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Cease and settle!
Lloyd B Smith
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
"See them fighting for power but they know not the hour."
- Bob Marley
Lloyd B Smith
Let's face it. Usually after a general election has been fought and won, the country settles down and gets back to normal. This has not been the case with respect to the aftermath of the September 3, 2007 general election. Of course, the main reason for this is more than painfully obvious. The ruling Jamaica Labour Party has a razor-thin majority (32-28) over the Opposition People's National Party.
And as if this scenario was not volatile enough, the dual-citizenship issue continues to rear its ugly head with one by-election held so far in Western Portland while there are several more to come. In order to ensure that the incumbent JLP MP Daryl Vaz, who was disqualified by the courts, would win in fine style, the JLP pulled out all the stops. Millions of dollars were spent (including large amounts culled from the public purse to undertake various projects), and almost the entire party hierarchy invaded that deep rural enclave, including cabinet ministers and other high-ranking government officials.
As a result of this major preoccupation and "occupation of West Portland" by the JLP, the Bruce Golding-led administration either did not spend enough time (or did not have the time?) in crafting the 2009/2010 national budget. What emerged was therefore, as the PNP's Spokesman on Finance Dr Omar Davies has indicated, a "chaka chaka budget". Indeed, even as this article is being written, the nation does not have a clear-cut understanding of that most important matter and how in real terms it will affect our everyday lives.
One refreshing outcome of the budget debate, however, was the manner in which the earlier presentations were delivered. Speakers on both sides of the Lower House, including Finance Minister Audley Shaw and his counterpart Dr Omar Davies, followed by Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller and Prime Minister Bruce Golding, impressed us with their accommodating and conciliatory stance. But perhaps we started to applaud them too soon because by the time we came towards the end, the gloves came off and they were back to their usual combative, confrontational style of tackling the nation's business. When will our politicians grow up?
In the wake of a confusing budget presentation that has left us with more questions than answers, the PNP and latterly the JLP announced that it was embarking on a series of town meetings islandwide. The PNP has so far held one in Savanna-la-Mar and the JLP's first meeting will be in Mandeville. Call me cynical or maybe I am too sceptical, but what are the PNP and the JLP going to do to ensure that these town meetings do not end up just being political rallies attended by faithful and loyal supporters?
In any event, given the very divisive and intimidating nature of our politics, it is very unlikely that many Comrades are going to attend a JLP town meeting and vice versa, which in essence means that they will be preaching to the converted or those who have eyes but will not see or have ears but will not hear because of their partisan stance. I don't know how the PNP will be funding their town meetings, but no doubt the JLP being the party in power will be using taxpayers' money to stage theirs. Will this be yet another exercise in futility, primarily designed to merely keep the party vibes going?
Will there be meaningful discourse, constructive consultation and objective dialogue or just another opportunity for "throw word, tracing" and political one-upmanship? And given the fact that there are some three by-elections in the offing, will these meetings be used as a platform for scoring political points rather than dispassionately examining the mess we are in and what are the best ways to extricate the country from the quagmire of a sluggish economy?
Frankly, I have very little hope that anything positive and productive will come out of these town meetings, except that the various utterances and verbal attacks will only help to create a greater divide between Comrades and Labourites.
Why do I say this? Because what is unfolding is a power game. And it has nothing to do with people power! Is it not strange that not much has been stated during the budget presentation so far about the dual-citizenship issue? Then all of a sudden, it rears its ugly head again when the PNP cried foul with respect to the Labour Day national projects, all three of which were slated for the constituencies that are up for possible by-elections! Are Jamaicans so naïve that they do not see through all this hypocrisy and sophistry?
The bottom line is that both the JLP and PNP need to "cease and settle". And for this to be achieved, then both parties need to sit down at a roundtable and iron out those kinks that are preventing them from working towards the common good. In real terms, if we are to go by the Constitution of Jamaica and the letter of the law, the country now has a bogus Parliament - one that is illegitimate and unconstitutional. In other words, Jamaica is being run by a rogue Parliament and history will not be kind to those of our elected officials who have helped to perpetrate this travesty.
Against this background, the country will never settle down because neither of the major political parties is going to cease from focusing on the retention or obtaining of power. This is a stalemate that has and will continue to create numerous distractions and contentions "while Jah kingdom goes to waste".
My warning to the JLP and PNP is that the Jamaican people are reaching a point of no return. We are teetering at the edge of a gaping precipice. The dual-citizenship issue must be settled post-haste, and if the JLP continues to move away from all that it promised during the 2007 election campaign, then it will ultimately need a fresh mandate. The PNP still feels that it ought not to have lost the last general election, so the "nightmares" will continue unabated.
In the meantime, a seemingly amateurish government continues to wriggle its way through one crisis after another, even as the average Jamaican is yet to fully understand and appreciate the road to be taken. Where is the road map? Lest Mr Golding and Mrs Simpson Miller forget, if you do not know where you are going, then any road will take you there.
lloydbsmith@hotmail.com
Lloyd B Smith
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
"See them fighting for power but they know not the hour."
