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<span style='font-size: 14pt'>The rule of the Oligarchs
Jamauca Sunday Herald 1.5.2008
By Errol Ennis
The nature of Jamaican politics is essentially oligarchic: the domination and rule in the interest of a select class or interest group above all other groups within the state. The Jamaican oligarchs attain and maintain their position with the tacit compliance of the political parties and other change agents through the power of money, which supports the corruption of the system of Adult Suffrage that becomes no more than a veil of some emerging form of democracy.
The vast concentration of financial wealth and economic power attendant with the social hegemony of this group, consolidates their position, which is further buttressed by the negative social attitudes of the Jamaican masses, coupled with an identity crisis and ingrained lack of self worth. These factors have combined to entrench the rule of the Jamaican oligarchs and enabled them to resist and repel any challenge to their powerful position.
The recently concluded general elections have seen a further and maybe conclusive consolidation of their power, wealth and total control of the political system. The elections saw the congruence and co-ordination of their wealth, class, media ownership and their Nubian servants, with the sole objective of repelling a potential further advance of real democracy by a Portia Simpson Miller elected government.
Traditionally all administrations either openly or tacitly submit to the continuation of the status quo of the established order. Underpinning these agreements is unencumbered access to the political power grid, and the continued security and growth of their financial base.
Based on these agreements, the administrations were allowed to effect some marginal encroachment towards a real democracy with a modicum of social justice. The last agreement resulted in the greatest ever transfer of financial wealth to the oligarchs. With this massive transfer of wealth they were prepared to tolerate and allow an unprecedented length of political rule by the People’s National Party (PNP).
Complications
The oligarchs’ tolerance with the PNP and the prospect of a further advancement towards a more democratic state evaporated with the advent of the Simpson Miller administration.
Simpson Miller overstressed the fact that she was a product of the peasantry and her ascendancy to Jamaica House therefore must be construed as a symbol of the elevation of that class to the control of the state. This elevation appeared to have signalled a possible end to the traditional arrangements.
The demise of the old power matrix was a prospect even worse than Manley’s socialism and somewhat akin to the overthrow of the royalty by the French Revolution. Here was a leader with a recorded popular support level of 78 per cent with no clear indication that the traditional power matrix was sacrosanct and with an often declared position that she would not seek any financial assistance personally from the owners of capital.
A further complication by the Simpson Miller administration was the emergence of new palace guards totally bereft of the skills, means and competence to conduct and convey the appropriate signals to the oligarchs, so as to generate the comfort levels they required. No meetings with the captains of the boardrooms, the media moguls, the social leaders and others at the apex of the real power matrix were held and, if arranged, conducted.
Even with the gathering storms of a revolt by the oligarchs, the new administration could have easily repelled any such revolt had the leader wrought new and attractive changes both in personnel, policies, and inclusiveness. Instead it became apparent that the leader was immersed in the workings of Jamaica House.
In addition, the failure to articulate and communicate new and acceptable directions to her adoring public led to a gradual erosion of her popular support, sufficient to give real currency to the planned revolt of the oligarchs. The erosion of popular support was not dramatic enough to transmit the warning signals to the leader and her advisors. The political quarterbacks began to throw a plethora of interceptions. The oligarchs assembled a mighty offensive to ensure a victory, however small the points spread.
Collusion
Where the financial, economic and social interest of a small group within a state determines and directs the affairs of that state, as has been the case in Jamaica, that state cannot be defined as a democracy, notwithstanding Adult Suffrage. No value judgement is here being made at this point, only the description of an exiting state of affairs that has been allowed to continue for so long, indicating a degree of total comfort with it by the Jamaican people.
No group in any society voluntarily gives up tremendous advantages unless and until objective conditions outside of that group demand changes.
The agents of social, economic and political changes in Jamaica invariably only seek admission and acceptance into the sanctuary of the oligarchs. The oligarchs are adept at creating the illusion of such acceptances to the change agents who in eternal gratitude quickly dilute their respective agendas of change. It is this collusion between the economic and social change agents that has led to significant level of economic and social underdevelopment of the Jamaica people: the absence of shared values, lack of a clear and universally acceptable development goals for our country; the highly skewed distribution of incomes and wealth; the growing urban decay and massive rural underdevelopment.
