The NDP? There Is Yet Hope

Took long enough. To reach public notice, in any event. Perhaps it might have been foretold. That anyone who trusted to their long experience in observing the mandate and program of the New Democratic Party in Canada might anticipate that matters could not conceivably have plunged to that depth of unconscionable judgmental lapse. That they might not yet be completely prepared to abandon their traditional allegiances and alliances. That there might yet be a soupcon of merit and morals left.

An internal caucus revolt. About time. About time long-time members of the NDP shook their collective fists in fury at the turn-about of ethical underpinnings and abandoned values. What on earth could Jack Layton be thinking? Well, he could be thinking, first and foremost, of gathering in votes there to be had by a disgruntled community of potential bloc-votes. Now that's a double insult: the thought that all members of Canada's Muslim community think alike, vote alike.

Much as it's in obvious error to feel the same about any other community - the Canadian Jewish community, for example. Yet, Jack Layton, leader of the federal NDP in his great and good left-liberal wisdom, bethought himself of the virtue of pandering to a perceived Muslim bloc, and abandoning that erstwhile Jewish voting bloc. In the process buying himself quite an excess of disgusted critical reviews.

Eight respected and senior members of the NDP caucus, Members of Parliament, have taken steps to strenuously chide their leader for his blithe stupidity. He chose to back-track on his original support of the Conservative-led Government of Canada's decision to opt out of participation in the United Nations racism conference, to be held next year in Geneva.

With the clear understanding that it was gearing up to be a repeat of the original conference held in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, when Israel-bashing and anti-Semitic attacks became the order of the day. Canada had decided, along with Israel, that it wanted no part in such a grotesque reversal of purpose.

Assurances by Ban Ki-Moon and outgoing UN Human Rights commissioner Louise Arbour to the contrary, seasoned UN-watchers have a fairly good idea what to expect out of a conference whose agenda is being manipulated by some of the world's worst human-rights abusers. Who just incidentally also happen to be Jew-baiters and Israel-haters.

The wonder of it all is that someone as ill-informed and unprepared as Jack Layton continues to be, is the leader of this good old political party. Eye on the main chance, ever eager for publicity, and anxious as all hell to acquire greater credibility in the Canadian political arena, his attempts to further the agenda of the NDP have continually fallen flat. It takes someone with the political skills and even-handedness of Pat Martin to keep rescuing the party.

Jack Layton now is prepared to "denounce the anti-Semitism from the first conference and set clear conditions that it never happen again". How would he manage that? Does he have some critical inside influence with the UN conference's main players? Interesting how this man attempts to play both ends against the middle.

It transpires that his caucus is fidgeting with discomfort over the candidacy for the NDP of a Quebec project manager for the Canadian Islamic Congress, a group whose position is that Israel is an "apartheid regime", one guilty of genocidal crimes, and which calls for the government of Canada to remove Hezbollah and Hamas from its list of designated terrorist organizations.

Oops, Jack - has no one reminded you of the importance of due diligence?

Oh dear, here's another bit of bad timing. The riding association president associated with the candidacy of Samira Laouni, one Hayder Moussa, appears to be vice-president of the Association des Jeunes Libanais Museulmans de Montreal. Which has a Web site with links to radical Shiite ayatollahs, along with Hezbollah's spiritual leader. A Web site that, alas, calls upon Muslims to "fight the tyrant" because victory is promised by God.

It appears Mr. Moussa was invited to resign his position when it was discovered he had written a poem whose content speaks of non-Muslim women as promiscuous drunks. Sensible, honest and trustworthy Pat Martin is perplexed and troubled. He appears to be concerned that his party, in its search for votes, is letting down the expectations of its long-time supporters. And he's right.

"We just seem to gain some credibility and then we do something goofy", he said. And he's right. This party still hasn't adequately adopted its own first lessons: to be careful of the company they keep. And to keep faith with their company.