Tweet
A legacy of shame, a beacon of hope
Lance Robinson
Saturday, February 09, 2008
There was once a time in Jamaica when we as citizens could stand proud in the grand traditions of our founding fathers in enjoying the multi-party democracy which was fashioned by them and which gave rise to the two great political parties, the Jamaica Labour Party and the People's National Party.
Like the Conservative and Labour parties of the UK and the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States, Jamaica, in our own small way, created and nourished a vibrant two-party system which encapsulated our own rich democratic traditions of freedom, justice and fair play of which we can be justly proud.
The defining moment perhaps in our political history came with the advent of Michael Manley on the political scene in the 1970s when, using his awesome powers of communication, he was able to carry his socialist credo to heights in Jamaica hitherto unknown. This decade marked a watershed in our history, of two defining realities - a past up to that time, devoid of any ideological cleavages and a future fraught with the vagaries of confrontation politics brought on by ensuing political friction.
Not having been previously exposed in our local politics to the international fissures of such political ideology, this period, to our detriment, was used by our leaders to awaken in us all the hidden strictures of class warfare, racial intolerance and wealth disparity in the society. Our attempts since then, at unifying our society under any one set of national ideals or under one flag, have been met with abject failure. It is during this time that the polarisation in our society took hold and became most distinct.
We look back and reflect in our moments of introspection, as to how and why we have arrived at this place where we are today. Any analysis, if we are to be honest, can only lead us to a comparison of the performance of our two political parties while in government.
There can be no doubt that progress of any kind, in any society, must ultimately reflect a successful and vibrant economy in that particular country. A brief analysis of the five decades leading to the present in Jamaica brings out most strikingly, the differences in the economic performance of the country under each party during that time.
The two periods of PNP governance in the 70s and 90s were marked by serious economic stagnation in the country. While our neighbours and indeed many countries of the world were showing growth from seven per cent to 10 per cent annually, under the PNP Jamaica could only display flat or declining growth.
The JLP, on the other hand, having generated our highest economic growth in the history of Jamaica during the 60s, had to work assiduously during the 80s to reverse our negative economic fortunes after the debacle of the 70s.
For the better part of the last two decades, the PNP, in true fashion, showed little or no inclination for self-analysis, while still displaying their propensity for profligate spending and their inability to produce wealth. As a result, they handed over an economy with a trillion-dollar debt burden and a totally abysmal growth of 29 per cent in 19 years, on demitting office.
In governance, leadership is everything, and our current parlous state of affairs in this country must be laid squarely at the feet of the PNP. Our economic deterioration, our crime, our lack of social justice and our general lowering of standards of excellence were allowed to take place during the last 19 years under their watch. Their legacy to this nation on demitting office could only be construed as one of outright shame. Playing the blame game and remaining in denial just cannot cut it anymore.
As Jamaicans we must make up our minds. We will either be detractors and continue to bellyache about non-existent problems without offering any solutions, or, for the first time in a very long time, join together in creating and achieving a new vision for Jamaica which will give us all a better life for ourselves and our children. There is only one Jamaica, and we are all a part of it. Let us give Jamaica our fullest priority and put aside partisan politics.
We cannot go back, the only way is forward. For let us be brutally frank, to once more reinstate a PNP government in Jamaica at this time would represent a disaster of monumental proportion for the country.
Despite the many prognostications to the contrary, the JLP has started off in government doing a sterling job. Their ministers have all hit the ground running and are deserving of much praise.
They have managed to institute programmes in five months that the PNP could only talk about for the last 19 years. For the first time in a very long time, a beacon of hope is once again shining in the country and the whole psyche of the nation has been re-oriented towards a much brighter future. For Jamaica to catch up with the rest of the world in growth and development, the current government must be given full support by the people in not only completing their term in office, but achieving their vision for the future of a much brighter and more prosperous Jamaica.
