Ian Boyne FORMER JAMAICAN Prime Minister Hugh Shearer did not possess Edward Seaga's commanding intellect or comprehensive vision, nor Michael Manley's ideological passion, intellectual force or profound understanding of the way forward for the working class.
But he possessed PJ Patterson's consensual and conciliatory approach, with his own unique blend of style and charisma. At death, people are usually lauded out of proportion to
reality, and the stretching of the truth to mythic proportions is deemed quite appropriate; indeed obligatory. Those who break this rule are usually censured quite harshly. But journalists should be the one species of beings exempt from this cultural game.
Hugh Shearer was a master negotiator at home, but his negotiating skills could never compare to PJ Patterson's on the international scene. Shearer's record could never approach Eddie Seaga's institution-building legacy, nor Michael Manley's phenomenal achievements in social legislation.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Indeed, while Hugh Shearer's Prime Ministership recorded the highest levels of economic growth in Jamaica's history, by the time he lost the elections to Michael Manley in 1972, the country had chalked up a massive social deficit and unemployment had grown markedly, with the masses crying out for social transformation. It was growth with increasing inequity.
And Jamaica benefited in that period from a robust period of economic growth internationally. Much of that growth was externally led, not due to any particular genius of the Shearer Government. (And a great deal of the foundation was set by another Jamaica Labour Party stalwart, Trade and Industry Minister Robert Lightbourne). And, of course, one must not forget the seminal contribution of the Minister of Development and Welfare, Edward Seaga.
We don't have to create myths around Hugh Lawson Shearer to highlight his enormous contribution to Jamaican national life.
Indeed, when we truly grasp the significance of his widely acknowledged strengths, particularly in our cultural and political context, we will see that Hugh Shearer was far more crucial to our development than we have realised.
FIRST-RATE INTELLECT
Building great institutions is fine; presiding over impressive social legislation is wonderful and possessing a first-rate intellect is a gem, but any leadership in Jamaica which is devoid of the kinds of qualities which distinguished Hugh Shearer is deficient, indeed.
In a political culture nurtured on partisanship, viciousness, victimisation, nastiness, narrow-mindedness and divisiveness, Hugh Lawson Shearer towered over almost everyone. He was the ultimate anti-tribalist. No one can measure the political impact of Shearer during the most politically turbulent period in Jamaica's history, the 1970s. It is said that the true measurement of the success of diplomacy is not what is done, but what is prevented from happening.
In that politically explosive, bitter and volatile period of the 1970s the period which could be accurately described as Jamaica's civil war Hugh Shearer was the bridge between the two warring factions, the People's National Party and the Jamaica Labour Party.
Eddie Seaga himself admitted in that expertly-conducted interview by Cliff Hughes on CVM's Impact last Sunday that he only got along with Manley after the 1970s. In the darkest period of Jamaica's tribalist history, it was Hugh Lawson Shearer who was a beacon of light and a voice of sanity.
When Michael Manley and Edward Seaga, with their totalist, Messianic visions, were not speaking to each other, Shearer was the go-between. How much worse the 1970s would have been without the extraordinary personal qualities and emotional control of Shearer, we will never know.
If we had a local version of the Nobel Peace Prize, it would have to go to Hugh Shearer. The country just could not have survived in the 1970s if someone of Shearer's statue was as stubborn and as "tough" as either Michael Manley or Edward Seaga. Emotional intelligence is now being seen in leadership and management studies as being far more important than IQ. Indeed, just imagine what a highly competent and visionary leader like Eddie Seaga would be like if he had the emotional strengths and humility of Hugh Shearer. He would probably be in Jamaica House today.
The well-known former Harvard Professor Daniel Goleman, whose book on Emotional Intelligence is said to be the most widely read social science book in the world (having sold more than five million copies), says in his November-December 1998 essay in the Harvard Business Review ("What Makes a Leader?") after years of study: "When I compared star performers with average ones in senior leadership positions, nearly 90 per cent of the difference in their performance was attributable to emotional intelligence factors rather than cognitive abilities."
Emotional intelligence has to do with people skills, the ability to control one's own responses and emotional reactions and the ability to communicate emphathetically. Hugh Shearer possessed that in abundance though he was no angel. HL, as some of us knew him, was a man of humility.
He was never taken with a sense of his own importance. He had fascination with pomp and ceremony. He retained his common touch throughout his life.
