Norris McDonald | The political left, world politics and ‘The Church of Socialism’

The New Zealand, Barbados and now Australia general elections have shocked the world. These three elections have brought social democratic labour parties to power who campaigned on progressive political platforms.

The Barbados election is unique in that Prime Minister Mia Mottley led the Barbados Labour Party to win all contested seats.

These parties campaigned on progressive policy issues in which they explained to the political electorate why they should trust them, as well as how they stand to benefit from a government that is just not about simple housekeeping things such as paying the national debt.

The main thing we learn here is that the budget ought to be an important legislative tool to lift poor people out of poverty.

Policies such as the National Housing Trust that the democratic socialist Michael Manley government introduced in 1976 was aimed at getting people to help themselves buy their own homes, build on their own land, or repair their home.

America still does not have a progressive maternity leave law as that created by the democratic socialist Manley government. In America, a mother will have a child and be sent home in one to two days with the employer tapping his feet waiting for her to come to work while she does not know what to do about childcare!

Which is morally superior? Capitalism or socialism? You tell me!

THE RISE OF THE NEW LEFT

I believe the trend of a new wave of left-wing progressiveness is symptomatic of poor people, small farmers, the middle class, and national business people’s general tiredness of being bullied, and taken advantage of, by imperialism.

In Colombia, too – long a bastion of extreme right-wing politics – we see Gustavo Petro, the left wing candidate, winning the first round of the presidential election and is expected to win the run-off and elected president.

Brazil, too, will have an upcoming presidential election and the left-winger, former President Lula da Silva, is expected to regain power.

Overall, Latin America is witnessing this trend in which, since 2018, we have seen left-wing governments come to power in Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Bolivia.

They all join Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua and reinforce the regional progressive bloc.

This is certainly creating a headache for America to see this resurgence in the world left-wing movement, especially in their own Latin American and Caribbean backyard.

American political establishments overrate their own ideological strength. They also appear not to fully grasp the impact of the political and ideological changes taking place in the world.

This, perhaps, is why the upcoming Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles from June 6-10 may become an embarrassing policy failure for President Joe Biden.

It was expected to be a showpiece for America’s global dominance and world leadership.

The world is in crisis with rising poverty and hunger, yet America, instead of building bridges of friendship and international cooperation, appears to be stubbornly pursuing a hostile foreign policy.

I think America was clearly wrong to have denied Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua the right to participate in the regional confab. Why should they be surprised that the Latin America and the Caribbean is standing up to this clearly unnecessary political arrogance?

Some countries have decided that, given this continued divisiveness, they are not going.

Trinidad and Tobago, maybe under pressure from America, has already broken rank. T&T Prime Minister Keith Rowley justified his attendance by reportedly saying “there are many important things to be discussed”.

Why would America not use such an important event as the Summit of Americas to offer enlightened leadership and thinking to the world?

I certainly think this regional confab would have provided an opportunity for more inclusiveness; more listening to alternative thinking and potential solutions that are not the same old, same old, regimented, capitalist, free market potpourri.

President Biden should have dumped Trump’s foreign policy and forge his own path to show true global leadership.

President Barack Obama visited Cuba in 2016 and many people thought this would be the dawn of a new era of friendship of international cooperation.

Having failed to provide new, more inspiring foreign policy leadership in Latin America and the world, if the Republicans win the 2022 mid-term election and take back the House of Representatives and the Senate, Joe Biden may end his presidency on one of the most dismal foreign policy legacies in the modern era.

What is your key takeaway?

THE CHURCH OF SOCIALISM

My dear friends, the cry of the poor for justice is a perpetual thing. No brutality, political coup, war, or colour revolution can stop this. And we are seeing this in the resurgence of the political left forces worldwide.

If Jamaican progressives – democratic socialists and former communists – are afraid to raise their voices, it is because of their own religious backsliding from the Church of Socialism.

One keen Gleaner reader, in response to my May 18 article, said that “‘socialism has a marketing problem”.

The reader is correct.

If so-called socialists or social democratic political parties embrace free market ideology, whether out of sheer political necessity or expediency, then attempt to sell this to their electorate as “socialism”, they most certainly will have a “marketing problem”, as the most astute Gleaner reader said.

Also, I believe the cathartic collapse of the Soviet Union and communism created serious mental problems for communists and socialists, fellow travellers. It was as if discovering that they were worshipping a religion with no god!

I therefore offer a word of advice to you, my progressive, cathartic crisis friends. Get rekindled with the burning fire to once again devote your intellect and political energy to uplift the working class, the farmers, and the middle class; and work to build, and maintain, a truly patriotic, national entrepreneurial class.

This ultimately may well help Jamaica to produce its way out of the IMF-debt-slavery, low production, national crisis.

That is just the ‘bitta’ truth!

Norris McDonald is an economic journalist, political analyst, and respiratory therapist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and miaminorris@yahoo.com.