Aubyn Hill
It is my belief, based on my observation of various political systems over many decades, that the lifeblood of politics is loyalty; not competence, not technical ability, not even likeability - all those help - but in the hierarchy of importance, loyalty stands head and shoulder above them all. Loyalty is an extremely important commodity to absolute monarchs such as the Sultan of Oman, the Emir of Kuwait or despotic dictators like Saddam Hussein.
Ezzat Ibrahim, known as the butcher of Baghdad, and who was in charge of Kuwait between Saddam's invasion on August 2, 1990 and Kuwait's liberation led by the Americans on January 17, 1991 was known to be extremely loyal to Saddam and is being tried as such in Baghdad these days. Well developed democracies put a higher premium on competence and ability than less developed ones, but still loyalty is extremely important.
Note the special relationship between President George W. Bush and two of his five inner-circle officials, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Commerce Don Evans. In a growing democracy such as ours in Jamaica, political loyalty is treated as a virtue, and it is said that former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson valued it above all else - whether it expressed itself in youthful exuberance or ascribed divine characteristics.
LOYALTY AND WINNING
Politicians who operate in a democracy and through political parties have to keep a singular focus on the most vital objective in their existence, that of
winning elections. Given that it takes a particular kind of
individual to submit him or herself to representational
politics-and I hasten to add that many of those who make snide remarks about politicians just simply do not have the guts, stamina, persistence and
particular intelligence to be
successful in the political game - the singleness of purpose required causes the political practitioner to display a variety of special characteristics.
The need and desire to keep winning brings out some serious organizational and political smarts (P.J. Patterson excelled here). The bursting of every gauge when it comes to being affable and socially likeable is another extremely valuable asset in the game (Michael Manley and Portia Simpson Miller are like Hertz, while Eddie Seaga and Bruce Golding are
somewhat like Avis - they have to try harder).
In the game to win it is loyalty to the leader, loyalty to the party, loyalty to a particular ideology, or loyalty to the party manifesto that is important. This loyalty runs right from the top through to the Member of Parliament who must have the loyalty of his councillors and more loyalty must come from delegates and loyalty, often of a fighting
variety, must be given by every party worker.
The winning objective demands complete and absolute loyalty, and the most successful (those who win repeatedly over a long time) return loyalty to their followers and will sublimate, with justification, most every other principle in doing so. In this kind of political
environment personal and
professional accountability are two of the finest characteristics that suffer first. The desire and need to win can become an insidious heart-moving and
principle-eroding disease.
ASTUTE STENCH CLEANER
It takes a very astute political leader to sense when the stench of corruption has become unbearable in the society. It takes a very smart and courageous political leader to notice that the political tide has changed and the electorate is willing to reward the cleaner of the
corruption and stench. That astute politician must clean not only the stench (that can be done with political aerosol) but the reward from the electorate will be given in return for the courage to clean out from the root the corruption that hurts the electorate (financially, and in personal safety) and which
voters have come to hate.
Good governance brings with it a requirement and demand for technical competence and this will also often conflict with the desire and need for the support of political loyalists.
We in Jamaica, are further hampered by our system of
government, which requires that ministers be chosen from elected Members of Parliament. Party leaders will quickly find out that many of their political cohorts who become very malleable in order to be elected lack the
technical and professional rigor and experience to perform
excellently in the business of good government. Those who live by politics tend to play
politics with everything -
including the very serious business of governing a country well in a globalised world.
PORTIA AND HIGH STANDARDS
Two-way loyalty leads to
success at the polls, but the
successful party that forms the government needs technically competent and uncorrupt
ministers to govern well. This puts a poor Prime Minister constantly on the horns of a dilemma. Navigating off those horns is never easy but there is a simple way to go about it - establish very high standards for ministers.
Once that simple approach is adopted then the Prime Minister must be really tough to insist that her or his ministers are accountable to those standards. Indeed, in her inaugural speech, Prime Minister Simpson Miller made it clear that she would brook no quarter with corruption, incompetence or with the
wasting of poor taxpayers' money.
In the past few weeks more than enough challenges have landed on her desk to give her the chance to show us Jamaicans and her ministers that she means business and means what she says.
It is clear to me, that when it comes to personal accountability many of our ministers seek to follow the thick-skinned Nigerian approach to governance rather than adopting the Japanese approach where ministers who mess up do the honourable thing and resign.
Even in the United States - where politicians can be
hardnosed but the press can be amazingly relentless - the famous Mr. Brown of FEMA resigned about two weeks after President Bush had praised him on national TV. The disaster of Katrina in New Orleans sank him.
No issue seems to be weighty enough to sink any of our
ministers. So the Prime Minister will have to act and hold them accountable. Good governance, her personal commitment and, frankly, the chance to take the high road from her opposition and win the next election require that the Prime Minister hold her ministers and high officials
tightly and transparently accountable. A good and
worthwhile opposition will make sure she does.
Aubyn Hill is the CEO of Corporate Strategies Ltd., a restructuring and financial
advisory firm. Respond to: writerhill@gmail.com
