Ian Boyne Portia has made a habit of beating the odds. Ever since she entered representational politics 34 years ago, the odds have been stocked against her, but her indomitable spirit and sense of destiny has proven more than enough for the struggle. Last Saturday's triumph was merely the latest in an eventful and colourful political life.
In that saga, she withstood the establishment media, the business and upper classes, the handicap of money, and powerful members of the elite in her own party to pull off a victory that not even the highly astute political observer and first-rate newsman Cliff Hughes could have predicted. Indeed, Cliff called it wrong this time, giving the edge to Peter Phillips before he signed off his 'Nationwide at Five' show two Friday evenings ago, while his co-host Elon Parkinson was certain that Phillips would shatter Portia's career. Mark Wignall told us repeatedly that Portia would be vanquished by the formidable Dr Peter Phillips.
Team PNP supporters chant and sing and reach out to greet Portia Simpson Miller at the National Stadium on Saturday, September 20. - Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer
lost vision
In a strongly worded and no-holds-barred editorial on the day before the crucial People's National Party (PNP) elections, the Observer begged delegates to choose someone with "vision" who will not be "guided by grudge and bad mind". The PNP had lost its vision and mission and was just "drifting aimlessly on a fading tide of nothingness". Leaders who "refuse to discuss issues are no longer relevant to our times", the editorial told us and delegates, "and should be told so by sensible people in their party.
"The PNP has a decision on September 20 that will either signal to this nation that it is ready to re-take the reins of power or that it should be relegated the junk heap of history."
For "the complexity of the times demand more than charisma and an ability to whip up a frenzied crowd".
The delegates knew what all those code words meant. And so they voted on Saturday. While the offensively named Team PNP (Portia) group reacted badly to the democratic challenge posed by Peter Phillips, Portia should be happy for the gift that Phillips and his Arise and Renew team handed her.
Had Portia not been challenged and given the opportunity to answer decisively, she would not be able to consolidate her position and stamp her authority on the PNP in the way she can today. "All things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose", as one of Portia's fundamentalist preachers could well remind her today, quoting Scripture.
From bottom: Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller, Omar Davies and Robert Pickersgill in a pensive mood in Parliament. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
concession column
Even her critics admit, however grudgingly, that "argument done". Wignall published his own concession column on Thursday.
The Observer editorial mourned loudly on that same day, "The PNP's watchword is no longer 'forward ever, backward never'. This has been replaced by 'forward never, backward ever'. It is a slide downhill that will get worse before it gets better." But no one questions that Portia Simpson Miller is the delegates' choice and in a democratic system the people's choice must lead.
Portia has received some key resignations even before she dissolved the Council of Spokespersons, and tomorrow she will be free to choose those with whom she would be able to work comfortably. She now has a free hand and some breathing space and she has already vowed that "it's not gonna be like the last time".
Portia has a number of factors working in her favour. First, she is not bereft of bright, highly credentialed persons around her, including the young Harvard-trained Basil Waite; the smooth, suave and articulate Raymond Pryce; the intellectually astute former finance minister, Omar Davies, and that debater par excellence A. J. Nicholson.
Though he could not declare his hand, it is clear that general secretary Peter Bunting is lining up behind her and he has cache with the business class. Then, there is Mark Golding, highly successful attorney and businessman with solid upper-middle-class credentials.
Excellent strategy
Those who don't know Portia Simpson Miller don't know the high regard she has for intellectuals and bright young people. Indeed, the irony is that while Peter Phillips' team was dubbed Arise and Renew and spoke of freshness and boldness of vision, Portia's team utilised its young spokespersons more in the media and did not come off as any backward, dyed-in-the-wool cabal. Danny Buchanan, Colin Campbell and Phillip Paulwell were put in the media backroom, while the young, fresh faces were paraded. Excellent strategy.
Portia was also helped considerably by Bruce Golding and the Jamaica Labour Party - a point overlooked by all the commentators and analysts, recycled from station to station.
As I had called it in my column of September 14: "Portia is likely to win this weekend. The fact that the JLP has ended its first year unspectacularly has considerably helped her chances of holding on to the PNP presidency. Her poor people's platform is resonating with people, and especially the PNP base, and the view that she can't beat Bruce has lost some strength."
