Delroy Chuck
A SAD FEATURE of Jamaican life is how partisan politics overreaches virtually everything and invades people's lives unnecessarily.
On Tuesday, April 19, the Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson, toured the Grants Pen Model Community Police Station facility, which is under construction.
The Prime Minister's office informed and invited me on the tour. Sadly, the tour could have been marred by partisan bickering, but for my intervention and appeasement.
POLITICISING THE OCCASION
When I arrived on site, I noticed three 'genetically connected' People's National party (PNP) women' handing out T-shirts to the gathering and to PNP supporters brought in from other areas of the constituency.
Loudly, I inquired why are we politicising the event. My supporters demanded green Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) T-shirts, which I resolutely refused and also instructed two supporters with green JLP shirts to remove them.
I urged my supporters to accord the Prime Minister the utmost respect, as this was not a political event.
Becky Stockhausen, executive director of AMCHAM, a little dynamo, who is responsible for much of the fund-raising, co-ordination and supervision of the community policing and health centre, made the error of wearing a light green dress and was roundly abused for being political, which sharply contrasts with previous occasions in Grants Pen when she wore red dresses and suffered no rebuke.
The occasion turned out wonderfully, with the Prime Minister giving one of his better ad lib speeches in which he praised the donors, spoke of the need to avoid political violence and conflicts, anticipated a good working relationship between the community and the police to deter crime, and look forward to the economic renewal of the Grants Pen area.
In truth, as I toured with the Prime Minister, I could easily have introduced him to many hardcore PNP and JLP supporters who were working in harmony on the site and, to their credit, refused to wear the PNP T-shirts handed out.
Actually, by the time the PM arrived, less than six persons had on PNP T-shirts, and there was no green shirt in sight. But, it could have been tense and unseemly.
PNP EMBEDDED ITSELF
In reality, after 16 years in Opposition, it will be a major challenge for the JLP to win the next general election.
The PNP has embedded its political activists and sympathisers into leadership roles and sensitive positions throughout major organisations and institutions the media, churches, teachers unions, agricultural societies, professional bodies, the public and civil service, the justice system, football federations, community organisations, business associations, service clubs, etc.
Isn't it interesting that Vando Palmer is still in his National Works Agency (NWA) job, even after becoming a PNP candidate? Can you imagine if he had been a JLP candidate?
When, in 1995, I decided to become a JLP candidate, I offered my resignation, inter alia, as a UWI senior lecturer, as secretary to the Jamaican and Caribbean Rhodes Selection Committees, and as a columnist to this newspaper and, initially, was urged to remain.
I continued only as a columnist, as I believed the discussion and clash of ideas are important ingredients of our democracy.
OVERREACHING ROLE
What I find particularly disgraceful is how the PNP activists overreach in their supposedly independent posts. Thus, some pastors preach and write with such partisan passion that it is not clear whether they are preachers for God or the party.
Supposedly professional bodies and business organisations now behave as if they are within the PNP group system.
If politics plays such an overreaching role in everything, how can Jamaica ever move forward effectively?
If partisan politics influences every event, public contract, important decision-making, and the whole governmental, professional and commercial interests, Jamaica is surely doomed.
POLITICAL GRAFFITI
In fact, whereas in Grants Pen I try to reduce tribal politics, remove all JLP signs, eliminate green paint from everywhere and, generally, endeavour to bring sanity to the political process, the PNP does the reverse by spraying even beautiful murals with PNP signs, evidence of which can easily be seen on Grants Pen Road.
No doubt, when the Prime Minister came to Grants Pen, even if he had not read my last letter complaining of them, he would easily have seen the many horrible, grimy and defacing PNP signs.
I will not remove them, again. Let them remain as grim reminders of the PNP's lack of commitment to the Political Code of Conduct, to the law prohibiting defacing of walls and its inability to control its political thugs who are intent on undermining my representation by violence, defacing of walls and political dirt.
Delroy Chuck is an
attorney-at-law and Opposition Member of Parliament. He can be contacted by e-mail at Delchuck@Hotmail.Com.
