Bruse
Golding, who returned to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) which
he had abandoned seven years ago told The Gleaner editors
more about the negotiations which ended with his return to
the party; about the National Democratic Movement (NDM) which
he left behind and his own future in the JLP. He was speaking
at The Gleaner's Editors Forum at the company's North Street
office on Friday.
ON
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HIS AND THE JLP'S STANCE ON GOVERNANCE
These official positions were taken in 1995 before I left
the Jamaica Labour Party so as far as I am aware they were
not subject to any real reviews during that period of time
so it remains the official position.
I think one could assume that a period of seven years has
elapsed. The period would allow for new approaches, new thoughts
on these issues. Secondly the (JLP) positions were never unanimous
positions, they were majority positions and therefore there
is a body of power or there was at that time a body of power
within the Labour Party that supported an authority.
Thirdly, the people who took those decisions in 1995 are not
the same people who are there today, I mean there are many,
a whole new group of younger persons who are there who think
differently and who in discussions with me have expressed
views that are very similar to that were held in the National
Democratic Movement. I would add a quote, and that is, I don't
think it is any secret that both the Labour Party and People's
National Party are on the threshold of a transition of leadership.
Mr Patterson has signalled that with absolute clarity, Mr.
Seaga has hinted at it.
Whenever there is a transition of leadership that's normally
a period of review of introspection of looking at new ways
of tackling issues and that normally is a very fertile period
for fundamental changes in party position and that is not
something that you can nail down with certainty, there is
no guarantee on that. What I'm saying is that it also denies
you an enormous window of opportunity that I think should
be pursued.
ON
THE PROCESS OF HIS RETURN TO THE JLP
It was initiated by the Jamaica Labour Party. The discussions
that were taking place were initiated by the Jamaica Labour
Party.
ON
THE NAT'L DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT
The
National Democratic Movement when it was born and throughout
its existence was built and has existed around a set of ideals
that I think differentiates it from the other two traditional
parties. When we formed the NDM we were optimistic that Jamaica
had reached a stage in its own political evolution when there
would be significant resensitivity to the kind of principles
and the other kinds of ideals of politics that we were putting
forward. I think they had resonance with the people but the
NDM has up to now failed under my leadership and since, to
be able to gain the political traction on the ground.
Maybe we were naive, maybe we didn't understand the depth
of the entrenchment of the two party cultures. We were told,
there were people who advised me at that time that...that
look, it (a third party) hasn't worked and it will not work.
I didn't believe that. I believe that it could, or that if
it hasn't worked in the past, it could happen now and nothing
ever happens until it happens. Our experience has not shown
that it could not work and therefore I have to make a determination.
Do you hold on to these ideas, committed as you are to them,
embracing them to death with no clear route that you are going
to be able to translate them from visions, transform them
from visions into implementation? Or do you look back and
say well, maybe there is an opportunity where within the existing
structures you can try to make it work?
Is there an opportunity now to secure substantial parts of
that programme within the existing structure?
You have to determine whether your purpose is going to be
aimed at the ideal or at the implementation of the ideal and
it maybe that a third party is just not the vehicle that is
going to be able to bring that out.
ON GIVING ADVICE TO THE NDM
I'm
hesitant to give advice given all that has happened within
the last couples of days. It's a decision that each person
in the NDM has to make for himself, and if those members feel
that the NDM can or will eventually succeed, then I have nothing
but respect and admiration for them. I just feel that it is
a challenge that is so huge that much is going to happen to
the country that it doesn't want to happen before that achievement
becomes a reality.
ON
HIS FUTURE IN THE JLP
What
becomes of me if the JLP does not win the election? I guess
that window of opportunity exists still to transform the thinking
of the JLP.
It's hard to tell because, you've left the party and a lot
of your relationships within the party were badly damaged,
those will have to be rebuilt, those will take time to be
rebuilt. So one doesn't know. I've become involved at the
start of the final run of the elections. There is much that
I'm gonna try to do in the two and a half weeks and there
is much that can't be done in two and a half weeks.
ON
CHARGES OF DISRESPECT COMING FROM THE NDM
An
unfortunate set of circumstances. I was scheduled to leave
the island last week. I was contacted by Mr. Seaga about the
proposal. Since I was leaving the island I could not postpone
the trip. So after I was contacted, I made arrangements with
Wayne Chen and Chris Tufton who have always been close to
me when I was president of the Movement and since. I made
arrangements to meet with them to consider what has been suggested
to me, but that afternoon I had a speaking engagement. I was
due to address Jamaicans for Justice at their monthly meeting
and that was 7:30 so we arranged to meet at my house at 10:30
they didn't get there until 11:00. That was when I put to
them what had been communicated to me by Mr. Seaga. We had
a discussion on it, we worked out then and there in my study
some points that would comprise a heads of agreement and I
got in touch with Mr. Seaga's assistant and I asked her to
arrange for Wayne and Chris to meet with him the following
day since I was due to leave the island on an early flight.
And I told her that they had a full understanding from me
as to what my position is.
They showed up for the meeting with Mr. Seaga the following
morning and I was in touch with them in the course of the
day. They reported back to me after their meeting with Mr.
Seaga that Mr. Seaga accepted in principle but there were
particular details of some of the heads of agreement that
he had difficulty with.