This is a most significant point which has escaped so many. I ended my column then by saying, "The fact that the JLP seems more beatable by Portia today could be the final nail in Peter's coffin." I don't want to claim the prophetic mantle, but careful analysis should have told others that.
With people hurting over high food, electricity and other prices, with crime out of control and unemployment rising, any harsh judgement on Portia's tenure as prime minister would be moderated.
External economic factors, for sure, have heavily influenced the JLP's unspectacular first-year performance, but the average consumer and voter is in no mood for rational analysis and argumentation when he is hurting. It's straight emotion over reason.
The problem is not, as Mark Wignall says in frustration in his column last Thursday, that "the ruling JLP has a PR team that has to be the worst ever seen in Jamaica's modern politics". This is because, Mark grouses, they have allowed the PNP to convey to "the gullible in the population" that global price increases must be laid at the JLP's feet. The larger problem, Mark - as I have complained over and over and have been dismissed for my "intellectualism" - is that our political culture thrives on ignorance and political propaganda. We don't elevate reason and reading.
ingrained parochialism
There is an ingrained parochialism among even middle-class people who are not given to serious reading and analysis. No PR team, however skilled, can totally overcome this national handicap, though if they are really skilled they can conduct a persuasive counter-propaganda campaign. We are reaping the whirlwind from the ignorance we have sown.
I used to criticise the JLP for talking nonsense about "the wicked, uncaring PNP government", and now I hear Portia Simpson Miller talking he same kind of foolishness about "this uncaring government" - and Karl Samuda chastising her for it! We trivialise and personalise important issues and the two parties trade in the people's ignorance.
The downturn in the global economy has worked in Portia's favour, for people see her as the poor people's champion who can save them from the high prices, high unemployment and high crime rates strangling this nation.
If the reputedly more intellectual Bruce Golding cannot do better, then perhaps, many would reason, Portia's failure to deliver the goods economically and socially might not have anything to do with intellectual capacity, after all.
The Don Anderson polls published on the eve of the elections would also have had some effect. When delegates saw how popular Portia still is and that Peter's ratings were so abysmally low, they reasoned that it was in the interest of their party to vote for her. You want the leader who is most able to beat the opponent and the polls showed that overwhelmingly Portia was that leader.
Yet, I still reject the view that Peter challenged at the wrong time. In philosophy, we say that one can have a justified belief even though it is a false belief. That is, the process of arriving at the conclusion and the reasoning involved is rational, though it might be wrong.
Peter Phillips made the right kind of calculations in arriving at when he should challenge. He thought that delegates would be convinced that Portia could not beat Bruce; that the big people would not fund an election under her leadership and since Golding had committed himself to calling elections to prevent anyone's sitting in Parliament by court ruling and the courts could rule next year, then this conference was the right time to strike. There would be enough time to consolidate for the next general elections. It made sense.
He made a rational calculation and he made his democratic challenge. It is to the shame of Portia supporters that they reacted so angrily and bitterly to his challenge. Their attitude betrays the democratic spirit.
Portia says she wants to advance the progressive agenda. There are very few persons I can think of who could bring a greater level of depth, experience, sophistication and balance to that process than Dr Peter Phillips. Peter's loss to the progressive movement at this time is most unwelcome and unfortunate.
not bad-mindedness
Make no mistake - Peter has no right to Portia's shadow cabinet. It is Portia's right not to have him work closely with her. It is not necessarily any bad-mindedness and mean-spiritedness which would motivate her not to "reach out" to have him by her side. He has challenged twice and lost. He does not believe she has the capacity to lead and she must have the right to say under those circumstances, we can't work together. He must have the right to say the same.
Whatever is said, Peter's loss to the frontline of Jamaican politics is regrettable. The Jamaican political project has suffered a major loss, not just the PNP. It is a pity that it had to be a choice between two of our finest progressive politicians in this country. I hope that eventually Peter will arise to renew the struggle on behalf of the people.
Ian Boyne is a veteran journalist who may be reached at ianboyne1@yahoo.com. Feedback may also be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com
