Farmer Joe says: It's countdown time

Driving towards the hotel, I recalled the shindig over there in the Cockpit Country where Harry, my schoolmate, had introduced me to Farmer Joe. Yes, the same Farmer Joe who, during the unprecedented 2007 Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) election television advertising blitz, was among his cultivation, with cellular at his ear, telling Sista P, "Ah no me seh so." Surely, you also recall that Harry had long migrated to Hartford, Connecticut, where he resides with his family.

The greeting had hardly ended before I asked him how come he had been in the city for a whole week without advising me. Farmer Joe jumped in and said that they had planned it that way because Harry had wanted to witness for himself the character of the People's National Party conference, and that I would not be contacted before, since he wanted to be there with an open mind.

He also wanted to be there for a specific reason: he would use the size of the turnout to judge the reaction of the people to what he considered to be the most obnoxious revelation and confession of any administration during the 52 years that he had been following governance processes in Jamaica and across the globe.

We had long recognised Harry as being of the philosopher type, so our ears pricked up in unison to hear of this revelation that so irked him and so pricked his conscience. Recognising our anxiety, he quickly proceeded to tell us that the reason for this Government's awful approach to managing the affairs of state had only recently become concretised in his own mind. We asked him: how so?

scenting potential damage

He had been following the implementation process of the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme and questions raised by representatives on both sides of the political divide, and even by members of the private sector. The prime minister himself, scenting the potential damage that the adopted approach could engender, had made another of his usual unfulfilled promises to have an independent review of the exercise.

When, according to Harry, the Government was pressured, particularly by the member of parliament for Hanover Eastern, Dr D.K. Duncan, and the opposition spokesman for transport and works, Dr Omar Davies, as to the scandalously skewed allocation for road repairs throughout the parishes, members of the administration proceeded to give a reply that would astound even unrepentant cynics concerning the practice of politics.

He remained astounded by the dysfunctional mess that had left the hundreds-pound gorilla still ominously traversing the halls of government, as he put it, but he had never in his wildest dreams, imagined an administration having the brazen impudence to tell the citizens that they were using their own tax dollars to victimise them.

Here it is, Harry lamented, that the Government is prepared to advise the entire world that the most expansive infrastructure programme in Jamaica's history, facilitated by a loan of vast proportions from China, with which we are entering such an ambitious arrangement for the first time, is being implemented in a manner designed as a payback for perceived sins committed by a previous administration; at the same time, inviting the Opposition to be part of partnership talks.

Farmer Joe reminded that this evidence-based victimisation binge was pursued by the Government from day one, but he, too, could never believe that any administration could so shamelessly and barefacedly admit publicly to overseas representatives within our midst, the diaspora, the trade unions, taxpayers and all the people on the rock, that they were prepared to have such a historic project become mired in a confessed victimisation mess.

extortionist teachers

Of course, he quickly reeled off some of the instances: the early untidy Public Service Commission affair, which Farmer Joe has always insisted had initially caused him to look at Bruce Golding differently; the extortionist teachers - that cutting reference that caused a member of his own family so much pain; the Shylock-type members of the constabulary force; and the remarkably awkward approach to the public sector, in general.

Philosopher Harry was satisfied that the widespread outpouring that he saw at Independence Park - for he clearly could not gain entry to the arena - indicated a full understanding by our people of the disrespect that their governors had heaped upon them during these past four years.

And, he confided that when he returned to the hotel long after everything had ended, sitting at the hotel bar, he overheard some gentlemen - obvious business types - saying that what they had seen through their binoculars from up in the hills was a serious thing and lambasting "de man dem for mashing up dis ting long time", and they don't see how they could get one cent of contribution out of them again.

Farmer Joe had watched the proceedings at the conference on TV at home, and he was convinced that this is 'Countdown Time'. The Opposition had behaved with decorum, and had not fomented demonstrations or protest activities during these past four years, and he asked me to tell Sista P that that was an exemplary course which should be continued. He wondered what would have been the posture of a JLP in Opposition, at the recent encounter in Montego Bay with Chinese government officials at the highest level, in times like these, recalling its outrageous indiscretion on the occasion of the visit of President Chavez of Venezuela at the signing ceremony for the PetroCaribe initiative.

He was excited about the proposed cultural and sporting platform as one of the growth and job-creating levers in our country, as the opposition leader had projected, admitting that he was thinking particularly of his own parish, Trelawny. He told us that he was exploring the possibilities inherent in the international yam industry, which, he boasts, has been enhanced by the rich exploits of the exceptional athletes from the parish.

He was of the view that our yams would not be ready for consumption everywhere in the same form that we are used to. But, he had secretly asked one of his parishioners, a member of the contingent that went to the recent World Championships, to establish some contacts for him, in an attempt to explore all possibilities.

sports museum

He wanted a special interest to be taken in his parish, convinced that there is a combination of factors that could make Trelawny the catalyst for the highly developmental proposal that the opposition leader had placed on the table. Farmer Joe foresees a sports museum at the stadium in the parish which would house a small theatre for the showing of films of the great athletics races over time, and showcasing the development of the careers of our own athletes, in the land of Lightning Bolt. Cruise ship passengers and other tourists would surely be interested.

And he would have preferred to have heard a news item that the sports minister had been busily seeking partnership possibilities in South Korea for the restoration or reorganisation of the town of Falmouth to become a world-class stopover point, rather than seeking assistance to celebrate our 50th anniversary. There is the matter of partnerships for the creation of promenades; for restaurants, kiosks, appropriate transportation and other required facilities, addressing the hygienic quality and general ambience of the town, and more - all for job creation for our people and the comfort and education of our visitors, in the land of Bolt, VCB, Frater and others.

We should dust off the works of former Custos Roylan Barrett, who not only chronicled pivotal points of interest in the history of the parish, but was energetic in seeking to establish foreign partnerships to restore the town of Falmouth, whose name might very well be changed over time to fit in with what is sought to be accomplished in the parish and Jamaica. But he was working assiduously to be a part of the yam revolution, anchored in Trelawny.

Harry agreed that it was Countdown Time, closing out this unsavoury, nightmarish chapter in our history; he would have much to say to us going forward. He was encouraged by the three-pronged combination of the party leader, Portia Simpson Miller, Peter Phillips and K.D. Knight leading into the campaign. Whereupon Farmer Joe intoned: "Star Boy, you mean," and proceeded to ask why Harry and I were looking at each other querulously.

He suggested that we should recall that acting was his first love and that he would relish us witnessing him during the next election campaign exercises among his cultivation, with cellular at his ear, conversing with Bruce about what K.D. had exhorted him, as prime minister, to do. As we parted company, for Harry to pack his bags and for them to get some rest, Farmer Joe repeated: "It's Countdown Time."

A.J. Nicholson is opposition spokesman on foreign affairs and foreign trade. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.