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Portia, the Progressive Agenda, and the JPS
Franklin Johnston
Friday, August 26, 2011
And they're off! Portia Simpson Miller is the favourite. Were it a head-to-head contest with Bruce - easy peasy, but as a result of 63 MPs' contests it's not. Her burden is dated MPs who underachieved as ministers. She needs more choice, fresh MPs - young and old, the brightest and best to bring this off. As the campaign continues production will fall, short-term jobs rise, public projects will stall. The JLP will be flush with Sandy Gully loot, the PNP make promises to get some; tensions and tempers rise; maybe murder, mayhem and reprisals - we hope not. The JLP and PNP will spend over $1b to win the jackpot - control of our $700b budget and the $800b we get in loans and aid. Portia knows campaign 2012 is to woo 300,000 electors who vote on facts - the uncommitted. The votes of JLP and PNP loyalists cancel each other out, so it is the uncommitted voters who choose the winner. My message from here is to JLP, PNP and no-party 18 to 49-year-olds who will live into old age with the consequences of their decisions in 2012. Make a fresh start for the second half-century.
It's now or not in your lifetime! We should hold the vote so the victors can announce plans for economic independence on August 6, within a 20-year time frame as Singapore did.
Next PM
By the form book Portia should be our next PM. Why? She lost the last elections by a nose; she made no egregious errors, she kept her head down, delegated and burnished her skills. Bruce pledged his career to Dudus, did nothing new with the economy - no vision, IMF, more loans, tighten belts - been there, done that! A subdued Portia launched the Progressive Agenda and a magisterial Portia should soon emerge. A poor nation is judged by its leaders and minorities. If the USA has a bad president he is an exception, "he doesn't reflect America"; or UK riots "not typical of us British"; Mr Brevik kills 87 and is "un-Norwegian"; But if we have a bad PM, riots, or behead a few, they say, "That's Jamaica!" Can Portia lead us to a better place? Some are dismissive of Portia. Wrong! She is as intuitive as Busta was; studied for her degree like Bruce, is in fine shape and getting better like good wine. The men are burnt out; look at them on the TV with the volume off - ghosts! If she wins she might take us where all before failed - to our overdue prosperity! In 49 years our man Cabinets cannot grow our per capita income to reach Barbados's. Ours is less than half theirs! Can she? What should she do? (a) mobilise women, no fluffy stuff, no histrionics - just lead as they want prosperity just like men; (b) put space between herself and the past. The PNP's 18 unbroken years is neither her load nor her legacy. Truth is, she can do no worse than the men. Make your own legacy! (c) unveil an audacious, innovative manifesto as more of the same won't work. Bruce is now in thrall to the IMF; Audley is begging us for ideas for growth. Good progress! (d) line up executives to shadow production and service delivery ministers as some are not managers and retain new experts; (e) unleash your magisterial self so people see the chrysalis is now a butterfly! People don't want JLP or PNP. They want hope, success, prosperity, and if Portia has a good manifesto, credible team and repudiate the failed history she can offer hope and win a chance to put it to the test.
Election campaigns begin with the Opposition as Cabinet can't tell us what they want to do other than what they are doing now. Why? They run things! It is important to the key 300k voters to hear what the Opposition has to say for two reasons; first, it might make sense and it is insight into what, if anything, they learnt since their last debacle. So what is this Agenda?
The Progressive Agenda
The Agenda is an iteration of venerable PNP mantra in modern format. It reaffirms its gospel, but will this move the uncommitted who decide the winner? I read of the five Ionic pillars, the puzzle of "HAPPEN" and the "I/WE" enigma - you should read it - but principles once PNP icons are now mainstream. They are found in UN and other exegesis and even the JLP support them. To me the Agenda says, "The PNP has good history in human dignity and development; our leaders were thinkers; first to enunciate principles, policies, build welfare agencies which are now bedrock and we spent two years writing these 43 pages to say this!" The Agenda reiterates values of Democratic and Christian Socialist parties that made Germany, Holland, France, UK industrial giants with generous welfare systems. Portia must now show us a plan and talent to execute as those did. The Manifesto must evince innovation; what's to be done, how, the benchmarks and credible, clever managers to drive performance. We must see, even by analogy, the space between what is going on now and what is to come. If Bruce or Audley had a new idea they would implement it! Will the same IMF policies produce a different result? In a year or five years' time what will we achieve? The election is Portia's to lose! Singapore prospered in 20 years of Independence, but we are nowhere at 50. Portia must evidence what they now have or know, which they did not in the 18 years up to 2007! Portia must now proffer a manifesto for economic independence!
