Opposition says shadow cabinet is local gov’t centred

Opposition Leader Mark Golding has signalled that a future People’s National Party (PNP) administration would seek to engender participation at the local level to give Jamaicans a greater say on issues impacting them in keeping with the roots and values on which the party was founded.

Golding last weekend unveiled a revamped shadow cabinet, mixing new blood with familiar faces. Questions have been raised about the appearance of overlapping responsibilities and the exclusion of Lisa Hanna and Dr Morais Guy, who have both signalled their intention to quit representational politics after serving multiple terms.

Guy, who shadowed the health ministry for years, has been replaced by political neophyte Dr Alfred Dawes, who is outside the House. It is unclear if Guy will continue to speak to the portfolio in the Parliament.

Hanna, who spoke on foreign affairs issues, has been replaced by Dr Angela Brown Burke, who was the party’s go-to person who often spoke on a range of issues in the absence of the assigned spokespersons.

With only 14 of 63 members of parliament, the Opposition can only count on a handful of representatives to challenge the Cabinet ministers on issues in the Lower House.

But it was the classification of the council of spokespersons in the revamped shadow cabinet that raised questions about the direction in which the PNP is heading. The various roles are assigned under four broad sections – transparent and accountable governance, sustainable economic development, social cohesion and empowerment, and infrastructure and human amenities.

“At the heart of the PNP’s political mission was always an idea of democracy. Not only was the party founded as a mass democratic party, but its struggle for universal adult suffrage was about laying a foundation stone for a democratic Jamaica,” Golding began when asked to explain the thinking behind the assignments.

According to him, the model of governance that has been consolidated in Jamaica, based on the Westminster parliamentary system places overwhelming emphasis on Parliament, an institution limited to 84 people. He said this lack of widespread participation “contributes to feelings of exclusion, apathy and disaffection with the political process, especially in an era of pervasive information and communication”.

“This is part of the problem of politics in modern Jamaica and the growing crisis of political legitimacy in the country, as evidenced by the relatively low turnout in elections and the poll numbers pointing to significant numbers of persons withdrawing from the political process. People yearn for creative mechanisms by which they can both shape decisions which impact their daily lives and influence what happens in parliament,” he explained.

It is for that reason why a PNP Government would push for greater participation at the local level, he told The Sunday Gleaner.

“So yes, that’s the direction in which the PNP is heading – one in which we are bringing participatory democracy back to the centre of political ideas and practices in Jamaica. The practice of participatory democracy is a critical objective of our governance structure, and is part of the historic mission of our party … ” the opposition leader explained.

Member of Parliament Natalie Neita-Garvey is shadowing local government and participatory democracy portfolio.

“Local government was always about ensuring a proper governance structure at the local level, and for someone who served some nine years at the local [government level], I’ve been invested in how people are served in their communities – their garbage collection, cemeteries, markets, community centres, the things that really matter to them and how those are handled through policies, programmes and regulations,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.

Local government is the delivery these services in the best way possible, she added.

“Participatory democracy was a little new for me, and I had many different thoughts with the assignment. But as the leader engaged, he said he wanted me to handle what he believed the PNP was about from the very beginning, with people being involved in the political decision-making process at various levels, including the local government level,” said Neita-Garvey.

She said the real heart of democracy are citizens, their concerns and the basis for change. With that in mind, she will begin to formulate her plan of action.

Senator Damion Crawford now has responsibility for education and community development, which has traditionally been paired with local government.

Crawford expressed no issues with the pairing, but said he would need to refocus to determine how he proceeds.

Patricia Sutherland will speak to issues involving social transformation and social protection. She, too, underscored the need for greater empowerment at the community level. She said her portfolio responsibilities has its genesis in engagements with Golding early in his tenure as party leader. Her own foray into social transformation, she said, began with her work at Unite for Change, a programme with the Ministry of National Security.

“There is a need for change of the social norms in our country and the need to connect our people into our system, both at the benefits levels and the empowerment level, and contributing to the design of the system,” she told The Sunday Gleaner, noting that there were several elements to the portfolio.

A second element, she said, centred around our culture, which held positive and negative elements.

“These elements have dominated our society in the ways they have manifested impacting gender relations, how we relate to each other, the inequality that exists across colour and class and our identity. Integral in that is the language spoken by the majority of Jamaicans. So the work has to be about engagement at the different levels at the local level,” she explained, noting that part of her role involved teaching people how to love themselves.

The process involves working with community organisations and trained professionals such as psychologists to work with communities for their own empowerment, Duncan Sutherland said.

According to Golding, “The PNP has always been committed to a deepening of the democratic processes in the country. The Social Development Commission emerged from the Jamaica Welfare Limited, a pioneering development in Jamaica that was catalysed by the PNP.”

Citing the creation of community councils, he said the party is moving about creating a more just and equitable society, but also one in which there are mechanisms of deepened democracy.

“We, the PNP and Opposition, are committed to changing Jamaican politics so it becomes more democratic, so that the people can once again have hope and believe that politics is about making a positive difference in their lives and society,” said Golding.

He made it clear that there was no magic wand and that all things could not be done at once, while also noting that some challenges require national solutions.

However, he argued, many require local action and a commitment for community engagement.

“In this regard, local government is fundamental, as the principle of subsidiarity requires delegating decision-making as much as possible to the people who are affected by those decisions,” he stated.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com