I write today as a concerned Jamaican who believes deeply in the rule of law, but who is becoming increasingly troubled by the direction in which our country appears to be heading.

Democracy is built upon accountability, fairness, and public confidence. Yet many Jamaicans are beginning to ask whether our democratically elected government is drifting towards a style of governance that relies less on public trust and more on coercive enforcement.

Day after day, social media is flooded with videos of motorists being stopped and issued tickets for what many perceive to be minor or technical infractions. Whether every video tells the full story is beside the point. The growing perception among the public is that discretion has all but disappeared and enforcement has become an end in itself.