I tried to get hold of Hyacinth Bennett from Nassau where
I was. The only number I had for her was just the number I
had on my cell phone. I didn't have my numbers-book with me.
The only number I had with me was her cell number which was
no longer her cell number, apparently she had changed it.
I got in touch with Wayne again and said look, I can't reach
Hyacinth, the number I have is no longer working. Then I asked
him to get in touch with her, brief her in terms of the discussion
because I don't know what position the NDM may wish to take
on this matter. I had to be careful, the NDM had previously
taken a decision after one of those meetings with the JLP
had failed.
The NDM had taken a position that it would not entertain any
further discussion with the JLP. Against the background of
that decision I couldn't be presumptuous enough to seek to
negotiate on behalf of the NDM. But I did want Hyacinth to
be aware that these discussions had taken place and also to
allow her the option as indicated whether or not the NDM would
respond in any way to the willingness of the JLP to entering
some sort of collaboration.
I left Nassau early Saturday morning, had to go to Miami,
didn't get back until late on Saturday night by which time
I got some information from Wayne based on the discussions
he had with Hyacinth that the NDM really would not be interested.
Whether that was her expression of the NDM position and whether
that differentiated from her personal position is an issue
that I would prefer not to comment on. I really should have
myself tried to have contacted her before. I didn't speak
to her until Tuesday and I have apologised to her for that
because I think I should have.
The way in which that matter was handled was not good enough
and I readily acknowledged that. As to whether or not the
handling of the matter would have made any material difference
to the position that the NDM has taken, I don't know. I think
the persons who have been the spokespersons for the NDM on
this matter may be well be reflecting the official position
of the NDM. But an official position that I believe they were
more than instrumental in determining.
ON
THE REJECTED JLP/NDM MERGER
The
discussions that Wayne and Chris had with Mr. Seaga included
the possibility, subject to discussion with the NDM, that
if the NDM was prepared to become part of this collaboration
that there would be room within the parliamentary structure
for some representatives of the NDM which would have had to
include Mrs. Bennett as the president. And if it became the
Govern-ment that they would be considered for appropriate
appointment within the Government. That would have been predicated
on the NDM not contesting any seats. I understand that when
that was discussed with Hyacinth, I'm not sure whether this
was her preliminary response or whether this was a subsequent
response after she had consulted ...but her position was that
what she would be prepared to entertain would be the withdrawal
of JLP candidates in a number of constituencies and for the
JLP to support those NDM candidates in those constituencies.
That matter was never put to the Labour Party because we (myself,
Wayne & Chris) did not consider that there were (as of
now) NDM candidates that had the quality of organisation on
the ground in those constituencies to support that. Quite
frankly I don't think it would have been considered. I therefore
didn't want to pursue something that I didn't think would
have been acceptable.
ON
PROBLEMS FACING THE ECONOMY
Proper
fiscal and monetary management and a proactive approach to
try and stimulate new investment. And I should add to that,
I believe in the short term a way that could impact significantly
on the economy is try to assist existing idle capacity to
get back up stream. There are businesses, for example, that
have not recovered from the problems of FINSAC. I think I
would want to know where businesses and factories are and
so if they were just given a little help out of the hole they
are in, they would be back in production very quickly and
could put people to work very quickly.
ON
THE DEBT BALANCE
What
I think that I would like to see done is a cap put on that.
I would really like to see a Government that says look this
is where it is at and we are not allowing it to go one dollar
more and then to put in place a phased programme for its reduction.
The same PNP manifesto indicates that they want to bring the
debt to 100 per cent of GDP by 2006. They haven't quite spelt
out how they would do that. Other than saying that they would
be lessening maturates and so on which really doesn't reduce
the debt itself, it simply makes the terms easier and in fact
extend the life of debt. I think that's the country's number
one problem. Ideally, I'll put a cap on it now and then I'll
structure a programme of downward adjustments over a period
of time. The PNP's target is for a 100 per cent by 2006, I
think that would be a reasonable target but I would like to
go beyond that. I really would like to see the debt brought
down to no more than 60 per cent of GDP. You would have to
do that over a longer period of time but I think that is what
we should not only aim at but specify that is where we want
to go.
ON
A FUTURE ROLE IN THE JLP
Mr.
Seaga and I haven't discussed that in any great details. I
have an indication of where his mind is heading but that's
not something that I would want to discuss. My priority is
to try and see if I can secure agreements of those fundamental
privileges (under the constitutional reform proposal). That
is my absolute priority. Anything else is subsidiary to that.
ON
SEAGA'S MONEY WOES
Well,
it is an issue of concern, it's a public issue. An issue to
which Mr. Seaga has spoken on several occasions. He indicated
that certain negotiations have been advanced and certain arrangements
were being put in place to divest himself of that property.
He indicated that if those negotiations are concluded it would
put him a position where he would be able to rid himself of
those liabilities. But it is an issue and it is an issue that
I think Mr. Seaga understands that he will have to deal with
ON
JLP'S ELECTION CHANCES
I
can't give you a call on the JLP's position because I haven't
been on the road. I will be on the road as of Tuesday and
I am only working a section of the island. I've been getting
some briefing of their internal numbers, what their whole
internal assessment of the individual seats and giving some
advice in terms of what needs to be done within the short
space of time that is left.
So it is difficult for me to give you that.
