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'Tarnished For Life'
Published: Monday | May 17, 20100 Comments and 0 Reactions
Placard-bearing delegates of the People's National Party used pun to good effect at yesterday's NEC meeting in their demands for Prime Minister Bruce Golding, the 'Driva', to resign. In the photograph are Member of Parliament Ronnie Thwaites (top) and Sandrea Falconer (bottom). It refers to the trademark query of traffic cops. - Rudolph Brown/Photographer
Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer
Political observers, business groups and at least one prominent human-rights activist have reacted with outrage to the decision of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to reject calls for the resignation of Prime Minister Bruce Golding.
Executive director of the human-rights group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), Dr Carolyn Gomes, yesterday said the Government should call it a day for echoing the rhetoric that placed the prime minister in trouble in the first place.
"I am blown away, I am deeply disappointed," declared Gomes.
"It makes absolutely no sense - the disrespect to the Jamaican people, the claims that the matter was a simple misunderstanding, and the insistence that not telling the whole truth does not constitute a lie," Gomes lamented.
"If the JLP, which is the governing party, is so lost in the forest that it is unable to comprehend the outrage of the people and the wrong done to the state, then perhaps it is more than the prime minister who needs to resign," said an irate Gomes.
She was supported by political analyst Dr Hume Johnson, who charged that by backing Golding, the leadership of the Jamaica Labour Party has declared war on the citizenry.
Fellow political analyst Dickie Crawford warned that the Government's credibility could be on an irreversible slide.
Crawford asserted that the arguments advanced by JLP officials yesterday were not satisfactory.
"It would appear that the party and the Government are not considering the fact that this will further erode the prime minister's credibility as overwhelming public opinion has already stated on the issue," he asserted.
Johnson chastised Golding and the JLP for their stance. She argued that if Golding remained in office, he would be presiding over a nation that no longer trusted him.
"He is now permanently tarnished. The prime minister has finally exposed his true nature and the arrogance, self-righteousness and dictatorial nature of his administration," Johnson claimed.
According to Johnson, the Government's belief that Golding's role as prime minister could be separated from leadership of the JLP served as demonstrable contempt for the nation.
In the meantime, president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, Joseph M. Matalon, expressed disappointment that Golding was a no-show at yesterday's press conference, which followed an extraordinary meeting of the JLP's Central Executive.
"That's a surprising development. I thought at least he (Golding) would have made a comment," Matalon told The Gleaner as he responded to news that JLP General Secretary Karl Samuda and Dr Ken Baugh, the party's chairman, were the ones who faced the media in Ocho Rios, St Ann.
Unacceptable
Milton Samuda, president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, also expressed dismay at the JLP's explanation.
"I have asked my board to convene an emergency meeting at 3 p.m. today. We will have an official position, but my personal position is that it is wholly unacceptable."
And executive chairman of the Church of God in Jamaica, the Reverend Lenworth Anglin, told The Gleaner that he was still awaiting a public statement or apology from Golding.
"At the very least, we still expect that," Anglin said.
Professor Trevor Munroe, of the Integrity Action Forum and former People's National Party senator, said Baugh and Karl Samuda had done serious damage to the image of Golding and the party.
"Nothing less than a sincere and unconditional apology from the prime minister and, secondly, a signing of the authority to proceed with the extradition, and thirdly, an action plan within a defined period to begin to degarrison the society, disconnect organised gangs from political parties and disclose the funding sources of political parties" were Munroe's demands.
gary.spaulding@gleanerjm.com
Published: Monday | May 17, 20100 Comments and 0 Reactions
Placard-bearing delegates of the People's National Party used pun to good effect at yesterday's NEC meeting in their demands for Prime Minister Bruce Golding, the 'Driva', to resign. In the photograph are Member of Parliament Ronnie Thwaites (top) and Sandrea Falconer (bottom). It refers to the trademark query of traffic cops. - Rudolph Brown/Photographer
Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer
Political observers, business groups and at least one prominent human-rights activist have reacted with outrage to the decision of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to reject calls for the resignation of Prime Minister Bruce Golding.
Executive director of the human-rights group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), Dr Carolyn Gomes, yesterday said the Government should call it a day for echoing the rhetoric that placed the prime minister in trouble in the first place.
"I am blown away, I am deeply disappointed," declared Gomes.
"It makes absolutely no sense - the disrespect to the Jamaican people, the claims that the matter was a simple misunderstanding, and the insistence that not telling the whole truth does not constitute a lie," Gomes lamented.
"If the JLP, which is the governing party, is so lost in the forest that it is unable to comprehend the outrage of the people and the wrong done to the state, then perhaps it is more than the prime minister who needs to resign," said an irate Gomes.
She was supported by political analyst Dr Hume Johnson, who charged that by backing Golding, the leadership of the Jamaica Labour Party has declared war on the citizenry.
Fellow political analyst Dickie Crawford warned that the Government's credibility could be on an irreversible slide.
Crawford asserted that the arguments advanced by JLP officials yesterday were not satisfactory.
"It would appear that the party and the Government are not considering the fact that this will further erode the prime minister's credibility as overwhelming public opinion has already stated on the issue," he asserted.
Johnson chastised Golding and the JLP for their stance. She argued that if Golding remained in office, he would be presiding over a nation that no longer trusted him.
"He is now permanently tarnished. The prime minister has finally exposed his true nature and the arrogance, self-righteousness and dictatorial nature of his administration," Johnson claimed.
According to Johnson, the Government's belief that Golding's role as prime minister could be separated from leadership of the JLP served as demonstrable contempt for the nation.
In the meantime, president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, Joseph M. Matalon, expressed disappointment that Golding was a no-show at yesterday's press conference, which followed an extraordinary meeting of the JLP's Central Executive.
"That's a surprising development. I thought at least he (Golding) would have made a comment," Matalon told The Gleaner as he responded to news that JLP General Secretary Karl Samuda and Dr Ken Baugh, the party's chairman, were the ones who faced the media in Ocho Rios, St Ann.
Unacceptable
Milton Samuda, president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, also expressed dismay at the JLP's explanation.
"I have asked my board to convene an emergency meeting at 3 p.m. today. We will have an official position, but my personal position is that it is wholly unacceptable."
And executive chairman of the Church of God in Jamaica, the Reverend Lenworth Anglin, told The Gleaner that he was still awaiting a public statement or apology from Golding.
"At the very least, we still expect that," Anglin said.
Professor Trevor Munroe, of the Integrity Action Forum and former People's National Party senator, said Baugh and Karl Samuda had done serious damage to the image of Golding and the party.
"Nothing less than a sincere and unconditional apology from the prime minister and, secondly, a signing of the authority to proceed with the extradition, and thirdly, an action plan within a defined period to begin to degarrison the society, disconnect organised gangs from political parties and disclose the funding sources of political parties" were Munroe's demands.
gary.spaulding@gleanerjm.com
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