the rebuilding of the peoples national party

8/14/2019 The Rebuilding of the Peoples National Party

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KEEPING HOPE ALIVE!

The Rebuilding of The Peoples National Party

Introduction 3Michael Jackson and The Peoples National Party 5On The Question Of Squatting 8To Comrade Cedric On The Question Of Squatting 10The Question of Public Funded Higher Education 12Comrades and Friends (Re:- Comrade Williams Comments); 16To Brother Prince (re:-Comrade Williams Comments) 18In Response To My Friend Prendi-Comparison and Individuality 19With Whom Do We Compare? 21

Where Does A Youth Hustle A Money To Buy A Pair Of Shoes? 27On The Question of Honesty, Recognizing the Hurts of the Past 30The Importance of Experience 32Planning For Boys 35Organizational Unity viz-a-viz Individual Responsibility 37Am I Where I Should Have Been? 37Organizational Unity viz-a-viz Individual Responsibility 39On The Question Of Leadership 42The Role of Menial Jobs 45The Death of the Proletariat The rise of the Petite Bourgeoisie 47In Response To My Friend Vic Barnes50Resource Group Seven & Butch Stewart 52The Immediate Tasks of the PNPs Divisional Executives and Groups 55

On The Question of Principles 58The Question of Principle, A Response To Comrade Peart 60

Introduction

A young friend of mine asked that I put my comments together in a form that mightbe useful at the youth club level. It is his view, that both members of theJamaica Labour Party and the Peoples National Party could benefit from discussingmy views.

To what extent my views would be of use at the Youth Club level I do not know,however, I do believe that all Jamaicans need to have an active interest in their


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country, if it is to become a better place to live.

Basil Fletcher

Ezekiel 37

The Valley of Dry Bones

1. The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of theLORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,2. and caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very manyin the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.3. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, OLord GOD, thou knowest.4. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O yedry bones, hear the word of the LORD.5. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath toenter into you, and ye shall live:6. and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and coveryou with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that Iam the LORD.

7. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was anoise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.8. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and theskin covered them above: but there was no breath in them9. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and sayto the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, andbreathe upon these slain, that they may live.10. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and theylived, and stood up upon their feet, Rev. 11.11 an exceeding great army.11. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house ofIsrael: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cutoff for our parts.12. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my

people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, andbring you into the land of Israel.13. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O mypeople, and brought you up out of your graves,14. and shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you inyour own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performedit, saith the LORD.

Michael Jackson and The Peoples National PartyOne can not be but shocked and dismayed at the untimely passing of MichaelJackson, a person larger than life an immortal and herald of post industrialsociety. Michael Jackson, like his junior Boy George challenge society to examineits norms and social values, challenged society to create a space for those whoare off center, for those who do not want to wear the uniforms society tries toforce on the individual. They challenged the concepts of the fixity of race and


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gender, societys concept of human sexuality, and mans relationship with animalseven if that animal is a hamster or guinea pig.While, one possibly has great difficulty in accepting the alleged sexualpreferences of Michael Jackson, one is but forced to ask what did the personMichael Jackson mean to the wider society and what was Michael Jacksons attitudetowards the society within which he liven and the Jamaican society where he didhave influence. In my own view, Michael Jackson was the living embodiment of the

Statue of Liberty, reflecting and searching for identity, mans feeling andattempting to find some meaning of this most confusing mass called humanity,exercising the right to self definition and self expression. Michael Jacksonrepresented the best that nationalism as a vehicle for social definition has tooffer. No other man was victimized more than Michael Jackson, no man was hauntedmore than Michael Jackson by those saw him as a type of money tree, no man wasostracized by society more than Michael Jackson. Yet never once from him could beheard a word of bitterness towards the society within which he was born, thesociety that created the conditions for his own personal development.Michael Jackson, was a mirror to the soul of the Black man, he who came into aworld ruled by those who did not look like him, a world that was at bestindifferent to him as a person, a world within which the standards of measurement,

the concept of being, the idea of language and oral expression, the image of God,defined by others. He represented the Black mans yearning to be part of thatclass, that race of definers, he represented more than any other the inferioritycomplex that haunts the Black man, that same complex that tells us in Jamaica thatwe must be satisfied with things as they are, because we are Black people notEuropeans, that same complex that has led us to accept the rapid and acceleratingdecay of Kingston as being acceptable because it is our capital a Black mancapital. Michael Jackson stood in life and now in death as a mirror reflecting theinferiority complex and self hate of the Black Jamaican soul. This is why we tryto bleach and cream our troubles away.Michael Jackson, like the membership and supporters of the Peoples National Partyyearn for a better world, a better society, a place in which we can find peace,

growth, happiness and development. Michael Jackson realized, like many within theranks of the Peoples National Party are now coming to understand, that there is aneed to speak with the man in the mirror, that there is a need for him to changehis ways. This is indeed a big pill for many to swallow, for we were told tobelieve in ourselves, to have confidence in ourselves, that we need to achievegreat things in order to be recognized, but here a near immortal, a person whoseheights attained and achievements are beyond anything we can dream of doing, isasking us to be humble, to critically self examine ourselves, to change our ways.Like Michael Jackson search was one of self definition and self expression, asearch for a place in the world of words and songs, as search for acceptance fromthose who wield real power and from the world of individuals surrounding him.Within the Peoples National Party, there are voices that are trying to be heard,

seeking for a stool in the corner not far from the round table of views andexpressions, voices of individuals scared by the experience of dictate andvictimization, voices of young comrades, the Kirks, who believe that they havewhat to contribute but do not want to feel that they might be pressured to toethis line or that line. Voices from Jones Town, from Allman Town, from HannahTown, voices that feel that they do not have a space around the table, voices thatfeel that they are not big enough, not bright enough, voices from Grange Lane,from Reids Pen, voices search for space. Comrade Leader, Comrade Portia SimpsonMiller:- I am talking to the man in the mirror, I am asking him to change hisways.


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Basil Fletcher

On The Question Of SquattingThe question of squatting is not uniquely a Jamaican problem or a problem havingto do with the level of economic development of a country. One finds squatting andsquatter movements throughout the developed world including in Britain and theUnited States.

Housing, affordable or otherwise, is a commodity sold on the market, and as suchobeys the laws of demand and supply. In other words, while low cost housing unitsshould be an ideal, the truth is that low cost housing, given the current state oftechnology at use on the local market and cultural preferences, would lead to areduction in the supply of housing units. As the prices of housing units goes downthe quantity demand increases, while the quantity supplied is reduced.Part of the problem in Jamaica, in addressing the question of squatting, is a lackof honesty by nearly all parties concerned. A reduction in squatting and anincrease in the number of housing units available would in the short term push upthe cost of labour and reduce Jamaicas competitiveness regionally andinternationally. Given that real estate rent and or mortgages are major cost item

pulling from a persons salary, an increase in the number of persons in the labourforce paying real estate rent or mortgages, would lead to a reduction in thequantity of money available for the purchasing of non-housing goods, food andservices, which in turn if not corrected by an increase in real wages would resultin a reduction of living standards, a North Korea type of situation-theavailability of affordable housing coupled by mass under nourishment . Squattingwithin the Jamaican context is a type of social subsidy given to the productivesectors of the economy.The addressing of squatting also demands the addressing of particular culturalpractices that lead to waste and the unnecessary reduction of green areas. The


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type of housing solutions found in Portmore , Angels, Mona, Harbour View and othersuch developments, are possibly better suited to a Brazil, Colombia, Mexico orVenezuela, where there is a relative abundance of land. Jamaica is characterizedby intense competition for land for various agricultural uses, for variousindustrial uses, for various real estate uses and etc, while on the other handthere is a very short supply of high quality land with low cost developmentcapabilities, more than half of Jamaica is hilly, thus require the pumping ofwater uphill, the blasting in order to obtain land for development, engineering

challenges in the development of sewage and storm water transport systems,questions of waste and weathering on the integrity of structures among otherchallenges.Singapore through its housing agency addressed the cultural preferences of itscitizens by allow for flexibility in apartment building design, flexibility in theallocation of floor space and other allowance thus enabling the individual tocustomize the design and construction of his or her apartment in keeping with hisor her spending power. Here one is speaking of the individualization of theapartment complex, a process that permits the reservation of land to be used forother purposes such as green spaces, agriculture or by industry. Apart from thesavings made in terms of land purchases for development, the ability to usecapital intensive construction methods, the ability to carry out three shift

construction, the questions of efficiency is also comprehensively addressed, interms of resource usage, plant level efficiencies, the meeting of consumerexpectations through the design process, among others.