Lance Robinson is a freelance writer.
lrobinson22@gmail.com
Lance Robinson
Saturday, February 09, 2008
There was once a time in Jamaica when we as citizens could stand proud in the grand traditions of our founding fathers in enjoying the multi-party democracy which was fashioned by them and which gave rise to the two great political parties, the Jamaica Labour Party and the People's National Party.
Like the Conservative and Labour parties of the UK and the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States, Jamaica, in our own small way, created and nourished a vibrant two-party system which encapsulated our own rich democratic traditions of freedom, justice and fair play of which we can be justly proud.
The defining moment perhaps in our political history came with the advent of Michael Manley on the political scene in the 1970s when, using his awesome powers of communication, he was able to carry his socialist credo to heights in Jamaica hitherto unknown. This decade marked a watershed in our history, of two defining realities - a past up to that time, devoid of any ideological cleavages and a future fraught with the vagaries of confrontation politics brought on by ensuing political friction.
Not having been previously exposed in our local politics to the international fissures of such political ideology, this period, to our detriment, was used by our leaders to awaken in us all the hidden strictures of class warfare, racial intolerance and wealth disparity in the society. Our attempts since then, at unifying our society under any one set of national ideals or under one flag, have been met with abject failure. It is during this time that the polarisation in our society took hold and became most distinct.
We look back and reflect in our moments of introspection, as to how and why we have arrived at this place where we are today. Any analysis, if we are to be honest, can only lead us to a comparison of the performance of our two political parties while in government.
There can be no doubt that progress of any kind, in any society, must ultimately reflect a successful and vibrant economy in that particular country. A brief analysis of the five decades leading to the present in Jamaica brings out most strikingly, the differences in the economic performance of the country under each party during that time.
The two periods of PNP governance in the 70s and 90s were marked by serious economic stagnation in the country. While our neighbours and indeed many countries of the world were showing growth from seven per cent to 10 per cent annually, under the PNP Jamaica could only display flat or declining growth.
The JLP, on the other hand, having generated our highest economic growth in the history of Jamaica during the 60s, had to work assiduously during the 80s to reverse our negative economic fortunes after the debacle of the 70s.
For the better part of the last two decades, the PNP, in true fashion, showed little or no inclination for self-analysis, while still displaying their propensity for profligate spending and their inability to produce wealth. As a result, they handed over an economy with a trillion-dollar debt burden and a totally abysmal growth of 29 per cent in 19 years, on demitting office.
In governance, leadership is everything, and our current parlous state of affairs in this country must be laid squarely at the feet of the PNP. Our economic deterioration, our crime, our lack of social justice and our general lowering of standards of excellence were allowed to take place during the last 19 years under their watch. Their legacy to this nation on demitting office could only be construed as one of outright shame. Playing the blame game and remaining in denial just cannot cut it anymore.
As Jamaicans we must make up our minds. We will either be detractors and continue to bellyache about non-existent problems without offering any solutions, or, for the first time in a very long time, join together in creating and achieving a new vision for Jamaica which will give us all a better life for ourselves and our children. There is only one Jamaica, and we are all a part of it. Let us give Jamaica our fullest priority and put aside partisan politics.
We cannot go back, the only way is forward. For let us be brutally frank, to once more reinstate a PNP government in Jamaica at this time would represent a disaster of monumental proportion for the country.
Despite the many prognostications to the contrary, the JLP has started off in government doing a sterling job. Their ministers have all hit the ground running and are deserving of much praise.
They have managed to institute programmes in five months that the PNP could only talk about for the last 19 years. For the first time in a very long time, a beacon of hope is once again shining in the country and the whole psyche of the nation has been re-oriented towards a much brighter future. For Jamaica to catch up with the rest of the world in growth and development, the current government must be given full support by the people in not only completing their term in office, but achieving their vision for the future of a much brighter and more prosperous Jamaica.
Lance Robinson is a freelance writer.
lrobinson22@gmail.com
Comment