http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20041114/focus/focus3.html

“A Dog lay in a manger, and by his growling and snapping prevented

the oxen from eating the hay which had been placed for them. "What a selfish Dog!" said one of them to his companions; "he cannot eat the hay himself, and yet refuses to allow those to eat who can."  Aesop’s Fables

The September 2003 Stone polls showed Bruce Golding favoured by 45% to take over from Edward Seaga as JLP leader, with Pearnel Charles getting only 11% support. And Mr. Golding’s public standing has risen since then. If the JLP delegates’ main interest is choosing as their leader the man who has the best chance of winning the next general election, it’s inconceivable that they will not give Mr. Golding a resounding mandate no matter when the conference is held. Certainly people on the street have little doubt that Mr. Golding will become the next Opposition Leader. To them it’s merely a matter of formalities such as counting the votes and getting him a seat in parliament.

The ‘dog in a manger’ decision of Pearnel Charles and his team to sabotage last week’s planned JLP conference by taking the party to court over its delegates list makes no logical sense. Why would Mr. Golding want to rig an election he is almost assured of winning in a fairly run race? And Mr. Charles and his backers have committed political suicide. Why would the JLP ever entrust them with any kind of power again when they have so blatantly put their selfish interests before that of the party?

This affair highlights once more the JLP’s inability to wash its dirty laundry in private. In politics as in life there are bound to be disagreements. But no matter what the behind door internal squabbles, the PNP always succeeds in presenting a united face to the public. The JLP however consistently manages to resemble a brawling tenement yard rather than a professional organization. No wonder it has won only one contested general election since 1967.

In a way this latest ‘kas kas’ provides Bruce Golding with a golden opportunity. For it spectacularly highlights the pigheaded manner in which the Labour party has conducted its affairs over the past three decades. There’s many a slip twixt cup and lip. But if the logically obvious takes place – the JLP delegates elect Mr. Golding and he gets a parliamentary seat  - his first task will be to make ‘New Labour’ appear disciplined and united. And thanks to Pearnel and his friends, the expectations bar could not be any lower. Even a semblance of normality will seem a huge improvement on what has gone before.

Now rightly or wrongly, Mr. Golding has a reputation as a kind of ‘flip flopper’. His own outgoing leader has painted him as indecisive and prone to ‘thinking too precisely on the event’. But if and when he takes charge of the JLP this delegates list affair has presented him with a perfect scenario for publicly demonstrating his political cojones. For he would be a foolish wimp indeed if he did not purge his organization of publicly declared back stabbers. 

Mr. Golding’s political resurrection has been quite astonishing. One month before the October 2002 general election he was a forgotten man in the radio talk show wilderness. But the fates have conspired to give him even more political power now than he had before his break with the JLP. And remarkably he has had to make very few compromises on the principles he espoused in the NDM. Surely he must sometimes pinch himself to see if he really isn’t dreaming.

While some diehard Labourites still hold his NDM sojourn against him, most Jamaicans see Mr. Golding as probably the country’s best bet for a relatively fresh start. The young especially who have known only Manley, Seaga and Patterson as party leaders view him as if not exactly new at least someone different. In fact such an aura has grown around Mr. Golding that he might well represent the greatest build up of political expectations since Michael Manley in 1972.

Of course Mr. Manley and Mr. Golding could not be more different in personality. Mr. Golding’s mantra is ‘substance not style’, while Mr. Manley represented an almost complete triumph of rhetoric over reality. The only resemblance is the tremendous amount of political capital circumstances conspired to put in their hands. History shows that ‘Joshua’ squandered his by an excessive allegiance to ideology. And there are worrying signs that Mr. Golding might do the same.

Despite it being near the bottom of the average Jamaican’s list of priorities, he is still making noises about constitutional reform. Now no doubt our constitution needs an overhaul. Reducing the Director of Public Prosecution’s powers, increasing the Police Commissioner’s authority to hire and fire, an independent police commission, an independent central bank, a fixed date for local elections – these are just some pressing issues that come to mind. But these are matters to be tackled after winning an election, not ones on which to run a campaign. Not unless you want to bore the electorate to defeat.

Giving free counsel is part of a columnist’s job - though of course you get what you pay for. And here is my advice to Mr. Golding. If you do become JLP leader, please listen to the people this time around. Don’t try to shove political reform down our throats as you did when with the NDM. Good for us or not, most Jamaicans don’t give a damn about separation of powers. What we want from our political leaders is common sense government – an end to violence, an end to corruption, and good management. changkob@hotmail.com