A message to Seaga
THIS IS THE FULL TEXT OF
THE EDITORIAL PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 11, 2003
THE YOUNG Brigade sent a signal to the old as the Jamaica Labour Party marked its 60th anniversary at the weekend. The signal was not an overt challenge to the leadership of Edward Seaga but he would have got the message.
Having voiced a thinly veiled support for Babsy Grange and Edmund Bartlett prior to the election, Mr. Seaga did, in fact, formally welcome the two new deputy leaders, Dr. Horace Chang and James Robertson in his speech at Sunday's public session. Since Ms. Grange and Mr. Bartlett were seen as the deputies closest to the Party Leader their defeat constitutes a jolt to the dominance Mr. Seaga has maintained unchallenged for 29 years.
This time there was none of the harsh exchanges which made the so-called Gang of Five episode of 1990 one of the more critical chapters of JLP history. The subsequent rift which saw the departure of party heir-apparent Bruce Golding was healed only in the run-up to last October's General Election. Mr. Golding's warm welcome to Sunday's session seemed to confirm political speculation that the triumphant young brigade will ultimately welcome him as heir-apparent once more.
But Mr. Seaga's track record of an authoritarian leadership style suggests that such calculations are no guarantee that the projections of the young brigade will hold true. He has given no hint that he is about to step down from a challenge that has eluded him for the unprecedented four terms of PNP leadership. Most observers have felt that the state of the economy and the society in general was tailor-made for a JLP victory last October. Subsequent polls claim that the Seaga factor is all that stands in the way of the party once more gaining power.
As we see it, political parties must renew themselves from time to time as they face social and economic change, and woo support from the populace at large. Changing leadership involves treating with power and persuasion within the organisation and simultaneously maintaining popular support. The fact that the Opposition Party is prepared to do what is necessary to retain the stance of government-in-waiting is a welcome signal that the two-party system remains a vibrant element of our democracy.
