From asset to liability

Tara Clivio

Published in the Jamaica Gleaner: Friday | August 17, 2007

He screamed out in his sleep. It was a bad dream, later he would explain that there was a wild dinosaur chasing him and he was hiding in a hole, terrified and alone. I did what I knew would ease my small boy back to sleep, I softly said, "Mummy's here!"

Perhaps my assurance was slightly dishonest. Truthfully, I would not be able to defeat a ferocious dinosaur, much less if it were 'shooting fire' as my son further elaborated. Yet, my reply was enough to give him comfort, and I watched him drift back into a gentle sleep.

"Portia is in charge, Mama is here!" These were the words of our Prime Minister in the recent debate with Mr. Bruce Golding. It was a phrase most mothers could identify with, and even recall the comfort we felt when we heard it as children. No doubt Portia hoped it too would lull us back into another term under her rule. Yet, as a mother, I found it has insulted my intelligence. A mother's protection of her children does not involve just passion and rhetoric, a mother's care involves intellect, knowledge of the facts, financial management, judgement, hard work, and consistent enforcement of values. Motherhood in Jamaica is a swift introduction to the facts of life. Portia simply did not adequately address this reality, and since I am no longer a child and have real problems, "Mama is here" is just not going to cut it.

Notable strengths

Portia Simpson Miller clearly has some notable strengths, unfortunately national debates do not seem to be one of them. Her passion seems invincible and if properly directed one could almost see her tackling the ferocious dinosaurs that threaten our land. The PNP team is a solid one, yet when Minister Buchanan announced that she was superior in every aspect of the debate, he and his party began to lose credibility. Portia who was one of their biggest assets soon becomes a liability. For the PNP to properly govern they would have to be honest about their strengths and weaknesses so that they can properly address them, to the benefit of the country.

One can certainly see that Portia can and does engage the lower class effectively, and we are also aware that the lower class does make up the majority of the electorate. However, her rhetoric in the national debates dangerously ran the risk of alienating the more educated classes, the nurses, the teachers, the entrepreneurs and the mothers who want to understand the issues and have their questions answered intelligently and with integrity. If any party is interested in the development of this nation not just winning the next election, then it must also address the concerns of the middle class, which is the backbone of this country, and vital to its development.

Waiting to be saved

I feel a bit like my son in his dream, hiding in a hole watching the dangers around me, waiting for someone to come and save me. I too am afraid of the realities that face me and my family in this country - crime, unemployment, a stagnant economy, inadequate education and poor health services. The dangers are very real so when I look to my leaders for answers, the answers too, need to be real. The answers have to involve the whole society, those who are going to pay the taxes, invest in the economy as well those who are unemployed and even homeless. We need to recognise that we all need to move ahead together and recognise that we can only move ahead, if we do it together.

If I were to be honest with my son I would have told him that I needed some help to save him from the dinosaur, a plan to poison him, a scud missile to blow him up, or a small army of soldiers to bring him down, I would use my head, and my hard-earned money, I would enlist my friends and I would defeat him, but not with passion alone.