Prime Minister Bruce Golding has once again spoken, albeit in a most tribalist setting, at the 66th annual conference of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party.

There was nothing new or different in his presentation which lacked specifics for the most part and was at times almost self-deprecating, all the while being self-serving.

Who in the JLP will be bold enough to tell the chief servant that he is out of touch with the Jamaican people? Just listen to his reasoning with respect to the increase in passport fees. He ought to be aware that for the average Jamaican, having a passport is not just about travelling. It is for many their main and most widely acceptable form of identification. In any event, there are many ordinary, poor Jamaicans whose relatives often invite them abroad for holidays or to stay (in some cases overstay) with them for a variety of reasons. I know many helpers, farmers and other persons at the lower end of the socio-economic ladder who, by virtue of having a passport, can travel to where the grass is greener. And many of them have done so in a bid to better their lives. One young woman who worked with me years ago as a household helper is now a homeowner in England and is enjoying a quality of life that she would never have been able to achieve here. Having a passport, Mr Golding, means having an opportunity. An opportunity to escape poverty and degradation. It is therefore not a luxury. For thousands of Jamaicans it is a necessity. That is why there was such a rush to get that most valuable book. Indeed, is the prime minister intimating that only certain Jamaicans should have a passport?

It is my belief that the increase was not only unconscionable. It was immoral. I know of no other country in the world where taxes or user fees are so dramatically increased and foisted on the people like Nicodemus in the night. I well recall during the previous People’s National Party administration when a motor vehicle tax was made retroactive! The harsh truth is that our politicians of whatever ilk take us for granted and because they damn well know that they can get away with just about anything, they continue to treat us as their chattels. This is the question I want to leave with the prime minister: Is the Jamaican passport a right or a privilege? I would love to hear from the legal minds among us.

In the meantime, Jamaicans should be thanking God for the International Monetary Fund because, were it not for that body, the government would not be forced to do those things that it ought to have been doing, with or without a worldwide recession. Recently, in a speech to the business community in Montego Bay, Finance Minister Audley Shaw boasted that the Golding team had in fact been doing several of the things that the IMF agreement will have dictated. He also put his credibility on the line when he affirmed that during his tenure he intends to see interest rates go to single digits. The former observation is somewhat questionable and even if such things were being done, it was not with much alacrity and a sincerity of purpose. With respect to the latter, I am heartened by the fact that Minister Shaw is prepared to put his reputation on the line. Let’s hope he has better luck this time round, given the egg he has had to be constantly wiping from his face with respect to those pre-election promises.

For me, there were three missing elements in Mr Golding’s speech on Sunday. First, it was not inspiring. At a time when so many Jamaicans, both here and abroad, are frustrated, hopeless and fed up, we needed to be inspired, to be reassured, galvanised and given a sense of hope. At a time of crisis, people need to be inspired. Just churning out housekeeping information is not enough. This is where a sensitive leader who is in touch with his people applies a great deal of emotional intelligence.

Second, where is the timetable for the way forward? Mr Golding expatiated in well-modulated tones but a clinical analysis of his presentation reveals no time lines, no specific goal targets set against the background of achievable objectives. Is this deliberate so that in the final analysis he can worm his way out of any prognosticated expectations?

And finally, where is the shared vision – one that every Jamaican, regardless of his affectations and partisan outlook, can buy into? From all indications, Jamaica remains a rudderless ship because there is no compass. Where is the road map to the future, Mr Driver? Indeed, one gets the distinct impression that it is the IMF that is about to run things, taking on a kind of paternalistic role for a wayward, impoverished child that has for decades suffered from neglect, exploitation and a lack of proper guidance and sustenance.

I have no doubt that the JLP Rottweilers and pit bulls will be gnashing their teeth at me when they read this article, but I have news for them. Most of the persons who have been emailing me, texting me, telephoning me, talking to me at cocktail parties or in the streets in order to complain about Jamaica’s wretched state of affairs are citizens who voted for the JLP because they had tremendous confidence in Bruce Golding’s ability to make a difference in terms of governance and the way forward. Now, they are very disappointed. So if the Labourites are afraid to tell their leader the truth, I am prepared to do so, even if it means I will be tarred and feathered or even eliminated.

This is not about changing a government. The JLP was duly elected by the Jamaican people in a free and fair election, so all that well-thinking citizens are asking for at this time is that Mr Golding do the right things, not just say them. To begin with, he must stop sounding and acting like a tribalist. That’s not the Bruce Golding we thought we knew. When all is said and done, the Golden One still enjoys much goodwill in the wider society, but he must take the high road. In essence, he must stand and deliver.

lloydbsmith@hotmail