A STRANGE thing happened to me last night. The elections were over, my party had lost, and Mr. Patterson was beginning to speak. I was about to switch stations, not wanting to see - so soon - the face of the man who had defeated the party I support, but I decided to see what tone he was going to take, before tuning out.
At first came the expected graciousness in victory, just as Mr. Seaga had earlier exhibited in defeat. If nothing else, civility has regularly been displayed by our two political leaders on the evenings of election decisions. But this time there was something more: what seems to be a determination, rooted in sincerity, to start the process of not just healing after an election, but of removing once and for all the scourge of political tribalism and bitter division that has become entrenched in our country. To be fair to Mr. Seaga, he too had previously tried, but had not succeeded, for whatever reason.
When Mr. Patterson finished speaking I found, to my surprise, that my sadness and depression at the loss, though by no means wiped away, was now secondary to a feeling that perhaps there was real hope that a sea change could take place; that bitterness and rancour could give way to truth and reconciliation; and that while healthy competition between the parties and their platforms would remain alive, it could be devoid of hatred and bloodshed.
And what gave me this hope was the recognition that, within myself, a change had taken place; for the first time ever, because of the determination and sincerity with which he expressed his objective, one which can only benefit Jamaica, I could look at and listen to Mr. Patterson with a positive feeling.
Although I will never say never, I doubt that I will ever cast my vote for the People's National Party, but should Mr. Patterson succeed in his stated mission, this will earn him a far more important place in our history than achieving a fourth term, and I along with all Jamaicans will be forever in his debt.
I hope that, in this spirit of truth and reconciliation, Mr. Patterson will accept what I am now going to suggest, to both parties, as a seminal step towards achieving the objective, and it is that we must put an end to the use of personal vilification as an election tool. The reason is simple: you cannot every five years whip up hatred and contempt for someone based on colour, alleged sexual orientation, where a person was born, who is healthy and who is not, and expect these emotions to disappear the day after elections and not become a part of the national psyche. And as long as this aspect of our politics remains and, indeed, becomes entrenched and accepted as part of our political culture, Mr. Patterson's stated mission can never become reality. He will be swimming against the stream - all of us will, and we will eventually drown in a sea of hopelessness and violence.
