Golding, Lee, Robinson, and Melville
Vernon Daley, Staff Reporter
IN A political system rooted in patronage and often starved of resources to meet the basic needs of the people, the job of a Member of Parliament can be a burdensome undertaking.
Many have stuck it out but some notable MPs have walked away from the system, cursing its espousal of corruption; its reliance on violence as a tool of political activity; and the unreasonable expectation it places on them to be all things to all people.
Heather Robinson and Danny Melville of the governing People's National Party (PNP) and Bruce Golding and Brascoe Lee of the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) are among former MPs who have been pitiless in their condemnation of the political system and what it represents.
Heather Robinson, former MP for South Central St. Catherine, walked away from representational politics in 1996 after a series of challenges to her leadership and her efforts to change garrison-style politics in her constituency.
Ms. Robinson, who had complained about the violence and 'badmanism' associated with politics, was also reportedly concerned about links between one of her councillors and gunmen.
TIRED OF GARRISON POLITICS
In a speech in the House, preceding her resignation, Ms. Robinson had lashed out against the politics practised in so-called 'garrison' areas, declaring that she was not going to "hug up any don" to preserve the status quo.
The controversial politician was again in the news during the run-up to last year's general election, when she resigned as the campaign manager for Anthony Hylton (candidate for Western St. Thomas), after one of Mr. Hylton's youth supporters showed her an illegal gun at a political meeting.
When Danny Melville decided to throw in the towel as MP for North East St. Ann in 2000, there was a sense of déjà vu that came over the country. His frustration was clearly born out of the same concerns that Ms. Robinson had expressed four years before.
"My role as a parliamentarian seems to be defined as an attender of funerals, co-ordinator of patronage and a symbol of tribalism," said Mr. Melville in a statement. "I find I can no longer be a part of a system that glorifies mediocrity and denigrates any vision of excellence."
He said the system was one in which politics was ranked above all other considerations and, therefore, could not create success for the people of the country. It was an eloquent critique of a political order, which had fallen into decay.
Bruce Golding, former MP for Central St. Catherine, and Brascoe Lee, who once represented South Trelawny, did not resign as MPs but rather lost their seats in the 1997 General Election. However, the two stood out among political leaders, in the 1990s, calling for change to the political system, which they argued had hindered rather than advanced the country's development.
TRIBALISM'S UGLY HEAD
They complained about the guns in politics, the disastrous consequences of political tribalism and the corruption of leaders who tried to protect the system from change.
This and other internal party squabbles drove them into conflict with their Leader, Edward Seaga. Mr. Golding, with Mr. Lee by his side, eventually left the JLP in 1995 and formed the National Democratic Movement (NDM). However, the party which advocated a new-style politics, underpinned by Constitutional reform, didn't take long before it ran out of steam.
Mr. Golding resigned as president in 2001 in the face of the party's poor showing in the 2001 St. Ann North East by-election in which its candidate, vice-president Barbara Clarke, got just 740 of the more than 15,000 votes cast.
Just a few weeks before last October's general election, Mr. Golding returned to the JLP to help it in its election campaign. He has since been appointed an Opposition Senator. Mr. Lee has, however, remained with the struggling NDM.
