“No man can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which one may be true.”

— Nathaniel Hawthorne.

THE Prime Minister Bruce Golding continues to be mired in political quicksand of his own making and seems unable to extricate himself from this putrid cesspool which looks like its engulfing him. The image of Guliver bound and restricted by the Lilliputians also comes to mind.

Golding always seems to be taking a rearguard approach as far as the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips debacle is concerned and with each successive uncovering, he continues to look bewildered and unable to fathom what is going on. There are those who are less kind and believed that he lied and has been exposed as a liar and should now go quietly into the night if the JLP is to stand a chance of winning the next election. That would be an ignominious end to what once was a promising political career — his fate akin to that of former US President Richard Nixon. But as I said that is a little unkind.

What may well unhinge him is the sequence of events and his continuing abject apologies after the fact. How many more times can he be forgiven for what is clearly a case of a man woefully detached from the truth. In summary: Peter Phillips raised the Manatt Phelps & Phillips issue in Parliament with Golding vigorously denying and rebutting Phillips’ assertions. And this is where Golding exhibits political naivety. Rathe r than take a bullish stance when unsure of your position, he could have simply said that he would look into the matter, get acquainted with the facts and then update Parliament at some later date. That would have been seen as perfectly reasonable. The trouble with men who sound clever is that they think they are too clever by half. It has proved the toppling of greater men than Golding.

Having given himself time to review the entire matter and its implications, he would have done his government no harm in declaring that yes, the government did engage the services of a prominent specialist law firm to ascertain what would be the best position to take and whether the United States would entertain an alternative solution. Instead Golding embroiled the Attorney-General in this sorry affair even threatening her position if she did sign the extradition order. The country’s reputation was damaged further and both Golding and his government were viewed, both at home and abroad, as seeking to protect at all cost a character deemed a “Don” who the United States claim had been involved in all manner of nefarious activities. Over the course of four months Golding managed to inextricably link both his government and his party with crime underlords and make Jamaica the scourge of the international community.

After months of obfuscation and an unyielding approach to entertain the United States’ request, Golding was forced to give in, against his will — I might add — leading to civil insurrection and the deaths of nearly a hundred Jamaicans under his watch. Now I ask you, in any other country that can’t de deemed to be a banana republic or rogue state, wouldn’t the political head have to step down in such circumstances? Golding’s insistence in continuing says a lot about how he views this country. With a detached and supine professional middle class that largely demonstrates little interest in the welfare of its country, a weak media that can easily be dismissed and no one in the party coming forward as an alternative, Golding — still thought of as the JLP’s best option — has chosen to obstinately soldier on.

He has chosen instead to slate the media and sees a conspiracy to unseat him. If the situation was reversed, as leader of the Opposition he would be calling for the Prime Minister’s head and would be fully justified in doing so. This sorry farce continues to embarrass Golding and rightfully so. Anyway you look at it, an independent inquiry is needed and Golding should not look to weasel his way out of it. Having tried to create a distinction that the matter was one that was handled by the party and not the government, that turned out not to be the case. Again Golding was caught with his pants down and again he apologised, making amends by offering to go on a national road show to “explain the Manatt situation”. Last week saw him engaging the private sector, an insipid motley crew that have yet to offer any ideas as to what kind of country Jamaica should be for its citizens and what it expects from its political leaders.

Lunching at the Ivy in London earlier this month, I mooted the possibility of some prominent corporate executives investing in Jamaica, having proudly shown them a Newsweek article that proclaimed that Jamaica was the best place to live in the Caribbean and the 47th in the world. What came back was a wallop to the jaw. “Hang on a minute! Isn’t the government over in Jamaica in bed with gangsters? It was all over the press here. Some hoodlum bloke who reckons to be a bit of a Robin Hood is supposed to be a benefactor of the ruling party. Jamaica just went to the IMF and hasn’t got a pot to piss in and there is the crime issue. Who knows? Maybe next week Newsweek will be doing a crime index, most dangerous places in the world and no doubt Jamaica will figure prominently there to. No thanks, I think we will pass!

