Resurrecting a dead horse

Delano Seiveright, Contributor

There is no doubt in my mind that there are persons desperately engaged in a futile attempt to bring a dead horse to life - that dead horse being the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips issue.

Now, despite the Gleaner recently flooding its pages day after day with stories on the Manatt issue, nothing substantively new has come about. Prime Minister Bruce Golding has already, through Parliament, and by national broadcast, explained to the country details of the law firm's engagement, expressed profound regret, apologised for the whole affair and set out a most far-reaching atonement package. The atonement package ranged from measures to reverse political tribalism and garrisons, and passing the anti-crime bills to laws that will regulate party financing. Much has been achieved already.

However, in a commitment to maintain the highest standards of governance that Mr Golding himself advocated for long prior to him becoming prime minister, the concerns and questions out there in some quarters should and happily are being addressed. Mr Golding and his Jamaica Labour Party came to power on a good-governance platform of anti-corruption, accountability, culpability and transparency. The high levels of corruption, mismanagement and the sheer unaccountability of the previous administration were mindboggling. The bar is, therefore, set very high for the Golding administration and there is no doubt that, on this matter, the Golding administration fell below it on this score. Let us frankly, though, squash the few partisan calls for Golding's resignation.

Transparency

Generation 2000 (G2K), in a May 2010 press release, had said, "Political leaders who have the stomach to be fully honest, at their own political peril are rare and we think it would be strange and, perhaps, a bit unwise to seek to punish those who choose to do so. Having laid the cards squarely on the table, the prime minister has re-opened the door that holds full honesty and transparency. The positive direction that can now be achieved for Jamaica is profound, and his honesty and forthrightness have ensured that Prime Minister Bruce Golding continues to enjoy the full support and endorsement of G2K." We continue to stand by that position.

Bruce Golding is a human being, and human beings are not perfect. After marginally winning the September 2007 general election, he has had to ride out the aftermath of Hurricane Dean, extensive floods, a worse than previously told economic puzzle, collapsed alternative investment schemes, international food, oil and devastating economic crises, by-elections, public-sector disquiet, a worsening crime situation, a society riddled with corruption among other dilemmas. The cocktail of dilemmas was nicely then topped off, by August 2009, with the request for the extradition of Christopher 'Dudus' Coke by the United States of America in the midst of rough negotiations with the International Monetary Fund to avert an economic catastrophe.

Unethical

The contracting of the services of the prestigious American law firm and lobby outfit, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, by some in the ruling Jamaica Labour Party, ostensibly to further open lines of communication between Jamaica and the United States to address a treaty dispute, was neither illegal nor unethical. The geopolitical realities of 21st century statecraft, governance and international affairs demand suppleness, careful but fast moves, and the right connections in order to effectively address transnational dilemmas. The powerful and huge lobbying framework has become a permanent fixture on the American political and commercial landscape. Its superseding influence cannot be discounted nor ignored.

As government and party spokespersons sought to explain the Manatt initiative, it became patently obvious from early that it was an argument that couldn't be won. The views of opinion leaders and many Jamaicans began to harden. Propaganda, misinformation, a paucity of information and political leanings formed the basis of people's opinions on the matter. In essence, there was much repulsion towards the administration's position on a thorny and sensitive affair despite the rock-solid legal and principled positions of the administration.

I recall discussing the extradition/Manatt matter on several occasions with G2K members here and overseas. The views were mixed, and for me, eye-opening. Some supported the Government's principled position, others were not so gung-ho. There were just too many 'buts' and 'howevers'. The mere fact that the extradition request for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke was perceived to form the centre of the lobby initiative was enough for opinion makers and many ordinary Jamaicans to negate all other valid arguments.

And here we are now. Months after a full apology, an expression of profound regret and a far-reaching atonement package, we are now engaged in the most robust fight against crime and violence in Jamaica's history. It is, without a doubt, an amazing turn of events for the greater good.

Bruce Golding has done what no other prime minister has done for the criminality that has escalated to the point of holding many Jamaicans hostage in their own homes. He acted! While one can reasonably argue that we got here by 'accident', the fact is we are here and the prime minister has very boldly committed to taking on hardened criminals no matter their political affiliation. This is nothing short of 'revolutionary' in our body politic. The fruits of this initiative are there for all to see, including major reductions in major crimes ranging from robberies to murder.

The debate on crime and violence by our country's leaders on both sides of the fence has, for long, been terribly hypocritical. It is no wonder then that with a small island nation recording murder tallies of above 1,500 per year and placed firmly among the most murderous countries in the world, coupled with a severely broken police force and an increasingly unruly, corrupt and abrasive populace, little discussion on crime and violence in the recent 2007 election campaign occurred.

It has been several months and it's high time that we more seriously focus on this and other issues of national importance, including the game-changing stabilisation and transformation of the economy in a very volatile and depressed world economic climate. Further yet, government led game-changing initiatives in education, agriculture, energy and tourism will favourably place Jamaica for sustained medium and long-term growth and development.

No government in Jamaica's history has ever achieved so much under such tremendously difficult circumstances. None!

Delano Seiveright is president of Generation 2000 (G2K), the young professional affiliate of the Jamaica Labour Party.