Ian Boyne
AS USUAL with matters concerning Edward Seaga, the media are sure that he is wrong. He is the petty, petulant and irascible old man, who last week decided to rain on Bruce Golding's parade, disgustingly issuing a release to announce his non-attendance at the JLP conference, then turning up in triumphant glory to show who is still king.
Why doesn't he just get lost and retreat into the 'intellectual ghetto' at the University of the West Indies and give the party a chance to get a life? This seems to be the attitude of many, including some in the media. People respond to Eddie Seaga more with emotion than reason. As I have written every time I mention Seaga, he has contributed to his own demonisation.
His penchant to put his foot in his mouth, to 'trace' off people and impugn their integrity; and his confrontational, belligerent spirit have not endeared him to many persons. His alleged arrogance, aloofness and sense of
self-importance are deeply resented by many. But this should not relieve us of the responsibility to carefully assess issues surrounding him, rather than fall back on ingrained prejudices and biases.
Studies in evolutionary psychology have demonstrated that humans are far less rational than we have traditionally believed, and that usually people fall back on stereotyping in making judgements. (A recent book which explores this is Malcolm Gladwell?s Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking) No one in Jamaican political life has suffered from that more than Edward Phillip George Seaga.
IRRATIONAL
Let's analyse last weekend's happenings in the JLP. Seaga issues a release saying he would not get go the conference because he was disrespected by ads which spoke of 'New Leader, New Vision'. On the surface this is not just petty and infantile to the extreme?and should be embarrassing for Seaga to mention publicly but it is irrational. A new leader is supposed to have a new vision and a new direction. Seaga should want to see a new vision, except he is so insufferably narcissistic and pompous to believe his vision is the only one possible.
No media house did any investigation as to whether there was anything beneath the surface. What are the facts? First, to the credit of the Bruce Golding team and the party, Babsy Grange, a Seaga loyalist, did get an opportunity to see the print ads. She asked for certain revisions which were accepted. Indeed, there were several revisions to the print ads which was why Seaga complained specifically about the electronic media ads. However there was a suggestion from Babsy Grange for the print ads which was not accepted, and I cannot see why not.
It was suggested that a photograph of Edward Seaga be placed beside Golding's with the headline reading, 'The Passing of the Baton'. Excellent idea. This would have served to highlight the smooth transition, the building on the past achievements, but the running of a new leg of the race. How would that have taken away from Bruce and the Reformists? The idea was rejected and the ad appeared without Seaga's picture at all. Strictly, that could be justified for he is no longer a part of the present team.
MISMANAGED HUMAN RELATIONS
But human relations are more subtle than that. Human relationships involve more of an art than a science. The JLP is a perfect case-study of mismanaged human relationships. Students of psychology, management and leadership should study the JLP as how not to run any organisation, and to see what can go wrong when people don't trust and love one another. It's as simple as that.
Seaga, who himself has been disrespectful to people and who has disastrous inter-personal skills, presided over a team whose emotional competencies are extremely low. The JLP aptly demonstrates that you need more than a high IQ (Intelligence quotient) and strong intellectual capabilities to run a successful organisation. Experts like Daniel Goleman, Michael Maccoby Warren Bennis and James McGregor Burns should come to Jamaica to write books on the classic case of inter-personal bungling at the organisational level.
If Seaga's photo had appeared beside Bruce's with the headline ?Passing the Baton?, and if the electronic media ads had reflected the same theme, Seaga would have been appeased, there would be no controversy and Bruce would get the full attention he deserved at last weekend's conference. But because of the mishandling of the events, Seaga has again captured the headlines and more of the discussions on the talk-shows and more column inches have been devoted to Seaga's actions rather than to the excellent and statesman-like speech that Bruce Golding gave at the conference.
WIN-WIN SITUATION
With all the disparaging of Christian values in elite society, when I see how poorly the JLP leaders relate to one another, I say to myself that they need the conversion experience spoken by Christians. They would learn how to forgive, to ?outdo one another in showing honour?, as the Apostle Paul puts it, and how ?not to forget the ancient landmarks?.
Nothing is wrong with ?new leader, new vision.? But 'passing the baton' gives you the win-win situation you need. How would the Babsy Grange revision have hurt Bruce? The party would have avoided the ?shame and scandal in the family?; Bruce would get more media attention for his speech and he would end up looking more gracious, more large-hearted, more conciliatory than Seaga.
