At any time of economic and social crisis a country needs its strongest governance possible. It needs an active democracy more than ever to give moral, political and national legitimacy to whatever government decides to do. The real test of government and democracy does not come in good times. It comes in bad times. Our system has held up in bad times. Others have collapsed. But there has definitely been reversal in some areas and failure to advance in others.

Tuesday's edition of The Gleaner was telling for a number of reports that, when put together, captures much about our situation. One headline read "Worse under Bruce"; another said, "Time for the PNP to Reconnect", and a third was, "Time to Rebuild - Patterson asks PNP to focus on Renewal."

The first report summed up that, "Bruce Golding and the JLP have been blamed for things being worse off than they were two years ago" (reference to the Gleaner/Bill Johnson poll). The other led off with this: "After almost two years in Opposition, the People's National Party has yet to prove itself a credible alternative to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government" (Letter to the Editor - Wayne Simmonds). The third reported," Former prime minister P.J. Patterson firmly advised his fellow comrades to work towards advancing the cause of building a nation that is strong and vibrant and not simply seek to win an election the next time around."

If the Government is perceived to be doing badly and the alternative as not much better then the confidence in governance needed and credible alternative that a democracy ought to offer are both lacking. Is this the crisis of our politics at this time and where does that leave us?

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

One thing it points us to is the philosophy of the 20:30 Vision National Development Plan signed off on by both parties. This is about taking responsibility.

The Gleaner/Johnson poll shows that the JLP government has failed to cast off the problems of the economy, jobs and crime on the world recession and the previous PNP government. The polls show that 64 per cent of Jamaicans think that things are worse under Mr Golding and the JLP and 82 per cent don't think things are better than they were two years ago. Even 66 per cent of those who voted JLP last time said things were no better (29 per cent) or were worse (37 per cent).

Fifty one per cent blame the government (32 per cent) or Golding (19 per cent ). Only 13 per cent blame the world economic crisis and a mere six per cent blame the PNP. The government might think the public is judging it unfairly but the public is probably saying despite the world economic crisis and whatever it inherited, the Government has to take responsibility. After all, it did say it would make things better. It did promise 'jobs, jobs, jobs' and failed to acknowledge that there was even a crisis.

The PNP might say that it is not being judged fairly either. But there is a perception that it is not doing enough. What it can say though is that it is taking responsibility. Its Progressive Agenda speaks to 'participation, accountability and responsibility'. Three things about this section will place Patterson's call for renewal in context.

First, the Progressive Agenda says that the party must take responsibility for its achievements and its failures. The JLP should therefore not have to tell it where it has failed nor deny what it has achieved. Ironically, one of the criticisms in the party is its reluctance to defend its own achievements while acknowledging its failures.

Second, Portia Simpson Miller revealed at a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting recently that the Progressive Agenda has set in motion a system of evaluation of its spokespersons (shadow cabinet) to assess their performance. There is also need for a system of training and development for those skills needed to perform effectively. If the party succeeds in doing this it, it would be the first political party I know of that has a system of this kind to hold leaders from the party president down through spokespersons and officers accountable.

Third, the Progressive Agenda calls for participation. That Agenda is being developed through consultation within the party. The party's Policy Commission has also begun to hold broader stakeholder consultations with the public. It held an economic forum on July 18 and will hold a forum on foreign affairs and foreign economic policy on September 12.

I expect that at the annual conference shortly after, the party president will bring the nation up to date on what else has been achieved under the Progressive Agenda. It was she who launched this process of renewal and rebuilding.

PERCEPTION

What the party has not done well is keep the nation abreast. It really cannot blame the public if it has a different perception, even one as incorrect as to say as letter writer Simmonds said, "The PNP now has a leader who has failed to be an effective leader who can unite the PNP."

It is incorrect to say that the PNP is not an effective alternative. The party was in power up to two years ago and had amassed 18 years of experience, built policies, gained know-how, prepared future legislation, made valuable international alliances, sourced investment funds, and so on. In opposition, it should make the best to prepare for next time around.

What the PNP should not do, however, is make the same mistakes that the JLP made. It should not be naive about governing under crisis and post-crisis circumstances. It should not rest on the failings of an incumbent government and it should certainly not rely on promises, money and savvy media or class, colour or family connections. Those can only get a party so far and then it is on its own. The Opposition has to take responsibility to make real internal changes. I think this is the wise advice of Patterson and his call for renewal. A strong democracy is one that, like a sports team, has a strong bench of substitutes or alternatives ready to take over at any time to make national performance strong in turn.

CORRUPTION

There is another mistake that the PNP should avoid. It should not overextend itself by making things appear worse than they are and making itself appear able to fix everything - crime, corruption, growth, jobs, and so on. The JLP overreached itself and strained credibility more than one thought possible.

The public seems to expect the opposition to be what it has been for 18 years, constantly crying corruption, mismanagement and failure and threatening or actually locking down the country with demonstrations. The PNP has been much more responsible and has not alarmed potential investors or kept the country at a fever-pitch level of tension. For this, it has been accused of being ineffective. The PNP must indeed change the very paradigm of Opposition and look to change the paradigm of future governance as well. For that the party has to transform itself and say how it is doing all of this.

Robert Buddan lectures in the Department of Government, UWI, Mona campus. Email: Robert.Buddan@uwimona.edu.jm or columns@gleanerjm.com.