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EDITORIAL - A Cabinet council with a long shadow
published: Wednesday | October 1, 2008
The shadow [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Cabinet[/color][/color] announced on Monday by Portia Simpson Miller, the leader of the People's National Party (PNP), is hardly surprising.
Indeed, in the context of her recent re-election as president of the PNP, fighting off the challenge of Dr Peter Phillips, the team was entirely predictable, although Mrs Simpson Miller would have done herself a favour by by-passing one or two of the named loyalists in favour of competence.
No one, however, would have expected that any of the more strident supporters of Dr Phillips' campaign would have found themselves in the Opposition leader's set-up. This, after all, is her opportunity to transform a tenuous hold she has had on the PNP for two and a half years into a firm grip.
Ardent supporters
So, the team, at its core, comprises ardent, long-time supporters, such as Derrick Kellier, Anthony Hylton and Phillip Paulwell, while Robert Pickersgill and Omar Davies have retained their positions.
Neither is it unexpected that she has promoted new confidants, such as the very ambitious Basil Waite, Ian Hayles, Noel Arscott, Colin ************an and Mark Golding, or that Lisa Hanna seems to have been elevated in her status as a trusted lieutenant.
There might be complaints from some PNP hard-core members and supporters about the recency in the party of some of those who have made it into the shadow Cabinet and are harping on the fact that a handful, including Ms Hanna and Mr Hayles, previously, was standardbearers of the governing Jamaica Labour Party. That, though, is hardly a disqualification, especially if they bring skills and talent to the table.
Mrs Simpson Miller, however, could have done better, if she had not only tethered, but retired her campaign frontman Roger Clarke, and possibly find a role on her personal staff, rather than in the shadow Cabinet for Sandrea Falconer, who was assigned the potentially important portfolios of gender and religious affairs.
Ms Falconer has hardly distinguished herself in the Senate, where her interventions, limited and rare, are of little substance.
No outright rejection
It would also have been good had Ms Simpson Miller allowed Phillip Paulwell, the former minister of energy and telecommunications, with the toddler's penchant for mischief and irresponsibility, to stay on the sidelines until he proves that he has overcome his 'youthful exuberance'. This, of course, was former prime minister P J Patterson's euphemism for lack of accountability in the management of the state's resources.
But whatever the criticism of her choices, Mrs Simpson Miller cannot be accused, on the face of it, of an outright rejection of the Phillips wing of the party. Wykeham McNeill, for instance, retains his portfolio for tourism and Fenton Ferguson is still the spokesman on [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]health[/color][/color]. Significant too, is the naming of Peter Bunting, the PNP's general secretary, to replace Dr Phillips as national security spokesman.
Of the second-tier leaders, Mr Bunting is, at this time, best positioned to emerge as the next leader of the party, a potentially problematic development for Mrs Simpson Miller.
Clearly, the Opposition leader is confident that this is her party and that she is secure, for a good time, from any challenges.
It is now for her to prove that she can lead a party that is ready to lead the country.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.
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