The solution of the squatting problem in Jamaica is very much a problem ofdetermining where Jamaica wants to be and less of a question of constructioncosts. The cost of developing an Angels Estate as it currently exist could havehoused even more persons in houses that they had an input in designing.Basil Fletcher

To Comrade Cedric On The Question Of SquattingDear Comrade Cedric, I do agree that without the active consent and encouragementof both political parties and possibly all sitting Members of Parliament, theproblem of squatting would not have been where it is today.

Squatting in Jamaica as different from in the countries of Latin America e.g.Venezuela or Brazil, is not so much a question of inequitable distribution ofincome, but rather a question of a low per capita GDP combined a general shortageof employment possibilities on one hand and the socially and economicallyinefficient model of housing development pursued over the years.

Low per capita GDP has meant that the society as a whole and the agenciesresponsible for housing development do not have the required resources to developthe number of housing units demanded over any given period of time, nor are theyable to design and implement a social housing policy similar to those that existin most democratic countries. Low per capita GDP also means that many Jamaicansare unable to garner the required capital out lay for the purchasing of a housingunit. Today, the purchasing of houses is restricted to individuals from the middleand upper income groups and by families (not individuals) from the lower incomegroups.The relative and general shortage of suitable employment opportunities, not only


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serves to act as a damper on the growth of real disposable income, but also meansthat a significant percentage of the labour force is unemployed and a substantialpercentage of the able bodied population has withdrawn completely from the labourforce, hence further reducing the possibilities of capital accumulation within thesociety itself.Comrade Cedric, to deal with your substantial point, i.e. the relationship betweensquatting and the political elite, one also is forced to examine the attitude of

that elite towards economic growth and development. Economic growth and individualprogress within the Jamaican society reduces the the power and influence of thepolitical elite. Economic growth and individual progress means a reduction in thenumber of persons who are directly or indirectly dependent on the politicians fortheir well fare, it means a reduction in the number of persons who are comfortablesquatting and it means the reduction in the number of persons who are willing tosell their votes for as little as US$150.00 (US one hundred and fifty dollars).If one should assume that the political elite is made up of rational individualswho make rational choices, then to assume in the same breathe that the politicalelite has an interest in economic growth and development would be stupid. Theinterest of the political elite is to maintain stability with little or noeconomic growth. To pursue a policy promoting economic growth and development

would run in direct conflict with the strategic interests of the political elite.Here in lies part of the problem facing the Peoples National Party. The strugglefor leadership positions and the struggle to define the character of the party, isnot so much led or motivated by a desire to bring greater prosperity to theaverage Jamaican, but rather a struggle to decide who is best able to ensure thatthe Peoples National Party performs equally as well or better than the JamaicaLabour Party, within the existing socio-political environment. It is not astruggle to increase democracy within the party or to strengthen its ties with itsstakeholder groups, but rather a struggle to reduce the role, even if limited,played by the mass base of the party while increasing individual access toinfluence and resources, even at the expense of the national interest.

Basil Fletcher

The Question of Public Funded Higher EducationThe questions raised by Comrade Williams and further contributed to by Prince, arenot for me particularly easy questions. One the lecturers with whom I was closestat the Prague School of Economics was a graduate of the London School ofEconomics, trained at the expense of the Czechoslovakian Socialist Republic, aperson who was planted in a single position without option for promotion becauseof his suspected allegiance to those Czech and Slovaks who opposed the Russian

invasion of 1968. Another of my very close friends who held very senior positionsin the pre-1968 Czech administration, a man who spoke no less than five WesternEuropean languages, had his degrees withdrawn by the Gustav administration and hadto do menial jobs once again owing to the positions he took in face of the 1968Russian Invasion.The question that I asked myself at the time was: - Who gave the state the rightto withdraw a persons degree? What gave the state the right to determine whatpositions a person may occupy in society?

There are two aspects to education:- (1) education is aimed at creating that set


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of behaviour and attitudes that allow the individual to better contribute toexisting society and by doing so enrich his own personal life , (2) education is asystem of molding and training of an individual or group of individuals in keepingwith the ideals of the society within which the person exist.Therefore if by any chance the person does not seem capable of making the type ofcontribution required of him or her and does not reflect the ideals of thesociety, then that society as represented by the state has the right to withdraw

any privileges granted, here a degree like title of any of the social estates canbe withdraw at the pleasure of the crown, for a landlord, land can be taken backsince no land can be owned without the explicit approval of the crown , for atrader no trade in a civilized society can be conducted without the explicitconsent of the crown, and so it is with all other estates.

In societies of the Western hemisphere, including Jamaica, where the crowns reachwas always through a network of intermediaries rather than direct, society isforced to deal with the issue of access to higher education being a good which isbought and sold equally as any other good, on one hand and on the other, theexistence of public funded access to higher education. Here the questions are:-1. Should the societal expectations of all graduates be the same, or should

society expect more in terms of contribution and personal sacrifices from thosewhose access to higher education was funded by the state?2. Does the fact that the state funded a persons access to higher educationgives that person (read graduate) some special and privileged position in thecompetition of ideas and puts that given graduate in a position above criticismand review?3. Should the state reserve positions for those whose access to highereducation the state funded and thus create a class of salary earners who operateoutside of the influence of the market for labour?4. When and where the state funds access to study overseas in universities ofthe Developed World, given that technological development occurs in a givenculture which facilitates research and development, to what extent is the stateexpecting its returning students to be transmitters of a given set of acquired

technological output? In other words, what level economic rent is the stateexpected to and is prepared to extract from the returning student?5. In a democracy where there is always an ongoing contest for the uncommittedvote, should the party in power dedicate the same quantity and quality ofresources to a block of loyal committed voters as it does other blocks of moreuncommitted voters?Graduates from Eastern and Central European Universities, are in the main personswhose higher education was paid for directly or indirectly by the state. The staterepresenting the wider society fund higher education as a means of filling gaps incompetencies that exist within the labour force, as a means of encouragingeconomic and social development and as a means of encouraging and stimulatingsocial mobility.

In assessing the states relationship with that block of graduates from Centraland Eastern Europe one starts by measuring to what extent has the state achievedor failed to achieve its objectives. To the extent that these graduates have beenable to fill the gaps in the labour force, contribute to economic growth anddevelopment and to the extent that these graduates have been able to climb thesocial ladder, to that extent has the state accomplished its goals.To the extent that graduates of Central and Eastern Europe represent themselves asbelonging to a block of loyal and committed supporters of the Peoples NationalParty, to that extent has that political party (the PNP) been able to shift its


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resources to attract those graduates who privately funded their higher education,graduates from universities in North America and Western Europe in the main. Thisshift of resources to win over the uncommitted was done with the implicit orexplicit agreement of the block of graduates of Central and Eastern Europe.The states relationship with a given set of graduates does not preclude theexistence of disgruntled individual students , who might believe that on the basisof their performance or high level of loyalty to the party in power they should

receive a larger piece of the pie for themselves. This type of individual conflictis secondary in nature and in no way critically affect the relationship betweenthe state and that block of graduates.It should be noted that while in other more closed societies the state takes anovert approach in addressing the placement or non-placement of recipients of statefunded higher education; in democracies such as Jamaica, the state through itsvarious agencies from time to time seek to influence the placement or non-placement of all recipients of high education regardless of the source offunding.. Part of the struggle of civil society has always being aimed at reducingthe states ability to direct the life of the citizens of the given country.Comrade Williams call is for the state through the political parties to increaseits ability to influence the choice set that is available to the individual, a

rather anti-democratic proposal.

Comrade Williams earlier spoke about his former commitment to Marxism, I wouldlike to say that equally as a medical doctor may take one of several approaches indiagnosing and treating a chest pain, equally so does the tool kit of socialscientists contain various approaches used in analyzing society or sections ofsociety , the Marxists approach, the Feminist approach, the dependency approachand other conflict models are but a few of the tools available. Marxism as a toolwas of great value to Russia, China and other Asian countries, its application tocountries West of Russia was devastating and outside of the cultural choices ofthose people. Japan found that by using Marxist analysis in conjunction with theKeynesian model, it was able to accelerate the development of its society, SouthKorea and Singapore also found that blended approach to be of great value.

