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Prospective PM says he’ll never embrace garrison politics
BY INGRID BROWN Senior staff reporter ?browni@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
ANDREW Holness yesterday issued a strong rejection of donmanship and garrison politics, saying he has never embraced either, and will not veer from that position regardless of which constituency he will seek to represent in the next general election.
Holness said while no decision has been made on whether he will take up the West Kingston seat, if it is left vacant by outgoing prime minister Bruce Golding, he does not want to be cast as a garrison politician.
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“Anywhere I decide to go I will be strong against garrison politics as I was strong against it in that (West Central St Andrew) constituency,” Holness told reporters and editors at the Observer Monday Exchange held at the newspaper’s head offices in Kingston.
The education minister, who is expected to take the reins of Jamaica Labour Party leader and prime minister when Golding demits office next month, said it is not fair that he has been accused of being a garrison politician because he represents West Central St Andrew, which is labelled a garrison constituency.
Holness said he has also never used public resources to support donmanship and that has made him unpopular with some of his constituents.
Although he built four basic schools, a community centre, cleaned gullies, corrected the water problem and is about to construct a police station in his constituency, Holness said he has never got credit for that.
“I don’t get credit for that because what people want is for me to use public resources to pay for funerals and to give them and I never did that, and so my own personal ratings [fell] because of this personal thing,” Holness said.
He said he has taken unilateral steps to eliminate the garrison-like features in the constituency which he has represented for three terms.
According to Holness, garrison politics is not in his nature and neither is it a part of his political culture.
“I was born in 1972; I have nothing to do with that era of our politics,” he insisted.
While reiterating that no decision has been made for him to take up the West Kingston seat, Holness said that any constituency in which he is asked to serve, his stance on garrison politics will be as strong as it is in West Central St Andrew.
Noting that the constituents have been through a lot as a result of enforcership, Holness said that the destabilising strategy employed by his opponents in the 2007 general election is already creeping back into the constituency.
He explained that elements of a dangerous gang, which was dismantled by the police, are now resurfacing in sections of the constituency with an aim to destabilise the peace.
“I am seeing where certain movements have started... men walking in masks, going around to intimidate the people.… telling them that they can’t vote for Holness,” he said, adding that he reported the matter to the police last Saturday.
He further explained that when he first sought to represent that constituency, persons who were under enforcership deliberately decided to go against the enforcers.
“Areas that were under the enforcership or dons went against them and that is why I am here today, because of that swing vote,” he said.
Recalling the sequence of events in the 2007 elections which led to the death of at least six persons from the areas which supported his candidacy, Holness accused the Opposition of increasing the enforcership in 2007 when it became clear that another wave of people could move away from that type of politics.
“That created an element of violence trying to re-establish and turn areas that had previously thrown this off,” he said.
Holness also sought to clarify that now infamous decision not to shake the hand of head of the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) Bishop Herro Blair.
According to him, he took a principled position when it became clear that the PMI was engaging in a walk with someone whom he considered to be at the heart of the problem.
“I told the PMI if a certain person was walking I would not, as it would appear as if they were legitimising the actions of the person creating the problems,” he said. “I felt it would be a wrong message to send.”
Holness is convinced that his stance has since been vindicated as the person has since been charged with a criminal offence.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz1aT6fYy6c
BY INGRID BROWN Senior staff reporter ?browni@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
ANDREW Holness yesterday issued a strong rejection of donmanship and garrison politics, saying he has never embraced either, and will not veer from that position regardless of which constituency he will seek to represent in the next general election.
Holness said while no decision has been made on whether he will take up the West Kingston seat, if it is left vacant by outgoing prime minister Bruce Golding, he does not want to be cast as a garrison politician.
[ video link for mobile viewing ]
“Anywhere I decide to go I will be strong against garrison politics as I was strong against it in that (West Central St Andrew) constituency,” Holness told reporters and editors at the Observer Monday Exchange held at the newspaper’s head offices in Kingston.
The education minister, who is expected to take the reins of Jamaica Labour Party leader and prime minister when Golding demits office next month, said it is not fair that he has been accused of being a garrison politician because he represents West Central St Andrew, which is labelled a garrison constituency.
Holness said he has also never used public resources to support donmanship and that has made him unpopular with some of his constituents.
Although he built four basic schools, a community centre, cleaned gullies, corrected the water problem and is about to construct a police station in his constituency, Holness said he has never got credit for that.
“I don’t get credit for that because what people want is for me to use public resources to pay for funerals and to give them and I never did that, and so my own personal ratings [fell] because of this personal thing,” Holness said.
He said he has taken unilateral steps to eliminate the garrison-like features in the constituency which he has represented for three terms.
According to Holness, garrison politics is not in his nature and neither is it a part of his political culture.
“I was born in 1972; I have nothing to do with that era of our politics,” he insisted.
While reiterating that no decision has been made for him to take up the West Kingston seat, Holness said that any constituency in which he is asked to serve, his stance on garrison politics will be as strong as it is in West Central St Andrew.
Noting that the constituents have been through a lot as a result of enforcership, Holness said that the destabilising strategy employed by his opponents in the 2007 general election is already creeping back into the constituency.
He explained that elements of a dangerous gang, which was dismantled by the police, are now resurfacing in sections of the constituency with an aim to destabilise the peace.
“I am seeing where certain movements have started... men walking in masks, going around to intimidate the people.… telling them that they can’t vote for Holness,” he said, adding that he reported the matter to the police last Saturday.
He further explained that when he first sought to represent that constituency, persons who were under enforcership deliberately decided to go against the enforcers.
“Areas that were under the enforcership or dons went against them and that is why I am here today, because of that swing vote,” he said.
Recalling the sequence of events in the 2007 elections which led to the death of at least six persons from the areas which supported his candidacy, Holness accused the Opposition of increasing the enforcership in 2007 when it became clear that another wave of people could move away from that type of politics.
“That created an element of violence trying to re-establish and turn areas that had previously thrown this off,” he said.
Holness also sought to clarify that now infamous decision not to shake the hand of head of the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) Bishop Herro Blair.
According to him, he took a principled position when it became clear that the PMI was engaging in a walk with someone whom he considered to be at the heart of the problem.
“I told the PMI if a certain person was walking I would not, as it would appear as if they were legitimising the actions of the person creating the problems,” he said. “I felt it would be a wrong message to send.”
Holness is convinced that his stance has since been vindicated as the person has since been charged with a criminal offence.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz1aT6fYy6c
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