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Youth does not automatically equal new and different
ID: INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE
DAVID MULLINGS
Sunday, October 02, 2011
THE events of the past week in Jamaica have elicited varied responses, but I am frankly surprised that anyone was surprised at the prime minister's wish to resign.
When Golding offered his resignation last year, I distinctly remember watching a JLP press conference held during an emergency meeting where Dr Ken Baugh, deputy prime minister, said that Golding was doing the right thing. Karl Samuda reached out, touched him, and then took over the conference.
BAUGH… said that Golding was doing the right thing when he offered his resignation last year
1/2
Based on how Jamaica's name has been dragged through the mud because of the prime minister's apparent defence of a major drug kingpin from his constituency, which is a well-known JLP stronghold, the announcement should come as no surprise at all. What is really surprising is that no member of the JLP was willing to put integrity first by saying last year that the engagement of the US law firm Manatt, Phelps and Phillips, or the way they were engaged was wrong. Also surprising was how quickly certain corners of the Jamaican public dropped the calls for resignation and quickly accepted an apology.
Don't ethics and integrity mean anything at all to some Jamaicans?
Two MPs from the JLP did say so in a Jamaica Observer article but wished to remain anonymous. Will they finally stand up and be shown to actually put country before party?
Jamaica seems to have this fixation with wanting "youth" and to get rid of the "old guard", but few seem to acknowledge the painfully obvious: Age does not determine whether one will put the country first.
In fact, in Jamaica it seems that many of the youth are just cut from the same cloth as the old guard. It was "youth" in the PNP who were implicated in the Cuban lightbulb scandal. It has been "youth" in the JLP who have actually gone on record to say that the current prime minister did nothing wrong. It is "youth" that showed poor judgement in dealing with appointments to a board that then led to an impasse, and it has been "youth" that labelled JEEP a socialist policy, as if socialism is bad, all while the current administration has pursued socialist policies such as "free" education and "free" health care.
When are we going to focus on what really matters? Qualities such as vision for the country, integrity, ethics and ability to reach across the aisle when needed.
The "old guard" have merely trained many of the "youth" in their bad, blind partisan ways. Prime Minister Golding has misled the country a number of times and he is paying the price for that, but the minister of finance also misled the country on the real reason for the dismissal of the former BOJ governor.
Of course, this seems to be part of the job description of ministers because a former minister of finance under the PNP misled the country when he tabled a "run wid it" budget that simply was not in the interest of the country but instead put the party first. Do I really need to also highlight Portia Simpson Miller's famous "ask the PNP" statement about money from Trafigura that one group says was payment for services and the other says was a donation?
As long as Jamaican politics is primarily filled with individuals who put party over country and are willing to mislead the country, there will never be anything "new and different" to come, just more of the same.
As long as the Jamaican people do not demand politicians with more integrity, ethics and a respect for truth, it will just be more of the same.
There are many good Jamaicans willing to put themselves forward in true service of the nation, but they have stayed away from politics because it has been mostly the domain of certain people.
Please stop the fixation on age and start demanding the real qualities that matter: Vision for the future of the country, integrity, ethics and honesty.
David Mullings is the first Future Leaders representative for the USA on the Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board. He can be found on Twitter at twitter.com/davidmullings and Facebook at facebook.com/InteractiveDialogue
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1ZdH0M4f0
ID: INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE
DAVID MULLINGS
Sunday, October 02, 2011
THE events of the past week in Jamaica have elicited varied responses, but I am frankly surprised that anyone was surprised at the prime minister's wish to resign.
When Golding offered his resignation last year, I distinctly remember watching a JLP press conference held during an emergency meeting where Dr Ken Baugh, deputy prime minister, said that Golding was doing the right thing. Karl Samuda reached out, touched him, and then took over the conference.
BAUGH… said that Golding was doing the right thing when he offered his resignation last year
1/2
Based on how Jamaica's name has been dragged through the mud because of the prime minister's apparent defence of a major drug kingpin from his constituency, which is a well-known JLP stronghold, the announcement should come as no surprise at all. What is really surprising is that no member of the JLP was willing to put integrity first by saying last year that the engagement of the US law firm Manatt, Phelps and Phillips, or the way they were engaged was wrong. Also surprising was how quickly certain corners of the Jamaican public dropped the calls for resignation and quickly accepted an apology.
Don't ethics and integrity mean anything at all to some Jamaicans?
Two MPs from the JLP did say so in a Jamaica Observer article but wished to remain anonymous. Will they finally stand up and be shown to actually put country before party?
Jamaica seems to have this fixation with wanting "youth" and to get rid of the "old guard", but few seem to acknowledge the painfully obvious: Age does not determine whether one will put the country first.
In fact, in Jamaica it seems that many of the youth are just cut from the same cloth as the old guard. It was "youth" in the PNP who were implicated in the Cuban lightbulb scandal. It has been "youth" in the JLP who have actually gone on record to say that the current prime minister did nothing wrong. It is "youth" that showed poor judgement in dealing with appointments to a board that then led to an impasse, and it has been "youth" that labelled JEEP a socialist policy, as if socialism is bad, all while the current administration has pursued socialist policies such as "free" education and "free" health care.
When are we going to focus on what really matters? Qualities such as vision for the country, integrity, ethics and ability to reach across the aisle when needed.
The "old guard" have merely trained many of the "youth" in their bad, blind partisan ways. Prime Minister Golding has misled the country a number of times and he is paying the price for that, but the minister of finance also misled the country on the real reason for the dismissal of the former BOJ governor.
Of course, this seems to be part of the job description of ministers because a former minister of finance under the PNP misled the country when he tabled a "run wid it" budget that simply was not in the interest of the country but instead put the party first. Do I really need to also highlight Portia Simpson Miller's famous "ask the PNP" statement about money from Trafigura that one group says was payment for services and the other says was a donation?
As long as Jamaican politics is primarily filled with individuals who put party over country and are willing to mislead the country, there will never be anything "new and different" to come, just more of the same.
As long as the Jamaican people do not demand politicians with more integrity, ethics and a respect for truth, it will just be more of the same.
There are many good Jamaicans willing to put themselves forward in true service of the nation, but they have stayed away from politics because it has been mostly the domain of certain people.
Please stop the fixation on age and start demanding the real qualities that matter: Vision for the future of the country, integrity, ethics and honesty.
David Mullings is the first Future Leaders representative for the USA on the Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board. He can be found on Twitter at twitter.com/davidmullings and Facebook at facebook.com/InteractiveDialogue
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1ZdH0M4f0
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