Not withstanding the ability to vote, the real state of our political activity is oligarchic and at best may be described as an embryonic and immature democracy. Votes are openly and vulgarly bought outside the polling stations in the clear view of the lawmen who themselves are paid supporters of one side or the other. In our elections the winner is the side with the most money. Our political activity is best described as follows:
“All those noisy and incoherent promises; the impossible demands; the hotchpotch of unfounded ideas and impractical plans; opportunism that cares neither for truth nor justice; the inglorious chase after unmerited fame; the unleashing of uncontrollable passions; the exploitation of the lowest possible instincts.” — Salazar
All this we do in a grand pretence of practising politic for the advancement of a civilised society in which real democracy can flourish. Our efforts to date results only in the entrenchment of an oligarchic power matrix now open and unabashed in the exercise of its power.
The Jamaican people
It would be grossly simplistic to infer that the blame for our political state of affairs lies entirely with the politicians and the agents of change. It also lies with the Jamaican people as a whole. People who sell their votes and are largely bereft of any fundamental political ideas and ideology, lacking in commitment to a broader national goal, such a people cannot develop nor meaningfully participate in a true democracy.
True political activity recognises a multiplicity of interests and groups within the state. Those interests and rights impose limits on each other, which can only be reconciled by a process of conciliation supported by established order and the rule of law, which are the foundations of a civilised society.
As long as the Jamaican state continues to be dominated by the financial economic and social interest of a powerful minority, then clearly our political system cannot be truly defined as a democracy. Indeed, it is an oligarchic system that allows tainted voting every so often.
This is the rationale for further reforms of the electoral system to provide for the public financing of elections and to require total transparency of private contributions with agreed private and corporate limits. The political parties must be required to provide detailed audited financial statements 30 days after the end of each quarter. </span>
Errol Ennis is a former People’s National Party Member of Parliament and State Minister.
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Copyright © 2005 Sunday Herald.
Jamauca Sunday Herald 1.5.2008
By Errol Ennis
The nature of Jamaican politics is essentially oligarchic: the domination and rule in the interest of a select class or interest group above all other groups within the state. The Jamaican oligarchs attain and maintain their position with the tacit compliance of the political parties and other change agents through the power of money, which supports the corruption of the system of Adult Suffrage that becomes no more than a veil of some emerging form of democracy.
The vast concentration of financial wealth and economic power attendant with the social hegemony of this group, consolidates their position, which is further buttressed by the negative social attitudes of the Jamaican masses, coupled with an identity crisis and ingrained lack of self worth. These factors have combined to entrench the rule of the Jamaican oligarchs and enabled them to resist and repel any challenge to their powerful position.
The recently concluded general elections have seen a further and maybe conclusive consolidation of their power, wealth and total control of the political system. The elections saw the congruence and co-ordination of their wealth, class, media ownership and their Nubian servants, with the sole objective of repelling a potential further advance of real democracy by a Portia Simpson Miller elected government.
Traditionally all administrations either openly or tacitly submit to the continuation of the status quo of the established order. Underpinning these agreements is unencumbered access to the political power grid, and the continued security and growth of their financial base.
Based on these agreements, the administrations were allowed to effect some marginal encroachment towards a real democracy with a modicum of social justice. The last agreement resulted in the greatest ever transfer of financial wealth to the oligarchs. With this massive transfer of wealth they were prepared to tolerate and allow an unprecedented length of political rule by the People’s National Party (PNP).
Complications
The oligarchs’ tolerance with the PNP and the prospect of a further advancement towards a more democratic state evaporated with the advent of the Simpson Miller administration.
Simpson Miller overstressed the fact that she was a product of the peasantry and her ascendancy to Jamaica House therefore must be construed as a symbol of the elevation of that class to the control of the state. This elevation appeared to have signalled a possible end to the traditional arrangements.
The demise of the old power matrix was a prospect even worse than Manley’s socialism and somewhat akin to the overthrow of the royalty by the French Revolution. Here was a leader with a recorded popular support level of 78 per cent with no clear indication that the traditional power matrix was sacrosanct and with an often declared position that she would not seek any financial assistance personally from the owners of capital.
