Reconciliation Part I

For people who know me, they know that I am the least likely person to submit to cultism or even the notion of committing to movements, religion or social clubs, without investigative questions and without proper conviction. However, they would also know that I am very committed to the pursuit, promotion and defense of good ideas and causes and that among the select few human beings whose ideas and causes have captured my respect and adulation is Nelson Mandela.

Above everything else about Mandela’s epic journey, I admire the strength of his character and his ability to forgive. I am moved not only by his tremendous struggles and visionary anti-apartheid leadership prior to and during his unjust incarceration on Robben Island, but more so his dignified approach to the very people and systems against which he fought, after his release from Victor Verster Prison on 11 February 1990 (following transfer from Robben Island in 1988). For one to have endure what he endured and to have had the conviction and courage for reconciliation and not revenge, transformed him, in my mind from the typical human being into a transcendental figure worthy of adulation.

I often wonder if Mandela’s arrest in 1962, the year of Jamaica’s independence, had anything to do with Jamaicans’ pioneering role through music and song, in cries for Mandela’s freedom. But after almost 20 years of Mandela’s freedom and 47 years of Jamaican political independence, Jamaica’s music still resounds with dominant sounds and cries for freedom and equality, for Jamaicans in common and oppressed people everywhere.

With this in mind, I would like to explore two things:

1. The need for more reconciliatory and transformational leaders like Mandela

2. The need for more reconciliation to be initiated, not only by the oppressed, but by the architects, beneficiaries and guardians of oppressive systems

First, the demands and pressure from millions of his countrymen in post-apartheid South Africa, could be temptation enough to stimulate Mandela’s impulse to appease or satisfy the masses. The memories of abuse, oppression, inequality and injustice were more than reasonable justification to exact similar treatment to the architects and beneficiaries of apartheid. The idea of redistribution of wealth could also have been justified. We have however witnessed the case of Zimbabwe and noted Mugabe’s challenges and perceived or real fall from grace.

It is therefore the inimitable statesmanship quality of reconciliation that distinguishes Mandela, Gandhi & Martin Luther King Jr. from their contemporaries, all of whom are immortalized in Nobel Peace prizes and in our hearts. It is this unexplainable courage that one demonstrates, to risk ostracism from one’s kinsmen who would have suffered the same atrocities like one’s self; and one who has prevailed, to now extend the olive branch instead of exacting revenge on behalf of one’s brothers and sisters that have suffered. This quality is unique and priceless.

To be continued...

Local Development...

Excerpt from discussion/debate among participants of "Management of Local Development" Training Course (International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization, in preparation of final project...

Greetings fellow participants:

I am thankful that we have come to this point in the training programme, and look forward to successful completion with improved knowledge and competence in Management of Local Development.

As I prepare for this final assignment, I am reminded of the following issues that continue to impact the conceptualization and further implementation of projects similar to what we are about to complete:

1. The impact of the global recession on actions & proposals to create jobs at the local level: A recent release from the International Labour organization advised that Jamaica will not see an improvement in the Job Market until 2011. Hence while we design initiatives, I am not discouraged, but am bearing this reality in mind - ie., 'thinking globally, while acting locally'. It will therefore be necessary to strengthen co-operatives as well as stimulate & encourage the entrepreneurial spirit with incentives in the form of (a) business training & support services (b)access to micro loans without extreme bureaucratic processes & prohibitive collateral requirements & high interest rates (c)marketing support.

2. Gang violence & conflict among marginalized groups that impede or slow down actions designed to assist unprivileged social groups (especially in Grants Pen, Jamaica): In recent months, my territory has experienced an upsurge in violence & murders comparable to periods most dreaded in the past. A number of young participants in our initiatives have lost their lives in the episodes. Hence, I am hoping that while we design initiatives that seek to assist the marginalized at the local level, some of whom are gang members, our national authorities simultaneously work on dismantling existing gangs & removing or at best reducing the conditions that nurture this plague.

3. The impact of Globalization, transnational trade, etc. on efforts to support micro, small & medium enterprises development at the local level: While the merits of global trade are well noted, many of the nascent and existing local entrepreneurs are often unable to compete or at least co-exist with large companies and countries. A case in point - the local productive sector in my territory, in particular, production & marketing capabilities in furniture manufacturing & garment construction has suffered severely from competition with cheap and abundant imports from China (as is the case with many other territories). We closed a furniture manufacturing plant in 2005, which is in transition at present; we also re-visited the garment construction training to offer business incubation services to nascent entrepreneurs. This is one very clear solution, in spite of the aforementioned challenge. Established organizations like the Stella Maris Foundation can offer such a business incubation service to floundering micro-enterprises, notwithstanding our own need for financial support. We are presently providing marketing & business development support to two micro enterprises via a co-operative.

As a result, my approach in designing & formulating an action plan in this context, will have to incorporate an effective strategy that will bring local actors together in an improved collaborative atmosphere, where energies are not diffused, but complementary. Local efforts can easily drown in the tsunami of national & global interests or troubles. Our experience at present is not too far from this likelihood. It will therefore be crucial to include 'actions to promote & support the participation of local actors in the social dialogue'.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts in your contexts.

Regards,

Omar