Heartbreak when the love is gone

I remember the night of July 8, 2008 as if it were yesterday.

There was an excitement and an expectation in the air – that I had not seen before on an election night - and I had covered every victory celebration since the so-called return of democracy after 1984.

It was clear that a country, which by 2006 had grown fed-up with the emerging arrogance and unrepentant cronyism that three terms of New National Party government had fed, was eager to exhale.

In an odd way – there was love in the air. People were offering you free drinks and free rides; and strangers were hugging each other.

It was a good election to both win and lose.

NNP, in its final years, was in so much tension with so many sectors of the society, there was a sense that if it had returned, there was going to be a dramatic clash some time, somewhere.

The economy had just begun to grow sour too though, and what NDC inherited, in some ways, was a poisoned chalice.

Nobody thought it was going to be easy – but the change in tone would have been a good place to start.

Three years later, a lot of the optimism of that July 8 night is gone (it had to because it was just too high).

But the most regretful part is that it feels that the love is gone too.

It is not easy to fix an economy that was structurally unsound and saddled by unacceptable debt.

But a politician courts his own demise, when followers feel the love is gone.

The National Democratic Congress’ biggest danger of not getting re-elected is not the still too sluggish economy or the increasing activity of the opposition New National Party.

It is the failure to win the empathy stakes.

Though some of it is not always well founded, most of the leadership, it is felt, does not have enough personal empathy for people who have been through difficult times.

When you ask the many NDC activists who were on that 2008 train, why it appears that they have back ‘slidden’ – the complaint is not about the economy or them not having a job. It is always a variance of – ‘boy them boys ain’t care about anybody.”

In Grenadian politics empathy is the biggest asset to have.

Recently I was in New York when Prime Minister Tillman Thomas made his statement about Grenada being the best-governed country in the region.

While the point may be grudgingly taken – there is no way to absolutely measure those things.

However I walked away on that nice New York spring afternoon with a refrain in my head – good governance, bad politics.

That is the recipe for defeat.

To explain today’s leadership style of the NDC, is to fully understand the old GNP – Grenada National Party – of the likes of Herbert Blaize, Ben Jones, John Watts and Rawle Charles.

They were good and decent men, who did things by the books – and who you would want to send your child to spend a weekend with because they will learn some positive things.

But you yourself won’t want to hang out with them.

Given the chance in the 1970s, you’d want to drop off your child at Blaize’s house, while you yourself spent the night drinking margaritas and talking cricket at Evening Palace with Eric Gairy.

And so to understand why NDC is in danger in 2013, is to understand why Blaize and company could have never beaten Eric Gairy.

It was not obeah – just political magic.

While a turn-around in the economy will surely help – it is improving empathy and love, translated into words and action, that will be the only thing that will give the Thomas-led NDC a chance two years from now.

A genuine dose of the Bill Clinton school of “I feel your pain”.

Prime Minister Thomas’ declaration in New York confirms his own feeling of correctness – of having successfully reinvented GNPism.

And parties are, by and large, shaped in the likeness of their leaders.

In an odd way, the opposition New National Party is still seeking to paint the NDC as some radical party of ex-revolutionaries.

The reason why that analogy never resonated with anybody of note in 2008 – and it’s even worse now – is because it is just not true. (In addition of course that fear is not a viable political strategy in an information age).

NDC’s leader is more Blaize – than he is even Nicholas Brathwaite or Gorge Brizan. Its deputy Nazim Burke is more Ben Jones than Bernard Coard; chairman Glen Noel, in an attempt to belong, thinks it’s convenient to ignore his class position.

Peter David is an odd man out – a populist who genuinely feels bureaucracy should not stand in the way of helping ordinary people. But he is ‘Boxer’ in the Animal Farm novel; a workhorse who will eventually be slaughtered by his own party.

His own party has set him up – dismissing him as wanting power – when what he really aches for are results.

The opposition NNP has increased its activity – and the only reason it is yet to catch on like wildfire is that it has a record of its own that is not easy to downplay.

And while NNP touts solutions for everything under the sun, many are still asking how come they could not pull them off in 13 years rather than ranting and raving of three years of what is decidedly yes – under achievement.

NDC’s other problem is that it has become good at devouring its own.

Scholar; Chester Humphrey; Stanford Simon are no less anti-NNP than Tillman Thomas.

But you won’t know that by how some in influence in the ruling party has sought to demonize them for any friendly criticism they may make – whether you agree with them or not.

