Betty Ann Blaine, Contributor
'...Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister: and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant'
- Matthew 20:26-27
THERE IS an opportunity that now exists that has not been available to the Jamaican people for a very long time. We have a political configuration where the central Government is controlled by the People's National Party and the Local Government by the Jamaica Labour Party. Quite frankly, this is close to a perfect configuration, and has tremendous possibilities for the manifestation of true and effective democracy. It has been my personal dream to see a Jamaica where the top and the bottom converge in a dynamic way for the good of the whole. There is no doubt that the door is now wide open for this to happen.
Of course, the critical element is leadership, and it is going to be interesting to see how our two leaders handle it. I don't know if Mr. Seaga or Mr. Patterson realises this, but this is a critical test, and Jamaicans both here and abroad are watching. To my mind the process and outcome will determine whether this country has, or will ever have, the potential to unite for the common good of all its citizens.
CHEST-BEATING
I sincerely hope that Mr. Seaga in particular understands this. What is required now is not 'chest-beating' and threats. Instead, the Jamaican people expect to see mature and responsible leadership a rising above the abominable depths of partisan politics and raw, rabid opportunism. Our stomachs have been full of this steady diet of "bad food", and we are now hoping that this potentially good "antacid" will clear off the terrible indigestion.
If Mr. Seaga thinks that this significant victory has given him the mandate to "oppose, oppose, oppose", or to bring down the Government, then he has completely misread the will of the people, and those who wish both him and the country well should convince him of that quickly. What Jamaicans want to see now is unified and responsible leadership that will put national concerns above party politics, especially in our current state of serious social and economic crisis.
Jamaicans are not fools. We are acutely aware that the governing party has failed us in so many ways the issue of the state of our children is particularly vexing to me. However, we also understand that many of our problems are structural, and have a lot more to do with what is happening outside our country than inside. What this means then, is that more than anything else, we need thoughtful and sincere minds committed and determined patriots who can act in a bi-partisan way as powerful "think tanks", to engage our country in serious and urgent dialogue about the solutions that exist and the way forward.
What we expect of the Jamaica Labour Party is a clear and concrete vision of the road toward the continued transformation of Local Government. In other words, we want to hear what the solutions are to rescue the poor, and to give them a meaningful voice and legitimate participation in charting their own destinies.
No longer should we tolerate the manipulation of the poor, and the poor themselves are beginning to realise and understand this. In talking to young, uneducated and unemployed men in Rema and other such communities, the disgust and disappointment with politicians elicit the greatest anger. There is absolutely no doubt that they are aware that they are being used, and both Mr. Seaga and Mr. Patterson had better realise that there is going to come a day when the people are going to reject, either peacefully or violently, the politics of manipulation.
Local Government reform, and the need to strengthen and empower the base, are the most critical components of governance at this time. What we expect the JLP to do, is to begin an assessment of what has happened since the 1994 Local Government Reform Programme began, and to see how they can improve on it. Already the people at the base are taking the lead, and Parish Council committees like the ones in Manchester have started a significant and commendable process toward true and lasting participatory democracy. The way to do this, as the people in Manchester are demonstrating, is to embrace a broad coalition of civil society in a process of dialogue and action with ordinary citizens, so that the dreams and aspirations of entire communities can be realised. The JLP has a lot of work to do.
It seems to me that if Mr. Seaga truly wishes to leave a lasting and memorable legacy for this country, and especially for our young people, then he should demonstrate that it is service and not sedition that counts, particularly at this juncture of our history.
PARTNERSHIP
Needless to say, you can't reform the bottom without reforming the top, so that this discussion is as much about Mr. Patterson as it is about Mr. Seaga. In order to bring the two halves together to create the whole, there is going to have to be a joining-together, a partnership something Jamaicans have wanted to see for a long time. In fact, it seems to me that the onus is on the incumbent Government to lead the way. The legacy of service before self, is a lesson for both leaders and for both parties.
Jamaica is at a crucial cross-roads at this time. We are going to either sink or swim. What is required from our leaders and from all our citizens, is the will to create a new vision for our country. Almighty God has blessed this land, and we have a responsibility as his children, to use it for his glory, which also happens to be for ours.
Betty Ann Blaine is a member of The Victorious Movement of Jesus in Jamaica, an historian and founder of Youth Opportunities Unlimited. E-mail: bab2609@hotmail.com.
