry for the hassles Norris! There are no words sufficient to convey my love and gratitude to my best friend Nickesia Gordon. You have been a bedrock of support and love during moments of frustration, distress and delight, as the vicissitudes of doing a PhD took its toll and as we struggled to maintain our strong bond of friendship across continents. To my close friends (who act more like family) – Ingrid, Anneke, Bundy, Vickie and Lloyd– whose moral support, vi advice and friendship helped to lessen the load of an arduous doctoral project, I offer a huge thanks as well. For a most delightful and eventful experience in New Zealand, I owe to a throng of enduring relationships and friendships that I fostered with mates from Africa, the Pacific Islands, Australia, China, Europe, India and New Zealand. To some special Kiwi blokes – David, Dusty, Jeff and Cameron – for their absolute grasp, love, enthusiasm (nay obsession) for Jamaican music culture and for keeping it alive in New Zealand. Kia ora bros! To Yeshesvini Chandar and Nounou Twaha for being there when I most needed companionship, and for entertaining me during the periods when my host city, Hamilton and doctoral study seem mindlessly unexciting. My deepest gratitude is reserved for my family – my mother, Elizabeth (Betty) Tucker, my brother, Curtis Johnson, and sister, Nadeen Johnson. Their gift to me has been extraordinary
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