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EDITORIAL - Why the JLP kept Golding
Published: Tuesday | May 18, 2010
Hardly anyone is surprised that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) declined Mr Bruce Golding's offer of resignation as its leader and as prime minister of Jamaica.
That decision is not because ranking members of the ruling party genuinely believed that Mr Golding has managed the Christopher Coke extradition affair with dexterity and skill, or that he did not lie to Jamaica over the Manatt lobbying scandal.
The truth is, as badly bruised, worn and compromised as Mr Golding now is, the JLP feels that it, at this time, has no credible successor. The shame is that, essentially, the JLP is right.
For, should Mr Golding decide to go, which of these personalities would win the confidence, support and trust of the Jamaican people:
And therein lies the crisis that confronts Jamaica - a crisis of political leadership. Or, perhaps, more to the point, is the failure of Jamaica's political parties to organise themselves in a fashion that allows the most talented of their members to rise to the top, except they have served long apprenticeships, command significant resources with which to purchase support, and/or have developed power bases that include brigades of muscle that corral votes.
In other words, Jamaican political parties, and the political system broadly, do not place a premium on integrity, honesty or managerial competence. It is a failure reflected in incompetent government and dysfunctional approaches to governance.
Traditionally, the Senate has been the mechanism used to bring talent into government, helping to compensate for the mediocrity that is encouraged in regular party politics. Unfortunately, but for a handful of exceptions, we have not been impressed with the quality of the debate and analyses that have emerged from the current Senate, particularly the younger members.
Transform his leadership
So, it seems that Jamaica is stuck with Mr Golding. This newspaper hopes that - assuming that he sticks to his position and stays - even at this late stage, Mr Golding can transform his leadership and take on the several tough issues facing Jamaica.
Among the most difficult of these is repairing the country's battered economy. The most immediate component of this is cutting the public sector to make it more efficient and to lower a runaway fiscal deficit. Mr Golding must also lead an attack on crime while concomitantly addressing a raft of social problems.
Doing these things will not be easy. It requires strong, sure leadership that has the trust of the people.
To begin to win the trust of the people, Mr Golding must disentangle himself and his party from the Coke affair. He must end the legal sophistry and instruct his attorney general and justice minister to sign the extradition order for Mr Coke, who the Americans want to put on trial for alleged narco-trafficking and gunrunning.
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.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...cleisure1.html
Published: Tuesday | May 18, 2010
Hardly anyone is surprised that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) declined Mr Bruce Golding's offer of resignation as its leader and as prime minister of Jamaica.
That decision is not because ranking members of the ruling party genuinely believed that Mr Golding has managed the Christopher Coke extradition affair with dexterity and skill, or that he did not lie to Jamaica over the Manatt lobbying scandal.
The truth is, as badly bruised, worn and compromised as Mr Golding now is, the JLP feels that it, at this time, has no credible successor. The shame is that, essentially, the JLP is right.
For, should Mr Golding decide to go, which of these personalities would win the confidence, support and trust of the Jamaican people:
- Daryl Vaz, the information minister;
- James Robertson, the mining and energy minister;
- Karl Samuda, the JLP's general secretary and investment minister;
- Dr Ken Baugh, the foreign minister;
- Delroy Chuck, speaker of the House;
- Dr Christopher Tufton, the agriculture minister; or
- Andrew Holness, the education minister?
And therein lies the crisis that confronts Jamaica - a crisis of political leadership. Or, perhaps, more to the point, is the failure of Jamaica's political parties to organise themselves in a fashion that allows the most talented of their members to rise to the top, except they have served long apprenticeships, command significant resources with which to purchase support, and/or have developed power bases that include brigades of muscle that corral votes.
In other words, Jamaican political parties, and the political system broadly, do not place a premium on integrity, honesty or managerial competence. It is a failure reflected in incompetent government and dysfunctional approaches to governance.
Traditionally, the Senate has been the mechanism used to bring talent into government, helping to compensate for the mediocrity that is encouraged in regular party politics. Unfortunately, but for a handful of exceptions, we have not been impressed with the quality of the debate and analyses that have emerged from the current Senate, particularly the younger members.
Transform his leadership
So, it seems that Jamaica is stuck with Mr Golding. This newspaper hopes that - assuming that he sticks to his position and stays - even at this late stage, Mr Golding can transform his leadership and take on the several tough issues facing Jamaica.
Among the most difficult of these is repairing the country's battered economy. The most immediate component of this is cutting the public sector to make it more efficient and to lower a runaway fiscal deficit. Mr Golding must also lead an attack on crime while concomitantly addressing a raft of social problems.
Doing these things will not be easy. It requires strong, sure leadership that has the trust of the people.
To begin to win the trust of the people, Mr Golding must disentangle himself and his party from the Coke affair. He must end the legal sophistry and instruct his attorney general and justice minister to sign the extradition order for Mr Coke, who the Americans want to put on trial for alleged narco-trafficking and gunrunning.
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.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...cleisure1.html