- RUDOLPH BROWN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Portia Simpson Miller greets Prime Minister P.J. Patterson at the People's National Party 67th Annual Conference at the National Arena, on Friday.
Garwin Davis, Assistant News Editor
TALKS, PRIVATE and otherwise, by senior People's National Party (PNP) officials, that the party's leadership race is affecting the administration's ability to govern should mean one thing and one thing only: It is time for Prime Minister P.J. Patterson to go.
And what better place to announce his departure date than at today's public session of the party's 67th annual conference at the National Arena. There, Mr. Patterson, in front of what is expected to be an army of orange-clad supporters, will get the opportunity to tell his fellow comrades and also the nation, the date when a special conference will be held to choose his successor.
To do otherwise, to leave the conference without saying when he is leaving, would not only be doing his much-craved legacy a disservice, but Mr. Patterson, by creating a climate of uncertainty, would also be hurting the PNP's quest for a fifth consecutive term.
The fact is, being essentially a lame duck Prime Minister - a leader who is in the final period of office there is not much Mr. Patterson can accomplish between now and his departure date, which is even more the reason why he should make way for his successor, sooner rather than later.
PRESERVING THE LEGACY
Actually, listening to him nowadays, one gets the impression that, in spite of what is happening here at home, it is now all about preserving that legacy - a man hell-bent on pushing through a legislative agenda that hardly has any bearing on the realities in Jamaica today.
Now, if these were normal times, that would be fine. He certainly has earned that right. These, however, are not normal times and Mr. Patterson does not have that luxury - at least not at the country's expense.
With Jamaica currently facing a real crisis of confidence and needing undistracted leadership more than ever, Mr. Patterson should leave his legacy to the historians and make way for a successor no later than December.
Let's face it: How many of us could care one hoot about the Caribbean Court of Justice replacing the Privy Council as the nation's final court of appeal?
One only has to look at the opinion polls where Jamaicans have been expressing over and over that they would rather see the problems of crime, unemployment, drugs and health care being addressed than the passing of any of the legislation Mr. Patterson wants to get done before calling it quits.
WAITING AROUND
To put it simply, he doesn't have to stick around to see the Privy Council abolished. History, if it were ever to happen, will give him his rightful place as the leader who was most instrumental in ridding Jamaica of what some have described as "the last reminder of its colonial past".
But let's get back to the leadership race and suggestions that the contenders are more interested in their own private ambitions than the running of their government ministries. This may well be true but in all honesty, what did we expect? Certainly, we did not expect the contenders - Dr. Peter Phillips, Portia Simpson Miller, Dr. Karl Blythe and Dr. Omar Davies to just sit around and wait for Mr. Patterson to make his move? With such a short time left before the next general election - less than two years - is it unreasonable for them to be now intensifying their campaigns?
The fact is that when the Prime Minister announced in 2002 that the election campaign then was his final one as leader of the PNP, he in essence was "flying the gate" for his would-be successors.
Let's get real: We are not talking about a mere stroll in the park here. What we are looking at is a race where the winner may well emerge as the next prime minister of Jamaica. The truth is, and this may be a testament to the kind of politics that is practised within the PNP, I am pleasantly surprised that the niceties have lasted this long, especially in a game where the stakes are so high.
HANDING OVER REPONSIBILITIES
In stepping down now, Mr. Patterson would give his successor not only the time and opportunity to set a new agenda but also to offer the kind of leadership that would be fully focused on the problems at hand.
This can only be in the nation's best interest and yes, could also go a long way in preserving Mr. Patterson's legacy.
Mr. Patterson should be well aware, considering what Michael Manley did for him in 1991, that his successor would need at least two solid years to get his or her act together, especially with the prospect of having to face a rejuvenated and well-rested Bruce Golding-led Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in 2007.
Political watchers will recall that in 1991, then Prime Minister Manley stepped aside, giving his successor ample time to prepare for the general election. Mr. