Golding's lack of credibility

[Lazie]

The Editor, Sir:
I listened to Mr. Golding's Budget presentation and was made even more cynical by the plethora of 'unkeepable' promises. What bothers me about the presentation is that it displayed such a gnawing lack of credibility. How does he propose to finance hospitals, schools, diagnostic centres and the many other wonderful promises? How quickly does he plan to have all those well-paying jobs available?
I hope in the upcoming election debates someone pins down Mr. Golding to real numbers. For example - how much will it cost to set up diagnostic services and how much will it take to maintain them?
He promises that he will create a Social Security Tax by pooling NIS, NHT and education tax. How much per annumdoes he expect to get from these sources (with many more people earning) and how much will go to finance hospitals since he will abolish hospital fees? How much will go to schools since secondary fees will be abolished?
The public should demand specifics and not leave Mr. Golding and other persons seeking public office to promise these excitement-raising pies in the sky that disappear the morning after!
I am, etc.,
CANUTE S. THOMPSON
canute_thompson@hotmail.com Mandeville

[Muadib]

Re: Golding's lack of credibility

Apparantly this fool does not understand the correlation between more jobs and increased tax revenue and how reduced debt servicing allows better allocation of Govt Revenue..

[Mosiah]

Re: Golding's lack of credibility

Maybe he doubts employment will grow? 5%?!?

[Lazie]

Re: Golding's lack of credibility

Maybe he doubts employment will grow? 5%?!?

At times I wonder how serious Jamaicans are. If all the proposals were put forward by the PNP, would there be any question about credibility? In 1996 when PJ said our economy would be growing 6% p.a. like Barbados, I believed him. Yuh think because dem nuh deliver I must take the position that it cannot be done?

Time people wise up.

[Muadib]

Re: Golding's lack of credibility

Maybe he doubts employment will grow? 5%?!?

Maybe.. then again maybe he is just a victim of 18 years of incompetence.. at this point like many that have suffered under the regime of non-growth.. his perspective has been warped thus his ability to process what is reasonable has been impaired.

Yuh mekking it sound like 5% is any big shakes.. that is just average in the 'real world'.

Just because the PNP Govt mek it look impossible.. it nuh mean yuh muss buy into it hook line and sinker. Dem have a diffrant agenda coming from the 70's.

[Comment]

Re: Golding's lack of credibility

I wrote this letter to him.

"I read you letter to the gleaner, but I am just wondering on what
exactly
>do you base your assertion that promises made are "unkeepable".
>
>Perhaps you base it on the fact that P.J. promised to abolish school
fees,
>but didn't keep his word, or that Omar promised to raise the tax
threshold
>but didn't.
>
>It would be unfair to judge Mr.Golding based on the rank (and
repeated)
>incompetence of the governing party.
>
>It is clear, based on your letter, that the government has robbed you
of
>hope with their abject failure with the economy and their presiding
over
>the almost complete breakdown of the social fabric of society. You
seem to
>now feel that this is our lot, it can't get better.
>
>But don't give up, help is on the way! We are not irredeemable as some
>think (Omar??!!) we just need proper leadership, something that for
the
>past decade and a half has been sorely lacking."

[Mosiah]

Re: Golding's lack of credibility

1996 is a lot different from 2007. I don't care who say it, 5% growth will not happen with the Jamaica we have today. Portia, by her sheer popularity, could have achieved it, but she has lost her way and won't be able to do it either.

Dun talk!

[Lazie]

Re: Golding's lack of credibility

1996 is a lot different from 2007. I don't care who say it, 5% growth will not happen with the Jamaica we have today. Portia, by her sheer popularity, could have achieved it, but she has lost her way and won't be able to do it either.

Dun talk!

Portia, by her sheer popularity, could have achieved it, but she has lost her way and won't be able to do it either

As usual, Jamaicans focus on the wrong things. Mosiah, yuh deh pon the right track, but yuh focusing on the wrong P ... no its not Portia nor popularity. Afterall, who was popular like Manley and look at what he did to our economy? The correct P word is Policy. Mi know after 18 years of distribution of scarce benefits and spoils yuh may be confused.

[Willi]

Re: Golding's lack of credibility

Plans and implementation achieve growth Mo, not personality.

That is where we go wrong all the time.

Put me in charge of Jam and I can get 5+% growth in 3 years...the problem would be to stop the economy overheating.

As to whether the opposition can do it, I have doubts, but I am sure they can do better than the Govt.

[Willi]

Re: Golding's lack of credibility

He is trading off the suspicion of credibility for the Certainty of any credibility in the gOVT.

It amazes me that people try to hold the Opposition to even higher standards than the Govt. The same was true when the JLP was in power before.

Simple rule, it's only the Govt in power that can deleiver. Only they can be held to the highest scrutiny. If they deliver, then the Opposition can be discounted. If they dont, what is the choice other than going for a change? It is the very definition of madness to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

I already made it clear...the rule should be 1 term max....unless there is exceptional performance from the party in power.

[Karl]

Re: Golding's lack of credibility

Plans and implementation achieve growth Mo, not personality.

That is where we go wrong all the time.

Put me in charge of Jam and I can get 5+% growth in 3 years...the problem would be to stop the economy overheating.

As to whether the opposition can do it, I have doubts, but I am sure they can do better than the Govt.

I have 'loved' the idea of "one term" for a long time.

However, one of the cons would be the loss of valuable experience gained. ...but, looking at what the alternative has had us reap over the years I am for the MPs serving for one term. Finding 60 great persons to fill the posts of sitting MPs every 5 years should not be difficult.

The big plus I think that "one term" service would bring is increased competition to leave good lasting legacy by each succeeding MP and thus receipt from those "one term" servers of tremendous effort at delivery of 'mind' and 'physical' effort to produce at highest possible levels.

[Lazie]

Re: Golding's lack of credibility

"...but, looking at what the alternative has had us reap over the years"

Karl, stop acting the fool. This gov't of almost 2 decades is yet to achieve what a gov't of 8 years accomplished. Then again, it appears Jamaicans like you nuh know the criteria on which to judge a gov't performance.

[Assasin]

Re: Golding's lack of credibility

thank you Willi I feel the same way.

How is it most of the countries in our neighbourhood are seeing growth and we make excuse for these people running Jamaica.

Davis is playing too much defense in trying to tame inflation and having a huge NIR. He has not made a proper budget in the last 10 years that have been within target and have float too many bonds locally that directly take capital out of the local market.

There so much the righ manager can do to change things around although the huge debt is making it harder.

[Assasin]

Re: Golding's lack of credibility

check out the Japanese, they are not afraid to change leaders if thing not going right.

Only in Jamaica we think Seaga and Omar Davis are the only two qualified Minister of Finance who can run the country. We need to pay more attention to policies, data, and research

[Willi]

Re: Golding's lack of credibility

Ther is an exit clause for the 1 term mentality...exceptional performance. That takes care of the experience gap...which is no problem anyway, since if we were rotating frequently all teams would by definition have experienced servants.