Hilary Robertson-Hickling

The need to have excellent negotiating skills becomes evident with every passing day. Recent discussions suggest that the Cricket World Cup negotiations went in favour of the ICC and against the West Indies in some critical areas.

In the midst of the recriminations it would be helpful for us to learn from the mistakes that have been made. Norman Girvan provided a useful framework to assess the value of the negotiations.

In a world of global development we need to be careful how we negotiate with big countries, big multilateral agencies and big transnational companies. The situation in Liguanea is a case in point as the building of the U.S. Embassy has exposed our vulnerability to those mighty powers. Where possible during the day I avoid Liguanea as the place is choked with traffic. There was a shortage of parking space before this but things have now become impossible. Many business owners in the area as well as some householders have been negatively affected, and it would appear that those who negotiated on their behalf did not do so well.

We have the problem with the highway construction which seems to have proceeded with the understanding that the desperately needed railway would not be revived. Hence, there is the problem of trucks with freight which should not be on the roads choking the roadways and endangering motorists.

Complex negotiations

The problems at the national and international level are repeated at the interpersonal level. Complex negations with far-reaching consequences are often badly undertaken and this results in serious conflict, financial and emotional costs. Those who negotiated the establishment of the state of Israel did so at the expense of the Palestinians who are now stateless persons. Those who partitioned Africa have left countries which have explosive mixtures of tribal and ethnic groups. In our own country the politicians who negotiated the constituency boundaries have left us with a terrible heritage of garrison communities in which more than 100 per cent of the electorate can vote for a particular candidate of a particular party.

In many of our homes, communities and country, negotiations are based on brute force, not reason and 'give and take'. We have developed a 'my way or the highway' approach to negotiations. In the end that produces a 'lose lose' situation. These are very common in Jamaica and in the world.

We need to learn how to negotiate at home, at school, in the community, at the workplace and at the national and international levels, otherwise we create situations in which there is neither peace nor harmony as well as injustice. I do not know who the best negotiators in Jamaica are, but they should be identified and emulated. We need to learn from them how to make the kind of decisions which serve to protect the national interest and protect the weak, the vulnerable and the yet unborn. We need more than expediency, we need foresight, we need to learn from mistakes and we need to ensure that the interests of the few are not preserved at the expense of the many.