Dear Editor,
Democratic socialism is an unsound political philosophy and a contradiction in terms. It causes the kind of bi-polarity that allows Julian Robinson to say the People’s National Party (PNP) is democratic socialist but has abandoned the commanding heights doctrine and believes in private sector-led development.
Socialism of whatever kind is the primacy of the party in the polity, and the primacy of the government in the economy. Democracy is the primacy of the people in the polity, and the dominance of the private sector in the economy.
In the attempt to reconcile the inherent contradiction in democratic socialism, the Jamaican economy was nearly destroyed in the 70s, and Maurice Bishop lost his life in Grenadian polity in 1983.
There is still a contradiction in 2016 between the philosophy Robinson names and the way he says it will work in practice. The PNP has been liberal democratic, democratic socialist, neo-socialist, and now it seems to be confused. The only hope for that party is to fully embrace the liberal democratic principles that allowed Norman Manley to lead the only successful PNP Administration our country has had.
Orville E Brown
Bronx, United States
thewriter.brown@gmail.com
Democratic socialism is an unsound political philosophy and a contradiction in terms. It causes the kind of bi-polarity that allows Julian Robinson to say the People’s National Party (PNP) is democratic socialist but has abandoned the commanding heights doctrine and believes in private sector-led development.
Socialism of whatever kind is the primacy of the party in the polity, and the primacy of the government in the economy. Democracy is the primacy of the people in the polity, and the dominance of the private sector in the economy.
In the attempt to reconcile the inherent contradiction in democratic socialism, the Jamaican economy was nearly destroyed in the 70s, and Maurice Bishop lost his life in Grenadian polity in 1983.
There is still a contradiction in 2016 between the philosophy Robinson names and the way he says it will work in practice. The PNP has been liberal democratic, democratic socialist, neo-socialist, and now it seems to be confused. The only hope for that party is to fully embrace the liberal democratic principles that allowed Norman Manley to lead the only successful PNP Administration our country has had.
Orville E Brown
Bronx, United States
thewriter.brown@gmail.com