Seeing Moses in Edward Seaga
OPPOSITION leader Edward Seaga, accompanied by his wife Carla, yesterday marked his 40th year in the House of Representatives at a thanksgiving service at the Kingston Parish Church in downtown Kingston.
Seaga, 72, has led the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) for 28 years and has spent eight of those years as prime minister of Jamaica.
Several family members, well-wishers and officials from his Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) also joined in the occasion, which served as a reinforcement of sorts to his continued leadership of the party, which incidentally turns 60 today.
For example, although not expressly stated, the Rev Fr Abner Powell, who preached the main sermon, appeared to draw an analogy between the sojourn of the prophet Moses and Seaga’s political career over the last four decades.
Powell who is rector at the All Saints Church located in Seaga’s constituency, gave a Biblical account of Moses’ search for the land of Caanan and highlighted the fact that the prophet continued to rule well beyond the age of 80.
He told the congregation that at age 40, Moses was “filled with enthusiasm” and set out to lead his people into the promise land.
But Moses “failed miserably”, Powell remarked.
Although Powell did not mention it, the Biblical account also paints a picture of Moses having to lead a group of congenital whiners who, among other things, demanded meat to eat, worshipped idols and were in turn afflicted with boils by the Lord because of their actions.
Moses, the Bible says, became discouraged many times and cried out to the Lord for guidance. Although the group (Jews) was considered to be God’s chosen people, they never made it into the promised land of Canaan but were directed by the Lord to another land.
But continued Powell : “At the age of 80 he (Moses) was brought back…and he went on for another 40 years.”
Continuing in the same vein as Powell, JLP spokesperson on education, senator Anthony Johnson, told his party leader that he had “unfinished business” which the membership was looking to him to complete.
Johnson cited the Parade Gardens, which he said Seaga had transformed into one of the “most fabulous gardens” in the Caribbean, as one of the “unfinished business” that he would have to attend to.
“This had got to be one of the unfinished business that you take up again..and after 40 years, we look to you again,” Johnson said.
Johnson added that Seaga’s political career has been characterised by a knack for careful planning, diligence, hard work and compassion.
Seaga has been leading the JLP for almost half of its 60 years of existence, and has built a reputation for firm leadership, and until recently, for uncompromisingly squashing dissent.
For several years, some critics have been saying that Seaga should step down, partly because of his age and partly because they feel that his leadership style cannot propel the party into the 21st century.
But Rev Powell commented yesterday that although the year 2002 was “far different from 1962” in terms of models of development and changing global realities, the experiences of the past may be used to develop “new ways to go forward”.
Powell, who said his association with the Opposition leader dates back approximately 25 years, told the congregation that he has had many opportunities to “observe” Seaga and he saw the way he dealt with, for example, children and old people.
His impression of Seaga, Powell said, was that he was a “shy and private person” who had been propelled into the public forum.
He also lauded the JLP leader for his contribution to nation building, in particular for his transformation of the back-o-wall slum to modern day Tivoli Gardens.
In his wide ranging sermon, Powell touched on a number of social issues, including the problem of crime; the state of the agriculture sector; the need of integrity to be maintained in the judicial system; and the need for honesty in trade and business, among other things.
He also used the occasion to issue an appeal for financial support for the local football programme in order to ensure that the island made it to the next World Cup scheduled for Germany in 2006.
Said Powell: “We need to support our football programme.”