NEWS that the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) platform may challenge International Monetary Fund (IMF) dictats as Tspiras of Greece has tried is funny. A swell is building with Shaw and the Opposition leader’s importunate calls for growth and Bobby Montague’s opposing the Petcom gas stations sale despite protesting the JLP’s support for privatisation. Are JLP and PNP roles reversed; is the JLP socialist? Did Andrew know about growth as prime minister, or is it a new discovery?

When did we grow this horrendous debt? What’s special now? The JLP opted out of IMF restraint, but they now think the time to grow is three years into IMF surgery. Is Harry Potter leading the economics discussions in the JLP? Even with growth many will migrate, so don’t cuss those who leave as all of us came on a boat, so when we feel an itch we scratch and leave. We who stay are not heroes, and those who leave are not villains, each is on a journey. But we must be buoyed by faith and works, not wish for a saviour who, like Syriza, only paints lovely pictures. We are too old for fairy tales.

Bitter medicine is our lot. We did not prosper outside the IMF, so the notion that we can avoid pain, ‘free-up’ cash, and grow as never before is trash; “run wid it” did not work then and can’t work now! We can’t party to prosperity. Syriza got a mandate as after six years of “bitter medicine” Greeks lost faith in its two parties and Tspiras said what suffering people want to hear –I bring relief! Up to early last week Greece demanded concessions; on Wednesday abuse flew at EU ministers, Syriza stormed out; by weekend they signed — a big climb down but ATMs now have cash. Is Holness a kindred spirit of the 40-year-old Alexis Tsipras, a communist from student days, not enamoured of the IMF “no pain no gain” policy? He won 39 per cent and unseated centre-right and democratic socialist parties which are like PNP and JLP here. Syriza vowed to renegotiate the US$270-billion bailout, end painful reforms, and “grow the economy”. I love this iconoclast, but he is unreconstructed left. We must nobble rapacious banks, empower the poor, but left of centre is not JLP territory and Mr Holness has no left-wing credentials — just expedient politricks!

We are not “Greece of the Western world”. Greece is a member of a rich union which kept it afloat before the IMF came. We are members of CSME; a poor Union — more millstone than asset. Like Greece, we had highly literate leaders who don’t do numbers. Like Greece, we consumed and built debt. Last week Greece ran out of cash; barter was on, might have led to riots, looted warehouses, breached borders with Bulgaria, Albania for supplies — thank God it did not. We would starve if the containers of chicken back did not arrive as we have no borders to cross for food. Syriza won no debt relief, no rollback of austerity, and cuts to public spending and divestment continue. Greece had a good life so the past six years is pain. We are different; we suffer for decades so no one under 45 knows any other reality. Pain is our normal. Greeks miss their comforts so they riot; can we miss what we never had? Greece are not us; it has a huge military, dozens of naval vessels, submarines, a defence spend of US$12B, GDP four times ours, and 20 per cent of the world’s merchant ships. It stands on Sparta and Hellenic culture — Plato, Socrates, Aristotle aka Western civilisation… Duh! We may beat them in Olympics, but they invented it. Still, be not dismayed. We have no equal legacy but have courage, can work hard, smart; let’s nail our deficit by our amazing innovation, productivity, and make history. We can do it!

Whither Greece? A society which exists from before Christ virtually intact is no pushover. Do not confuse debt with poverty. We are poor, debt-ridden; Greece is deep in debt but not poor. They may hydroplane on EU subsidy, but are people of steel and harden as fire gets hotter. Our ancestors may have had it, but we show no such resilience. The Syriza way is not us. Their Air Force has some 400 fighter jets and 30 helicopters, yet only three times our population. Pro-rated, we should have 140 war planes. Greece is part of a rich, powerful union and Western defence so their major bailout comes from members. They cut government ministries from 20 to 11, and the letter they rushed in at midnight spoke to a crackdown on smuggling, tax evasion, corruption, and to allay their “humanitarian crisis”. Christene Lagarde said it was “not very specific” but enough to release aid; then reform pensions and labour. Tsipras says victory; a bailout — smaller primary surplus, longer payment period — cost Greece more. In a 25-year mortgage you may pay for your house twice; in 40 years, three times, who wins?

Whither Jamaica? We are in CSME — a “fool-fool” union of poor states equal in population to Greece with miles of ocean in-between us, and them with no navy and not one ship. CSME survives on aid, loans and positions itself to be patronised. The same patrons treat Greece as an equal. “You consume your way to debt, deal with the consequences!” They condescend to us as we are not equals; “poor people they don’t know better, can’t run their country, let’s help them.” Guess what? Greece just placed an order for 90 F-16 fighter planes. What? They fought wars, prospered, and live well. We never fought a war, but we love guns. We have not one amputee for courage under fire. Most of our criminals are Walter Mitty-types — irresponsible fantasists. Greeks riot and burn; they know what they are missing. We feel entitled, but what prosperity do we miss? The growth of Syriza like Podemos — “We can” in Spain, is fed by disillusionment with two parties, decline in voting and social unrest; just like here. We moan, flip-flop from JLP to PNP, but Greeks have guts, self-esteem and make changes.

Is Holness a late leftist? I recall being advised: “Go to university, study, be atheist, communist, party all night; do it all as you will never again be as free.” I learnt two things about revolution “challenge orthodoxy especially if you are behind” and “be subversive of mediocrity”. These serve me well. The JLP may copy Syriza, but living on the wild side is not Andrew’s experience. A party with no belief is as a man without values. Confusion is at epidemic levels in the JLP. They will find no relief in the Greek model. A rich nation and a poor one each owing 150 per cent of GDP are not equal. The rich are not like us. Let’s stick to the task, work to get out of debt, and garner as much growth as we can on the journey. Above all, avoid the quick fix. “Long road draw sweat, short cut draw blood.” — Old Jamaican proverb. Stay conscious, my friend!

Dr Franklin Johnston is a strategist, project manager and advises the minister of education. franklinjohnstontoo@gmail.com