Kenneth Bingham | True tribute to Oliver Clarke will be in building Jamaica collectively

On May 28, 2020, The Gleaner published an unprecedented 48-page broadsheet supplement replete with the most glowing and comprehensive tributes to the late Oliver Clarke, who passed away on May 16. There were in excess of 100 tributes and as many or more words and phrases extolling the personal and professional virtues of this most remarkable son of Jamaica.

I scanned the pages and spoke with persons who knew him, who barely knew him, and even those who did not know him. Our unanimous conclusion: This was no ‘conspiracy’. The man clearly lived the life, and the nation rolled out the red carpet and spoke from the depths of its heart.

The tributes, however, mean very little, if anything at all, to this fallen patriot. They are instead a potent reminder to us of the heights that men might reach and should at least aspire to in order to build viable nations. Today, many of us should feel challenged by our consciences to do more as we ponder why we didn’t before.

The greatest tribute to OFC, as he was affectionately known, will be constructed by the people as a whole, led by our leaders in all spheres of Jamaican life – religious, political, academic, business, civil society, the professions, and community groups. If they began with but five of OFCs much-admired qualities – of always being punctual, humble, kind-hearted, gracious, patriotic – we should be on our way towards building Jamaica anew. Just take the matter of punctuality. We have been the butt of much scorn.

Inability to Value Time

There is an even higher price we have been paying, however. In my training sessions with a number of corporate entities, their employees agreed that millions of dollars were being lost by their enterprises because of the inability to value time. My wild estimate is that the cumulative effect of unpunctuality might amount to as much as two to three per cent GDP loss.

Having mastered the five qualities and motivating the rest of us to follow suit, I would recommend that our leadership advance to embrace others such as selfless, well-balanced, patriotic, loyal, professional, motivator, visionary, an inspiration, pleasant, mentor, warm, generous, torch-bearer, impeccable, role model, nation-builder, committed, humanitarian. OFC was above all, an idealist with an incredible balance of pragmatism.

Jamaica needs his brand of leadership now more than ever. OFC has provided us with the blueprint. It is a challenge to a broad-based coalition of leaders to develop a charter to advance the principles embodied in his life and memorialised with such poignancy in these tributes.

The opening sentence of our final tribute to OFC will commence, I believe, with the signing of a charter by a group of influential leaders to promote and inspire others, by their example, to embrace, internalise and live by these values. And so, that final tribute will be written as we all buy in to the process, creating a new Jamaica where we see ourselves and our fellowmen as our brother’s keepers.

We see his virtues, recognise and admit our shortcomings, and pledge to make the necessary adjustments. Jamaica could, within a decade, transform this sleeping mouse of a country from the well-known “Jamaica – the land we love” to an even more impressive “Jamaica, a land that’s loved by all”.

Kenneth Bingham, 80, is a management consultant, in retirement. Send feedback to maresour@gmail.com.