Countdown to 2012

Din Duggan, Contributor

WITH ALL due respect to 2011, you're simply an opening act, a prelude, an appetiser, the undercard, a sideshow. You're the Cuban Light Bulb Scandal to Trafigura; Dual Citizenship to 'Dudusgate'; Asafa to Usain (wait, Asafa has Yendi); you're Usain to Asafa. Sure, you're important, but 2012 is the main event.

2012 is poised to be a monumental year. Once again, the best of Jamaica will be on display as our Olympians set out to conquer gold in the heart of our old colonisers. The worst of Jamaica will also be paraded when our neo-colonialists brandish their old bags of tricks in the circus that is the general election. In America, the tea-infused Republican Party will seek to unseat President Obama, possibly replacing him with the exceptionally brilliant Sarah Palin, who will, no doubt, immediately 'refudiate' Obama's policies. As quickly as 2012 begins, December will be upon us, and it will all be over - not just the year - but the whole damned world.

The Mayan theory

December 21, 2012 will mark the completion of the 5,125 year Great Cycle of the Ancient Maya Long Count Calendar. According to popular interpretations of Mayan theory, a series of apocalyptic events will begin on this day, ultimately resulting in the destruction of the world. Others claim Earth won't be destroyed, instead theorising that it, and its inhabitants, will undergo tremendous physical and spiritual transformations, ushering in a new, enlightened era of existence. Both interpretations, however, surmise that the world, as we currently know it, will end.

It all makes sense now. I was often baffled by the curious economic theory guiding Dr Omar Davies' fiscal policy during his reign as finance minister. It was clearly the 'Mayan theory' - issue costly debt, recognise no accompanying economic growth, then sit back and relax, armed with the insight that the world and, with it, your debt obligation will end in 2012. What a truly ingenious plan, Mr Former Finance Minister.

I wonder what I would do with knowledge of my own impending doom. If I only had 24 hours to live, I would petition my grandmother for a bowl of oats porridge - with a sprinkling of nutmeg on top. Beyond that, I imagine I would face two competing impulses - on one hand, a devious contemplation of all sorts of debauchery not fit for publication in a family newspaper, on the other, a dutiful desire to make peace with my God and accept the salvation that previously eluded me.

Months to live

What would the Government do with its final 24 hours or, in its case, 24 months? If the Mayan theories are correct, Bruce Golding's administration has, at most, that much time to imprint its mark on Jamaica's history. Its members can choose the debaucherous path, engaging in varied and sundry acts of malfeasance. They can continue to rule with an iron will, paying scant regard to the core desires of the Jamaican people and placing party green above black, gold and green. Or, perhaps, they might dutifully change course in pursuit of the critical repairs needed to rebuild the Jamaican engine and propel us towards a future of prosperity.

If Prime Minister Bruce Golding were to hold a private meeting, today, with his estranged friend, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Leader Bruce Golding of 2007, I would imagine the JLP leader would express discontentment with the country's direction. He might inquire about the fate of Section 1.11 of his JLP Manifesto: "Imposing a two-term limit on anyone holding the office of Prime Minister." He would surely mention Section 1.12: "Establishing a Special Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute persons involved in corruption." A livid National Democratic Movement president, Bruce Golding of 2002, might burst into the room threatening 'bangarang' if the PM doesn't "re-examine the issue of separation of powers and ensure that it is placed before the people in a referendum!"

The Goldings are correct. These are the issues that matter now - institutional reforms. Unilateral decisions to relocate the military headquarters, political tit-for-tat, and other relative trivialities need to be set aside. Time is short. The end is near. Will 2012 bring political cataclysm? Or will we see the dawn of a new era of democracy? Will the Government resign itself to its impending fate? Or will the administration make peace with its makers in the hope that the course of its political destiny might miraculously shift? As Bob Marley would say: "Time alone, oh time will tell." In the meantime, the writings are on the walls - Mayan and Jamaican.

Din Duggan is an attorney and entrepreneur who now works as a consultant with a global legal-search firm. Contact him at facebook.com/dinduggan, twitter.com/YoungDuggan, or dinduggan@gmail.com.