Playing Politics With Jamaica’s Future

Editor’s Note : The views expressed below are not my own. Javed Jaghai returns to Veritas with his take on Jamaica’s current political realities. Read. Reflect. Comment.

Jamaican politicians may be terrible leaders, but they are masters of political strategy. They understand our culture very well. They know how to appease us, they know how to mistreat us (and get away with it), and they know that we are familiar enough with each other to privilege loyalty and character over intellect and effectiveness.

Our past and present politicians must be held responsible for the state of Jamaica today. By the time the stalwarts who have served since my birth die, their obituaries will tell of how long they served and how dedicated they were to public service but will say nothing of how poorly they governed.

Jamaica is a very small island with a correspondingly small population. The interconnected webs of social and familial ties breeds familiarity, which, I believe, violates and degrades traditional means of guaranteeing accountability. We trust our elected representatives and we continue ‘fi gi dem a bly’ even though their record of accomplishment speaks volumes to their incompetency. When they consistently perform less than satisfactorily and especially when they fuck up, we excuse their ineptitude with superficial considerations like their so-called ‘good moral character’ and ‘commitment to the community’.

In Defence of Portia : A Supporter Speaks Out

 JA$99.57 to US$1.00. This is the talk of the town in Jamaica, the death of the Jamaican dollar. As the dollar veered dangerously close to the cliff, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson Miller, has generally remained silent. Taking her 19 member Cabinet with her, the PM has frequently retreated, to find solutions – presenting little results. The country waited for 14 months for an IMF agreement, public sector workers saw their salaries frozen, parliament has failed to act on important pieces of legislation, the national debt continues to hit breathtaking highs, while the standard of living continues to hit devastating lows, crime continues to pose a significant threat, with even the Security Minister allegedly being robbed – just to name a few of our challenges. As Jamaicans grow restless and the calls echo louder for the PM to either resign, take a salary cut, cut the size of the Cabinet or simply practice what she preaches, one young Jamaican, Nick Cobran, has come to the defence of the woman many call “Mama”. He cries foul, dismissing the criticism as unfair and “severely partisan”. He has agreed to share his thoughts with Veritas. Here he is, in defence of Portia.

The True Enemy Of The State

The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson Miller, recently came under fire for implying that the Leader of the Opposition is an enemy of the state. Many felt the PM displayed poor judgement and reckless abandon by likening a creature of the Constitution of Jamaica to a terrorist. In her characteristic arrogance, the PM refused to recant – maintaining that she simply posed a question and the Opposition Leader need only answer. As I reflected on the incident, I couldn’t help but set the comment against the backdrop of the current state of Jamaica – an exchange rate of $JMD95 to $USD1, 14.1% unemployment, a broke Students’ Loan Bureau, the 9th year of public sector wage freezes while the PM maintains a 20 member Cabinet – the second largest in the history of Jamaica (Michael Manley named 23 Ministers in 1976) , a near $3 million salary increase for herself, numerous consultants and advisors to the tune of $100 million, brand spanking new SUVs for her ministers, IMF negotiations in shambles and I could go on and on – I can’t help but ask, who is the true enemy of the state?

Is The JLP Doomed To Repeat The Past?

After two crushing defeats at the polls, the 69 year old Jamaica Labour Party has found itself at a crossroads.  The party’s newly minted leader, Andrew Holness, has found himself caught between the agenda of the past and a desire to move boldly into the future. The party finds itself divided and fractured, with various segments peddling their personal ambitions – there is even talk of a coup to over throw the top echelons of the party. As all this unfolds, one can’t help but wonder if the party of Sir Alexander Bustamante has once again lost its way and whether it is doomed to repeat the sins of its troubled past. The most heinous of all these sins was the constant attempts to oust Edward Seaga.

Portia’s Successor

At 67 years old, the current Prime Minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson Miller, is undoubtedly on the final leg of what has been an extraordinary political career. This quaint girl from Wood Hall, St. Catherine has defied all odds and now holds the highest political office in the land, complete with the styles and privileges. However, the career spanning some 30 years is fast drawing to a close, and political watchers and those in the People’s National Party are most certainly keenly interested in who will replace Mama P. Some conservative estimates venture that the Prime Minister will leave office as soon as 2014, perhaps sooner. The question then is, who will succeed Mrs. Simpson Miller as leader of the PNP? It’s not the ‘P’ you might think, at least I don’t think so anymore.

The JLP and The CCJ

The Simpson Miller led administration has made known its intention to accept the appellate jurisdiction of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), an occasion intended to mark Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of political independence from the United Kingdom. However, the plan seems set to stall as the parliamentary opposition has declared that it will not support the move without a referendum. That is, the matter must be put to the people for a vote; the Jamaica Labour Party is dead wrong. I am deeply disappointed that a matter so important is being stalled by our petty and partisan politics. It demonstrates the extent of our political immaturity and the Opposition Leader should be ashamed of himself. For his part, Foreign Affairs Minister, AJ Nicholson QC, has advised that the government would not seek a decision on the matter by way of referendum. He argues that this is unnecessary as no where in our constitutional arrangements or the Privy Council’s judgement on the matter is there a call for a referendum. I wholeheartedly support the PNP on this matter and urge all well thinking Jamaicans to do the same.

The Jamaica 50 Controversy

The darling of the Jamaican Government, Minister of Youth and Culture, Lisa Hanna has found herself in the line of fire concerning the growing controversy around the celebration of Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of independence. Pressure has been mounting on Prime Minister Simpson Miller to dismiss the St. Ann MP from the Cabinet over what is seen as incompetence and tardiness in the staging of the massive event. The controversy has now deepened as information emerged that the present government had changed the theme of the celebrations, as well as shelved the ‘official’ song chosen by the former administration. This has resulted in widespread confusion as to which song is now the ‘official’ one. Minister Hanna has denied that there was any tribalism associated with the changes made, but then the question stands, why change it?

Jamaica’s Love Affair With The PNP

Dr. The Hon. Peter Phillips, Minister of Finance, made his much anticipated opening presentation in the 2012/2013 Budget Debate last week. Dr. Phillips outlined to an expectant nation how the Simpson Miller led administration intends to finance the $612 billion Estimates of Expenditure he had tabled on May 10.

The PNP’s First 100 Days

It has been 100 days since Portia Simpson Miller took the reins of Government here in Jamaica; and as is customary across the world after 100 days, the new Prime Minister and her government are being graded on their performance thus far. I wish to lend my voice to the assessment of what I consider to be the most important areas the new government should be focused on and record my comments on the Prime Minister’s report card.

Wasteful & Extravagant : Cabinet To Cost $100.000.000

“You would not have 18. I will not give the country a breakfront.” – Portia Simpson Miller (May 2011)

This was the response given by then Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller, when asked whether she would appoint 18 members to a Cabinet, should she form the next government. Only a few months later, the Prime Minister has named a 19 member Cabinet (20 including her) with an accompanying price tag of $111, 349, 381; that does not include the salary of the Attorney General. This is according to figures released by The Sunday Gleaner.