The PNP and the future - Part 1
published:
Sunday | August 10, 2008
Floyd Morris, Contributor
Morris
I have been prompted to write this article in light of the current political environment in Jamaica. more specifically, the current dilemma that faces the People's National party (PNP) after losing the September 3 election, and the current challenge by Dr Peter Phillips to Portia Simpson Miller.
The defeat of the PNP on September 3 has jolted the organisation and caused some uncertainties as to where it was going. It has caused individuals in the wider society to ask questions as to whether the PNP will be able to survive this period of difficulties. The difficulties have been complex and challenging, in light of residues from the blistering presidential election which took place in 2006 and have been reopened by the current challenge by Dr Phillips.
The primary focus of this article is not on the residual effects of that election, but rather to look at how the PNP can move forward and renew itself and become a powerful and credible Opposition. I must state emphatically that I disagree fundamentally with anyone who would like to question the ability of the PNP to survive this challenging period. The fact is that the PNP is an organisation which was established in 1938, and will this year be celebrating its 70th anniversary. It has a strong core support base of approximately 24 per cent, which is three times larger than that of the Jamaica Labour Party, and so there is a platform for the PNP to survive and rebuild.
rebuilding the organisation
The fundamental issue that faces the PNP at this moment is what should be the focus in reshaping and rebuilding the organisation. The fact is that a significant portion of the population has been disappointed with Jamaica's democratic system where, according to a survey conducted by Lawrence Powell, et al, from the University of the West Indies, 64 per cent of the respondents were not satisfied with how democracy works in the country.
The PNP has been one of the political organisations that have been alternating in the administration of the country over the last 70 or so years, and had been the Government during the time when this study was conducted, and must take responsibility for the levels of dissatisfaction that is being expressed by the citizens. The organisation has to acknowledge that while it did some great and outstanding things during its last tenure, it did divert from core principles in some areas.
But what are some of the major dissatisfactions that are being expressed by the citizens with the administration of the country? Numerous studies have pointed to some of the issues that have led to the disgruntlement of the citizens, some of which are documented in the just-concluded Appraisal Committee report conducted by Professor Brian Meeks, et al, on the reasons for the PNP's defeat on September 3.
However, the issue that has come home forcibly to me is the dissatisfaction that exists among Jamaicans with the market economy and the perception of the PNP being a corrupt organisation. In the study conducted by Powell, et al, a whopping 60 per cent of the respondents were not in favour or satisfied with a market economy and in the Appraisal Report prepared by Meeks, et al, 70 per cent of those interviewed believed that the issue of corruption played a pivotal role in the defeat of the PNP.
This, for me, is quite instructive, because the citizens are disgruntled with a major government policy that impacts on every facet of their lives, and are turned off with the perception of corruption that is haunting the PNP.
'perception is reality'
It is said that in politics 'perception is reality'. This saying has become a truism in Jamaica, because once there is an allegation, before investigations are concluded, the allegations are transformed into reality by most citizens. Over the life of the last PNP administration, there were a number of allegations of corruption. I am not in a position to determine whether or not these allegations were factual. What I am certain of, however, is that because of the intensity and extent of the allegations, the good name of the PNP has been severely tarnished, and contributed to its defeat on September 3.
For the PNP to restore the credibility and integrity of this tremendous political organisation, far reaching actions have to be taken. It is my view that the PNP should reinforce existing policies that would prevent anyone whose character has come into question by the public, whether real or imagine, from running for public office. The PNP must ensure that all individuals whose character are up for question by the public, do not offer themselves for office in the next set of elections. This will go a far way in restoring public trust and confidence in the organisation. For the PNP not to do so will continue to see deteriorating fortunes of this noble movement.
The issue of market-driven economy has come into serious questions by a significant portion of the society. I must state upfront that I have no problem with the use of market forces to operate the economy. I view myself as a political pragmatist and I am very cognisant of the global realities. However, where my concerns and differences lie are in the fact that, as an administration, the PNP applied market-oriented policies to social policies, and this caused a great degree of turbulence. As a political organisation, the PNP abandoned its core principles and philosophy on social services and applied free market policies straight across the board. This trajectory resulted in a shift in the organisation's core values on social policies, such as health and education, and contributed to our citizens having to pay for these services.
In reflecting on the PNP's stewardship over the 18 years, I have concluded that the organisation's policies on health and education constitute a shift in its core values. The PNP continued the introduction of fees for certain social services by the JLP administration of the 1980s, and institutionalised the payment of fees in these two critical areas of national development. And, despite the fact that the PNP made significant strides to expand various health facilities and to build more schools, the administration failed to understand the fact that there was a significant portion of our population that was being marginalised.
free health care
The effort by then prime minister, Portia Simpson Miller, to establish free health care for children up to age 18 was commendable, but fell short of ultimate desire, that is, to provide free health care to our citizens. The PNP must understand that despite the fact that the organisation stated no citizen must be turned away from hospitals or any health facility because of inability to pay, there were administrative staff members who were insisting that citizens pay, and this caused serious embarrassment for the citizens and contributed to the levels of disgruntlement in the society.
Adequate health care is a fundamental human right, and therefore a basic necessity for any society to provide its citizens. The PNP in its new disposition must have a serious review of this policy, with the view of supporting and continuing free health care that is being established by the JLP, a move that I fully endorse.
In the area of education, the PNP also made some major errors. The administration required that our citizens pay fees for this service, and this contributed to come serious negative consequences in the sector. A significant portion of our children are graduating from school without having a single subject, and this is unacceptable.
Despite the efforts of former prime minister, Most Hon P. J. Patterson, to use the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) as a means of dealing with some of the significant challenges of the most vulnerable within the society, and to transform the education system through the Education Transformation Programme, the country has not been able to achieve the major objectives that it should in education, that is, for it to have a well-literate and numerate society.
rebranding efforts
The PNP in its rebranding efforts must re-establish itself as the political organisation of education. To this end, the organisation must return to a policy of free education. This must be provided free of cost up to the secondary level, and the Government must take charge of the various components that will go into the education of our children. Government must aggressively expand the school infrastructure, and in this, make them accessible to children with disabilities. Government must improve the salary package for our teachers and must make it mandatory that parents become a part of Parent-Teacher Associations. We at least owe this to our nation's children, and not to compromise their development.
At the tertiary level, we must re-organise the students loan facility to provide greater access to the various universities and colleges in the island. We must take back the organisation from being one that is concerned with the 'bottom line' to one that is focused on getting more poor Jamaicans into higher level training institutions. In this regard, the Students' Loan Bureau must lower the interest rate that they charge students who are attending our universities and colleges. Interest rate should be reduced to a single-digit and not be subject to market forces. Government should stand security for those students who are unable to do so, and bond them for a period of not less than three years.
I am certain that I am going to hear 'howls' coming from the free market extremists and 'neo-capitalists' within the PNP about availability of resources. They have proffered the argument of 'quality' education and health care instead of providing these two critical services to the citizens free of cost. This, for me, is unacceptable, although I recognise that we have limited resources to work with. However, our political leaders must focus on what are the fundamental priorities for good governance and economic development.
