By Earl Moxam, Senior Gleaner Writer
Conceding the possibility that he was not likely to be the only candidate for the leadership, Mr. Golding said that he was intent on strengthening the party to assume the role of government in the future. - Ricardo Makyn / Staff Photographer
BRUCE GOLDING, having recently been elected chairman of the opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), has acknowledged his ambitions to succeed Edward Seaga as leader of the party, when Mr. Seaga retires.
Conceding the possibility that he was not likely to be the only candidate for the leadership, however, Mr. Golding told The Gleaner yesterday that he was intent in the meantime on strengthening the party to assume the role of government in the future.
In that regard, he said that he held discussions earlier in the day with Audley Shaw, the man considered by some to be his most likely opponent in a leadership runoff, as they both try to reach an understanding on the way forward for the party.
"I think he and I understand that both of us have a particular role that we have to play; and I think the level of collaboration between us is going to be an important factor in moving the party forward," he said.
Having retained his post of deputy leader, unopposed, at the annual conference earlier this month, Mr. Shaw then unexpectedly announced his intention to seek the chairmanship of the party, a post which Golding had earlier indicated that he was interested in going after.
After pressure was brought to bear on him from within his own Area Council Three, Mr. Shaw withdrew, clearing the way for Mr. Golding to take the position unchallenged.
Asked whether that contest would have hurt or helped either of them, Mr. Golding acknowledged that "one of us would have put some score on the board" for the likely leadership contest down the road.
"It would have impacted on people's mind and their expectations," he said, adding that he had been 'pretty confident' of victory.
Mr. Golding rejoined the JLP in September 2002, only weeks before the last general election. One condition of his return after seven years away from the party was the signing of a seven-point Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between himself and the party.
Contrary to some complaints that not much progress had been made on implementing the MOU, he said the party had arrived at a consensus position on four points in the document, including the provision of special expenditure in each constituency; Opposition chairmanship of the oversight committees of Parliament; appointment of a Special Prosecutor on corruption; and the right of the Leader of the Opposition to make special statements to Parliament.
Among the remaining points on the MOU, the JLP Chairman has indicated a strong desire to reach agreement in the party on the contentious question of the structure of government.
Having espoused Separation of Powers, as a key element of his reformist platform while he was President of the National Democratic Movement (NDM) Mr. Golding is now raising the possibility of the JLP building consensus around a compromise position.
Discussions were underway, he said, towards arriving at such a consensus; one which could see the JLP opting to retain the Westminster system, but with significant modifications, "moving it further away from Whitehall to reflect the kind of restraint on executive power that the Separation of Powers model offers."
On the other hand, he said that the party could still decide to go for full separation of powers, "but modified to reflect some of the elements of the Westminster system."
In a new critique of the system of Separation of Powers, Mr. Golding asserted that having separately elected legislative and executive branches of government did not guarantee the checks and balance desired, since both branches may come from the same party.
Accordingly, he said, that it was prudent to examine another option, which "would not rely on the separateness of election to both positions, but to put in constitutional prohibitions, so that it doesn't matter whether both the Executive and the Legislature are controlled by the same party."
"There would be constitutional prohibitions, which if they were breached, would then trigger a whole raft of consequences."
JLP Leader Edward Seaga was reported to have declared on the weekend his desire to conclude such parliamentary and constitutional reform initiatives before demitting office as Leader of the party.
Mr. Golding, in his interview with The Gleaner, professed his understanding of the Opposition Leader's desire to make an orderly exit.
"I have no doubt that Mr. Seaga is clear in his own mind about his own timetable... and I think at the appropriate time when he considers that it is appropriate to indicate his departure he will do so. As to whether or not this is going to be this side or the other side of the elections, I can't say," he said.
In the meantime, he warned that it was important for aspirants to the job to properly prepare themselves to succeed the Leader.
"I believe that there are persons within the JLP who in the eyes of the public would be capable of succeeding Mr. Seaga," he said.
As for his own strategic timetable, the new JLP chairman disclosed that he was carefully considering a return to representational politics by identifying a constituency for which he would contest the next general election.
That decision he said would be made by March, 2004.