Jamaica, by encouraging active discourse will find its own blend of approachesbest suited for its given needs.

Prince spoke of both the PNP and the JLP being right of center, in my view that isa very linear way of describing the positions of the parties, perhaps if one takesa more holistic ground up approach, what one would possibly find are two politicalparties fighting for space and relevance in an environment defined by clashing andcolliding interest groups. Should they allow themselves to be pulled by thevarious competing forces into a position where they will get hit from alldirections or should they drift off to more quite positions on the fringes ofsociety?Basil Fletcher

Comrades and Friends (Re:- Comrade Williams Comments);

I do understand and appreciate what Comrade M. Williams is saying, however thereis another side of the coin that must be looked at also:-1. Many graduates came home thinking that they should be running things and


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wanting only high profile positions. In fact there is one comrade who insisted onbeen driven whewre ever he went, because he was above taking public transportationand he was above driving himself, someone must drive the car for him. and2. when Japan sought to rebuild its economy, it sent out hundreds of persons tostudy how things were done there and what was being done. They became agents ofchange. Our comrades, have seen both capitalist and socialist Europe, they havebeen to cities and places that most Jamaicans only hear about on the news. In

them, Jamaica invested a lot, however can it be honestly said that most of thesereturning Comrades have become agents of change? Or have they fitted in the systemas is seamlessly and snugly, thinking about in the main how much they can milk outof the system? Are they not among the first to say that this is Jamaica and thatis Europe? If one should say that the usage of trams from Down Town to Half wayTree (or Constant Spring) would be cheaper and better environmentally, would notmany of these same comrades tell you why it cannot work, rather than asking how itcan work?Comrade Williams, change in many ways begin with the man in the mirror and startswith honesty. We as Central and Eastern European graduates as a whole havecontributed to this society far less than we are capable of, in our quest forpositions of prominence we have sought to justify nearly everything and changed

little or nothing (I included).

Finally this society does not have a Golding or Portia problem, it is sufferingfrom a cultural problem, a problem of failure to utilize opportunities, a problemof die hard resistance to change, a problem of under valueing what we have, andthat problem which killed Sammy because he was industrious enough and creativeenough to see that corn could be planned "down a gully". Unless the problem ofculture is addressed, we are all wasting our time, Doctor Cassava suffering thesame fate as Michael Manley, and the cycle continues.Basil Fletcher

To Brother Prince (re:-Comrade Williams Comments)Brother Prince raised the question of the high level of discrimination andsabotage that many a Central and Eastern European graduates faced on their return


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to Jamaica. In fact I do also remember a Comrade who on his return to Jamaicaduring the 1980s, had a police car parked outside of his house at all times and apolice entourage where ever he went. The experiences faced by graduates of Centraland Eastern Europe have never been good. Indeed the level of discrimination facedby these graduates severely restricted the quantity of work which could be doneand limited the amount of contribution which they could have made. In fact thebody in Jamaica which registers local engineers once asked a graduate from auniversity in Russia that designs satellites and put rockets into orbit, if his

university was accredited. Accredit by whom,? By engineers who face grave anddesperate challenges in designing a screw driver and are yet to figure out how tomake a tin cutter!Two approaches came into being as a result of the discrimination faced:-1. A approach which says, let us take things easy, do not rock the boat, theaim is to eat a food.2. The second approach as was used by a Comrade sister who worked at UWI, wasto work at the highest possible European Standards and claim ones work. In shortdo not work for the approval of the local authorities but rather work forinternational recognition. Today she hold a very good position in the UnitedStates, her work was seen and recognized.In my own view, today more than ever before, the task facing graduates from

Central and Eastern European Universities is that of working to the best ofEuropean standards.,Basil Fletcher

In Response To My Friend Prendi-Comparison and IndividualityPrendi, some how and some where the view was developed that the concepts ofcomparison and individuality , were concepts in conflict, in other words, themore the individual compares the more of his unique sense of individualness is

lost.Firstly, there is a need to understand that comparison is both a process ofmeasuring one entity or being against another like or unlike entity and that it isalso a motive or determinant of innovation or assimilation. For example, when weexamine Polish exports of electricity via sub marine cables, or the Indonesianelectricity distribution system or that of the Philippines one may then askoneself if it is possible for Jamaica also to export electricity. It is inanswering this question, one maybe led to the view that with the adoption ofexisting technology Jamaica could do the same (assimilation) or given the distanceJamaica is from its potential purchasers of electricity , there might be a need tohave sub- stations marine or barge based at given points in the distribution grid(innovation).

Comparison as a process also multiply the options the individual and or societyhas at its disposal, thus laying the basis for the further development of onesindividuality. For example if Jamaica could produce electricity at a price perkilo watt cheap enough then Jamaica could also become a net producer of steelusing the Bayer process and hence reducing the stock of toxic red mud that isendangering our underground water supply in some places. In doing so, Jamaicassense of uniqueness and individuality would be enhanced. Equally for anindividual, comparison can lead to a better understanding of a persons place insociety, to an identification of what is of importance and what is not, given theoptions available and personal desires, hence leading to a better allocation and


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utilization of time and resources.Here in Jamaica, we are told from birth, that we should not look at what otherpeople are doing and that staring is impolite. This view has led many of us tobelieve, that Jamaica is the best place under the sun and that we are doingquite well. At other times we are told to look at how the people in Ethiopia,Somalia, Burma and else where are suffering and we are a Blessed country.

Here what the gate keepers of society are doing is directing the process of socialand individual comparison, do not look at how the people in Barbados, the CaymanIslands, Puerto Rico or the Bahamas are living, such comparisons will lead todiscontent and dissatisfaction both at the individual and at the national level.Here one is being told that comparison is the same as that forbidden apple,which caused sin. What is not being said, is that dissatisfaction anddiscontentment can become drivers in the process leading to individual and socialdevelopment.The gate keepers in order, to maintain things as there are, seeks to promotecountries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Guyana, Haiti , Somalia, Burma and others asstandards or data from which measures are to be taken and comparisons are to bemade. In short, we should be content with the way things are , because we are

Tremendously Blessed.. What we are not being told is that we have being fordecades squandering our Blessing and at times swapping it for less than a cup ofporridge.Prendi, while you are politically neutral , I am not, and the question in my mindis:- Will the Peoples National Party in its rebuilding process seek to occupy therole of gate keeper , or based on comparisons and a detached assessment of itsachievement and short comings during the recent past , reoccupy the position ofbeing a party of vision and hope, a party in which the individual feels free andis encouraged to express him or herself, a party seeking innovative solutions tothe problems facing the wider society?Basil Fletcher

With Whom Do We Compare?At times we ask with which countries we compare Jamaica. While it would becomforting to many to compare Jamaica with the Grenadas, with Cuba, the CaymanIslands and the countries of Central America, the fact of the matter is that givenJamaicas international presence of Jamaica, in terms of sports, in terms music,in terms of cuisine and other areas, Jamaica is compared with the smallerdeveloped and near developed countries of the world.Here-in lies the failure of the last Peoples National Party government, while it

might have performed well when compared with a Zambia, a Kenya, a Nigeria, aCambodia, a Philippines or even with a Senegal, the world does not see Jamaica asbelonging to that group of countries nor does the average Jamaica. The fact thatthe Peoples National Party does not seem by its statements (or rather the lack ofthem) to have overcome the implanted Third World Mentality of the PJ era, wouldseem to indicate that there is a lack of appreciation of by how much did thePeoples National Party failed and the seriousness of the task at hand. No Jamaicanwants to wait twenty years to catch up to where Barbados is today, where will beBarbados in terms of economic and social development then? Twenty years ahead?Below is a fact sheet about some countries including Jamaica. The countries listed


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are those with which, in my view, Jamaica is measured against and compared with.

