EDITORIAL - Well done, Mike; next move Andrew's

If nothing else, Mike Henry was courageous in a political scrap - of which he has been in many. There were, for instance, several with Edward Seaga, including one challenge for the leadership of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

But in politics, as in the sport of boxing, it is often the case that even the champions don't know when to quit, seemingly oblivious to the follies of others and the fact that beyond a certain point, courage and will are no longer enough to carry one through another bout. Their supporters then cringe in sadness and embarrassment, not because the warrior is defeated, but because he is diminished.

Mike Henry, we believe, may save himself such ignominy. He certainly improved the likelihood of history's sober assessment of his contribution to Jamaican politics.

But, more important, by now withdrawing his candidacy for another term as chairman of the party and seemingly willing to go to the political sidelines, Mr Henry is removing a distraction, making it easier for Andrew Holness to lead a renewal of the JLP after its rout in last December's election.

In the 1970s, the use of an inelegant metaphor was attributed to the late Michael Manley - that Trinidad and Tobago's new-found oil wealth was running through that country like a dose of Epsom salts.

A similar characterisation is seemingly appropriate for the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP), the Chinese-financed scheme that was the flagship of the JLP administration and which is now subject to much investigation. Indeed, it is widely held that Mr Henry's perceived poor stewardship of JDIP, for which he had portfolio responsibility, not only cost him his place in the Cabinet but contributed to the JLP's election defeat.

With JDIP remaining a flashpoint, it was understandable that Mr Holness, the JLP leader, left Mr Henry out of his shadow Cabinet - a decision that angered the executive of Mr Henry's Central Clarendon constituency. They demanded an explanation from the party leader for his action.

What was surprising was the seeming lack of effort on the part of Mr Henry to curtail this open rebellion. Instead, his public remarks were interpreted as being aimed at inflaming discontent.

Perhaps Mr Henry was misinterpreted all along. If that was the case, he has brought clarity to a murky situation.

More challenges ahead

Assuming that the Mike Henry issue is resolved, that is only the first hurdle for Holness. He has commissioned a report from a party group on the causes of the JLP's defeat. But that, as we have indicated before, does not go far enough.

We believe that far deeper and more fundamental analysis is needed, including an understanding of what is construed - even by Mr Seaga - to be the People's National Party's natural majority position in Jamaica. Mr Holness must also seek to understand what makes the JLP so prone to fractiousness.

We would suggest, too, that Mr Holness, if he feels that he is the man to lead the renewal, articulate a core philosophy for the JLP around which leaders and followers can coalesce, rather than the party being, as perceived by many, merely a vehicle for fighting elections.

Mr Holness can assume that he has at least five years to fix the JLP. He ought not to waste that time. The viability of the JLP is important to Jamaica's democracy.

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