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Portia rising
KEN CHAPLIN
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Some leading commentators in the media have expressed surprise at the high quality of the speech of PNP leader, Portia Simpson Miller, to the annual conference of the party in September. I was not in the least surprised as her ability in this respect has been growing since 2008. Last year, for example, this column described her budget speech as solid and pertinent, and one of the most profound made by her both as Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. I do not believe that she has yet reached her full potential, and given time I expect she will be in full flight by 2012 when the next general election will be held. Everyone who knows Simpson Miller is aware of her determination to achieve excellence, although she has not reached there yet.
It was a master move for Simpson Miller to make Peter Phillips second in command of the party
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Simpson Miller must, however, shun statements which she cannot substantiate. She should not follow Peter Bunting and speculate. Politicians in this country should know by now that false propaganda is ultimately of little value. It was a master move for Simpson Miller to make Peter Phillips second in command of the party and this should end the struggle between the two, at least for the time being. A strong unity now exists in the party. In September 2008, I took Simpson Miller to task, noting that she exhibited pettiness when she failed to mention Phillips by name as one of those with whom she is willing to work, especially in the renewal of the party's drive and dynamics, after its defeat in the 2007 general elections. A different leader, I wrote, would publicly
acknowledge Phillips' right to contest the presidential election and rejoin her in the fight for the overriding principles of the party, and help to regain political power so as to improve the standard of living of the poor whom she claims to care about. Simpson Miller needs Phillips more than he needs her.
So most comrades and others were happy to see the close relations which developed over the past year between Simpson Miller and Phillips. There was no appearance of hypocritical stance between them as in the past. It was genuine regard and support for each other. He now holds the most powerful position in the party outside of the leader - that of national election campaign director. In time when she is ready to retire, I am sure she will name Phillips her heir apparent. As the PNP's founding President Norman Washington Manley once said when trouble in the party was beaten back: "Let us go forward with a singleness of purpose."
There is a barefaced clandestine group calling itself "Comrades for Change" which has been attacking certain people in the party. In a statement to the media on September 19, the day of the PNP conference, the group launched a relentless attack on Simpson Miller and said Phillips should lead the party. The people in this group are a bunch of cowards operating covertly, instead of coming out and stating their opposition publicly. They are not going to succeed in splitting the bond between the two leaders which has now been solidified.
Simpson Miller's speech sounded like a soft launch of the campaign for the 2012 general election to replace the Jamaica Labour Party as the governing party.
For the PNP it is not going to be an easy task in spite of the prolonged severe attack by its leaders to pillory Golding over his indiscretion in the Manatt Phelps and Phillips-Christopher "Dudus" Coke affair. The government's position is strong, and unless the economic gains it has secured for the country so far begin to dwindle, the JLP must be regarded as the frontrunner in any election. The JLP took over the country in 2007 after more than 18 years of near economic devastation by the PNP government.
For years the debt burden has been crippling Jamaica with high interest rates holding back micro and macro development. For years the government of Jamaica struggled to meet debt payments. Indeed, debt servicing and grants exceeded revenues and government had to borrow heavily to close the gap.
Then the JLP government came forward with a unique programme called the Jamaica Debt Exchange, which was hailed by international lending agencies and many countries. The JDX saw the voluntary exchange of bonds, excluding treasury bills issued by government on the local market, for new bonds of the same value, but at lower interest rates and longer maturities. It saved the country $700 billion in interest it would otherwise have had to pay on the debt.
For years crime and violence has bled the country, holding back production and creating traumatic conditions for the people. Through aggressive policies, this government has managed to reduce crime and violence considerably. But the country has got to remain on the alert lest the situation gets out of control again. There were other good performances such as significant reduction in the treasury bill rates, Jamaica's ability to access funds from international lending agencies to a maximum "high" of five per cent, the lowest in decades, and increase in tax revenues.
I believe that the only thing that can hold back Golding is the poor condition of the roads islandwide. His government inherited a preponderance of bad roads when it took office in 2007. It is the worst condition we have seen our roads in since Independence in spite of the promise by then Minister of Works and Transport, Bobby
Pickersgill, that by 2003 our roads would be pothole-free. Our secondary and parochial roads have deteriorated since, especially by flooding from rain associated with tropical storm Nicole which caused $13 billion in damage to infrastructure.
The PNP has complained bitterly that the roads selected for repair under the government's $36 billion Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme, financed by a loan from the Chinese Government, are mostly in constituencies held by the ruling JLP. What's new! Such programmes have always been in favour of constituencies held by the ruling party. What should not be tolerated is discrimination in giving out jobs. Employment should be equitably distributed.