Jamaica Public Service
The JPS investigation is welcome but for the very professional Mr Zia Mian to appoint "a highly skilled individual" who "will decide who will be on his team" is irregular, exposes this one man to undue pressure, certain censure and violates canons of accountability. Public business demands probity and a thing is not done until it is done right. Mr OUR, please be meticulous or outcomes will be contentious. Take time and put things together well. We are suffering and will clutch at straws. In the energy sector, competition is brand illusion. The UK has six large energy firms (plus small ones) and consumers protest as we do. Last month British Gas raised gas and electricity by 18 per cent and 16 per cent; Npower by 15.7 per cent and 7.2 per cent; Southern Gas 18 per cent and 11 per cent. Gas is rising faster than other fuels. The UK regulators appoint forensic accountants to investigate their firms for reasons of expertise, transparency and as an accountable vocation in law. A layman can understand its terms "to investigate whether energy firms are justified in raising prices"; drill down into "trading profits, wholesale prices and hedging practices"; check the facts behind the numbers and determine whether retail profits are juggled as an excuse to increase profits. These firms function under formulae similar to JPS. They invest in capacity for all of us - even if we don't use it they have it - and they make super profits. Our nuclear plant would cushion us. Forensic experts will produce clarity; they live by codes of ethics, can be disbarred or sued if they screw up. Mr OUR's expert is exposed and if "'im sell wi out" he is "a one man" and we can only cuss him "an' gwaan bad". Put this energy genius into a forensic team so their professional indemnity insurance covers him and we have redress in law. Stay conscious, my friend!
Dr Franklin Johnston is an international project manager with Teape-Johnston Consultants currently on assignment in the UK.
franklinjohnston@hotmail.com
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1W8fAG8G1
Franklin Johnston
Friday, August 26, 2011And they're off! Portia Simpson Miller is the favourite. Were it a head-to-head contest with Bruce - easy peasy, but as a result of 63 MPs' contests it's not. Her burden is dated MPs who underachieved as ministers. She needs more choice, fresh MPs - young and old, the brightest and best to bring this off. As the campaign continues production will fall, short-term jobs rise, public projects will stall. The JLP will be flush with Sandy Gully loot, the PNP make promises to get some; tensions and tempers rise; maybe murder, mayhem and reprisals - we hope not. The JLP and PNP will spend over $1b to win the jackpot - control of our $700b budget and the $800b we get in loans and aid. Portia knows campaign 2012 is to woo 300,000 electors who vote on facts - the uncommitted. The votes of JLP and PNP loyalists cancel each other out, so it is the uncommitted voters who choose the winner. My message from here is to JLP, PNP and no-party 18 to 49-year-olds who will live into old age with the consequences of their decisions in 2012. Make a fresh start for the second half-century.
It's now or not in your lifetime! We should hold the vote so the victors can announce plans for economic independence on August 6, within a 20-year time frame as Singapore did.
