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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SPAN class=TopStory>Will the knives stay buried?</SPAN>
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Monday, September 25, 2006
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<P class=StoryText align=justify>For the most part, Jamaicans in their early to mid-20s have only vague recollections if any at all, of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in government.<P class=StoryText align=justify>After nine years in power, the JLP, then led by Mr Edward Seaga, lost the 1989 elections to Mr Michael Manley's People's National Party (PNP) fully 17 years ago and have been out in the 'cold' ever since.<P class=StoryText align=justify>By keeping the PNP in government this long, the Jamaican electorate discarded the old tradition - dating back to the dawn of universal adult suffrage in 1944 - of neither Jamaican political party holding power for longer than two terms.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Based on the success of the PNP's election machinery since 1989, an uninformed stranger would be forgiven for believing that over those years the country has had unprecedented economic growth, peace and prosperity.<P class=StoryText align=justify>In truth, while the PNP claims many successes, crime, unemployment and poverty continue to haunt our society at unacceptable levels.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Those of us who have been in a position to closely watch and analyse the last 17 years will readily recognise that the PNP's success has had much to do with the divisiveness and ugly infighting that tormented the JLP for much of that time.<P class=StoryText align=justify>No wonder then, that despite the several high-profile defections of recent months, the JLP, which now claims to be fully united behind Mr Bruce Golding after what was a bitter leadership contest, is confidently predicting victory in the upcoming parliamentary elections.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Their biggest hurdle and stumbling block is prime minister and PNP president, Mrs Portia Simpson Miller, who polls have consistently shown continues to be the most popular Jamaican political leader since Mr Manley.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The PNP's recognition of this fact has been a huge motivating factor in the drive to bury the knives and unite the party following what was the most hostile and divisive presidential contest in the history of the PNP.
Hence the message of the absolute imperative of unity delivered to PNP delegates by Mrs Simpson Miller's immediate predecessor Mr PJ Patterson, at Saturday's delegates' session of the PNP's 68th annual conference.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"I say that not only is she (Mrs Simpson Miller) the best hope of victory, she is the only hope of victory, and we must unite around her," said Mr Patterson, who friend and foe agree is Jamaica's most successful politician ever in terms of the winning of elections.<P class=StoryText align=justify>So here we have the Opposition JLP banking on its show of unity behind Mr Golding and on the failures of a ruling party that has been in power for 17 years and with which many, especially among the young, will have understandably grown weary.<P class=StoryText align=justify>And then there is the ruling PNP, scrambling to regain its organisational unity and banking on the great popularity of its leader to take it home to a fifth straight term in government.<P class=StoryText align=justify>It begs the question: what of the future of the party leader who loses the upcoming general elections? Will he or she survive or will the knives be unsheathed to deadly effect?
There are interesting times ahead.
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Monday, September 25, 2006
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P class=StoryText align=justify>For the most part, Jamaicans in their early to mid-20s have only vague recollections if any at all, of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in government.<P class=StoryText align=justify>After nine years in power, the JLP, then led by Mr Edward Seaga, lost the 1989 elections to Mr Michael Manley's People's National Party (PNP) fully 17 years ago and have been out in the 'cold' ever since.<P class=StoryText align=justify>By keeping the PNP in government this long, the Jamaican electorate discarded the old tradition - dating back to the dawn of universal adult suffrage in 1944 - of neither Jamaican political party holding power for longer than two terms.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Based on the success of the PNP's election machinery since 1989, an uninformed stranger would be forgiven for believing that over those years the country has had unprecedented economic growth, peace and prosperity.<P class=StoryText align=justify>In truth, while the PNP claims many successes, crime, unemployment and poverty continue to haunt our society at unacceptable levels.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Those of us who have been in a position to closely watch and analyse the last 17 years will readily recognise that the PNP's success has had much to do with the divisiveness and ugly infighting that tormented the JLP for much of that time.<P class=StoryText align=justify>No wonder then, that despite the several high-profile defections of recent months, the JLP, which now claims to be fully united behind Mr Bruce Golding after what was a bitter leadership contest, is confidently predicting victory in the upcoming parliamentary elections.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Their biggest hurdle and stumbling block is prime minister and PNP president, Mrs Portia Simpson Miller, who polls have consistently shown continues to be the most popular Jamaican political leader since Mr Manley.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The PNP's recognition of this fact has been a huge motivating factor in the drive to bury the knives and unite the party following what was the most hostile and divisive presidential contest in the history of the PNP.
Hence the message of the absolute imperative of unity delivered to PNP delegates by Mrs Simpson Miller's immediate predecessor Mr PJ Patterson, at Saturday's delegates' session of the PNP's 68th annual conference.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"I say that not only is she (Mrs Simpson Miller) the best hope of victory, she is the only hope of victory, and we must unite around her," said Mr Patterson, who friend and foe agree is Jamaica's most successful politician ever in terms of the winning of elections.<P class=StoryText align=justify>So here we have the Opposition JLP banking on its show of unity behind Mr Golding and on the failures of a ruling party that has been in power for 17 years and with which many, especially among the young, will have understandably grown weary.<P class=StoryText align=justify>And then there is the ruling PNP, scrambling to regain its organisational unity and banking on the great popularity of its leader to take it home to a fifth straight term in government.<P class=StoryText align=justify>It begs the question: what of the future of the party leader who loses the upcoming general elections? Will he or she survive or will the knives be unsheathed to deadly effect?
There are interesting times ahead.