All workers, whether they be JLP or PNP supporters, or supporters of no party, have to eat bred. The proposal by the PNP that some of the money from the JDIP be redirected to the immediate rehabilitation of the infrastructure damaged by the recent floods is worthy of consideration.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...rising_8046260
KEN CHAPLIN
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Some leading commentators in the media have expressed surprise at the high quality of the speech of PNP leader, Portia Simpson Miller, to the annual conference of the party in September. I was not in the least surprised as her ability in this respect has been growing since 2008. Last year, for example, this column described her budget speech as solid and pertinent, and one of the most profound made by her both as Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. I do not believe that she has yet reached her full potential, and given time I expect she will be in full flight by 2012 when the next general election will be held. Everyone who knows Simpson Miller is aware of her determination to achieve excellence, although she has not reached there yet.
It was a master move for Simpson Miller to make Peter Phillips second in command of the party
1/1 Simpson Miller must, however, shun statements which she cannot substantiate. She should not follow Peter Bunting and speculate. Politicians in this country should know by now that false propaganda is ultimately of little value. It was a master move for Simpson Miller to make Peter Phillips second in command of the party and this should end the struggle between the two, at least for the time being. A strong unity now exists in the party. In September 2008, I took Simpson Miller to task, noting that she exhibited pettiness when she failed to mention Phillips by name as one of those with whom she is willing to work, especially in the renewal of the party's drive and dynamics, after its defeat in the 2007 general elections. A different leader, I wrote, would publicly
acknowledge Phillips' right to contest the presidential election and rejoin her in the fight for the overriding principles of the party, and help to regain political power so as to improve the standard of living of the poor whom she claims to care about. Simpson Miller needs Phillips more than he needs her.
So most comrades and others were happy to see the close relations which developed over the past year between Simpson Miller and Phillips. There was no appearance of hypocritical stance between them as in the past. It was genuine regard and support for each other. He now holds the most powerful position in the party outside of the leader - that of national election campaign director. In time when she is ready to retire, I am sure she will name Phillips her heir apparent. As the PNP's founding President Norman Washington Manley once said when trouble in the party was beaten back: "Let us go forward with a singleness of purpose."
There is a barefaced clandestine group calling itself "Comrades for Change" which has been attacking certain people in the party. In a statement to the media on September 19, the day of the PNP conference, the group launched a relentless attack on Simpson Miller and said Phillips should lead the party. The people in this group are a bunch of cowards operating covertly, instead of coming out and stating their opposition publicly. They are not going to succeed in splitting the bond between the two leaders which has now been solidified.
Simpson Miller's speech sounded like a soft launch of the campaign for the 2012 general election to replace the Jamaica Labour Party as the governing party.
For the PNP it is not going to be an easy task in spite of the prolonged severe attack by its leaders to pillory Golding over his indiscretion in the Manatt Phelps and Phillips-Christopher "Dudus" Coke affair. The government's position is strong, and unless the economic gains it has secured for the country so far begin to dwindle, the JLP must be regarded as the frontrunner in any election. The JLP took over the country in 2007 after more than 18 years of near economic devastation by the PNP government.
For years the debt burden has been crippling Jamaica with high interest rates holding back micro and macro development. For years the government of Jamaica struggled to meet debt payments. Indeed, debt servicing and grants exceeded revenues and government had to borrow heavily to close the gap.
Then the JLP government came forward with a unique programme called the Jamaica Debt Exchange, which was hailed by international lending agencies and many countries. The JDX saw the voluntary exchange of bonds, excluding treasury bills issued by government on the local market, for new bonds of the same value, but at lower interest rates and longer maturities. It saved the country $700 billion in interest it would otherwise have had to pay on the debt.
For years crime and violence has bled the country, holding back production and creating traumatic conditions for the people. Through aggressive policies, this government has managed to reduce crime and violence considerably. But the country has got to remain on the alert lest the situation gets out of control again. There were other good performances such as significant reduction in the treasury bill rates, Jamaica's ability to access funds from international lending agencies to a maximum "high" of five per cent, the lowest in decades, and increase in tax revenues.
I believe that the only thing that can hold back Golding is the poor condition of the roads islandwide. His government inherited a preponderance of bad roads when it took office in 2007. It is the worst condition we have seen our roads in since Independence in spite of the promise by then Minister of Works and Transport, Bobby
Pickersgill, that by 2003 our roads would be pothole-free. Our secondary and parochial roads have deteriorated since, especially by flooding from rain associated with tropical storm Nicole which caused $13 billion in damage to infrastructure.
The PNP has complained bitterly that the roads selected for repair under the government's $36 billion Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme, financed by a loan from the Chinese Government, are mostly in constituencies held by the ruling JLP. What's new! Such programmes have always been in favour of constituencies held by the ruling party. What should not be tolerated is discrimination in giving out jobs. Employment should be equitably distributed.
All workers, whether they be JLP or PNP supporters, or supporters of no party, have to eat bred. The proposal by the PNP that some of the money from the JDIP be redirected to the immediate rehabilitation of the infrastructure damaged by the recent floods is worthy of consideration.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...rising_8046260
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