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A brutal year! - JLP leader laments loss of focus
— as party heads into conference
BY ERICA VIRTUE Observer writer virtuee@jamaicaobserver.com
Monday, November 15, 2010
ONE week before the public session of its annual conference, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader Prime Minister Bruce Golding has admitted that his party has had a difficult political year in which it was forced to respond to contentious matters, none of which moved the country forward.
Golding, who was speaking at the annual general meeting of Generation 2000, the party's youth arm, commended the young Labourites for the intellectual quality they had brought at the youth level of the party.
"We have been through a difficult year... We this year had to deal with a whole range of controversies that in a sense distracted us, diverted attention, diverted our own energies, and we spent a lot of time this year responding to sensational issues that quite frankly, didn't help the country to move one inch further than it was. But these were issues that we had to deal with," Golding told the group.
Among the issues that faced the party was the controversial hiring of United States law firm Manatt, Phelps and Phillips to lobby the Obama Government over the extradition request for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke who the US had indicted on drug trafficking and racketeering charges.
A stand-off between Washington and Kingston ensued as Jamaica delayed signing the extradition warrant for Coke's arrest. The Government later declared a Limited State of Emergency and the police and military led an operation into Tivoli Gardens, Coke's former stronghold.
More than 70 deaths were reported and a disguised Coke was captured about a month later. He waived his right to contest the extradition and is now in the US awaiting trial. A commission of enquiry has been called into the whole affair.
Golding said the party was also facing the challenges of incumbency where nearly every government was swimming against the tides. He said voters in several countries had reflected on the pressures they carried and have taken it out on the Government.
"We are not immune to that, and it is perhaps the biggest challenge that we will face going into to 2011," he said.
Preparation to overcome those challenges would be critical to the JLP's incumbency.
"All of what has happened this year, hopefully we will put it behind us so that we can resume focus," said Golding. "Because all that has happened this year has affected our focus, has diverted us and caused us to lose focus on what we are about, and we have to spend so much time and energy trying to out fires all over the place instead of focusing on the business for which we were elected."
He admitted there was internal criticism for some actions and the party was in need of renewal, especially regarding the commitments of its manifesto.
"We ended up having to explain, justify, sometimes to overcome the resistance and criticisms that come from within our own ranks. And there are things that we committed ourselves to that are going to be what will be used to evaluate and judge us when we get into the next election. And we have to be very clear in our minds what these things mean," Golding said.
He pointed to Saturday's contest for one of the party's deputy leadership positions, saying it was part of the renewal process and encouraged the party to embrace and accommodate it. He said there should be no position that cannot be challenged.
— as party heads into conference
BY ERICA VIRTUE Observer writer virtuee@jamaicaobserver.com
Monday, November 15, 2010
ONE week before the public session of its annual conference, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader Prime Minister Bruce Golding has admitted that his party has had a difficult political year in which it was forced to respond to contentious matters, none of which moved the country forward.
Golding, who was speaking at the annual general meeting of Generation 2000, the party's youth arm, commended the young Labourites for the intellectual quality they had brought at the youth level of the party.
"We have been through a difficult year... We this year had to deal with a whole range of controversies that in a sense distracted us, diverted attention, diverted our own energies, and we spent a lot of time this year responding to sensational issues that quite frankly, didn't help the country to move one inch further than it was. But these were issues that we had to deal with," Golding told the group.
Among the issues that faced the party was the controversial hiring of United States law firm Manatt, Phelps and Phillips to lobby the Obama Government over the extradition request for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke who the US had indicted on drug trafficking and racketeering charges.
A stand-off between Washington and Kingston ensued as Jamaica delayed signing the extradition warrant for Coke's arrest. The Government later declared a Limited State of Emergency and the police and military led an operation into Tivoli Gardens, Coke's former stronghold.
More than 70 deaths were reported and a disguised Coke was captured about a month later. He waived his right to contest the extradition and is now in the US awaiting trial. A commission of enquiry has been called into the whole affair.
Golding said the party was also facing the challenges of incumbency where nearly every government was swimming against the tides. He said voters in several countries had reflected on the pressures they carried and have taken it out on the Government.
"We are not immune to that, and it is perhaps the biggest challenge that we will face going into to 2011," he said.
Preparation to overcome those challenges would be critical to the JLP's incumbency.
"All of what has happened this year, hopefully we will put it behind us so that we can resume focus," said Golding. "Because all that has happened this year has affected our focus, has diverted us and caused us to lose focus on what we are about, and we have to spend so much time and energy trying to out fires all over the place instead of focusing on the business for which we were elected."
He admitted there was internal criticism for some actions and the party was in need of renewal, especially regarding the commitments of its manifesto.
"We ended up having to explain, justify, sometimes to overcome the resistance and criticisms that come from within our own ranks. And there are things that we committed ourselves to that are going to be what will be used to evaluate and judge us when we get into the next election. And we have to be very clear in our minds what these things mean," Golding said.
He pointed to Saturday's contest for one of the party's deputy leadership positions, saying it was part of the renewal process and encouraged the party to embrace and accommodate it. He said there should be no position that cannot be challenged.
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