REPUBLIC OF LATvia

Full name: Republic of Latvia Population: 2.3 million (UN, 2008)

Capital: Riga Area: 64,589 sq km (24,938 sq miles) Major languages: Latvian, Russian Major religion: Christianity Life expectancy: 67 years (men), 78 years(women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 lats = 100 santims Main exports: Timber and wood products, fish andfish products GNI per capita: US $9,930 (World Bank, 2007) Internet domain: .lv International dialling code: + 371

REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA Full name: Republic of Lithuania Population: 3.4 million (UN, 2008) Capital: Vilnius Area: 65,300 sq km (25,212 sq miles) Major languages Lithuanian, Russian Major religion: Christianity Life expectancy: 67 years (men), 78 years(women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 Lithuanian litas = 100 centas Main exports: Textiles, clothing, fertilisers,

industrial machinery GNI per capita: US $9,920 (World Bank, 2007) Internet domain: .lt International dialling code: +370

REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA Full name: Republic of Estonia Population: 1.3 million (UN, 2008) Capital: Tallinn Area: 45,227 sq km (17,462 sq miles)

Major languages: Estonian, Russian Major religion: Christianity Life expectancy: 66 years (men), 77 years(women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 kroon = 100 sents Main exports: Machinery, textiles, wood products

GNI per capita: US $13,200 (World Bank, 2007) Internet domain: .ee International dialling code: + 372


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REPUBLIC OF ICELAND Full name: Republic of Iceland Population: 304,000 (UN, 2008) Capital: Reykjavik Area: 103,000 sq km (39,769 sq miles) Major language: Icelandic

Major religion: Christianity Life expectancy: 80 years (men), 83 years(women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 krona = 100 aurar Main exports: Fish and fish products, metals GNI per capita: US $54,100 (World Bank, 2007) Internet domain: .is International dialling code:

Republic of Malta

Full name: Republic of Malta Population: 408,000 (UN, 2008) Capital: Valletta Area: 316 sq km (122 sq miles) Major languages: Maltese, English Major religion: Christianity Life expectancy: 77 years (men), 81 years(women) (UN) Monetary unit: Euro from 1 January 2008 Main exports: Machinery and transport equipment GNI per capita: US $15,310(World Bank, 2007) Internet domain: .mt International dialling code: +356

The Republic of Cyprus Full name: Republic of Cyprus Population: 863,000 (combined) (UN, 2008) Capital: Nicosia (Lefkosia to Greek Cypriots,Lefkosa to Turkish Cypriots Area (combined): 9,251 sq km (3,572 sq miles) Major languages: Greek, Turkish Major religions: Christianity, Islam Life expectancy: 76 years (men), 82 years(women) (UN)

Monetary unit: Euro from 1 January 2008; Turkishlira used in north Main exports: Clothing, potatoes, cigarettes,pharmaceuticals GNI per capita: US $24,940 (World Bank, 2007) Internet domain: .cy International dialling code: +357


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Barbados Full name: Barbados Population: 295,000 (UN, 2008) Capital: Bridgetown Area: 430 sq km (166 sq miles) Major language: English (Bajan, an English-African dialect, is widely used) Major religion: Christianity

Life expectancy: 74 years (men), 80 years(women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 Barbadian dollar = 100 cents Main exports: Sugar and molasses, rum, otherfoods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components, clothing GNI per capita: US$9,260 (World Bank, 2005) Internet domain: .bb International dialling code: +1246The Commonwealth Of The Bahamas Full name: Commonwealth of the Bahamas Population: 335,000 (UN, 2008)

Capital and largest city: Nassau Area: 13,939 sq km (5,382 sq miles) Major language: English Major religion: Christianity Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 76 years(women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 Bahamian dollar = 100 cents Main exports: Pharmaceuticals, cement, rum,crawfish, refined petroleum products GNI per capita: US$14,920 (World Bank, 2005) Internet domain: .bs International dialling code: +1242

Jamaica Full name: Jamaica Population: 2.7 million (UN, 2008) Capital: Kingston Area: 10,991 sq km (4,243 sq miles) Major language: English Major religion: Christianity Life expectancy: 70 years (men), 75 years(women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 Jamaican dollar = 100 cents

Main exports: Bauxite, alumina, garments, sugar,bananas, rum GNI per capita: US $3,710 (World Bank, 2007) Internet domain: .jm International dialling code: + 1876

(Source:-The BBC)

Basil Fletcher


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Where Does A Youth Hustle A Money To Buy A Pair Of Shoes?While it indeed the duty of the Parish Councils and more importantly the varioustypes of Community Based Organizations to ensure that the zoning laws arerespected and that order is maintained in the communities, zoning laws and evensocial order should be derived from an understanding of the needs of the various

social groupings that make up society. If society seeks to create a physicalenvironment that is ideal for the thirty five and over year groups, while thedominant existing social group is made up of individuals of ages twenty-five andunder, then that given society is working very hard for problems. The truth betold, the Jamaican society and its developers by failing to adequately utilize theservices of Urban Planners, have been doing overtime work in planning problems andconflicts.Mayor McKenzie, a person for whom I have the greatest respect, and his juniors inthe other Parish Councils, all over the age of thirty five, have developed a badaddiction in seeking to get rid of street side garages, street side wood workshops and other forms of community business that operates in conflict with thezoning laws. However, in a society where there is a gross shortage of fathers and

father figures, the operators of these street side or community business are thede facto fathers of many fatherless and at times motherless youth. Community andstreet-side business in many instances are the only institutions of positivesocialization for many. It is at the street-side garages, that many a youth go andlearn a skill, learn how to deal with the opposite sex, and at times get aninsight in extra-community society, since it is at these garages Mr. Bigman orLady Well To Do, come to get their cars beat out, tyre and or oil changed etc. Itis at the community based wood-work shop, that Lady Well To Do come to get thechairs and tables for her restaurant made, the display mirrors in her boutiqueordered etc; and hence providing the locked in youth with a window to the widerworld and its values.Society places a great amount of pressure on young men. A young man perhaps

receives less lunch money than his female class mate, yet he is expected to fundthe purchase of her drink, to fund the purchase of her folder pages, to take herto Burger King in the evenings etc. Additionally these young school youth findthemselves in unequal competition with predator taxi men, business men and offcourse also with a few well respected managers from both the public and privatesector. How can a ghetto youth with a three hundred dollar lunch money competewith a business man for whom a five thousand dollar lunch is nothing? Parentsgenerally ensure that the needs of their daughters are met, I personally do notwant my daughter to look pop down or like one of the ruins in Spanish Town,therefore to the best of my ability I will try to ensure that she has what shewants. Parents attitude to sons and in particular, fathers attitude to sons aredifferent, if a gal the bowy wan fi go out wid, mek im go fin the money.

In many respects, community business operate outside of the law, in terms of ageof employment, in terms of working conditions etc, but from a youths perspective,they are places where a person can hustle a ting. If the parents of sons are notproviding for them the things that they need to be a part of their age group (yetboth fathers and mothers are very deeply concerned if their fifteen year old sons,cannot call the name of a girl who he likes. If he cannot, something must be veryseriously wrong with him, and no father want a fish as a son), if fathers are notthere to guide their sons through the waters of peer pressures, If Mayor McKenzieand his juniors are given the job of enforcing laws which runs against their ownexperience, then the youth will get the money in the way that he has to get themoney, he will be socialized by what ever other agents of socialization that


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exist. The failure to plan or cater for the youth is the same as planning work forthe Police.A major challenge facing the Parish Councils at this time, is corrective planning,that is identifying the short comings and gaps that came about as a result of theabsence of social and urban planning, and recognizing that individuals of agetwenty five and under exists and that they have real pressing needs that must betaken into consideration.

There is a strong view, that the desire for social peace, development and harmonydoes not have Jamaican roots and must be a throw back from Europe, the questionhere is whether or not Jamaicans have a right to social peace, development andharmony? Are the grand children and great grand children of slaves and slavemasters not deserving of social peace, development and harmony? Are they moresinful or wicked than anyone else and thus carry some special curse from God? Itwhat we think we deserve, it is what we think that our parents deserve, it is whatwe think that our children deserve, that will guide how we plan and for whom do weplan.Basil Fletcher

On The Question of Honesty, Recognizing the Hurts of the PastThe link that joins Comrade Portia and the goddess Athena is that of cleaningstables. While I am yet to see the Hercules of the Peoples National Party, thetask of cleaning the stable remains hers to carry out.The rebuilding of the Peoples National Party, should not be a task carried outwith the beating of the Jamaica Labour Party, as its central objective, butrather, the re building of a movement and an organization capable of leading the

Jamaica people on a part of social and economic growth, a party capable offacilitating the average Jamaica to realize his or her dreams for a better future.

