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Country being run like a 'patty shop'
Thursday, August 23, 2007
We admit to a 'sneaking' feeling that Jamaica is not running on all fours and that the leadership of the country is not as sure-footed as it should be, at a time when it is most needed.
... Portia doing better that Bush after Katrina
The confusion surrounding the declaration of a State of Public Emergency is an obvious case in point. Given the serious nature of this provision, we would have expected that no less than the prime minister herself would have announced it to the nation.
.... I would have advise her to not to annouce it herself and not to allow any politician to announce it.
In her unavoidable absence, it would have been acceptable for the minister of information or any other minister, especially the minister of national security or the justice minister and attorney general, to make the announcement.
....The logical choice would be the Commisioner of Police but I would go a step further and use the Director of the ODM and EM. I would ask the head of the ODM & EM to do it in order to highlight the fact that this is purely a Disaster Emergency Management tool and has nothing to do with party politics.
Instead, what happened was nothing short of a 'patty shop' approach to the nation's business. A low-level functionary in a government agency was called by a radio station to read the declaration on behalf of the prime minister.
... Who made the announcement?
When reporters tried to ask questions - questions that every right-thinking citizen would themselves ask - such as what the State of Public Emergency specifically meant and what would be expected of them, all the functionary could say was that he was not the person to answer those questions. This is ludicrous. But it did not end there.
....If true then you have a valid point.
The head of police operations disclosed that accompanying regulations for the proclamation of the State of Public Emergency did not reach the police up to Tuesday morning when he was speaking on a radio programme.
..... They said that they hand a printing problem. Did you want it hand written!!!!!!!
Later that day, we were to learn that the opposition leader and the commissioner of police had not been consulted prior to the declaration. It gets worse.
..... Bruce was consulted and he objected.
After the Electoral Commission met and recommended that the general election be postponed, the nation was told through uncertain sources that the official decision to put off the election would be taken by the "Governor General in Council".
The Governor General in Council was taken to mean the Governor General and the members of the Privy Council and this was reportedly confirmed by the solicitor general, with the alleged agreement of Mr David Coore, one of the framers of the Jamaican Constitution.
... After 45 years we should be clear what The Governor General in Council means. Blame every administration not just this one.
As the drama continued, we were told that a member of the Privy Council made the observation that "in Council" was more likely to mean the Cabinet. The solicitor-general then allegedly agreed with the new interpretation, leading to the summoning of the Cabinet into emergency session Tuesday night.
Although the Cabinet met until 1:00 am Wednesday, the nation was told to wait until 8:00 pm that evening to hear what was decided when the prime minister would address the country.
.... What is wrong with waiting? Why hurry to annouce a delayed election date?
.... Dam her if she sends someone to do it. Dam her if she decides to wait to do it herself.
Sometime after 6:00 pm, the state-run Jamaica Information Service (JIS) informed media houses that the prime minister's address would only be in audio and text, and even then, that might be delayed.
.... She had better things to do. The election date is not important.
On top of that, the opposition leader reported that up to Tuesday, the bi-partisan monitoring committee for the post-hurricane restoration effort, headed by Minister Robert Pickersgill, had not met.
This country's leadership is not even on auto pilot. It appears to be drifting aimlessly.
.... What is their job?
Thursday, August 23, 2007
We admit to a 'sneaking' feeling that Jamaica is not running on all fours and that the leadership of the country is not as sure-footed as it should be, at a time when it is most needed.
... Portia doing better that Bush after Katrina
The confusion surrounding the declaration of a State of Public Emergency is an obvious case in point. Given the serious nature of this provision, we would have expected that no less than the prime minister herself would have announced it to the nation.
.... I would have advise her to not to annouce it herself and not to allow any politician to announce it.
In her unavoidable absence, it would have been acceptable for the minister of information or any other minister, especially the minister of national security or the justice minister and attorney general, to make the announcement.
....The logical choice would be the Commisioner of Police but I would go a step further and use the Director of the ODM and EM. I would ask the head of the ODM & EM to do it in order to highlight the fact that this is purely a Disaster Emergency Management tool and has nothing to do with party politics.
Instead, what happened was nothing short of a 'patty shop' approach to the nation's business. A low-level functionary in a government agency was called by a radio station to read the declaration on behalf of the prime minister.
... Who made the announcement?
When reporters tried to ask questions - questions that every right-thinking citizen would themselves ask - such as what the State of Public Emergency specifically meant and what would be expected of them, all the functionary could say was that he was not the person to answer those questions. This is ludicrous. But it did not end there.
....If true then you have a valid point.
The head of police operations disclosed that accompanying regulations for the proclamation of the State of Public Emergency did not reach the police up to Tuesday morning when he was speaking on a radio programme.
..... They said that they hand a printing problem. Did you want it hand written!!!!!!!
Later that day, we were to learn that the opposition leader and the commissioner of police had not been consulted prior to the declaration. It gets worse.
..... Bruce was consulted and he objected.
After the Electoral Commission met and recommended that the general election be postponed, the nation was told through uncertain sources that the official decision to put off the election would be taken by the "Governor General in Council".
The Governor General in Council was taken to mean the Governor General and the members of the Privy Council and this was reportedly confirmed by the solicitor general, with the alleged agreement of Mr David Coore, one of the framers of the Jamaican Constitution.
... After 45 years we should be clear what The Governor General in Council means. Blame every administration not just this one.
As the drama continued, we were told that a member of the Privy Council made the observation that "in Council" was more likely to mean the Cabinet. The solicitor-general then allegedly agreed with the new interpretation, leading to the summoning of the Cabinet into emergency session Tuesday night.
Although the Cabinet met until 1:00 am Wednesday, the nation was told to wait until 8:00 pm that evening to hear what was decided when the prime minister would address the country.
.... What is wrong with waiting? Why hurry to annouce a delayed election date?
.... Dam her if she sends someone to do it. Dam her if she decides to wait to do it herself.
Sometime after 6:00 pm, the state-run Jamaica Information Service (JIS) informed media houses that the prime minister's address would only be in audio and text, and even then, that might be delayed.
.... She had better things to do. The election date is not important.
On top of that, the opposition leader reported that up to Tuesday, the bi-partisan monitoring committee for the post-hurricane restoration effort, headed by Minister Robert Pickersgill, had not met.
This country's leadership is not even on auto pilot. It appears to be drifting aimlessly.
.... What is their job?
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