- Bob Marley
Lloyd B SmithLet's face it. Usually after a general election has been fought and won, the country settles down and gets back to normal. This has not been the case with respect to the aftermath of the September 3, 2007 general election. Of course, the main reason for this is more than painfully obvious. The ruling Jamaica Labour Party has a razor-thin majority (32-28) over the Opposition People's National Party.
And as if this scenario was not volatile enough, the dual-citizenship issue continues to rear its ugly head with one by-election held so far in Western Portland while there are several more to come. In order to ensure that the incumbent JLP MP Daryl Vaz, who was disqualified by the courts, would win in fine style, the JLP pulled out all the stops. Millions of dollars were spent (including large amounts culled from the public purse to undertake various projects), and almost the entire party hierarchy invaded that deep rural enclave, including cabinet ministers and other high-ranking government officials.
As a result of this major preoccupation and "occupation of West Portland" by the JLP, the Bruce Golding-led administration either did not spend enough time (or did not have the time?) in crafting the 2009/2010 national budget. What emerged was therefore, as the PNP's Spokesman on Finance Dr Omar Davies has indicated, a "chaka chaka budget". Indeed, even as this article is being written, the nation does not have a clear-cut understanding of that most important matter and how in real terms it will affect our everyday lives.
One refreshing outcome of the budget debate, however, was the manner in which the earlier presentations were delivered. Speakers on both sides of the Lower House, including Finance Minister Audley Shaw and his counterpart Dr Omar Davies, followed by Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller and Prime Minister Bruce Golding, impressed us with their accommodating and conciliatory stance. But perhaps we started to applaud them too soon because by the time we came towards the end, the gloves came off and they were back to their usual combative, confrontational style of tackling the nation's business. When will our politicians grow up?
In the wake of a confusing budget presentation that has left us with more questions than answers, the PNP and latterly the JLP announced that it was embarking on a series of town meetings islandwide. The PNP has so far held one in Savanna-la-Mar and the JLP's first meeting will be in Mandeville. Call me cynical or maybe I am too sceptical, but what are the PNP and the JLP going to do to ensure that these town meetings do not end up just being political rallies attended by faithful and loyal supporters?
In any event, given the very divisive and intimidating nature of our politics, it is very unlikely that many Comrades are going to attend a JLP town meeting and vice versa, which in essence means that they will be preaching to the converted or those who have eyes but will not see or have ears but will not hear because of their partisan stance. I don't know how the PNP will be funding their town meetings, but no doubt the JLP being the party in power will be using taxpayers' money to stage theirs. Will this be yet another exercise in futility, primarily designed to merely keep the party vibes going?
Will there be meaningful discourse, constructive consultation and objective dialogue or just another opportunity for "throw word, tracing" and political one-upmanship? And given the fact that there are some three by-elections in the offing, will these meetings be used as a platform for scoring political points rather than dispassionately examining the mess we are in and what are the best ways to extricate the country from the quagmire of a sluggish economy?
Frankly, I have very little hope that anything positive and productive will come out of these town meetings, except that the various utterances and verbal attacks will only help to create a greater divide between Comrades and Labourites.
Why do I say this? Because what is unfolding is a power game. And it has nothing to do with people power! Is it not strange that not much has been stated during the budget presentation so far about the dual-citizenship issue? Then all of a sudden, it rears its ugly head again when the PNP cried foul with respect to the Labour Day national projects, all three of which were slated for the constituencies that are up for possible by-elections! Are Jamaicans so naïve that they do not see through all this hypocrisy and sophistry?
The bottom line is that both the JLP and PNP need to "cease and settle". And for this to be achieved, then both parties need to sit down at a roundtable and iron out those kinks that are preventing them from working towards the common good. In real terms, if we are to go by the Constitution of Jamaica and the letter of the law, the country now has a bogus Parliament - one that is illegitimate and unconstitutional. In other words, Jamaica is being run by a rogue Parliament and history will not be kind to those of our elected officials who have helped to perpetrate this travesty.
Against this background, the country will never settle down because neither of the major political parties is going to cease from focusing on the retention or obtaining of power. This is a stalemate that has and will continue to create numerous distractions and contentions "while Jah kingdom goes to waste".
My warning to the JLP and PNP is that the Jamaican people are reaching a point of no return. We are teetering at the edge of a gaping precipice. The dual-citizenship issue must be settled post-haste, and if the JLP continues to move away from all that it promised during the 2007 election campaign, then it will ultimately need a fresh mandate. The PNP still feels that it ought not to have lost the last general election, so the "nightmares" will continue unabated.
In the meantime, a seemingly amateurish government continues to wriggle its way through one crisis after another, even as the average Jamaican is yet to fully understand and appreciate the road to be taken. Where is the road map? Lest Mr Golding and Mrs Simpson Miller forget, if you do not know where you are going, then any road will take you there.
lloydbsmith@hotmail.com
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