By any measure, Bill Clarke, the CEO of the Scotiabank Jamaica, has been a very successful businessman. Over the last decade he not only steered Scotiabank, unscathed, through the turbulence of the financial sector of the late 1990s, but into its most profitable period ever. Indeed, most banks worldwide would love to boast the performance ratios achieved by Scotiabank Jamaica.

Bill Clarke's achievement at Scotiabank has made him a leader in the Jamaican society, and provided a platform from which to serve in several areas of the community. People did not necessarily like him. The complaint was that he was brash and arrogant; often prone to taking extreme stances, perhaps for the shock effect: such as when he declared Jamaica a failed state.

But like him or not, you had to respect Bill Clarke. His performance as a banker insisted that you did. And there was this fearlessness, which you sensed could not be compromised by social, business or political considerations. It is this measure of Clarke which, we believe, propelled his ultimately failed candidacy for the presidency of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), the umbrella organisation for businesses on the island.

That candidacy, unfortunately, disintegrated last week as Mr Clarke went into a meltdown that suggests not only flaw in his character, but either misunderstanding or ignorance of the nostrums of democratic management. Or worse, for someone who has been passionate in his declarations about democracy, a lack of commitment to the process.

Indeed, Clarke's candidacy for the PSOJ leadership was predicated, in his view, on broadening and deepening its democracy, by widening the involvement of individuals and firms who have largely been on its sidelines. He wanted, he said, to modernise the organisation.

It was Clarke's proposal for dramatic change that ostensibly drew Christopher Zacca, the deputy chairman of Gordon 'Butch' Stewart's ATL/Sandals group, into a presidential race, which, for the first time raised the prospect of a contested election for the PSOJ's top post. Zacca's opponents argued that he would be Stewart's proxy and would perhaps use the PSOJ to pursue ATL/Sandals' corporate disagreements with the government.

That, however, is beside the point. The PSOJ's council would, in its wisdom, elect the best person for the job. Unfortunately, there will be no election. For the council having disagreed with his reform agenda, or at least having asked for more time to study it, Clarke has pulled out of the race.

That, of itself, is bad enough. For by this retreat, unless an alternative candidate arises, or the PSOJ finds its way back to choosing its leader by consensus, those who supported Bill Clarke will find themselves without a candidate. Looked at it another way, Zacca will be president by default.

But worse than Clarke's peevish behaviour with regard to his candidacy is his decision to pull Scotiabank Jamaica out of the PSOJ. It smacks of immaturity and childish petulance and raises questions whether the decision has the support of the bank's board and Clarke's superiors in Canada.

It is also quite odd that Clarke could pull Scotiabank out of the PSOJ while remaining on its council as president of the Jamaica Bankers' Association. He can't have it both ways.