LEVEL 5 LEADERS
In the article, "Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve" in the January, 2001, issue of Harvard Business Review the authors show that their longitudinal study of how good companies become great revealed that they all had one thing in common level 5 leaders, defined as people who were humble.
Hugh Shearer was a level 5 leader, though some people interpreted that as weakness and he did not survive the tribalistic, 'badman political culture'. Shearer was not a man who
prided himself in "chucking badness" and did not have what the Jamaican scholar Obika Gray calls "badness-honour".
He had to run away from the leadership of the JLP and leave it to the tough Edward Seaga, under pressure. But Seaga has been the one who benefited most from Shearer's humility and emotional control.
The Jamaica Observer made the critically important point on Tuesday in the article "The Life and work of Hugh Lawson Shearer": "Not only did Shearer agree to serve as second fiddle to Seaga in the JLP Government of the 1980s, he did so with graciousness and integrity, those who were involved say. He never publicly said anything negative about Seaga."
I remember being struck by that as a young journalist in the 1970s. I will never forget that Saturday night in about 1978, in the midst of the tribal war in Jamaica, when I was covering an assignment where Shearer spoke to some fishermen in Rocky Point. It was a small gathering and after his speech I went over to him.
Immediately I was greeted with the broad, glowing smile, the firm, endearing handshake and grip on the arm. "It's a pity that you are not leading the party. You should get out Seaga. The people would prefer you," I said. Shearer just laughed and waved me off politely saying, "No man, he is the best man for the job. He is a doing a good work. He can manage things."
I will never forget that evening. We were alone and he could even have intimated some disquiet or even some encouragement of my line of
discussion.
Shearer always knew that he was powerful in the JLP, the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union and that he was well-loved in the country after he was out of office. He never used his tremendous goodwill with Labourites or the Jamaican people to undermine Eddie Seaga. While I do not accuse Bruce Golding of undermining Edward Seaga, I say he has a lot to learn from Hugh Shearer.
HUMBLE BUT FIRM
Shearer would never have allowed Seaga to have felt disrespected by any faction loyal to him without firmly scolding them and dissociating himself from them. He was a humble but firm, a "no-nonsense" leader and Labourites and party officers knew that.
Shearer had the emotional intelligence to both understand and deal with Eddie Seaga. Shearer did not have the ego, sense of importance and wild ambition of most of the second-tier leaders who famously stormed out of the JLP under Seaga's leadership.
I have said before that the JLP would be a different party, more united and less fractious, if it had a more emotionally mature and emotionally disciplined second tier leadership. While the media have concentrated on the obvious leadership weaknesses of Eddie Seaga and his glaring lack of emotional control, they have failed to see that the men around him have not had the emotional competencies to know how to deal with a leader like Seaga who craves respect, affirmation and validation. This is where the JLP has missed Hugh Shearer who effectively left us years ago through his illness with Alzheimer's.
Shearer's message in death is the incalculable value of consensus building, conflict-resolution, humility, graciousness and forgiveness. The JLP traditionalists' reported choice of veteran BITU man Pearnel Charles might be a clever attempt to gain some mileage from the Shearer passing, but I suggest that what will be long-lasting is if they take from Shearer his legacy of broad-mindedness, malice toward none, respect for opponents, and humility.
ONE OF OUR MOST LOVED
Hugh Shearer has been, with utmost justification, one of our most loved politicians by PNP, JLP and the uncommitted who knew of him. A political culture like ours cries out for someone like Hugh Shearer.
We can never afford to forget this giant of a man. His gifts go way beyond being a mere trade unionist and politician. He was just a fine human being, though no saint (his banning of Black Power activist Walter Rodney and black power books in the 1960s will tarnish his record, but who is without sin?)
Hugh Shearer had a way with people. I worked with him in the 1980s in public relations and as we would tour factories, I was struck by his ease and humility with the workers. "My name is Hugh Shearer," he would introduce himself self-effacingly to the women with a propitious smile.
One Christmas, Shearer told us a story which reflected his self-deprecatory nature. "One day Shearer will die and there will be a lot of hullabaloo. The radio stations will be playing special music, the tributes will be
pouring in.
Everybody will be saying what a great man Shearer was; saying that he was great leader, a great Prime Minister and all of that kind of bull. And there will be a lot of mourning and a big state funeral and pomp. But after that, everybody will forget about Shearer and just go back to their normal business."
No, HL, you're wrong this time: There will be many of us who will never forget you and your great worth to this country.
* Ian Boyne is a veteran journalist. You can send your comments to ianboyne1@yahoo.com.
