Tweet
Let the games begin..
After the JLP vote, look for early elections next year
CLAUDE ROBINSON
Sunday, October 02, 2011
PRIME Minister Bruce Golding's stunning announcement last week that he was resigning as head of government and leader of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has dramatically changed the political landscape and could have larger implications for governance and economic management.
The JLP will have to navigate the potentially painful and divisive search for a new leader; the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) will have to devise a new election strategy; and for the country there could be adverse consequences in the short run as ministers are distracted from their official duties with the campaign taking centre stage over the next six weeks.
What brought Mr Golding to this decision at this time of grave economic uncertainty? Who will replace him? Will the process be smooth or turbulent? What are the implications for the electoral chances of both the JLP and the PNP?
The terse press announcement last Sunday at a meeting of the Central Executive of the JLP offered little help in the search for answers to these and related questions that dominated public affairs discussion last week.
"The challenges of the last four years have taken their toll, and it was appropriate now to make way for new leadership to continue the programmes of economic recovery and transformation while mobilising the party for victory in the next general elections," Golding said in the news release issued by Daryl Vaz, minister responsible for information and a confidant of the prime minister.
Mr Golding declined to offer further details to Parliament and the country so we will only get a sense of his thinking when he makes a national broadcast scheduled for tonight.
Some of the challenges have been well documented: Mr Golding's stalling of the United States' extradition request for former West Kingston 'don' Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, his belated admission that he authorised the hiring of a US law firm to lobby the US Government to back off on the extradition, and his performance at the enquiry into these events all contributed to a severe loss of credibility and standing in public opinion polls.
When he speaks tonight we may know whether the unexpected turn of events was a late response to the calls many of us made back in May 2010 when Mr Golding was portrayed as a man who had corrupted the governance process by placing resources of the state in the service of a constituent accused of running drugs into the US and guns into Jamaica.
Mr Golding resisted the calls for his resignation — although he had contemplated it — and, up to a week ago, it appeared that he had decided to weather the storm. Relations with Washington appeared to be back on track; Coke had surrendered to US authorities, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and will be sentenced in December; civil society groups are back at the transformation talks; some of the reforms promised as part of a pledge to return to good governance are being implemented.
Further, there has been no indication of a major revolt among the JLP members of parliament although it was widely acknowledged that there was sniping from some colleagues and he could not always count on full support. But these were hardly the kinds of things to force out a strong, decisive leader.
So we are left with few options in the search for an explanation: Does the prime minister know something that he has not yet shared? Is he simply tired of the constant criticism and just wants to walk away from a thankless task of leading a country that is, perhaps, ungovernable? Was it a calculation designed to give the JLP the best chance of winning the next election?
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1ZigSfpio
After the JLP vote, look for early elections next year
CLAUDE ROBINSON
Sunday, October 02, 2011
PRIME Minister Bruce Golding's stunning announcement last week that he was resigning as head of government and leader of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has dramatically changed the political landscape and could have larger implications for governance and economic management.
The JLP will have to navigate the potentially painful and divisive search for a new leader; the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) will have to devise a new election strategy; and for the country there could be adverse consequences in the short run as ministers are distracted from their official duties with the campaign taking centre stage over the next six weeks.
What brought Mr Golding to this decision at this time of grave economic uncertainty? Who will replace him? Will the process be smooth or turbulent? What are the implications for the electoral chances of both the JLP and the PNP?
The terse press announcement last Sunday at a meeting of the Central Executive of the JLP offered little help in the search for answers to these and related questions that dominated public affairs discussion last week.
"The challenges of the last four years have taken their toll, and it was appropriate now to make way for new leadership to continue the programmes of economic recovery and transformation while mobilising the party for victory in the next general elections," Golding said in the news release issued by Daryl Vaz, minister responsible for information and a confidant of the prime minister.
Mr Golding declined to offer further details to Parliament and the country so we will only get a sense of his thinking when he makes a national broadcast scheduled for tonight.
Some of the challenges have been well documented: Mr Golding's stalling of the United States' extradition request for former West Kingston 'don' Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, his belated admission that he authorised the hiring of a US law firm to lobby the US Government to back off on the extradition, and his performance at the enquiry into these events all contributed to a severe loss of credibility and standing in public opinion polls.
When he speaks tonight we may know whether the unexpected turn of events was a late response to the calls many of us made back in May 2010 when Mr Golding was portrayed as a man who had corrupted the governance process by placing resources of the state in the service of a constituent accused of running drugs into the US and guns into Jamaica.
Mr Golding resisted the calls for his resignation — although he had contemplated it — and, up to a week ago, it appeared that he had decided to weather the storm. Relations with Washington appeared to be back on track; Coke had surrendered to US authorities, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and will be sentenced in December; civil society groups are back at the transformation talks; some of the reforms promised as part of a pledge to return to good governance are being implemented.
Further, there has been no indication of a major revolt among the JLP members of parliament although it was widely acknowledged that there was sniping from some colleagues and he could not always count on full support. But these were hardly the kinds of things to force out a strong, decisive leader.
So we are left with few options in the search for an explanation: Does the prime minister know something that he has not yet shared? Is he simply tired of the constant criticism and just wants to walk away from a thankless task of leading a country that is, perhaps, ungovernable? Was it a calculation designed to give the JLP the best chance of winning the next election?
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1ZigSfpio
