EDITORIAL - It is for Mr Holness to grasp the opportunity

It would be naïve to assume it to be an easy or quick job to heal the divisions left in the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) by Audley Shaw's failed challenge to Andrew Holness for the leadership of the party.

But the JLP got off to a good, if only symbolic, start in the immediate aftermath of the vote, for which it, surprisingly, owes a debt of gratitude to Desmond McKenzie, the MP for West Kingston, a deputy leader of the party, chairman of Area Council One, and a supporter of Holness during the campaign.

He handled the ceremony to formally announce the results with the decorum and restraint that prevented an atmosphere of triumphalism, or alienation, that would aggravate already deep, raw wounds.

But the real work is still to be done. The bulk of it belongs to Mr Holness. With 57 per cent of the 4,716 (a turnout of 88 per cent) votes cast, Mr Holness has a clear mandate to lead - one that he could not fully claim given his consensus crowning two years ago.

In that regard, Mr Shaw and his followers must not only allow Mr Holness space to shape the party and policies, but must refrain from action or activities that will result in a weakening of the JLP. There can't be sniping from the wings.

The first part of this process has begun. Mr Shaw, who effectively gave up his deputy leader position to challenge for the top job, has resigned his finance spokesmanship in the shadow Cabinet. Others in his camp have been doing likewise.

Indeed, the entire shadow Cabinet, including those who supported Mr Holness, should follow. The timing is fortuitous, coming two years in the life of the People's National Party administration - sufficient time to assess its performance and, where required, adjust policies.

What, however, Mr Holness cannot be, if he intends to position his party as an attractive election option and the government-in-waiting, is petty and vindictive, and, as some of his critics claim, wary of smart people being too close to him. So even as he rewards his most loyal backers, he must be mindful that a modern, effective, policy-driven party, capable of managing the complexities of the State, needs the skills of its brightest and most talented members.

Compromising core principles

It would help Mr Holness, too, to recognise that while he has a clear mandate, 43 per cent of the delegates would have preferred Mr Shaw as leader of the party. He must, therefore, without compromising core principles, distil what, in Mr Shaw's message, was compelling to that substantial minority, and what about style or approach to leadership that might require changing.

Having done his soul-searching and settled on a team that they feel is capable of working as a functional unit, Mr Holness and his party must get down to the serious business of formulating and articulating policy.

Up to now, JLP spokesmen have largely made statements, grounded more in whim than facts or data, and, mostly, lacking in analysis.

This is a grand opportunity for Andrew Holness, if he is up to it and has the savvy to sidestep the risks. Sunday's victory was merely the beginning, not the end, or an end in itself.

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