In competitive sport and other forms of rivalry, such as politics, there are only three possible outcomes to a contest — win, lose, or draw.

A draw, otherwise called a tie, occurs when the result is the same or inconclusive for the contending parties or teams. In the game of chess a draw could mean the game has reached a stalemate, a situation in which no further progress is possible.

With both political parties, People’s National Party (PNP) and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), claiming victory in the recently held local government elections, one is left to assess the situation as having reached a stalemate. This along with low voter turnout below 30 per cent says neither party enjoys the overwhelming trust and confidence of the people.

The no-win situation (stalemate) faced by the Jamaican electorate was vividly depicted by former Member of Parliament (MP) and Government Minister Ronald Thwaites. Writing in the Monday, October 23, 2017 edition of
The Gleaner, he told of seeing large enthusiastic crowds of mostly women gathered to support their candidates on nomination day for a series of by-elections that were being held. It was as if they had decided that was the most productive task they had to do.

“But to what end? Many were there for the excitement; others for the validation of backing a winner. Many looking for a food money to carry home. Almost all either unemployed or at best doing little hustling at less than minimum wage. Who is going to feed these people? Can the system of government which we practice ever meet their expectations for a good education, for work, a house to live in, and reasonable physical and social security? The reality is that whosoever wins the three seats that are in contest, whatever the balance in Gordon House, life is going to be substantially unchanged for those crowds. Disappointment for them is inevitable.”

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, in published comments, said he has deduced from the results that while people are happy with the progress made by his Administration, there are problems with bad roads, poor water supply, and the like, going back before his time, that need more work. No, Prime Minister, you’ve got it wrong, partially at least. The people see progress in the changing skyline, with new buildings going up; in the new highways; and the high-end machines that traverse them at breakneck speeds. But it is progress that doesn’t touch the lives of the masses.

This was yet another disappointing electoral result for the governing party attributable to a minister of finance pursuing a top-down policy of balancing the books while failing to balance lives.

Win, lose, or draw, the result of the local government elections sends an unmistakable message of a political process that promises much but delivers little, so aptly described by Reverend Ronald Thwaites. Politics and, by extension, politicians have by and large failed Jamaica.

Happy Riddance

There is an Arabian proverb that goes “Four things come not back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, the neglected opportunity”. With respect to the first, the spoken word, Jamaicans with far less sophistry say, “Cock mouth kill cock”.

No truer example of this is there than the sacking of PNP caretaker/candidate for Trelawny Northern, Dennis Meadows, and JLP MP for St Catherine South Western and minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Everald Warmington by their respective party leaders for admittedly making reprehensible comments from the political stage.

What is most worrying about this type of situation in which the tongue becomes momentarily detached from the brain is the fact that had either of these men thought they were acting in violation of party stance that would land them in deep trouble they never would have uttered those words, not even after imbibing liquor as Meadows claimed to have done. Especially with repeat offenders, like Warmington, it leaves one to wonder if political parties have strong codes of behaviour along with leadership that fearlessly and consistently enforces them.

There is hope in the approach taken by Opposition Leader Mark Golding. No euphemism about a meeting in which the offender handed in his resignation, just straight talk amounting to, ‘I gave him the boot.’ Most importantly, these words: “Jamaica will no longer tolerate weak, unprincipled leaders who say one thing but do another.”

The reference to the word principle is key. A principle is an inviolable law, like gravity in science. Violate it at your own peril. Late management guru and author Stephen Covey wrote a book on principle-centred leadership, which goes by the same title. It is obvious that many of those who offer themselves for public service through representational politics have never read it or do not have so much as an inkling about the concept. Our political parties must seek to correct this in their orientation and training programmes for both candidates and elected officers.

In the meantime, happy riddance to the two who were kicked ignominiously from their lofty perches.

Dr Henley Morgan is founder and executive chairman of the Trench Town based Social Enterprise, Agency for Inner-city Renewal, and author of My Trench Town Journey — Lessons in Social Entrepreneurship and Community Transformation for Policy Makers, Development Leaders, and Practitioners. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or hmorgan@cwjamaica.com