But what Chester and Stanford and Scholar are learning lately -- and the so-called Gang of Four (the six or seven of them) will soon learn - is when a heart breaks, it doesn't break even.

Buju takes to the stage in emotional concert

JAMAICAN REGGAE STAR Buju Banton made an emotional return to the stage last night in a live concert in Miami— his first in over a year – and possibly his last in the United States.

In front of a packed audience of flag-waving supporters, Banton closed the five hour concert with a two-hour performance, ending with a rendition of the 23rd Psalm before walking off stage in the arms of his lawyers.

Banton sang his classics, praised the support of his fellow artistes, declared his innocence in the upcoming drug conspiracy trial and told the thousands that he had missed them.

The Jamaican singer faces a retrial next month after the first one last fall ended with a no decision.

One of the emotional high points of the night was when he brought out Stephen Marley, the follow artiste who stood his bail with a lien on his half million dollar property in South Florida.

Bracing warmly, the two started a short set by singing Bib Marley’s Duppy Conqueror, with a line that says “yes me friend dem say we free again.”

He also sang with Marcia Griffiths, Wayne Wonder and Gramps Morgan.

Before him a slew of mainly Jamaican acts performed at the show—including reggae’s latest sensation Gyptian, international acts Sean Paul and Shaggy, Freddie McGregor, Everton Blender and Nadine Sunderland.

There were also cameos from rappers DJ Khaled and Busta Rhymes.

All expressed delight of coming to the aid of their fellow entertainer.

Banton, whose entertainer’s visa has already been revoked by US immigration, was granted special permission to perform by the court.

Many say it could have been his last performance in the United States, since he faces deportation even if freed of the charges.

Why cry wolf?

We are not sure if the guys who run the opposition New National Party are pushing the panic button too quickly – crying wolf, while there is – at least for now – none in the neighborhood.

If the party’s statement about pending arrests was meant to be some kind of information pre-emptive strike, it just exposes the reeking fear at their headquarters.

My advice to them will be have your lawyers a phone call away, and in the interim, to use a popular local phrase from the 80s, “cease and settle.”

The one good strategic political move from the statement is who read it.

Roland Bhola is one of the genuinely nice guys in Grenadian politics, and one of the few with the credibility to make it.

Dare I say, he is one of those who will also genuinely not worry about the work of any special prosecutor.

However, we can’t seem to find, from any credible independent source, the details of this special prosecutor waiting to take action of which they speak.

From our research, there have been investigations from the office of the DPP into a number of areas, and there has been talk of hiring a special prosecutor and a couple of people have been contacted in that regard.

Based on whom you speak to, the Canadian Bob Lindquist has either been spoken to or has been working on a few matters – but we have no official confirmation.

However the picture that has emerged is that there has been progress on a number of matters – but as with those things, it has been relatively slow.

Whatever our views of this government or the past, it is clear that there are many grounds for concerns about some of the behavior in the former administration.

Whether it has reached the stage where formal charges could be laid, I am not sure based on what we are hearing that they are quite there as yet.

Given the state of play however, we are also not anywhere where anyone can claim, with any serious credibility, that the process that is unfolding is a political witch hunt.

This is far too premature.

We will all have to wait and see the nature of the charges - if any.

There are a few things that however should be clear – and one of those is that there are enough things that happened in the latter stages of the NNP reign to give all of us pause.

Are they criminal? We just don’t know. That’s why any investigation is in order and appropriate.

The NNP claim that the current administration is trying to fulfill an election promise to investigate their conduct might be true. And I am not sure what’s wrong with that.

Having come to power on the argument that the quality of governance left much to be desired, I don’t think the NDC would have any credibility left in not seeking to investigate what had concerned so many in the first place.

And about this investigation being an attempt to take people’s minds from the tough times they are facing?

For once, NNP is giving the rag-tag bunch at Botanic Gardens more credit than they deserve. I don’t think they are politically smart or organized enough to pull that off.

Nor do I think that the opposition is giving ordinary Grenadian people enough credit to be able to separate issues.

It will be a grave political miscalculation – never mind the legal one – to move forward with half-baked charges.

Up to this point, I am comfortable with the credibility of the people involved in this legal process – who for two years have withstood shouts for political blood – and have gone ahead studiously following the spirit and the letter of the law.

The value of any country is its ability to take care of its most vulnerable citizens, and to be able to apply justice to all – cost it what it will.

We must not put off any appropriate investigation merely on the basis of some phony argument about the cost of doing it.

The cost of not seeking justice and of not demanding proper behavior from all of our public officers – in and out of office – is far greater.