By Garwin Davis, Assistant News Editor
Shaw
JAMAICA LABOUR Party (JLP) spokesperson on Finance Audley Shaw says while he has never been obsessed with the idea of becoming the leader of his party and by extension Prime Minister of Jamaica, he is "no less ambitious than anybody else" with leadership aspirations.
In an interview with The Gleaner last Friday, Mr. Shaw, who is also the Member of Parliament for North East Manchester and a leading contender for the top place in the JLP in the post-Edward Seaga era, said he was only preoccupied with trying to rid the country of what he called "the most corrupt" administration ever, noting that "the will of God" will determine his political future.
"My policy is very simple," Mr. Shaw said. "When I am called upon to serve, I put my heart and soul into serving the people. Nobody has a God-given right to anything and to any position...we play our roles in life where time and destiny are our masters...the ultimate master is God Almighty."
Asked if he felt he was ready to assume the role of Prime Minister in the event of a JLP victory and Mr. Seaga exiting the stage at a later date, Mr. Shaw said: "Let me put it this way for you. Jamaicans in Jamaica can attain a high standard of living and prosperity...the obstacles to achieving this is a lack of effective leadership. My idea of effective leadership is when the stage is set where people get the opportunity to create wealth for themselves...when you can do that then it really doesn't matter who is running the country."
And what about Bruce Golding, the man who would most likely be his main challenger for the leadership post in the JLP after Mr. Seaga? Mr. Shaw shrugged off suggestions that there was any feeling of ill-will between himself and Mr. Golding, saying they both "enjoyed a good relationship".
"I have a lot of respect for Mr. Golding," he said. "He has a fine mind and has a lot to contribute to this country...I welcome him back to the fold of the JLP and also to the mainstream of Jamaican politics."
Mr. Shaw, who chairs the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament and has earned the reputation of having a knack for uncovering Government scandals, said he was amazed at the level of "cover ups" currently taking place, warning that a lot of things would come to light after the election.
"It's a direct ploy on the part of the Government," he said.
"They are afraid of the boat being rocked before the election so they are playing for time. Where is the DPP report into allegations of fraud in the NHDC...where hundreds of millions of dollars were paid for work not done? Where is the report of the auditor general in the write-off of $6.5 billion in the NWC? Whatever happened to the Caymanas Track Limited (CTL) report which we have repeatedly asked the Minister of Finance for...whatever happened to the report on the cheques that were written out to the Postal Services and were cashed illegally...why weren't this brought to the attention of the fraud squad...and I could go on and on."
And what would be different with a JLP Government? Isn't it true that both parties have been guilty of corruption?
"I think we can all agree that the level of corruption taking place today is unprecedented," he said. "In our time we had the Office of Financial Accountabi-lity which was designed to prevent the kind of abuses taking place in Government...the PNP disbanded it when they came to power."
The Prime Minister too came in for a tongue lashing. "I heard the Prime Minister last night (Thursday) making some scurrilous statements about people forgetting loans," Mr. Shaw said. "Why doesn't he, and I challenge him to do this before the election, state the names of everybody, including Ministers of Government and Members of Parliament, that have been given write offs and breaks from FINSAC...do this before the election."
The Prime Minister in the nationally televised debate on Thursday night said the country's national debt ballooned to enormous proportions because some people did not pay back what they owe and some simply "forgot to pay". Some analysts interpreted the remark as a direct jibe at Opposition Leader Edward Seaga whose financial problems with the Government have been well documented.
Asked why in light of all the scandals and perceived corruption within the present administration the JLP was still behind in the polls, Mr. Shaw said he was not convinced that was the case. "With all due respect to the pollsters, what we are picking up on the ground is a stark contrast to what they are saying," he said. "Something is radically wrong ...they are not picking up what we are picking up...some things are happening with those polls. We are seeing this tremendous surge since our Half-Way Tree meeting and also since Mr. Golding came on board."
So is he predicting a JLP victory? "I see the JLP winning anywhere between 38 and 40 seats," he said. "The North East St. Ann effect is going to reach the country...there is a storm...a wind of change blowing out there. I have been saying all along that this election is not as close as some people are making it out to be...I don't see us losing...I have never seen this level of motivation within the party...believe me when I say we are ready."
