http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20031130/focus/focus5.html

Kevin O'Brien Chang, Contributor

BEING VERY young at the time my memories of the 1972 election are hazy, but I do recall nearly all of us at school shouting 'power' at passing motorcades. This wasn't only because of any specific PNP policies ­ about the only campaign issue that penetrated our immature brains was 'Joshua's rod of correction'. But having known only a JLP government I guess our unformed minds assumed any change must be for the better, and most first-time voters then probably thought the same way.

I sense a similar phenomenon when talking to today's young voters, for 'I want Bruce to change things' is what most say. To be sure Bruce Golding is no Michael Manley, who was a theatrical performer. He seemed to believe that whatver sounded good must be so. Yet, whatever his faults, he had a talent for making people feel good about themselves. Bruce comes across as a meticulous technocrat whose mantra is 'substance not style'. But he often dwells excessively on the problems and not the possible solutions.

However, to young voters tired of hearing 'Patterson versus Seaga' Golding represents something new. Few now think of him in his former guise as Seaga's right hand 'warlord'. His primary image today is a man who whether as NDM leader or talk show host or returned JLP prodigal has kept talking about change, and that appears good enough for a lot of people. My gut feeling is that a new look Labour will romp the next election if Golding is either elected leader or anointed heir apparent with a clear succession timetable laid out.

LEADER FOREVER

Now Edward Seaga cannot stay JLP leader forever and Bruce Golding is unquestionably the public's choice to replace him, with Audley Shaw his only real rival. Indeed, their situation reminds me of that facing Tony Blair and Gordon Brown when former British Labour leader John Smith died suddenly in 1997. Both realised that an open leadership fight would paint Labour as a still divided party, unfit to run the country. So they had a famous 'dinner of understanding'.

There, the more popular Blair, supposedly promised Brown the chancellorship of the exchequer if Labour won and also that he Blair would retire after 10 years or so and give Brown his chance. Brown accepted and together they have been unbeatable, twice crushing the Conservatives. A smart Jamaican Labour Party would study its British counterpart closely ­ 'New Labour, New Jamaica' seems a 'natural' to me.

In my view, Golding and Shaw made a great team in last year's debates, with Golding supplying serious gravitas and Shaw a warm common touch. Separately, both have obvious deficiencies, but if they teamed like Blair and Brown the JLP would be heavy favourite to trounce the PNP.

Now, Bruce Golding certainly doesn't style himself as a political messiah. I can't claim to know him very well, but he seems nowadays to view public relations spin as a reformed alcoholic looks at rum ­ namely, a dangerous drug to be avoided at all costs. This is probably mostly for the good, as it's about time we Jamaicans started to value substance over style. But as Richard Nixon's quipped, "You govern in prose, but you campaign in poetry'. Mr. Golding should have learnt from his NDM stint that the worst sin in politics is to be boring.

GUTLESS

Then there is the 'indecisive' charge. A senior JLP leader once spontaneously remarked to me that 'Bruce has never made a decision in his life!'. He seems to me though to have made some pretty tough calls of late ­ to leave the JLP, to form the NDM, to step down as NDM leader, and to rejoin the JLP. I think he acted correctly in every case. He would have been gutless to remain a JLP member after Mr. Seaga publicly ridiculed him, craven not to start a new party with so much public goodwill behind him, unprincipled not to step down after the NDM was humiliated in North East St Ann, and unpatriotic not to rejoin the JLP when his country so clearly needed him. No individual is more responsible for the excellent political balance in Jamaica today. Some criticise him for 'switching' too often. But as John Maynard Keynes said, "When the facts change I change my mind. What do you do sir?".

There is a great wellspring of demand for change bubbling below in today's Jamaica. The toughest part has started, for a truly independent Electoral Office has made decisive inroads into the 'garrisonism' and helped to bring about a central and local government balance. Yet one feels the public wants a full transformation and thinks Mr. Golding is the man to carry it out. Only time will tell if they are right.

His NDM sojourn left me with reservations. I supported his call to end violence and corruption in Jamaican politics, but many of his prescriptions smacked of 'change for change's sake'. It made no sense to propose a presidential model when parliamentary systems have been far more successful in practice ­ just compare the English speaking Caribbean to Latin America. Furthermore Mr. Golding talked of our political system as an unmitigated disaster ­ as if 40 plus years of unbroken democracy is not an admirable achievement. Voters were right to reject such nonsense.

I hope Mr. Golding has gotten past his 'reformed addict' extremism. Our constitution is in great need of reform ­ reducing the Director of the 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, and an odd number of new constituencies to make election deadlocks impossible are just some pressing issues that come to mind. But throwing out the baby with the bathwater can never be a recipe for success

changkob@hotmail.com