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EDITORIAL - A breath of fresh air, despite reservations
published: Friday | September 14, 2007
PRIME MINISTER Bruce Golding has wasted no time in announcing the members of his new Cabinet. We welcome the efficiency with which he has acted, as the business of the country demands attention.
The Cabinet contains some surprises, as well as some interesting appointments. Without being invidious, the appointment of Don Wehby as a full Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance is perhaps the most significant. As we have pointed out time and again, the management of our fiscal and monetary affairs is a challenging and sensitive area which requires great skill.
We are very fortunate indeed that the new Government has been able to find someone of the experience and expertise of Mr. Wehby to reinforce the efforts of Audley Shaw in that crucial ministry. With his deep roots in the private sector, Mr. Wehby will also be able to bring a level of business acumen to the public sector, which was missing in the previous regime.
GraceKennedy is to be commended for releasing one of its senior and most capable managers to work in the public sector. This, we trust, will redound to the overall good of the country.
The Cabinet is a mixture of old and new faces - Pearnel Charles, Mike Henry, Ed Bartlett and Ms. Grange are balanced by Dr. Tufton, Dr. Chang, Clive Mullings and Andrew Holness on the other. The inclusion of an eminent lawyer such as Ms. Dorothy Lightbourne as Minister of Justice and Attorney-General is also to be welcomed we are somewhat surprised that other eminent women have not secured positions.
Where we do have some reservations is in the area of Cabinet size. Including the Office of the Prime Minister, there are 15 ministries. In all, there are 18 Cabinet-level ministers. There is also a new Ministry of Planning and Development to be held by the Prime Minister. It seems to us that this is an unwieldy arrangement, which is also unexpected. The Jamaica Labour Party manifesto certainly led us to believe that we would see a reduction in the size of the Cabinet and a reduction rather than expansion of the government bureaucracy.
As expected, the critical Security Ministry will be held by Derrick Smith. His is a reliable pair of hands, but he faces a monumental task. He will need strong support and we look forward to the Prime Minister appointing capable and experienced persons at the Minister of State level to provide the necessary assistance.
We also have some reservations about moving the Youth portfolio from the Education Ministry to a new Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth. The youth agenda is, after all, one of the most problematic ones facing the country. It needs far more central attention and, if it needed to be moved, perhaps should have been placed in the Prime Minister's own office.
These reservations, however, are secondary. The important thing is that the Prime Minister is moving rapidly to complete the formation of a new government. His businesslike approach is a breath of fresh air and the country must give him the support which he fully deserves.
Now we expect the new appointees to carry out their responsibilities with efficiency and focused action on the urgent business of the state.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.
published: Friday | September 14, 2007
PRIME MINISTER Bruce Golding has wasted no time in announcing the members of his new Cabinet. We welcome the efficiency with which he has acted, as the business of the country demands attention.
The Cabinet contains some surprises, as well as some interesting appointments. Without being invidious, the appointment of Don Wehby as a full Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance is perhaps the most significant. As we have pointed out time and again, the management of our fiscal and monetary affairs is a challenging and sensitive area which requires great skill.
We are very fortunate indeed that the new Government has been able to find someone of the experience and expertise of Mr. Wehby to reinforce the efforts of Audley Shaw in that crucial ministry. With his deep roots in the private sector, Mr. Wehby will also be able to bring a level of business acumen to the public sector, which was missing in the previous regime.
GraceKennedy is to be commended for releasing one of its senior and most capable managers to work in the public sector. This, we trust, will redound to the overall good of the country.
The Cabinet is a mixture of old and new faces - Pearnel Charles, Mike Henry, Ed Bartlett and Ms. Grange are balanced by Dr. Tufton, Dr. Chang, Clive Mullings and Andrew Holness on the other. The inclusion of an eminent lawyer such as Ms. Dorothy Lightbourne as Minister of Justice and Attorney-General is also to be welcomed we are somewhat surprised that other eminent women have not secured positions.
Where we do have some reservations is in the area of Cabinet size. Including the Office of the Prime Minister, there are 15 ministries. In all, there are 18 Cabinet-level ministers. There is also a new Ministry of Planning and Development to be held by the Prime Minister. It seems to us that this is an unwieldy arrangement, which is also unexpected. The Jamaica Labour Party manifesto certainly led us to believe that we would see a reduction in the size of the Cabinet and a reduction rather than expansion of the government bureaucracy.
As expected, the critical Security Ministry will be held by Derrick Smith. His is a reliable pair of hands, but he faces a monumental task. He will need strong support and we look forward to the Prime Minister appointing capable and experienced persons at the Minister of State level to provide the necessary assistance.
We also have some reservations about moving the Youth portfolio from the Education Ministry to a new Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth. The youth agenda is, after all, one of the most problematic ones facing the country. It needs far more central attention and, if it needed to be moved, perhaps should have been placed in the Prime Minister's own office.
These reservations, however, are secondary. The important thing is that the Prime Minister is moving rapidly to complete the formation of a new government. His businesslike approach is a breath of fresh air and the country must give him the support which he fully deserves.
Now we expect the new appointees to carry out their responsibilities with efficiency and focused action on the urgent business of the state.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.