Dawn Ritch THERE HAS been remarkably little analysis in the media of the resounding victory of the Jamaican Labour Party at the recent Local Government polls.
All the usual pundits seem dumbfounded. Figures are being trotted out, but nothing startling is pulled from them. And an even blander version of the usual bromides is being carefully crafted by the usual peddlers.
Let the record show however, that Bobby Pickersgill, chairman of the People's National Party, had no such qualms. He immediately said that the results show that the electorate is "becoming more discerning". His evident relief at the electoral outcome speaks volumes. According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary the word "discern" means "Perceive clearly with mind or senses, make out by thought or by gazing, listening etc." And the word "discerning" means "having quick or true insight".
BARBER-GREENING
Contrast this with the arrival of Dr. Peter Phillips, Minister of Security at PNP party headquarters on the night of election. He came in walking and shaking hands like he was the leader. At that very instant Dr. Phillips was himself losing Cassia Park, one of the three Parish Council divisions for which he was responsible. This is one case where not even the barber-greening of most of the roads in the area could prevent it going over to the Labour Party by 550 votes. This is convincing in any language in a Parish Council election.
Mrs. Maxine Henry-Wilson, Minister of Education and the co-manager of the PNP campaign, who also lost one of her divisions, was next on the scene at party headquarters. She looked like a fish caught in a fish bowl. The priceless moment however, was the Most Honourable P.J. Patterson speaking wordlessly before the microphone. His lips were moving but the words just weren't coming out. And talking about lips, Dr. Phillips' face had dropped and his bottom lip was now resting on his chest.
All this suggests that their defeat has caught the PNP hierarchy totally by surprise. Even Dr. Paul Robertson, Minister of Development, co-manager of the PNP campaign and political strategist extraordinaire, lost two of his divisions. What false sense of security could have caused the winningest team in Jamaica to so stumble and fall? The PNP tiara of political invincibility is now terribly askew. They say they will analyse it, but other than Bobby Pickersgill there has only been a deafening silence. Have their analysts run out of steam too?
In my opinion the PNP's unapologetic ineptitude as the Government of Jamaica has turned off even their own supporters. This arrogance, coupled with steep price increases and higher taxes since the start of the year, led to their defeat. Having had all 13 Parish Councils, they've managed to retain only one... Westmoreland, and this after having barely won the General Election just nine months ago.
The JLP organisation on the ground in this election was dramatically improved. The four deputy leaders, Audley Shaw, Babsy Grange, Derrick Smith and Ed Bartlett, worked hard and won their regions. Experienced and strong people like Abe Dabdoub, Karl Samuda and Daryl Vaz were in the field and made their presence felt. The JLP candidates themselves were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. This is living proof of how much better people get when they don't have any money.
The PNP, on the other hand, ran an expensive multi-million dollar public relations and advertising campaign. In terms of fieldwork however, it seems they only ran into a few people's homes, and then went back home to eat their dinners. Because they failed to pull out even their supporters.
The campaign run by the People's National Party has therefore caused Mrs. Portia Simpson Miller to become the first ever JLP Minister of Local Government in a PNP Cabinet. The island's mayors and councils are now JLP, and they report to her. The practical results of the election mean therefore, that the JLP has acquired representation in Cabinet.
IRONICAL
This is all the more ironical, since not once did the PNP use her in its campaign and advertising. The back of Mrs. Simpson Miller's head appears for a second only in a five-minute documentary on Local Government Reform.
Simultaneously with the launch of the PNP political advertising and PR campaign, both the print and television advertising for the Ministry of Security's "Crime Stop" campaign was vastly expanded. Now the Most Honourable himself began to appear in Crime Stop TV ads. Other ads featured Mrs. Henry-Wilson, Mrs. Aloun Assamba, Dr. Peter Phillips, Papa San, reverend gentlemen and athletes, even Mr. Derrick Smith, JLP Deputy Leader and Spokesman on Security. But no Portia Simpson Miller, even though it was a Local Government election and she is Minister of Local Government. Not once in anything that the PNP did for the election did they show the face of that minister.
It is poetic justice therefore that every time she takes her seat in Cabinet, her colleagues will now see the face of Mr. Edward Seaga. The old man who gave them a bus' ass.
There are interesting days ahead. Anything Mr. Seaga does is done thoroughly and well. It is unlikely he will sit still for Parish Councils being deprived of the resources to do their job properly. And Mrs. Simpson Miller is intolerant of corruption, victimisation and incompetence in her ministries. Both of them like and respect each other.
It is possible therefore that within a short while, she will again be given an alternative ministerial portfolio. Having sidelined her so effectively, none of her colleagues is going to want to have her speak on behalf of Mr. Seaga. They would find that completely intolerable. Yet that is exactly what they have created.
It is clear that in the recent municipal elections, supporters of the JLP had more reason to vote than the PNP. Indeed some of the PNP used as their excuse for not voting, that they voted last October in the General Elections.
Nevertheless if the KSAC had one more seat it might have been 20 JLP, 20 PNP. So the JLP will have to be very vigilant. They will have to turn out to council sittings, as they are doing to parliamentary sittings.
When PNP supporters stay at home and the PNP chairman himself is relieved at a JLP victory, there is hope for a change of direction in the country's affairs. The elegant simplicity of that conclusion is all too obviously beneath the dignity of the PNP hacks who have been masquerading as intellectuals on television and in the pages of this newspaper.