If this task is to be carried out, then one has to ensure that :- (a) thematerials to be used in this process are of the best quality and capable of withstanding the tests of time and (b) that apologies are given where they aredeserved and remedial actions taken.Honesty starts, in part in recognizing that bad manism and the association withself seeking rankings have cost the Peoples National Party a lot and has placed


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the party in great debt among segments of the Jamaica people. None more worthy ofan apology are the people of Jones Town and Fletchers Land. In Jones Town, historywill recall, that the lust for power and recognition by one so called Don, and ina bid to chase out three families of no more than twelve Labourites resulted inthe bulldozing of the at least half of Pouyatt Street and the destruction ofWoodrow Street. The community has never recovered from the actions of that donwho is still around the place today. Hundreds of people lost their homes and weremade refuges within a matter of a few hours. In short the failure to accept the

right of twelve persons to be Labourites led to hundreds of PNP supportersbecoming homeless. That is the cost of Bad Manism. Here one is speaking not ofthe evil 1980s but rather the 1990s.As a boy in the 1970s, I stood on the compound of what is today, the Kingston HighSchool, and saw with my own eyes, trucks with men from Creg Town and ArnettGardens, descending on a section of Fletchers Land, beating out the residents fromtheir homes and creating what was then by all measures total destruction, and bythat creating space to build homes for some socialists. The reality is that overthree quarters of these newly placed socialists switched even before theelections of the 1980s. The result of Bad Manism was one of failure from asocio- political perspective.

Comrade Portia Simpson Miller, as the twice duly elected leader of the PeoplesNational Party, in rebuilding the confidence and respect for the party among thosesegments of the population hurt by the approaches earlier taken, needs torecognize the hurt caused, to accept responsibility for making amendments on thepart of the party, and on that basis move forward. This process would also in avery qualitative way increase her ability to speak to all Jamaicans regardless oftheir ages, gender, education or political background.For those comrades who would like to build associations between myself and theJamaica Labour Party, I wish to point out two things:- (1) I have the Right wonby my grand parents to be of whichever political party that I want to beassociated with, this Right was not given to me by kind hearted people or any suchpersons, and (2) no one can point a finger saying with any degree of honesty that

basil Fletcher had ever received a contract worth even one Jamaican cent from anypolitical party for contract work of any type. My voice was and is not for sale. Isupport the Peoples National Party and its leader comrade Portia Simpson Millerbecause I want to and because I have the right to.Basil Fletcher

The Importance of Experience

An area of great weakness of the Bruce Golding administration is that of reducingthe high level of crime and the perception that crime is out of control. Yet , ifboth the actual level of crime and the perception that crime is out of controlcould be reduced , the potential for community level business activities andcommunity level employment, if even on a subsistent scale could be increased, thusalleviating the negative impact of the current economic recession whilestrengthening the ability of the communities to address at the point of occurrencethe symptoms of extreme individual poverty.The Peoples National Party, while it is not blessed with great numbers ofcriminologists, has a rich tradition at the community level of carrying out


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voluntary community work, in engaging with community based organizations in theimplementation of various types of community initiatives. Based on thisexperience, the party is able to say why small business thrive in Greenwich Town,along Maxfield avenue, along Windward road, but not along Collie Smith Drive, andother such places. The party is in a position to say why petti-crime flourishes inplaces like Hannah Town but not so in Dehanam Town. Why is it possible for a manto get away with day light rape in Mexico but not so in Top Farm?

In short, the leadership of the Peoples National Party, to the extent that itvalues its experiences in the various communities is in a position not only to putheat on the tail of the Bruce Golding administration, but is also in a position topoint a way forward. Indeed it is a strange paradox that whilst the strength ofthe current leadership of the Peoples National Party, is its close ties with thegrass roots, yet at the same time it suffers from a reluctance to draw on theserich experiences and close ties in the advancing of its own cause.

The areas of greatest concern to the Jamaican people of all ages, is not whichMember of Parliament has mono, dual or triple citizenship, but rather income andpersonal security, in short if one is looking at it from the position of theMaslowian hierarchy of needs, the vast majority of Jamaicans are still at the twolowest level of needs, physiological needs and security needs, if this is where

the people are then that is where the party and its leadership should be, and itis in these two areas that the leadership core is most experienced. This is wherethe leadership of the Peoples National Party can make its greatest contribution asan opposition party and government in waiting at this time.The nearly half of the electorate that voted for the leadership of Comrade PortiaSimpson Miller, did so not because they believe that she would make the greatestleader this country has ever seen, but rather because they see a woman Bustamantein her if she focuses on what is of real importance to them, this is why even thestrongest of Labourite will stop and find time to speak to her. It is time for theleadership core of the party to help to develop Comrade Portia Simpson Miller inthe area that she is most needed and has the greatest potential.

Part of being a good leader is the willingness to do what is needed. At thismoment the country needs a leader who can speak from the position of an expert inthe area of crime reduction. It is in this area that the opposition can lead theparliament and the government.A few words to the young:-1. Criminal dons do not like strong community based organizations,2. Criminal dons do not like communities where women and girls are free towalk.3. Criminal dons do not like strong functioning youth groups.4. Criminal dons do not like influential outspoken people.5. Criminal dons do not like strong active Churches,

6. Criminal dons do not like bars and shops where the police stop to buy beer,soda or cigarettes.7. Criminal dons do not like open roads with free flowing traffic.8. Criminal dons do not like places where they know the police will come forthem once they are seen.All the above reduces the area in which the criminal don is free to operate.Without turf there are no dons. The greatest threat to peace and stability iswhere and when the police are the defenders of the don. When this happen entirecommunities suffers.


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Basil Fletcher

Planning For Boys

A significant area of weakness in Jamaicas Urban Planning practices is thefailure to plan for boys between the ages of six and fourteen years of age. Theresults of this failure in many communities including the Portmore Municipalityare the invasion of private property and petti- vandalism and conflicts betweenparents and neighbours.Urban Planning as practiced in Jamaica assumes that normal healthy boys requirethe same amount of space as do normal healthy girls. This assumption has meantthat suitable play areas are not included in development plans and the planting offruit trees are seen as some type of John Apple Seed luxury that can best bedone without. The simple truth is that for all mammals including man, the male ofthe specii demands room for exploration and adventure. A random check of the road

kill animals will confirm that it is mainly the male that ends up as victims,equal the majority of trauma cases at the local children hospital tend to be boys.Anyone who lives in the Portmore Municipality can explain the problems that canresult from having a bearing fruit tree of any kind in ones yard, the problems offences being dirtied, the problems of flying stones, the problems of invitedguests etc. In some places it is a problem of flying cricket or foot balls, thedestruction of hedging plants, the problems of broken windows and in the end theargument with and between parents. It is not a question of boys being a source ofproblems but rather the failure to plan for boys. That causes problems. Theattitude of individuals towards private property and general rules develop amongboys at the pre-teen stage of development and if boys are adequately planned for,one can bring about a degree of reduction in future domestic crime and violence.

