Lambert Brown
Jamaica seems to be the luckiest country in the world. I am not talking about our fantastic performance in the Olympics. Far from being luck, that was talent carefully developed, honed by a strenuous scientific approach to training, coupled with discipline and dedication by our athletes, coaches and administrators at all levels of the athletic programme.
What I am talking about is the view being posited by some of our political leaders that Jamaica is safe from the meltdown taking place in the United States and the rest of the world. As of Friday morning when I sat down to write this column, stocks in the US were at their lowest in five years. Billions of dollars in value have been lost. American investors overnight have suddenly become poorer. Countries in Europe and Asia are feeling the adverse impact of the US financial meltdown and taking extraordinary steps to protect their economy and citizens' savings. In Jamaica, based on the silence of our government, it appears that we are depending on luck to take us through this impending global recession.
In this time of great global uncertainty, our leaders need to convince and assure our citizens that they are seized of all the threats confronting the nation. We need to be told that protective measures have been considered and the nature of contingencies will be adopted where necessary.
Smart leaders
At the same time, smart leaders would point us to possibilities for new opportunities arising, even in the midst of this major worldwide debacle. If one should judge by the inept and amateurish way in which the Olympic athletes' homecoming was handled by the Government, then we cannot have great hope. Frankly, the embarrassment and bungling of what should have been a national celebration of global triumph by our youth was only surpassed by the crass attempt to seek partisan political gains where national unity was the imperative. This worldwide crisis once again provides our country a glorious opportunity to come together rather than pull apart. The question is, will we seize the moment?
National unity requires that there must be an acceptable level of trust between our leaders from competing sides of the political, economic and social divides of our country. There is no doubt that our people have come a long way from the worst days of political tribalism when violence and insularity governed our approach across the imaginary fence of differences. However, we still have some way to go to break down artificial walls which impede our progress as a nation.
Today, the JLP government seeks partnership with Cuba and Venezuela consistent with PNP policies. Self-reliance in food, free education and health no longer divide us politically as it did before. Then, Michael Manley was berated by some for increasing opportunities for the lower classes. Employers and trade unions are working together to improve the levels of trust and respect among each other. Important innovations have taken place in the field of industrial relations. Business people are working closer together and overcoming narrow sectoral interests. They are recognising that a national and united approach to the problems of Jamaica benefits all.
The non-partisan attitude of the PNP to the current dispute between the contractor general and the Government is a good sign for Jamaica. Country first, rather than seeking to score political points, was the approach adopted. This seems to be consistent with the policy of cooperation and competition rather than constant opposition, as outlined by Portia Simpson Miller in her first budget speech as leader of the opposition in April last.
The ball is now in the court of the Government to act in a manner that promotes national unity over partisan concerns. To this end, the criticisms of tardiness on the part of the Government in moving to a social partnership must be answered with fixity of purpose and focused action to achieve its realisation. Tough bargaining will take place, but if we are to succeed in this hostile global environment, this country needs such a partnership - which must be respected by all stakeholders.
The Government must recognise that in building trust with the citizenry, it has to be honest with them. Firing people from their jobs because of their perceived political affiliation is counterproductive to national unity. People must be given a proper hearing to defend themselves before being terminated from their jobs. This is required even more when political activists and unsuccessful candidates become the replacements for those terminated. During the general-election campaign, many unrealistic promises were made to the Jamaican voters. These promises are being broken left, right and centre.
Irresponsible
The Government needs to look us in the eye and admit it was irresponsible in making these promises in the first place. Instead of sending people to prison for breaching the procurement guidelines as promised, the JLP is now extracting the teeth from some of these guidelines. Instead of using the money from the bauxite levy to improve communities in the bauxite areas, this government is doing no different from the previous one.
It is full time the JLP leaders confess that from the comfort of the pavilion they engaged in idle chatter and wishful thinking. Now they have entered into the field of realities, they understand the follies of their utterances from the opposition benches. Such admissions would overnight change the climate of uncertainty to one where 'the audacity of hope' not only propels a black man towards the presidency of the United States, but revolutionises the political culture in Jamaica.
Lambert Brown is president of the University and Allied Workers' Union, and can be contacted at labpoyh@yahoo.com. Feedback may also be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com.