A further complication by the Simpson Miller administration was the emergence of new palace guards totally bereft of the skills, means and competence to conduct and convey the appropriate signals to the oligarchs, so as to generate the comfort levels they required. No meetings with the captains of the boardrooms, the media moguls, the social leaders and others at the apex of the real power matrix were held and, if arranged, conducted.
Even with the gathering storms of a revolt by the oligarchs, the new administration could have easily repelled any such revolt had the leader wrought new and attractive changes both in personnel, policies, and inclusiveness. Instead it became apparent that the leader was immersed in the workings of Jamaica House.
In addition, the failure to articulate and communicate new and acceptable directions to her adoring public led to a gradual erosion of her popular support, sufficient to give real currency to the planned revolt of the oligarchs. The erosion of popular support was not dramatic enough to transmit the warning signals to the leader and her advisors. The political quarterbacks began to throw a plethora of interceptions. The oligarchs assembled a mighty offensive to ensure a victory, however small the points spread.
Collusion
Where the financial, economic and social interest of a small group within a state determines and directs the affairs of that state, as has been the case in Jamaica, that state cannot be defined as a democracy, notwithstanding Adult Suffrage. No value judgement is here being made at this point, only the description of an exiting state of affairs that has been allowed to continue for so long, indicating a degree of total comfort with it by the Jamaican people.
No group in any society voluntarily gives up tremendous advantages unless and until objective conditions outside of that group demand changes.
The agents of social, economic and political changes in Jamaica invariably only seek admission and acceptance into the sanctuary of the oligarchs. The oligarchs are adept at creating the illusion of such acceptances to the change agents who in eternal gratitude quickly dilute their respective agendas of change. It is this collusion between the economic and social change agents that has led to significant level of economic and social underdevelopment of the Jamaica people: the absence of shared values, lack of a clear and universally acceptable development goals for our country; the highly skewed distribution of incomes and wealth; the growing urban decay and massive rural underdevelopment.
Not withstanding the ability to vote, the real state of our political activity is oligarchic and at best may be described as an embryonic and immature democracy. Votes are openly and vulgarly bought outside the polling stations in the clear view of the lawmen who themselves are paid supporters of one side or the other. In our elections the winner is the side with the most money. Our political activity is best described as follows:
“All those noisy and incoherent promises; the impossible demands; the hotchpotch of unfounded ideas and impractical plans; opportunism that cares neither for truth nor justice; the inglorious chase after unmerited fame; the unleashing of uncontrollable passions; the exploitation of the lowest possible instincts.” — Salazar
All this we do in a grand pretence of practising politic for the advancement of a civilised society in which real democracy can flourish. Our efforts to date results only in the entrenchment of an oligarchic power matrix now open and unabashed in the exercise of its power.
The Jamaican people
It would be grossly simplistic to infer that the blame for our political state of affairs lies entirely with the politicians and the agents of change. It also lies with the Jamaican people as a whole. People who sell their votes and are largely bereft of any fundamental political ideas and ideology, lacking in commitment to a broader national goal, such a people cannot develop nor meaningfully participate in a true democracy.
True political activity recognises a multiplicity of interests and groups within the state. Those interests and rights impose limits on each other, which can only be reconciled by a process of conciliation supported by established order and the rule of law, which are the foundations of a civilised society.
As long as the Jamaican state continues to be dominated by the financial economic and social interest of a powerful minority, then clearly our political system cannot be truly defined as a democracy. Indeed, it is an oligarchic system that allows tainted voting every so often.
This is the rationale for further reforms of the electoral system to provide for the public financing of elections and to require total transparency of private contributions with agreed private and corporate limits. The political parties must be required to provide detailed audited financial statements 30 days after the end of each quarter. </span>
Errol Ennis is a former People’s National Party Member of Parliament and State Minister.
GO BACK
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News | Editorial | Letters | Sports | Dollars & Sense | Living | Pure Class | Wheels | About Us | Copyright & Disclaimer | Contact Us
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 2005 Sunday Herald.