Webster EdwardsMACHIAVELLIAN IS a pejorative term used to depict someone, especially a politician, who manipulates others in an opportunistic and deceptive way. It refers to someone who practices in public life acts of violence and deception that would ethically be indefensible if done in private.
In the Jamaican political culture it alludes to one who can be ethically sound when the occasion demands, but who will incite lawlessness at other times regardless of the consequences. The governing principle here is not what is right, but rather what is expedient.
Within the Jamaican political landscape there is great cause for alarm, and the question which must be asked repeatedly is whether those who are in control of our affairs consistently act in our best interest? Are there malevolent motives, as some would have us believe to some of the legislation now being proposed? Or must we trust the judgements of those who would seek to frustrate the proposals which the government is seeking to enact.
The real tragedy is that in the discussions, we are bombarded with ideas seldom objectively presented. There has also been repeated use of the word corruption and proponents of either side have charged each other with sinister motives. Within this context it is very difficult to understand that we are really living in the same country, and that the ultimate goal must be the building of a country which will be to the benefit of all persons.
There is no doubt that every proposal presented, however well intentioned, can be improved. This is one of the enduring strengths of an opposition viewpoint. It is by looking on the inherent weakness of any proposal that the national interest is best served. The question with which we must be concerned however, is whether there is any hidden agenda in the proposals of those who are seeking to lead us. One way in which this can be determined is to examine in detail the character of those upon whom we depend.
I believe that the missing link in our country today is the existence of men and women of good character who will create a society with a strong moral base, enabling us to transmit to our posterity a legacy of which they will be proud. We cannot demand the exercise of acceptable values and attitudes from those who follow us, if as adults we are found wanting whenever the occasion demands.
But what is character? It is that strong mental or moral quality which guides one through all the experiences of life. It involves consistency; it is intrinsic, not dependent on the context or the circumstances in which one finds oneself. It is like having an inner light and the courage to follow its dictates: as Shakespeare puts it:
"...to thine own self be true,
And it shall follow as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man."
Character is predictable conduct, it is the principle which gives stability to the world in which we live. When one has character, such a person is governed by inner laws which influence that a person's behaviour at all times.
This continues to be the missing link in the lives of some of those who would seek to guide us. Repeatedly, we have seen where some who are most prominent among us are not necessarily guided by truth, but by the laws of expediency. This leads one at times to question whether the world is guided by an enduring ethical framework.
Cause for alarm
In the realm of politics, there is even greater cause for alarm. Men and women who offer themselves as our representatives very often seem visionless, lacking in moral stamina, unable to bring to the scene of life a direction of hope and honesty which will inspire generations yet unborn to greater heights. They therefore become trapped by the crowds, pawns of every evil, until they themselves unable to discern the difference between right and wrong conduct.
It is said that the ancient Greeks found happiness in right conduct and the good things which they invested in life, and not what they could extract from it. This is a message which we need to learn today. We must invest in life sound principles and wise judgements, that is, if we hope to bequeath to posterity, a just and well ordered society, which will enable them to rise up and call us blessed.
Webster Edwards is Executive Director of Operation Friendship.