Make no mistake, Golding is a political liability right now and maybe in a country that places a lot of stock in prayer, only the Lord can ensure he walks away unscathed from the shadow of death. He continues to winge about the media but it is the responsibility of the fourth estate to question and hold him to account. To allow it to be soft soaped by a politician looking for a lifeline would be remiss indeed. Former Prime Minister Edward Seaga once said that Golding vacillates and is not a decisive man. At the time his comments were viewed as sour grapes from a bitter old man. Today Seaga is seen as a wily perspicacious sage who got it right.

Events over the last few weeks have conspired against Golding. He is in a storm and needs more than an umbrella. Jimmy Moss-Solomon is a man to be reckoned with and someone you would want on any state board. He brings a lot to the table. When he steps down from state entities saying he is fed up with the corruption and the way the state is being run, that is quite telling. Following former Police Commissioner Hardley Lewin’s allegations that ousted Tiviloi Gardens strongman, Christopher “Dudus” Coke was tipped off about a pending extradition request comes Police Federation boss Sergeant Raymond Wilson’s bombshell. Addressing a Police Federation conference in St Ann last Wednesday he said: “We are forced to contend with an employer, the Government of Jamaica, whose motive seems hell bent on destroying the police force in an effort to steer away the nation’s attention from their blatant political corruption and clear support for (a) criminal terrorist under the cloak of party support rather than they being the Government.”

Ouch! An untimely kick in the goolies. He then continued: “This might sound like a political speech but I guarantee you it is not. We are police officers who are alerted one way or another to wrongdoing wherever it is and so, to hear the employer of the police through the voice of the Prime Minister of Jamaica declare that a certain support for fugitive ‘Dudus’ Coke was party support and not government support it can only be concluded that the Government, or might I say a political party, has openly declared that they offer support to the creation of mayhem and years of bloodshed: the snuffing out of over 1000 lives each year over the last couple of years.” Many share Wilson’s sentiments but are rightfully wary of the ramifications of the police venturing into the political arena. The job of the police is to see to it that the law is adhered to and to serve and protect. Wilson’s comments yet again put Golding under pressure – of his own making.

So what now? How can he make himself a political escapologist, the Houdini of Jamaica. Its a case of either, or. With two years of the government’s tenure left he can chose to put Manatt and Dudus behind him, give it little credence and focus on developing the country. For some time there has been an inordinate focus on the fiscal side and now Golding has to create consumer demand. He has to work assiduously at bringing investment projects to Jamaica and he has to oversee a rise in the income per capita. He has to redefine what it means to be a Jamaican and what Jamaicans should expect of Jamaica. Rather than waste time on an explanation tour which will serve very little purpose, he should go on a fact finding mission to Singapore — a Lee Quan Yu in reverse as it were. Learn from that small state and see what can be applied. Be a man of action rather than elegant words. Endeavour to cut bureaucracy expeditiously. Ensure Jamaicans have access to good education and healthcare and imbue the country with a sense of purpose.

Or he can choose to fall on his sword, and sacrifice himself for the good of the party. Audley Shaw has done a good job to date and is a contender. Again Golding got it wrong by saddling Shaw with two wingmen largely because he reposed little faith in Shaw’s abilities. Left to his own devices, Shaw is now flourishing and coming off like the big man on campus. Shaw has earned the right to be a contender. Then there is Andrew Holness, a bright star of the party. In his early 40s, he remains untainted by what has sullied many of the senior members of his party. At the moment he plays the party loyalist but he should not be afraid to strut his stuff and take positions. Dr Christopher Tufton has done wonders with the agriculture portfolio and is able and very bright. Telegenic and media savvy, he is an asset to the JLP.

Stepping down a generation with Tufton, who also remains unsullied, could spell a new dawn for the JLP and the country. One only has to look to Cameron in the UK and Obama in the US. You need 21st century leaders for a 21st century world. Just watch Godfather I and the passing of the torch from Don Vito Corleone to his youngest son Michael and Michael’s attempt to drag the family into the second half of the 20th century.

If you look at any predation — seals around a Great White, doves and hawks what do you see? You see flight away from impending danger and mortally wounded brethren. So it is in politics also. It is no good harping on about loyalty to Golding if in the end he will only bring the party down. If Golding is to seek redemption he has to do the right thing — for the good of the party, for the good of the country and more important, for the good of himself.