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A Golding opportunity
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Dear Reader,
I have a feeling that even the atheists and agnostics among us must be sitting back and wondering what happened. The outcome defied intellect and wealth. It certainly put some of our respected pollsters to shame, and it confused many of those who suffer from the malady of over-inflated opinions. That's what happens when God speaks, and people who are aware, understand that the voice of the people is the voice of God.
The results of the elections even after counts and recounts, is a testament to the profound wisdom of the people, and the message to our politicians is very clear. The Jamaican people are saying, "It is time for you to work together for the common good of the country. We will not have it any other way."
Never in the nation's electoral history has anything like this ever happened. As a matter or fact, the events of the last few months have been so novel and unprecedented that even the framers of the constitution have had to go back to the "manufacturer's manual" for direction and interpretation. The precarious election date; the passage of a major hurricane; the perplexing state of public emergency, and the dubiousness of the new election date - all happening simultaneously - put the country in dangerous and uncharted waters and left many of our movers and shakers bewildered and befuddled.
The outcome of the elections must have been particularly baffling for the big money players in the campaign market who, I am sure, were convinced that the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the elections could buy the results they wanted. What a disappointment it must be for them! Instead of having unbridled access to the seat of power and influence, they now have to settle for what is virtually a coalition government that inherently lends itself to scrutiny and accountability. In his awesome wisdom and power, Almighty God has so configured the parliament that every man and woman elected is going to have to buckle down and get the work done.
While the slim parliamentary margin may appear to be an extremely challenging arrangement, our new prime minister must see this as an opportunity to stamp his mark, and to be the most successful PM the country has ever seen. Bruce Golding's mandate is going to be a test of leadership, not a test of power, and he had better known the difference between the two, or else he will surely fail. A golden opportunity exists for Mr Golding to define a vision for the country, and then to skilfully craft and articulate that vision so that the people can embrace it and then run with it. Jamaica has never had a governance problem. What the country has had is a leadership problem, or to put it more plainly, leaders who have been incapable of governing. Our prime ministers have held power, but they have failed to lead.
Of the many pressing demands on the national agenda, the need for reconciliation; the renewal of hope and the creation of an enabling environment for the people, must be at the top of the list. Quite frankly, if Mr Golding does not recognise what the writer George Lamming describes in his novel, In the Castle of My Skin, as the desire to bring "this world of men and women from down below to a proper order of attention; to make their reality the supreme concern of the total society", then he will have failed as prime minister. In other words, Mr Golding must understand that Jamaica will never achieve its full potential unless the issue of the poor and dispossessed becomes the central concern of the entire nation.
Actually, the task is not as ominous as it seems. The majority of Jamaicans are poor materially, but rich in pride. The poorest people will tell you that they are not looking for handouts. What they want is work. Provide them with the opportunities and they will do the rest. The fact that the poor have been able to survive despite the overwhelming odds is already proof of their indomitable and resilient spirit.
But the remarkable opportunities for reconciliation and for nation building are not just open to government and parliamentarians alone. Perhaps for the first time, the people of Jamaica have been given an opportunity to co-govern, and none of us has an excuse not to step up to the plate. The way the parliament is configured means that lobby and pressure groups are going to have to serve as negotiators, brokers, facilitators and watchdogs to ensure that the people's work gets done and that the interest of the masses remains paramount.
This is a particularly advantageous time for the Jamaican church to play its role, not only as the conscience of the nation, but as the voice of the poor. This is a time when the church can help the entire society to build a deeper knowledge of the image of God in every human being, and to make it clear that poverty is indeed a religious issue. The church has a golden opportunity to help frame and articulate a vision that will first take us to "common ground" and then move us to "higher ground", and help to steer the country back to its moral centre.
Let us all, as one people, embrace this opportunity and run with it.
With love,
bab2609@yahoo.com
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Dear Reader,
I have a feeling that even the atheists and agnostics among us must be sitting back and wondering what happened. The outcome defied intellect and wealth. It certainly put some of our respected pollsters to shame, and it confused many of those who suffer from the malady of over-inflated opinions. That's what happens when God speaks, and people who are aware, understand that the voice of the people is the voice of God.
The results of the elections even after counts and recounts, is a testament to the profound wisdom of the people, and the message to our politicians is very clear. The Jamaican people are saying, "It is time for you to work together for the common good of the country. We will not have it any other way."
Never in the nation's electoral history has anything like this ever happened. As a matter or fact, the events of the last few months have been so novel and unprecedented that even the framers of the constitution have had to go back to the "manufacturer's manual" for direction and interpretation. The precarious election date; the passage of a major hurricane; the perplexing state of public emergency, and the dubiousness of the new election date - all happening simultaneously - put the country in dangerous and uncharted waters and left many of our movers and shakers bewildered and befuddled.
The outcome of the elections must have been particularly baffling for the big money players in the campaign market who, I am sure, were convinced that the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the elections could buy the results they wanted. What a disappointment it must be for them! Instead of having unbridled access to the seat of power and influence, they now have to settle for what is virtually a coalition government that inherently lends itself to scrutiny and accountability. In his awesome wisdom and power, Almighty God has so configured the parliament that every man and woman elected is going to have to buckle down and get the work done.
While the slim parliamentary margin may appear to be an extremely challenging arrangement, our new prime minister must see this as an opportunity to stamp his mark, and to be the most successful PM the country has ever seen. Bruce Golding's mandate is going to be a test of leadership, not a test of power, and he had better known the difference between the two, or else he will surely fail. A golden opportunity exists for Mr Golding to define a vision for the country, and then to skilfully craft and articulate that vision so that the people can embrace it and then run with it. Jamaica has never had a governance problem. What the country has had is a leadership problem, or to put it more plainly, leaders who have been incapable of governing. Our prime ministers have held power, but they have failed to lead.
Of the many pressing demands on the national agenda, the need for reconciliation; the renewal of hope and the creation of an enabling environment for the people, must be at the top of the list. Quite frankly, if Mr Golding does not recognise what the writer George Lamming describes in his novel, In the Castle of My Skin, as the desire to bring "this world of men and women from down below to a proper order of attention; to make their reality the supreme concern of the total society", then he will have failed as prime minister. In other words, Mr Golding must understand that Jamaica will never achieve its full potential unless the issue of the poor and dispossessed becomes the central concern of the entire nation.
Actually, the task is not as ominous as it seems. The majority of Jamaicans are poor materially, but rich in pride. The poorest people will tell you that they are not looking for handouts. What they want is work. Provide them with the opportunities and they will do the rest. The fact that the poor have been able to survive despite the overwhelming odds is already proof of their indomitable and resilient spirit.
But the remarkable opportunities for reconciliation and for nation building are not just open to government and parliamentarians alone. Perhaps for the first time, the people of Jamaica have been given an opportunity to co-govern, and none of us has an excuse not to step up to the plate. The way the parliament is configured means that lobby and pressure groups are going to have to serve as negotiators, brokers, facilitators and watchdogs to ensure that the people's work gets done and that the interest of the masses remains paramount.
This is a particularly advantageous time for the Jamaican church to play its role, not only as the conscience of the nation, but as the voice of the poor. This is a time when the church can help the entire society to build a deeper knowledge of the image of God in every human being, and to make it clear that poverty is indeed a religious issue. The church has a golden opportunity to help frame and articulate a vision that will first take us to "common ground" and then move us to "higher ground", and help to steer the country back to its moral centre.
Let us all, as one people, embrace this opportunity and run with it.
With love,
bab2609@yahoo.com
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