Next PM
By the form book Portia should be our next PM. Why? She lost the last elections by a nose; she made no egregious errors, she kept her head down, delegated and burnished her skills. Bruce pledged his career to Dudus, did nothing new with the economy - no vision, IMF, more loans, tighten belts - been there, done that! A subdued Portia launched the Progressive Agenda and a magisterial Portia should soon emerge. A poor nation is judged by its leaders and minorities. If the USA has a bad president he is an exception, "he doesn't reflect America"; or UK riots "not typical of us British"; Mr Brevik kills 87 and is "un-Norwegian"; But if we have a bad PM, riots, or behead a few, they say, "That's Jamaica!" Can Portia lead us to a better place? Some are dismissive of Portia. Wrong! She is as intuitive as Busta was; studied for her degree like Bruce, is in fine shape and getting better like good wine. The men are burnt out; look at them on the TV with the volume off - ghosts! If she wins she might take us where all before failed - to our overdue prosperity! In 49 years our man Cabinets cannot grow our per capita income to reach Barbados's. Ours is less than half theirs! Can she? What should she do? (a) mobilise women, no fluffy stuff, no histrionics - just lead as they want prosperity just like men; (b) put space between herself and the past. The PNP's 18 unbroken years is neither her load nor her legacy. Truth is, she can do no worse than the men. Make your own legacy! (c) unveil an audacious, innovative manifesto as more of the same won't work. Bruce is now in thrall to the IMF; Audley is begging us for ideas for growth. Good progress! (d) line up executives to shadow production and service delivery ministers as some are not managers and retain new experts; (e) unleash your magisterial self so people see the chrysalis is now a butterfly! People don't want JLP or PNP. They want hope, success, prosperity, and if Portia has a good manifesto, credible team and repudiate the failed history she can offer hope and win a chance to put it to the test.
Election campaigns begin with the Opposition as Cabinet can't tell us what they want to do other than what they are doing now. Why? They run things! It is important to the key 300k voters to hear what the Opposition has to say for two reasons; first, it might make sense and it is insight into what, if anything, they learnt since their last debacle. So what is this Agenda?
The Progressive Agenda
The Agenda is an iteration of venerable PNP mantra in modern format. It reaffirms its gospel, but will this move the uncommitted who decide the winner? I read of the five Ionic pillars, the puzzle of "HAPPEN" and the "I/WE" enigma - you should read it - but principles once PNP icons are now mainstream. They are found in UN and other exegesis and even the JLP support them. To me the Agenda says, "The PNP has good history in human dignity and development; our leaders were thinkers; first to enunciate principles, policies, build welfare agencies which are now bedrock and we spent two years writing these 43 pages to say this!" The Agenda reiterates values of Democratic and Christian Socialist parties that made Germany, Holland, France, UK industrial giants with generous welfare systems. Portia must now show us a plan and talent to execute as those did. The Manifesto must evince innovation; what's to be done, how, the benchmarks and credible, clever managers to drive performance. We must see, even by analogy, the space between what is going on now and what is to come. If Bruce or Audley had a new idea they would implement it! Will the same IMF policies produce a different result? In a year or five years' time what will we achieve? The election is Portia's to lose! Singapore prospered in 20 years of Independence, but we are nowhere at 50. Portia must evidence what they now have or know, which they did not in the 18 years up to 2007! Portia must now proffer a manifesto for economic independence!
Jamaica Public Service
The JPS investigation is welcome but for the very professional Mr Zia Mian to appoint "a highly skilled individual" who "will decide who will be on his team" is irregular, exposes this one man to undue pressure, certain censure and violates canons of accountability. Public business demands probity and a thing is not done until it is done right. Mr OUR, please be meticulous or outcomes will be contentious. Take time and put things together well. We are suffering and will clutch at straws. In the energy sector, competition is brand illusion. The UK has six large energy firms (plus small ones) and consumers protest as we do. Last month British Gas raised gas and electricity by 18 per cent and 16 per cent; Npower by 15.7 per cent and 7.2 per cent; Southern Gas 18 per cent and 11 per cent. Gas is rising faster than other fuels. The UK regulators appoint forensic accountants to investigate their firms for reasons of expertise, transparency and as an accountable vocation in law. A layman can understand its terms "to investigate whether energy firms are justified in raising prices"; drill down into "trading profits, wholesale prices and hedging practices"; check the facts behind the numbers and determine whether retail profits are juggled as an excuse to increase profits. These firms function under formulae similar to JPS. They invest in capacity for all of us - even if we don't use it they have it - and they make super profits. Our nuclear plant would cushion us. Forensic experts will produce clarity; they live by codes of ethics, can be disbarred or sued if they screw up. Mr OUR's expert is exposed and if "'im sell wi out" he is "a one man" and we can only cuss him "an' gwaan bad". Put this energy genius into a forensic team so their professional indemnity insurance covers him and we have redress in law. Stay conscious, my friend!
Dr Franklin Johnston is an international project manager with Teape-Johnston Consultants currently on assignment in the UK.
franklinjohnston@hotmail.com
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1W8fAG8G1
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