Jamaica needs political maturity

Carla Seaga, Contributor

It is common practice in Jamaica and elsewhere in the world that political wives don't speak. As a wife of a former politician, I mainly followed that tradition. However, I find myself at a point in my life when silence no longer seems like an option.

At 50 years old, and having been married to a former prime minister for 14 years, I have had the advantage and dis-advantage of watching the political process. While I now prefer the relative 'peace' of the private sector, I am not unmindful of the developments in the political arena.

I define myself as a person who loves and has a passion for Jamaica, having been born in Kingston five decades ago.

I would like the opportunity to continue to live here but I would like to live in a Jamaica unfettered by murder, states of emergencies and corruption. I would like to see justice and the rule of law in place and a Jamaica of yesteryear, where politeness and a gentleman's agreement are the order of the day.

Both the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party (PNP) have their roots in a different time of this country's development. They organised themselves to face the difficulties at the time, with the approach each saw as right for the time.

Having said this, I think the time has come in Jamaica's political development to give serious thought to how this society organises itself. For example, look at what they did a few weeks ago in Great Britain - the country is now ruled by a coalition. If the situation demanded it, is Jamaica mature enough as a nation to even consider such an alternative?

My husband has often been criticised for having friends in the PNP. What is wrong with that? It is this type of political maturity that Jamaica needs now. It should be the norm that the PNP has friends in the JLP and vice versa.

Battlefield

As far as constituency work goes, it has to be done. Some who do not understand can't seem to fathom what it would have been like if a politician did not go into a community and seek to alleviate the greatest needs by creating housing, education and employment opportunities. As Winston Churchill said, it is not the critic who counts, it's the man who goes into the battlefield that really has the say.

I agree with the church - we need a change. We need a mature approach for our future and one based on advice from the wisdom of the past. It is well known that those who do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat those mistakes. This is the time for us to pull together, not pull apart.

Carla Seaga is the wife of former Prime Minister Edward Seaga. Send comments to columns@gleanerjm.com.