Mark Wignall | Temper tantrum, JLP?

“It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to,

Cry if I want to.

You would cry too, if it happened to you.” – Lesly Gore

A political party is, at its first essence, a gathering of men of bloated egos, each having his own directions, each claiming, in silence, his own motivators. The women operate in a similar understanding, and they, too, are afflicted by the frailty of that swollen ego.

Eight years before 16-year-old Lesly Gore sang It’s My Party; in 1955 Bustamante was the celebrated authoritarian in the party he founded, The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). True to his dictatorial bent, as the final results of the 1955 elections showed that his cousin’s party, The People’s National Party (PNP) had won, he referred to Jamaica as a “Judas Country”.

The man who would go on to become the iconic national h in 1969 also called Jamaicans ungrateful in that 1955 election, just 14 years before.

Recent polls conducted by Don Anderson on behalf of the PNP have shown numbers highly encouraging to the Opposition PNP, a party in a ravenous mood for some spicy electoral food. And it is five points ahead of the ruling JLP.

It is useful to recall that the PNP was rudely spanked by the JLP in September 2020. In September 2022, poll numbers from Don Anderson were great news for the JLP. Coming on from the steamrolling of the PNP, the numbers were showing that the JLP were vibrant, energetic, and within sight and feeling of the moods of a significant number of Jamaicans.

EXCUSES

The response from the JLP is, basically, excuses liberally soaked in suds of petulance. Blame the pollster. Were the numbers healthy to the JLP as shown in the 2022 polls somehow tainted?

This is desperation from the JLP, and when the numbers are examined, there is no reason why the JLP should conclude that the PNP has slam-dunked all over them. Those numbers can be assimilated and worked into a broad-based political ‘war plan’ to do catch-up and then to run ahead.

But then I was forced to explain to myself why the uncharacteristic response from Dr Horace Chang, general secretary of the JLP. “It artificially influences public opinion,” he said. It “shores up a weak leader”, “distracts the country with political mischief”. And then when Minister in charge of Information, Mr Robert Nesta Morgan went out on his spinning mission, it all added up.

First, those positions were being dictated by the needs of the JLP diehard base that needed immediate infusions of ‘feel good’ syrup. Second, and of much more import, was the likelihood that the JLP internal polls had been showing over the space of, say, 18 months, the steady eroding of positive ratings for the JLP. That would be extremely problematic for the JLP, especially if many in the electorate were viewing the continued governance in fatalistic terms.

In other words, they had reached the point of no return in the brazenness of violent criminals and the inability of the JLP to effectively deal with it. .

Increasing prices of food and grocery items and the inability of the JLP government to slow down the increases. Perception of corruption, especially when enumerating other faults, brings to limelight that troubling concern. And then, the massive salary hikes.

PM HOLNESS IN A STRANGE PLACE

As both parties head to the next elections whether they are next year or a shotgun wedding later this year, the JLP will be in uncharted territory. It would have to be of primary concern to the JLP that it has never had three straight terms of governance. Could it be that political historians close to the JLP have been saying to the party that if history is prologue, the chance of the JLP winning the next elections is, all things considered, at about ten per cent.

In the months before the most recent polls were published, in my many forays at street level, I was picking up a cooling-off of admiration for the prime minister. I wrote about it. It doesn’t take any special powers of deduction to conclude that the PM would have had private poll numbers and those were painting the same picture. That would explain his many temper tantrums from the political stage.

An actual election has not taken place, and the JLP has not lost, so there is no need to cry. My psychologist friend has suggested that the JLP top brass, by bawling, complaining, and inventing excuses is the party making an emotional investment in what is to come.

“I know the politics. You are the medical person and you understand human behaviour. Holness has more of a lock on the people’s connection to him than Golding,” I said to her. “That is what the PM needs to understand. Exposing his intemperate side is not a show of strength. Basically grabbing for the Busta playbook and implying that his government has done great things and we ought to be more grateful is not a show of strength and self-confidence,” I added.

CHINESE BUSINESS COMMUNITY CONCERNS

A few years ago, based on many bits and pieces of info I had gathered about how the criminal underworld found or forced some kind of association with the Chinese business community - mostly, wholesale, haberdashery and liquor outlets - the operators clammed up on me while one told me some fat badwords. I was no saint in my response.

An accounting specialist friend working in the United States said: “As for the robbery of a large amount of cash from the Chinese businessman, there is more of that going on than the public knows. I have a client, who is Jamaican Chinese with business contacts in Jamaica who are Chinese, and he has told me repeatedly that Chinese businesses are robbed frequently. He also told me many of the robberies are by rogue policemen.”

Mark Wignall is a political and public affairs analyst. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and mawigsr@gmail.com.