The planting of public fruit trees not only can contribute to a reduction oftension in communities, but also serve to reduce the overall level of larceny ofproperty, the youth who is able to pick and sell mangoes, apples, or a few dozenackees or a one or two breadfruit, is less tempted to enter into alienateindividuals from their property. In other words, crime reduction has static designfeatures that should be include in Urban Design, equally as one designs for bothpedestrian and vehicular traffic flows, or waste and or storm water managementsystems one designs for both young boys and for crime reduction.Without wanting to be deliberately political, the programmes of both parties are


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silent on these issues and as such creates an opening for the Peoples NationalParty to gain a competitive edge in this area as well as qualitatively improvingits understanding of Urban Planning and Community Development. Within theGreenwich Town community, one can see evidence that corrective steps werecontemplated to create space for young boys by the allotting of play areas;however those steps were not followed through leaving behind fenced open land bareof trees and or play equipment. This bad situation is further compounded by theblocking of roads in Bottom Farm which reduces or restricts the mobility of boys

and teenagers while cultivating baby dons and puppy dogs. This situation alsoholds true for that section of Whitfield Town that is close to the Spanish TownRoad, Wild Street in Allman Town among others. In fact one would think , that partof the responsibilities of the party groups in these areas would be that of seeingto the removal of barricades , thus encouraging freedom of movement and that ofseeking to develop play and fruited green areas.Basil Fletcher

Organizational Unity viz-a-viz Individual ResponsibilityAm I Where I Should Have Been?The question:-Am I Where I Should Have Been? ; is a question that faces nearlyall comrades and individuals over the age of forty, both men and women. Thisquestion depending on how it is approached can lead to countless problems,depression, and frustration or to a sense of gratitude to God, of internal peaceand satisfaction. Given all my efforts, the sacrifices that I have made, the workthat I have put in, the chances I have taken, am I Where I Should Have Been? Whyhave my friends and comrades so prospered and I so cursed? Did they work harder

than I? I studied harder and put in more hours on the work, made more sacrificesand yet I am swimming behind.In my mind, there are at times tendencies either to assume that we all started therace at the same point or to assume that the conditions within which one operatesare the same for everybody. Even worse, is the tendency to blind ones eyes to thesacrifices made by others, the long unrecognized hours put in by those with whomwe compare ourselves. Should I feel bad, if I end the race behind an equally fitif not fitter person who started the race with his or her blocks way in front ofmine. I think I would have a right to feel upset if I did not or was not allowedstart the race, important in my mind is the fact that I ran to the best of myabilities and that I finished the race. If I should look at a tree grown on thewindy side of a mountain on a near nude cliff and another grown in the fertile,

sheltered valley below, how do I measure their success? Both have grown, onetwisted by the wind and stunted by mal nourishment, the other tall with a widetrunk, radiating branches like the spokes in a bicycle wheel with deep greenleaves. Is one tree more successful than the other? In my mind the answer is no,both are successful in their own way given the different environments in whichthey grew.To my mind, the question should not be where I have reached, but rather what haveI done where I am and with the little that I have? If I should go makingcomparisons between apples and pears, bananas and breadfruits or mangoes and soursops, then it is highly possible that I might end up been too frustrated and too


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depressed to utilize the possibilities that exist around me. If I should godiscounting the sacrifices and efforts made by others I am then on my way togrudgefulness , bad mindedness and hence will justify theft, robbery and othercrimes against the individual, because in my mind the person is not deserving ofwhat he or she has attained.In this period of recession and personal hardship, sympathy is not what isrequired from leadership, but rather the ability to assist individuals and

comrades firstly to objectively value their achievements and secondly to assistthem to see the opportunities their personal situations create. Leadership attimes fails to recognize the fact that in many circumstances sympathy, depressionand give-upism are triplets born of the same egg in the same womb. In simple termsat times the greatest evil that can be done to an individual who is dissatisfiedwith or depressed his or her circumstances is the giving of sympathy. What theseindividuals need is the will to fight and possibly encouragement to fight.

Viktor Frankl in Man's Search for Meaning:Happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintendedside effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as theby-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself.

Politician William Bennett:"Happiness is like a cat, If you try to coax it or call it, it will avoid you; itwill never come. But if you pay not attention to it and go about your business,you'll find it rubbing against your legs and jumping into your lap."

Aristotle:"How, then, is it that no one is continuously pleased? Is it that we grow weary?Certainly all human things are incapable of continuous activity. Thereforepleasure also is not continuous; for it accompanies activity."[ BasilFletcherOrganizational Unity viz-a-viz Individual ResponsibilitySome of my good comrades might have found objection to my view that a Christians

first loyalty is to God and the Church and after and only after to the PeoplesNational Party. This approach, does pose significant challenges to the party as anorganization requiring unity of command and to the leadership of the party thatdemands loyalty from membership. In the recent Dark Ages of the party, the conceptof Collective Responsibility and organized peer pressure were used to suppressthe legitimate views of the individual and to excuse lapses in the exercise ofindividual responsibility.For the purposes of simplicity, one could ask: - Is there any possiblecircumstances that the principles of organizational unity and collectiveresponsibility supersede the individual duty to follow his conscience, to choosegood over evil? Can party unity be of greater importance than the individual dutyto do of what is right and the shunning of what is wrong? This question is not

new, and it is a question that many a members of the National Socialist Party(NAZI) had to answer at a very famous trail at the end of the Second World War,and it is a question that is still being answered by a few Serbs and Croats in TheHague. The answer in all those cases of the past and those to come is simple,individual responsibility; the conscience of the individual supersedes any and allform of Collective Responsibility and the principle of Organizational Unity,therefore individual leaders of the party cannot hide behind this veil. Even inthe armed forces, where orders are to be carried out not questioned it is asoldiers duty regardless of rank to do what is good and avoid that which is evil,an order to do that which is clearly evil is not an order, in fact in suchcircumstances the soldier has the duty and the right to restrain or to disarm and


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arrest that given commanding officer.The second question to come to my mind is: - Why do individuals become members ofthe Peoples National Party? Is it because the Peoples National Party is seen as aninstrument or a vehicle to good what is good for the Jamaican people, is it a callto a higher service or is it that individuals join the party in order to pursueobjectives that might be but are not necessarily good? If a person became a memberof the Peoples National Party in order to pursue that which is good, to perform a

higher duty, the this individual member has no problem in understanding andagreeing that a Christians first loyalty is to God and the Church and after andonly after to the Peoples National Party. However, if the individuals objectiveis contrary or aimed at satisfying so type of ego need, then such an individualwould be faced with major problems in accepting the primacy of God and the Church.

There are those who try to suppress the views of individual and individualityitself under the cloak of consensus. The simple truth is that if a person holdsa gun to my head or threatens me implicitly or explicitly with penalties if I donot agree with this or that position or view, then I will indeed concede. Theproblem is that my concession can not be taken as voluntary and hence is not aconcession.

The challenge facing Comrade Portia is two fold, firstly that of recognizing thatpeer pressure and group act are normal and natural, as is the tendency to followthe positions of those who appear dominant or stronger; secondly Comrade Portiahas to recognize that she has personal likes and dislikes, preferred persons andpersons not so preferred. Having recognized these two factors, she has toconsciously create that listening and engagement space for those whose views arenot so popular and for the views of those individuals that she does notparticularly like; this is unnatural and perhaps strange.

The best leaders are not as a rule the brightest nor the most brilliant, butrather the best listeners. The leader who is able to listen to conflicting views,popular and unpopular views and filter them to make a usable mass of information,

is more likely to achieve more and to be more effective than a leader who is toobright to listen, too educated to learn, too proud to ask advice. Here it isimportant that Comrade Portia be not carried away by her own sense of importanceor popularity.It is said that one of a womans worse enemy is her long memory, and in myopinion, the average Jamaican woman has three or four life times of memories.Anyone who has had to fight their way forward, man or woman, would haveencountered good and bad experiences, and would have accumulated good and badmemories. The challenge facing the individual is that of learning from the badexperiences and memories those lessons that facilitate the development of skillsand mobility and discard or store away those experiences and memories that act asanchors, deterrents and barriers to moving forward in a positive manner and in a

positive direction. Comrade Portia has the duty firstly to herself and secondly tothe Peoples National Party to harvest the many lessons she has to learn from herlong experience and memories and use them in such a way that encourages thosearound her to do their best, to express their views and to serve a higher cause.Heavy is the head that wears the crown, long and sleepless are the nights of toil.Basil Fletcher


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On The Question Of LeadershipWhile understanding Mr. Wayne Simmonds disappointment at the performance of thePeoples National Party in the recent by-elections, a disappointment which Iindividually do not share because in my view the party had nothing to do in whatis a rivalry between family members and most importantly because that election andany other to follow is aimed at victimizing and marginalizing a segment of theJamaican population ; it is my view that Mr. Simmonds opinions as expressed aremisguided and misplace.

