Floyd Morris | Golding has my mark

Jamaicans have a saying, “What is fi yuh, can’t be unfi yuh.” I am aware that for the past couple of years, individuals have been encouraging Comrade Mark Golding to make himself available for leadership of the People’s National Party (PNP) whenever there was a leadership vacancy. Mark has resisted that encouragement because he has consistently maintained that he never entered politics for any leadership position, but rather, to give back to the people of Jamaica. Furthermore, he knew of the leadership ambitions of his bona fide brethren, Comrade Peter Bunting, and being the loyal and committed friend he is, he was never going to jeopardise that relationship. But as fate would have it, Mark was destined to be the man to wear the ‘crown’.

On November 7, Mark Golding has an appointment with destiny. The ‘trumpet’ has been sounded and Mark has answered the call. Will he be the man to lead the fight for his own native land? I am giving him my unequivocal support to lead in this fight.

I have seen and watched this astute and committed Comrade in full operation in the PNP and the Senate, and everything that he has touch has been ‘golden’.

When I was president of the Senate, he was the one who acted as Leader of Government Business for most of the time, as then Minister A.J. Nicholson allowed him to pilot the various pieces of legislation. It is as if ‘A.J.’ was being led by the Holy Spirit, of which he knew not, would take Mark to the cusp of being president of the oldest and most progressive political organisation in the anglophone Caribbean.

As I sat in the chair of the president in the Senate, it was an absolute joy to listen to the presentations of Mark Golding. The dexterity and erudition from this brilliant Jamaican knew no bounds. His understanding of legislation and the legislative process is simply breath-taking. This is why I believe that he has earned his way to run for the post of president of the PNP, and I am appealing to my Comrades to give this man the opportunity to lead the organisation.

When Comrade Omar Davies decided to quit representational politics in 2017, a vacancy was created in the PNP bastion of South St Andrew. There was a contest between Comrades Mark Golding and Colin Campbell to be the standard-bearer for the PNP in the constituency. I was among the proud Comrades that went into the constituency to solidly endorse this ‘irie’ guy. He has been shining ever since he set foot in the Parliament, and I believe he is ready and capable of taking over the leadership of the PNP.

WATERSHED MOMENT

The PNP is at a watershed moment of its sojourn and we need a leader who can unite and motivate all Comrades. We need a leader who can command respect in every sector of the Jamaican society, whether it is in academia, business, politics, religious community, sports, uptown and downtown. I firmly believe that this person should be Comrade Mark Jefferson Golding.

Since P.J. Patterson has left active politics in 2006, the organisation has been bedevilled by disunity. We have had four leadership challenges within the last 14 years and these have contributed to the formation of different groupings in the organisation. And what is sad is that these groupings are just based on personalities, not ideas. This disunity is the major organisational imperative that has to be dealt with by the new leader.

When I examine the two persons offering themselves for the top job, I realise that even though both of them are my friends, I have to make a decision on what is best for the organisation that my mother Jemita ‘Din’ Pryce, aka ‘PNP Donkey’, grew me to love and respect. I therefore have to put my support behind an individual who will be able to pull all the groups in the organisation together and have them coalesce around a set of ideas that will redound to a resurgence of the PNP. In my estimation, based on his dealings with individuals in the organisation and the respect that is accorded to him amongst leaders in the broader society, I believe that Comrade Mark Golding is the man who is best able to unite the movement.

I am also supporting Comrade Mark Golding because I have in him an ally for persons with disabilities. From the moment Comrade P.J. Patterson appointed me to the Senate in 1998, I have been championing the cause of persons with disabilities in the Parliament, and we have had some successes. Most notably is the passage of the Disabilities Act 2014.

Comrade Golding has strong antecedence with persons with disabilities. His father, Professor Sir John Golding, was a pioneer in the field of rehabilitation services for persons with physical disabilities in Jamaica. Mark and his family embraced persons with disabilities at a time when it was not fashionable to do so. And, due to this familial connection, I believe that I will get greater support for members of this marginalised community.

The PNP has consistently adopted a progressive stance towards persons with disabilities. Having a leader who is fully conscious of the struggles and experiences of persons with disabilities will be a bonus. I am banking on this support as we are venturing into a critical phase of development for persons with disabilities. The Disabilities Act 2014 is about to be implemented by the Government and it requires individuals with knowledge and understanding of this community to help drive the process. Being an excellent legislator, Comrade Mark Golding will assist in this process tremendously.

BREAK CYCLE OF BITTERNESS

Comrade Mark Golding has not been a perfect individual. No man or woman is. The ill-advised and divisive challenge of Comrade Peter Phillips by Comrade Peter Bunting in 2019 still has left a bitter taste in my mouth. Comrade Mark Golding was involved with that challenge. However, I cannot and will not be among those who carry that bitterness to the detriment of the PNP. Someone has to break the growing cycle of bitterness that is among some individuals in the organisation.

I know that my decision to support Comrade Mark Golding is going to disappoint my friends Phillip Paulwell, Natalie Neita and Donna Scott Mottley. It is even more so going to disappoint my university schoolmate and friend, Comrade Lisa Hanna. But such is life. I have to do what is right for my party. We need a leader that is going to unite the noble movement and I do not believe that Comrade Hanna is the person to do so at this time.

Evidentially, the running imbroglio in South East St Ann between Comrade Hanna and long-standing Comrades is a perfect testament that there are serious deficiencies of Comrade Hanna to unite those who she leads. I have asked Comrade Hanna some tough questions in recent times and she answered most of them satisfactorily. However, when it came to the issue of the problems in the constituency, I am still not satisfied with the response. The fundamental question that I have to ask myself therefore is, if Comrade Hanna cannot unite a constituency with over 9,000 Comrades, how is she going to unite a party with over 400,000 Comrades?

I have no personal problems with Comrade Hanna. I cannot tell anyone that she has ever been disrespectful to me. But I cannot base my decision for the top job of the PNP solely on friendship. It has to be hinged on evidence of performance and what is the organisational imperative at this time.

Comrade Mark Golding has performed at every level of the political process that he has been placed. Whether it is in the Parliament, constituency of South St Andrew, a minister of government, treasurer for the PNP, top-class lawyer or successful businessman: he has performed, and I am placing my support behind him for leadership of my noble movement. Mark has my mark.

Senator Floyd Morris, PhD, is a university lecturer and director of the Centre for Disability Studies at The University of the West Indies, Mona.