Author slams Jamaica's political culture
Published:Sunday | December 16, 2012 | 12:00 AM
- Title: Scattered Thunderbolts
- Author: H. Charles Johnson
- Publisher: Prams International Press, USA, 2012
- Reviewer: Dr Glenville Ashby
H. Charles Johnson weaves an interestingly authentic narrative. Scattered Thunderbolts is part political philosophy, and part memoir, wrapped around a manifesto that transcends Jamaica's political stage. Johnson is an existentialist, and a humanist, who slams the two-party system that has dominated his native land.
He paints a sordid picture of corruption, political victimisation, and what he terms "garrison constituencies." He asserts that "the creation of garrison constituencies is based on the idea that the best way to maintain control over a constituency is to remove people of different persuasions."
The author posits that Jamaicans have been robbed of economic fruition by elected officials who have used their office for self-interest, while maligning and debilitating their opponents. "No hope can be assured in a state where two parties have entrenched themselves in a flawed parliamentary system and, by so doing, refuse to allow any new political movement to grow or survive," he writes.
Johnson, now a lawyer, was prosecuted for treason, accused of masterminding an aborted coup against the Manley government. Throughout his work, he assails partisanship and advocates democratic nationalism as an organically viable political system that should be adopted. In seeking constitutional overhaul, Johnson has rejected the Westminster model of governance as a colonial throwback. As a humanist, Johnson believes in our essential goodness, if afforded a levelled playing field. Conversely, he is mindful of the potential for chaos when the odds are stacked against the fruition of the human will and spirit. His aversion for socialism is markedly evident, singling out Manley's political adventurism in the '70s as socially calamitous - a tragedy from which that nation has never fully recovered. His criticism of the JLP is more measured, faulting its leaders for "not educating the people so they would understand the purpose of government and why things are done a certain way for growth".
Well worth examining
Clearly, Johnson is a visionary with a broad and ambitious political plan for his nation. His multiparty system and strong federalist leanings are hardly new, but still, in the stunted political culture of the Caribbean, his theories are well worth examining. He promotes a system shaped by checks and balances, plebiscites, and the economic empowerment of constituencies, without usurping the authority of the central government. He opines: "The domestic economy should be centrally planned so as to provide the government with information that will enable them to create structural changes in the system to the people and diversify their interests."
Maybe, Johnson has eyed the successful Switzerland political model - a decentralised structure where the cantons (districts) hold sway. But he should also be reminded that the wheels of governance could grind to a halt with too many political forces at work.
Johnson's model is eclectic, multilayered. It draws heavily from capitalism, but is influenced by participatory politics at the very microscopic level. It embraces foreign investment, with a single caveat - that transference of technology to smaller states must be agendised. He is an ardent promoter of youth development, education, and combating unemployment through a rekindled manufacturing sector, and infrastructural development. His argument for term limits is persuasive, and will resonate with readers.
He is convinced that the right political system is the panacea for social depravities. Here, he has shown his hand as an idealist. He envisions a world void of gunboat diplomacy and naked geopolitics - a new order where multilateral relations are based on mutual respect, and equanimity. Jamaica must be prepared to take advantage of these developments, and only a progressive political environment can guarantee this, he notes.
Johnson's desire to reclaim Jamaica's promise burns through every page. To the naysayer, he chronicles his life as a young man with marginal resources, but with a soaring ambition. Coupled with astuteness, and an unwavering goal to become an accomplished professional, the groundwork was prepared for a stellar entry into the murky water of politics. Clearly, this is a writer who views an existential connection to the reader as vital for selling his political wares, sparing little as he details his upbringing.
Indeed, his humble beginning, his unbridled determination, and a fair share of political and legal intrigue, will cause readers to pause, and lend an ear to his clarion call to change Jamaica's political culture. But laying the blame on the Westminster model, or any system, for that matter, does not address the cause of the region's manifold challenges.
Will impress political skeptics
Some might contend that self-interest and corruption are reflections of political and racial tribalism, sewn into the region's psyche. Is there a touch of fatalism in such opinions? Sure, there is. After all, the best of political intentions have always floundered. Is this because we are intrinsically a self-serving species as a recent study conducted by Yale University and the University of Chicago concluded?
Undoubtedly, Johnson's manifesto will impress the most recalcitrant of political skeptics. But to believe that his template for change will somehow arrest our unnerving proclivities is questionable, at best.
Yet, Scattered Thunderbolts raises pertinent questions on culture, politics, and human nature. In the end, its veridical attempt at national redemption is undeniable.
Rating: Recommended