Firstly, the capability of any given leader is not some given constant, but rathera variable whose value in part is determined by individual experiences, byindividual and social perceptions, by the quality of the support structure inplace, by the individual and the collective response to external and even internalstimuli, by the quality of the cadre forming the leadership core, the level ofopenness of the leadership core to information flows, by the individual andcollective understanding of the tasks at hand and by the value set which guidesthe leadership process. In other words it is either a question of laziness orcowardice to speak about the quality of leadership offered by either PrimeMinister Bruce Golding or The Leader of the Opposition, Comrade Portia SimpsonMiller, without dealing with, without addressing the quality of the machinery andthe individuals who are responsible for providing leadership and logistic support

to the given leader. Mr. Simmonds stopped short of calling both Mr. Golding andMrs. Simpson Miller dictators or some type of autocrats, a view which I similarlyto most Jamaicans do not share.As an individual who is neither a member nor supporter of the Jamaica LabourParty, I will restrict my comments to those issues relating to the leadership ofthe Peoples National Party. The leadership requirements of being the Leader of theOpposition are neither identical nor similar to that of being the Prime Ministerof a country. The Peoples National Party for good or for bad formed the governmentof the country for eighteen years, a relatively long period in the life of anindividual. The skill set and approaches developed over that period cannot be pushaside overnight and a new skill set and attitudes implanted. This is not the waypeople nor organizations work. The arts of being the government in waiting and the

Leader of the Opposition must be learnt.The question then in my mind is not only if Comrade Portia Simpson-Miller iswilling and able to learn, but of equal importance, is whether or not theleadership structure and the leadership core of the party are able to create anenvironment that encourages and facilitates learning. To what extent individualrivalry for headlines and positions around the leadership table undermines thequality of support provided and corrodes the will to facilitate and encouragelearning. At the same time one has to question the individual mastery of theknowledge and the skills required to be a part of that leadership core, acarpenter is not a civil engineer and possibly has nothing doing in a meeting of


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engineers designing a highway.

Individuals and organizations learn from interacting with the environment withinwhich they exist and function. The degree and type of interaction with theenvironment are determined by experience and perceptions and by the character ofthat environment itself, whether it is static or dynamic, whether it is malleableor not, where it has the ability to learn or not. The more complex the character

of the environment, the greater the demand for learning by the individual and theorganization. If the leadership structure and core operates like a closed set, themore difficult will it be for learning to take place, while the more open theleadership structure and core operates, the easier learning takes place.

I too like Mr. Simmonds agree that the Peoples National Party has over the yearsevolved into being an election machinery. The extent to which this phenomenon canbe reversed is in the main determined by the leader of the party Comrade PortiaSimpson-Miller and her support structure and support core. Firstly, they need tocome to an understanding of what the Peoples National Party means to them.

Basil Fletcher

The Role of Menial JobsThere are many in society who is firmly against the government creating CrashProgramme types of jobs, while it is possible to take on these individuals bothfrom a stand point of classical and Keynesian economic models, I would like to myargument to the question of mental health and individual capabilities.True, all societies would like its citizens without exception to be highproducers, highly educated and capable of contributing much to that society. Godhowever did not see it fit to create all men with the same great potentials, butinstead created some men whose basic job is that of reminding us that we are all


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simple human not gods as we sometime want to believe, God created some men toremind us of how Blessed we are regardless of the many challenges we face in ourdaily lives.The truth be told, and in my own personal journey on this earth, I have met many abrilliant and creative minds that are unable to work at any thing constructivefrom an economic sense for more than three months, after which they are forced totune out. Then there are those who are capable of working consistently doing small

jobs, regardless of their level of education or their previous academicaccomplishments. These are individuals who are not able to compete on the jobmarket, yet they too have a sense of being and pride, individuals who feel lockedout of society, because of no fault of their own.The Church over the years has done a great job in taking care of the basic needsof these individuals, however the Church is not in a position to bring theseindividuals into society, for the simple reason that the Church does not have whatit takes to do that. For many of these individuals, what is need is work, a way toprove to themselves and to others that they are of some value, a channel thatallows them to feel good about themselves. Yes they do value the daily support andassistance they receive from the ordinary people and from the Church inparticular, but more than anything, there are those who do not want to be treated

as some kind of pet.While the Church has received a lot from the private sector in the carrying out ofits duty, it would be very good if both the state and the private sector were ableto create those menial types of jobs that these persons are able to perform, be itthe sweeping of car parks, the taking care of lawns, etc.

Individuals with mental challenges in the main do not receive the same support asthose individuals who are physically challenged and perhaps do not need the sametype of support, perhaps what is needed is a greater understanding of the factthat some individuals are less linear and more cyclical in their abilities andmore sine like in their performance. Their ability to contribute is not less andat times are even greater than average, however they work with periodic peaks and

declines. What a linear person takes six months to accomplish they are able toaccomplish the same in a far shorter period of time, followed by a period of rapiddecline; this in no way makes them mentally incompetent or mad nor are they inneed of anyones sympathy, they are just made to function different.

Basil Fletcher

The Death of the Proletariat The rise of the Petite Bourgeoisie

The ability of a country or a society to develop is in many ways a function of itsability to transform itself by putting away that which had served its purpose andembracing that which is new, here one is speaking about the question of culturalrenewal. Should one measure the performance of the Jamaican society to renewitself, one might end up a bit disappointed.


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The news today speak about the government being brought to court about itsattempts to divest a given sugar estate. And one is left to wonder which centuryis the society operating in. The simple truth, regardless of what is said by thesugar cane lobbyists; sugar cane in Jamaica and in the British West Indies waskilled by Frederick William lll of Prussia when he opened the world first sugarfactory using the sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) in Silesia in 1801. From that momentin history, the sugar beet, a cousin of the humble beetroot, has been decimating

the economies of the Caribbean.

With the banana industry in Jamaica and the West Indies in general, death cameknocking on its door with the start of construction of the Panama Canal in the1880s, a process that saw hundreds of skilled Jamaicans and other Caribbeannationals moving to Panama and other countries of Central America, taking alongwith them the skills, the culture needed for the cultivation of Caribbean crops inthose countries, including pepper, yam, coffee and sugar cane. It was on the backsof these Jamaican and other West Indian migrants that the banana industry ofCentral America was established.Today one finds also a movement away from Jamaican bauxite, to cheaper sources ofbauxite ores in other parts of the world in keeping with the development of

technology, the spatial shifting of the major manufacturing centers and theopening of new markets.In many ways, the 21st. century demands a shift in thinking, if the Jamaicansociety is to renew itself, the idea of Jamaica competing with India, China,Indonesia, Pakistan Mexico, Venezuela and others in traditional manufacturing oreven in the traditional forms of agriculture is but a wild dream. For our tradeunionists, sugar cane truckers, sugar cane farmers and others, it is not a goodtime, for here one speaks of the death of the Proletariat and The rise of thePetite Bourgeoisie.In my view, the success of modern Jamaica, is not so much a question of reducingin-put costs as it is a question of identifying locations in the global production

chain where it can compete. On one hand it might mean, Jamaica seeking to occupypositions in the design stage in production, and here we are not doing terriblybadly in clothing design, or on the other hand it could mean Jamaica consolidatingits position in the logistic and distribution chain. For agriculture, given theinternational prominence of the Jamaican cuisine, it might mean the processing ofimported agricultural inputs and the exportation of consumption ready meals, be itpatties, stew peas, chicken foot soup, pepper pot soup. or jerk pork. For ouryoung biologists, it might mean the identification and creation of phage banks,capable of exporting on short notice suitable phages to deal with the rise of thedrug resistant bacteria.

Such a transformation of the Jamaican economy calls for the coming into being thetype of government agencies that are capable of hunting down design contracts for

auction on the local market, government agencies capable of organizing food andart fairs overseas, government agencies capable of identifying and engagingsoftware promoters and distributors, it calls for the establishment of agenciesdesigned to encourage the development of exporters and re-exporters etc, etc.At home, such a transformation would place significant challenge in terms ofproducing the type of graduates capable of functioning in a production servicedriven economy. Classical economic theory, holds that one should seek to developone or two very strong industries capable of pulling the rest of the economy, whatone is saying here is than not one or two, but numerous strong industries existbut they are not on Jamaican soil, therefore one is faced with the challenge of


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training the manpower capable of designing products capable of satisfying therequirements of those ex-territorial based industries..

