Louis. E.A. Moyston | PNP 86th Conference and Michael Manley 100th

I must congratulate the People’s National Party (PNP) organisation for putting on such an awesome conference. For some people, conference is a ritual, for others it is a place where old and new comrades meet.

I remember in the 1970s one comrade sister told me that her mother would visit the hairdresser once per year for a special hairdo just to attend.

I did not attend the 86th Conference of the PNP because the leadership of the PNP did not have on the agenda a special tribute to the great leader Michael Manley for his 100th anniversary of birth. I was also appalled by some of those who occupied the podium as well as the main platform of the conference.

Now, back to my cause. There is a history of attempt to erase the history of Michael Manley from the party and it must stop now. Many of the present top leaders of the party have no clue of the political history of the country, the history of the PNP and its leaders; they do not even know the history of their constituency of interest.

Nothing is wrong with having a documentary on party leader Mark Golding but the opportunity should have been seized to celebrate and introduce to a new generation of politicians a great leader, not just in the national society but also in the global sphere. There is a truncated relationship between the current overall leadership of the party and the history of the latter.

RESPECT IS DUE

I wrote to the party leader and general secretary earlier in the year and asked what the plans for the recognition of Michael Manley 100th were. I received no reply. Not even ‘noted, with thanks’. I have, in recent months, participated in radio shows and meetings to remind people about the only politician that entered politics with a philosophy and the first one to put black people in the centre stage of national politics.

Now, Mr Golding, the truth is, others will get away but you are a “jus come” as the people see it, without the knowledge and experience in politics and government and should be the first one to embrace the history and philosophy of Michael Manley.

You do not have to agree on everything, but that is a good place to start in order to become an effective leader. I have been defending you on social media from those who attacked you viciously on the charge that you are “anti-Manley”.

It is clear that you have a problem with Michael Manley for excluding a salute to the great leader for his 100th anniversary. This 86th conference was close to the actual date of his birth and preparation could have been made.

What this country and people need is not a long shopping list of what is to be done, but some fundamental principles and values that will help to identify the major problems and provide guidance on how to solve them. The country needs lessons in morality and the practice of ethics in a setting characterised by moral pollution. This country is on the brink of anarchy and will need more than a shopping list to address its basic problems.

Each leader that comes along wants to put emphasis on the self, but this should not be done at the expense of trying to erase a great world leader’s history form the party. All we end up with is a leadership with an empty personality with an appeal for what is popular.

UNANNOUNCED GUESTS

It was wrong for the Maroon Chief to occupy and speak on centre stage. It was wrong. The maroons claim the monarch of England as their Sovereign and they require political demands that the PNP will not be able to give them. It was a serious mistake to have the Maroon Chief as a spokesperson during the 86th Conference of the PNP. There is no commonality between the history of the PNP and that of the Maroon community.

I never know that I would live to see a PNP guided by dancehall culture. This is so because over the years the movement has not been guided by history and a working philosophy. The PNP today thinks basically like the JLP, no difference and no choice. I am worried about the embracing of popular figures and that the PNP will have to take the good with the bad.

The major platform of the party on conference Sunday should not be opened to unannounced guests. This dancehall culture is so deep that I watched a youth leader on stage and before she speaks, she “buss a move” and everyone scream. This is what the 86-year-old party has come to, a space for the dancehall. There is a role for culture in politics but there is nothing progressive about the degenerative cultural space and movement called dancehall.

I am mindful that many persons in the public and political spheres only have the “dancehall language”. They have no sense of politics and how to present themselves as spokespersons for the different disciplines in politics.

The idea of having political education among young and new political leaders is very important. Most of the PNP spokespersons are not ready. To win an election is one thing but to govern is another thing. Read and celebrate the life of Manley for self-education and self-preparation to govern.

I have read polls in the early 2000s where the majority of the persons say that Michael Manley was the best prime minister for Jamaica; another said he has been the most transformative leader that made a big difference in the lives of the ordinary Jamaica.

What kind of people deny the history of great ones? Personal differences do not mean that one has to deny the historical existence of Michael Manley in the PNP.

Mr Golding, you owe the Manley family and the hundreds of thousands of Michael Manley supporters a huge apology.

Remember this: much of the traditional PNP voters are those that have been influenced by Michael Manley.

Louis. E.A. Moyston, PhD. Email feedback to thearchives01@yahoo.com and columns@gleanerjm.com