Seaga
Dennie Quill, Contributor
POLITICIANS COME and go. After 45 years, Edward Phillip George Seaga has made his exit from the political stage.
He had a remarkable zest for public service which is why some suggest his timing was a bit off, leaving much later than he should have. For many, his efforts to wrest Jamaica from the claws of Marxism will define his legacy. But there is much more.
As we listened to more than 200 minutes of tributes flowing from both sides of the aisle in the House of Representatives last week, we got a little appreciation of the way politics works.
POLITICIANS AND TRUTH
A man who spent several decades berating the government as incompetent and even corrupt was hearing nothing but pleasantries flowing from that side.
Dismissing the occasion as mere window dressing, one of my friends complained that there was no honest appraisal of Mr. Seaga.
But is that surprising? Politicians never own up to the crises they created and when it comes to their kind, they always close ranks. That's the way it works.
In all honesty, a roster of Seaga's accomplishments could not be summed up in four hours of tributes, neither could the range of interests he had in matters of culture, economics, sports and education.
Former two-time United States President Ronald Reagan with whom Mr. Seaga had a good working relationship, once said: "Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards If you disgrace yourself you can always write a book."
Mr. Seaga did not disgrace himself but a leader's voice should linger in his or her nation's memory, even after the door is closed. Someone needs to write a book which will give an honest appraisal of Seaga's leadership and articulate his legacy.
In fact, books should be written about all our leaders. There are some deep philosophical questions about Jamaican politics which have not been answered.
It is important that the leaders' understanding of Jamaica is studied by citizens at home and in the diaspora. We may find that they present valuable insights as we navigate our way through current events.
However, in this column I want to remember the media-savvy Edward Seaga. The Harvard-trained Seaga had an instinctive grasp of media dynamics. He understood how to exploit the slow news days and would time his press conferences or news release for the days he felt he could get page-one coverage.
As far as he was concerned, if it was not on page one, it does not count. He knew how to grab the headlines. He also tried to study the key players in media. He understood that the media was a powerful force to be reckoned with. He wanted to learn about people's biases and allegiances.
As prime minister during the 1980's (pre-Internet), his duties took him to many important ports of call. Everyday, he had to get a printout of the news back home. He kept his fingers on the pulse.
And even with the proliferation of talk-shows, Seaga knew how to hold his own. He knew his rights when it applied to media appearances. He would never be drawn into a subject which he was not prepared to discuss. He wanted to know the other guests who would be appearing on the programme.
He demanded to be allowed to finish his thoughts and would
broker no interruption. And the deference from his hosts always he would be referred to as Mr. Seaga. How can one forget Seaga with the acidic tongue? Many say he will be remembered most for his ornery feistiness, especially when he was on the hustings.
EMBRACING THE NEW
Many gems issued from his mouth during campaigns, some of them he later came to regret. A no-nonsense man for sure, small talk never came easy to Seaga and his stinging barb would take over to put an end to an argument or
public debate.
This was forcefully demonstrated during the 1980's when there was a trade row over the importation of Jamaican patties to North America. The argument was that patty was not paté. The definition of paté was as a paste of spiced meat or fish.
In his contribution to the debate, Seaga quipped: "What's all the fuss about, there is no dog is hotdog and no ham in hamburger."
I don't know if this was a Seaga original, but his clever analysis appeared to have won the day. Patties are commonplace in many eateries and restaurants in North America today.
They say when one door shuts another swings open. We hope Mr. Seaga does not make the mistake of others by lamenting the old door instead of embracing the new one.
Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist who can be reached at denniequill@hotmail.com.
