The NDP – Leadership and vision

In any political organization, the issue of leadership is a critical one, not just leadership in terms of the narrow, personalized sense in which we have come to view it, wrapped up in the personality of one man, but leadership in a broader sense of providing vision and guidance on a collective basis. In the Caribbean, with small underdeveloped societies and economies, that factor of leadership can be all-important in the margin between success and failure.{{more}} For sure, strong, charismatic personalities have their place and are essential elements of the social mix, but it goes far deeper than that.

Our history in SVG should warn us of the danger of hitching our fortunes solely on to the coattails of a maximum leader. The PPP never survived the demise of Joshua and the fortunes of the Labour Party sunk rapidly with the retirement of Milton Cato. Indeed, few would doubt that it was the merger with Ralph Gonsalves’ MNU which saved the obliteration of the old Labour party. Sir James Mitchell’s fall from grace after the “glory years” of 1984-1998, led to 10 years in the political wilderness for his NDP, from which they are only now beginning to recover. It is a damning indictment of the weakness in collective leadership, that the revival of those fortunes also largely revolve around the return of Sir James to active politics. The ULP itself will have to grapple with how they will handle post-Gonsalves political battles.

Curiously, that dominance of Gonsalves has not only affected his own party, it seems to have infected NDP strategy and thinking as well. There seems to be too much of a reactive nature to NDP policy (or lack thereof), which tends to obscure what really is the party’s view of things. It was all well and good in the cut-and-thrust of competitive politics, but we need far more from a responsible political force with designs of being “restored” to office. Even in the campaign for the referendum last year, we were never permitted a peep at the NDP’s views on constitutional reform. Rather we got a litany of all it was against, a typical “VOTE NO” campaign. As it makes its bid for political power at the next elections, the NDP owes it to the people of this country to clearly set out its views on constitutional reform. The making of an appropriate Constitution is not a Gonsalves concoction, it is deeply rooted in the struggles of our people and in the demands of the time. Sadly, we are no wiser as to NDP’s position even after its pre-election Convention. Does that reflect the views of the former Leader, (“don’t touch my Constitution”), or has the leadership as a whole taken a decision to reverse its previous support for constitutional reform?

One worrying factor for me, is the degree to which both parties have failed in the process of political education of their members. That has contributed to the current political problems being experienced by the ULP and the battle it now faces to retain power. If the advances made in the formal “Education Revolution” were only partially matched in the area of political consciousness of the general population, the ULP would have been in much better political standing. For that low level of consciousness is what the NDP has been preying on in order to undermine ULP support. Nowhere was that better manifested than in the referendum campaign when NDP activists were able to convince many Vincentians that a new Constitution meant restricted access to emigration, an end to the EC dollar and many other such bits of nonsense and irrelevancies.

That, what I would call the “ignorantising” of people, playing off on their lack of knowledge to spread lies and half-truths, is perhaps the worst aspect of our current political situation. It is working in whipping up opposition to Ralph Gonsalves and the ULP, but those who are serious in the NDP, (there must be some serious people within the leadership), would know that this is a dangerous game to play. You cannot build and develop a modern society and economy on the basis of ignorance. Should the NDP win the next elections, it is its leadership which would have to face the challenges. Having demonized Cuba and Venezuela, what would an NDP government do about the many assistance programmes from those countries which are benefitting our people? How would it reconcile itself with the Republic of Taiwan after such public criticisms of its assistance programmes? Surely, it cannot be contemplating relations with the People’ Republic of China, not after its highly anti-communist propaganda?

It serves no useful purpose to play outdated cold-war politics and to spew out anti-communist slander day-in and day-out. Such views are out of step with the realities of today’s world. James Mitchell is, and never was, any communist, but he was realistic enough whilst in office (far more realistic than the Labour government before him), to open relations with Cuba, to visit that country and even accept that country’s national honours. The outmoded view of the NDP on international relations is further complicated by its willful ignoring of economic realities. How in the face of all the statistics, from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, the Caribbean Development Bank and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, about performance indicators of OECS countries, can you mount a campaign, that says “Ralph mash up the economy”? Politically convenient maybe, but simply not true. The worst of it is that it is the supporters who suffer most, being denied the opportunity to get to understand the complexities of our economic situation.

The NDP leadership must know (heaven help us if they don’t and succeed in coming to office!), that breaking ties with Cuba and Venezuela is not going to result in a flood tide of assistance from “friendly countries” (interpreted by supporters as the USA, Canada and Britain). Any follower of world affairs would know that other priorities abound in those capitals. It seems as though a party, vying for power in a small underdeveloped country is allowing the most backward, right-wing and frankly racist ideas of those opposed to the Obama regime, and propagated openly through such media as Fox news, to influence its outlook. It must be careful, fanaticism and lunacy are sisters!

Renwick Rose is a community activist and social commentator.