Secondly one is speaking about home based production/creation or thegentrification of segments of the inner city. The challenge here is that ofcreating the type of environment in which a person can feel safe to produce. Itmeans here, recognizing the fact, that a significant segment of our youthpopulation sees it self as being either thugs or pimps and have no interests

in working. It means recognizing that in some communities that there are listsof young men who are working but refuse to Let off. Here one has to recognizethat there is a conflict of cultures in the society, on one hand there is theculture imported or otherwise of those who seek to reap without planting and onthe other hand a culture of those who want to reap what they planted . This is nota police problem, but rather a societal problem, religious leaders can point tomothers who come to Church weeping, traveling and praying for the release of sonsand grand sons who are in jail for crimes that they did commit. As one mothertold me once Only God Alone Have The Right To Judge.Basil Fletcher

In Response To My Friend Vic BarnesBarnes we are both very good friends, who generally come to very similarconclusions even though we start out from very different positions. You starting

from a position more sympathetic to the Jamaica Labour Party and I starting from aposition very closely aligned to the Peoples National Party, have during our manydiscussions over the years, have concluded that the situation facing the ordinaryman, be that man Labourite or PNP, is not good and has being getting worse overtime, the situation facing the youth and in particular the educated youth who hasmeasurable and confirmed skills and competences is depressing, with a waitingperiod of between six months and two years after graduation from College orUniversity before being able to get a suitable job.While we have come to the same set of conclusions as to the state of the ordinaryperson in the Jamaican society, our approaches to its solution have been verydifferent. While we do agree that this sorry state of affairs have come intoexistence owing to the failure of the socio-political system to take into active

consideration the views of the ordinary man, your approach has been one ofleaving things has they are and hoping that the Jamaica Labour Party will be ableto do better. My approach has being one of actively reminding the Peoples NationalParty of its Mission and Objectives and encouraging this great party to identifythose factors (human and otherwise)which have led it over the years not only toperform below its own expectations but to depart from its Mission of achievingeconomic independence; on this basis carry out the necessary types of correctionthat would enable it to resume its leadership of the National Movement for socialand economic growth and independence.As a person who has never voted for the Jamaica Labour Party and who will never


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vote for that party, it would be more than unprincipled of me to tell themembership and or supporters of the Jamaica Labour Party what to do, I would beout of my place.The quality of the stewardship provided by the government of theJamaica Labour Party will in the main depend on the quality and consistency of thecontribution made by ordinary Labourites.My task is to contribute in an active manner to preparing to take up its mantle ofleadership of the National Movement for social and economic growth and

development, by assisting in the creation of channels for the most seriousconsideration of the concerns and opinions of the ordinary comrades on the ground,and most importantly assisting the Peoples National Party to develop the abilityto speak across classes, social groupings and political parties, by ensuring thatthe most fundamental interests of the average Jamaican find adequaterepresentation at round tables of party leadership.

I am fully aware, that the growth of the ability of the Peoples National Party tobetter represent the interest of the average Jamaican must be of very seriousconcern to the most lazy of the Labourites, for it means that have to spend timelistening to the views of the man in Olympic Gardens, in Papine, in Vinyard Town ,on Wild Street and else where. How unfortunate! For many of these most Lazy, itmeans going to Church, where they are able to meet Middle Jamaica and hear of its

issues and concerns. Brother Barnes, I am most subversive, but I just cannot helpit. Please do not fall among the ranks of the lazyLeadership of this country at nearly all level of society, is now for the firsttime, firmly in the hands of that generation born between 1960 and 1976, ourchildren and grand children will judge or wisely was that leadership exercised andif it was exercised only for a chosen few or for the average Jamaican.Basil Fletcher

Resource Group Seven & Butch Stewart

It is my view that the steps taken by the Resource Group Seven in developingwhat is termed the Progressive Agenda is worthy of recognition andencouragement. Most of all I was moved by the recognition of some of theparticipants in the event, that it is very difficult at this time to say Who is aPNP and how is a PNP different from a Labourite.However my deepest concern is about the method being used in the developing theProgressive Agenda, will the process stop short of what is needed? In my view,with the best technical team in the world, given the complexity of the Jamaicansocial environment, given the changes in the economic structure that the countryis now under going, given the experiences of the people with failed hopes andunrealized promises, there needs to a major focus on the completeness of whateverdocument that will be produced.

If I came to Mr. Stewart and asked for a job and he gave me a cheque for Jamaicantwo million dollars instead, would he be helping me? As a person with a world ofsuppressed needs and a universe of desires, it would possibly be the wickedestthing that Mr. Stewart could possibly have done to me. On one hand, sure as faiththat money will be finished within three months, and my conscience would not allowme to walk anywhere near to that kind gentleman. On the other hand, were I giventhe job, which I requested in spite of Mr. Stewartss view that it is very hardwork with only a small wage and that it might be a bit demeaning and or degradingto me; as an individual it would be better for me, as I am better able to managethese small flow of money and I would be earning it.


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Equally a technical committee of what ever type or composition, regardless of thelevel of expertise or experience of its members, is in no position to make anydefinitive statement or put forward any definitive proposal without the deepestpossible level of consultation with the wider membership of the party and itsstakeholders.Where-in the Peoples National Party is seeking to re-establish itself as the

party representing the best of the Jamaican people, consultations with even dieheart Labourites should take place, thus creating the basis for achieving a widerand deeper synthesis of views There are some sixty constituencies, each with anumber of divisions, for representative ness, it is my view that consultationswith comrades and citizens in at least twenty of the sixty constituencies would begood. Here consultation means, going through the agenda items one by one , in away which explains in full the views being put forward and after the explanationseek to identify areas of disagreement, areas of agreement and areas of concern aswell as soliciting other proposals- consultation by workshops.If the Progressive agenda is to be a foundation document of the party, a documentcontributing to the development of the partys economic and social programme, adocument guiding the positions taken by the partys representatives in Parliament

, a document guiding the National Movement through these turbulent seas, then itis best to spend the time and produce a document of acceptable quality.An important question which the drafters of the Progressive Agenda have toaddress, is that of the position of the Butch Stewarts of the Jamaican societywithin party theory , documents and policies. If we agree that all of the ButchStewarts are firstly Jamaicans even if not the flag waving type, and secondly, ifit is agreed that the Butch Stewarts of the Jamaican society while pursuing theirown business and or personal interests which may not be at all times in the bestinterests of the Peoples National Party or the average Jamaican, they remain inthe main committed Jamaicans who would like to see a better Jamaica; then it isthe duty of the leadership of the People National Party and the drafters of theProgressive Agenda to ensure that the areas of commonality and mutual interests

that exist between the Peoples National Party and the Butch Stewarts of theJamaican society be clearly indentified and acted upon. The onus is not on theButch Stewarts of the Jamaican society to reach out to the Peoples National Party.For particular members of the Peoples National Party this is a tough task, but onecannot speak about a Progressive Agenda and at the same time being in malice withan important even though numerically small segment of the Jamaican society. Thiscannot be a matter of tactics but rather one of principle.

Basil Fletcher


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The Immediate Tasks of the PNPs Divisional Executives and GroupsTraditionally between General Elections and outside of preparing for the partysconferences, the party groups and even the divisional executives enter into aperiod of dormancy; however the situation facing the country and the PeoplesNational Party is very far from being normal. On hand the country is faced by thesheering forces of recession with the working class bearing the brunt of theforces, with the possibility of the country re-entering a barrowing relationshipwith the International Monetary Fund the middle classes starting with those in thedirect employment of the state is now facing the real threat of being peered downto size.

Tactically in my view, the governments fielding of a bishop to do the work of acastle is most unfortunate; it possibly would reflect a greater understanding ofthe gravity of the situation if both a bishop and castle were fielded. While theIMF is not coming to Jamaica as an enemy, it is surely not coming as a friend, butrather as a mega-squid carrying surgical knives in all hands. Full respect shouldbe shown. Political relationships at times determine the nature of technicaloutcomes.

Within the Jamaican socio-political environment, regardless of the results ten ByeElections, there is a complex process of separation of forces occurring with thesupport structure of the Jamaica Labour Party. One finds:-

1. Older Labourites who have experience with the International MonetaryFund, backing off and trying to assume positions of neutrality,2. Younger middle-class Labourites are beginning to question nearlyeverything with growing degrees of negativity,3. Support from the working class is plunging rapidly, with the governmentbeing help increasingly responsible for nearly everything, from price increases,cut back in money from abroad and redundancies.In summary one finds an emerging process of separation between the ParliamentaryJLP and the membership and support base of the JLP, with the youth heading out ofthe starting block

the rebuilding of the peoples national party

Documents