As it turns out, the PNP Government, through its special parliamentary farewell, has shown more respect to Eddie Seaga than the JLP. After 43 years of sterling, indefatigable service, 30 of them as leader during the JLP?s most tumultuous period, the JLP should have organised a touching and fitting farewell conference for Mr. Seaga. Golding has the future ahead of him.
RESPECT IS DUE
When these reformists were in short pants and being catered to by their parents, Seaga was boldly confronting Michael Manley and his socialist experiment in Jamaica in the 1970s. Before some of them were born, he was standing solidly with the poor and oppressed Jamaican masses, delivering his ?haves-and-haves-not? speech in 1961 in the Legislative Council. Before then he went and lived with the poor in their shacks. The vision that he has expoused for this country and his incalculable contribution to Jamaican development should not be begrudged.
In one sense you could say that Seaga should be ashamed to be begging for respect and recognition after 43 years. But it is his colleagues who should be ashamed that a man of this statue, who has been such a tower of strength to them all these years through thick and thin, should have to ask for it.
Then Seaga turns up at the conference. He is attacked again in the media as being mischievous and deliberately seeking to upstage Golding. This man can't win. Everywhere him go macka juk him. If he stubbornly, recalcitrantly stayed home despite the many phone calls, you would hear how arrogant and how unpersuadable he is. The man relents. The man changes his mind and goes ? going against the carefully-orchestrated propaganda that he respects no one's opinion and that once he makes up his mind his decision is cast in concrete. But then media turn on him for spitefully raining on Bruce's parade. Damned if he does, dammed if he doesn't.
POOR TASTE
Seaga should have been more generous in his own statements at the conference and should have embraced Golding substantially. He should not have made it clear that he was really showing up for the delegates and not the present leadership. Poor taste, but that is vintage Seaga. It is inexcusable and I condemn it unreservedly.
Seaga's lack of emotional mastery has cost him so much. I am convinced he would be in Jamaica House today if he had more emotional control and had used that tongue of his more wisely. He is a tragic example of an enormously gifted, competent and intellectually sharp man who crashed because he lacked strong emotional and spiritual resources.
But Golding must not follow in his footsteps. It is not enough for Golding to say ?is Seaga first start the disrespect?. We all know that. But an eye for an eye will leave the world blind. Take the moral high ground. Break with that style of leadership. Resist the hotheads who are urging you to purge those who are not sycophants, like a typical cult leader.
I believe Bruce will. His giving Pearnel Charles the opportunity to speak at the conference and his explicit statement that Pearnel will be an integral part of his team to campaign for power was highly commendable and sends the right signals. Golding will need to unify the party and that means he must consciously avoid behaving in ways that seem to belittle what has been done before him.
I believe Bruce is up to that task, and it is for those of us in the spiritual and faith-based community to work with Bruce to help him to develop these spiritual resources which provide the basis for values-based leadership. Sounds mushy? It can't be worse than the decidedly unspiritual and carnal path that the JLP leaders have taken in the past!
The traditionalists also bear a heavy responsibility. They cannot expect to malign, undermine and ?bitch? Bruce Golding and have him simply sit down like a lame duck or a lamb to the slaughter. Trust is two-way. They need to know that Edward Seaga is no longer the leader of the JLP and if they cannot honestly be loyal to the new party leader, then the honourable thing to do is to resign.
Debate ideas, disagree strenuously with strategies etc. But no character assassination should be excused under the guise of freedom of expression. I will support Bruce to ?crack the whip? if disunity is fostered by the traditionalists.
But the media have a way of framing every issue in the JLP as being one of disunity. When Seaga does challenge Bruce on his ideas of constitutional reform, let that not be construed as disunity. Why when intellectual dissent takes place in the PNP, the media hail that as a sign of the vibrancy of democracy within that party and when it takes place in the JLP it is disunity and the JLP?s falling apart?
Let a hundred flowers bloom in the JLP. To Both Eddie Seaga and Bruce Golding (I did put you first, sir), I say, ?respect due?.
Ian Boyne is veteran journalist. You can send your comments to ianboyne1@yahoo.com or infocus@gleanerjm.com
