Bruce JLP ad

[Karl]

Praises all Jamaicans...attacks governement workers (more Jamaicans in formal workforce) ...reference to the managers and workers there...(Is it the underlying/vieled inference is Portia (...and, Portia's management skills) and the PNP?).

Wishes speedy recovery!

No mention of elections!

[Karl]

Political maelstrom brewing

Political maelstrom brewing
Henley Morgan
Thursday, August 23, 2007


A dean is the head of faculty, college or school within a university. Visiting professors Gilbert and Ivan taught us some of life's important lessons about preparing for adversity and cooperating to overcome the effects. Dean, the real big man, came to teach a few lessons of his own and to administer the severest of tests.

Even before Dean pulled down his easel and collected the examination scripts, there appeared yet the eye of another storm; this one a political maelstrom. Named after the treacherous swirling tidal current flowing between the islands of Moskensoya and Mosken in the Norwegian Sea, this brand of politics will in short order engulf Jamaica.

The obliquely contradictory statements by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and Leader of the Opposition Bruce Golding over who first contacted the other with the idea to suspend political campaigning in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, is the earliest forecast of what is to come. Raising the spectre of a man-made political disaster may be insensitive to those still suffering from the ravages of the natural disaster, but ignoring that such an occurrence is imminent won't cause it to go away.

Just days ago, the country was caught up in the heat of electoral contest. The approach of the hurricane transferred control out of the hand of man and drove him in search of shelter and protection from a force greater than he. In the twinkling of an eye (Dean's), many of the orange and green T-shirts, posters and other paraphernalia were converted to material for mopping up water; their absorbent qualities proving to be of greater value than the political statements they were intended to make.

That speaks to one of the fundamental lessons taught down through the ages each time there has been a natural disaster that put man's ambition on hold. Man proposes but God disposes. That is a humbling thought, but have we learned?

The humbling experience of Hurricane Dean notwithstanding, the contest for Jamaica House is on again in earnest. Except that now the dynamics have changed. Immediately prior to the hurricane, one pollster had the two main parties in a statistical dead heat with momentum favouring the Jamaica Labour Party. Will that advantage hold in the present circumstances with massive hurricane relief directed at the poor?

Disasters have a way of changing the fortunes of incumbent politicians and their parties who have control over the resources to bring relief or comfort to desperate people facing a major threat. Just look at the ratings of President George Bush Jr immediately after the bombing of the twin towers in New York. Will Hurricane Dean, by opening up the spigot to huge amounts of hurricane relief, do the same thing for the prime minister and see her snatch victory from the jaws of defeat?

The contest is about to do a major flip from "tell me how much you love me" to "show me the money" or maybe "show me the zinc". Depending on how much time there is between the arrival of overseas assistance and the new election date, impressions and loyalties could change. Those politicians who are most visible among the people and who bring tangible relief to their distress will have a decided advantage. When you think of it, this may serve democracy better than winning an election through the power of advertising.

No matter how fairly the government handles the distribution, one can expect a litany of charges of political victimisation coming from the Opposition. Whether we like it or not, giving the government a black eye over the unmerited favour bequeathed by the passing of Hurricane Dean has got to be part of the JLP's strategy going forward. This is akin to a man ahead on points in a boxing match tying up the opponent and keeping him pinned in the corner. Until now, Bruce Golding has been on his toes "floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee". Can he in the 10th round of a 12-round contest change his tactics, go head-to-head and lift the crown from the champion who from the beginning enjoyed a hometown advantage?

Considering its destructive nature, it is a carnal person who gets caught up in the excitement of political demagoguery (that is, the use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power). Sinful it might be, but with all the drama of a duel to the finish, this one is difficult to resist. The political maelstrom now brewing will be like none we have experienced before. I am going to love it right to the end and then if I have to, repent.

hmorgan@cwjamaica.com

[Mosiah]

The obliquely contradictory statements by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and Leader of the Opposition Bruce Golding over who first contacted the other with the idea to suspend political campaigning in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, is the earliest forecast of what is to come.

It was clear to me that Bruce tried his darndest to upstage the prime minister as the storm approached.

Disasters have a way of changing the fortunes of incumbent politicians and their parties who have control over the resources to bring relief or comfort to desperate people facing a major threat. Just look at the ratings of President George Bush Jr immediately after the bombing of the twin towers in New York. Will Hurricane Dean, by opening up the spigot to huge amounts of hurricane relief, do the same thing for the prime minister and see her snatch victory from the jaws of defeat?

Depends on how it's handled. Bush's ratings plumetted after Katrina. Maybe if Portia declares war on, say, T&T, her ratings might go up. And warn the rest of the Caribbean - you are either with us as we bomb T&T, or you are against us!

[Bricktop]

Maybe if Portia declares war on, say, T&T, her ratings might go up. And warn the rest of the Caribbean - you are either with us as we bomb T&T, or you are against us!

Bomb dem b*mbocl*at