Garwin Davis, Assistant News EditorDR. OMAR DAVIES said he would leave representational politics only on his own terms.
"Representational politics is something I have grown to like," Dr. Davies reasoned. "It's about serving people - it's about listening to the concerns of the average man. I must tell you though that the media have been very unfair to me - the amount of bashing - the beating up - I don't know too many persons who have been under this kind of pressure."
Asked whether the intense media scrutiny he speaks of didn't have more to do with the fact that he is the Finance Minister and the person responsible for the financial affairs of the country, Dr. Davies said it had to be more than that.
"I don't know what the game is," he said. "I know I am a bit too direct, but I like people who do their homework. There is a great mismatch in how ordinary Jamaicans respond to me and the treatment I get in the press. I know that I am a good Member of Parliament - go talk to the people in my constituency. I spend a lot of time there talking to people - listening to their concerns. But the media, no, I have never received any help from them."
RESTRAINED
The Minister said it had become clear to him that he had to be more restrained in the things he said publicly, noting it didn't take much for his remarks to be misconstrued.
"There is a body of public opinion out there which is different from what is being portrayed", he continued. "When I go out there among ordinary Jamaicans the responses I get are tremendous. The responses I get tell me that I am not out of touch with people as some would have us believe. I was in Port Antonio the other day where I spent time talking to people about the issues - about the things that concern the average man."
Pressed on what he felt was the reason for the great divide in perception, Dr. Davies said, "Maybe because I don't have a lot of public relations people prettying me up - maybe I talk too straight. A lot of what you see coming from some people is all scripted - prepared by PR persons - maybe I would have been better off doing that."
Dr. Davies said it was his intention to "speak directly to the people rather than the media", noting that it made a lot more sense. Asked whether the pressures of the job or the widespread criticisms had been taking its toll, the Finance Minister said, "It gets frustrating sometimes, yes. My family has frequently asked me how I manage to deal with all of this but as I said before, it's all about serving, using your own words, it comes with the territory."
But is he frustrated to the point where he ever felt like saying enough is enough? "No, I have never reached that stage but whenever I do, it will be on my own terms," Dr. Davies said. "All of us in public life go through periods of frustrations as there is always a million persons out there who can do better. I hear a number of them criticising when the only thing they have ever succeeded at is chatting. Only a few persons have ever known what it is like to be Finance Minister."
THE FUTURE
And what about the future? Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has made it clear that he would be stepping down sometime in the near future, would he be a contender to succeed his party leader? "That is not something I am about to address," the Finance Minister noted. "I have no trapping about office. I am into representational politics to serve. I have lived in the same house for the past 28 years and I am not weighed down by anything."
And his relationship with Opposition Leader Edward Seaga? "Mr. Seaga is somebody I give a lot of respect to and he knows that," Dr. Davies said. "He is someone who has been in politics for over 40 years which is saying a lot about him as a person. To serve that long is truly astounding. I admire him for it."
But what about life after politics, has he given that much thought? "I have a million things I want to do with my life," Dr. Davies explained. "I want to write books - get a chance to read more - to do some of the things I have always wanted to do but couldn't because I didn't have the time."
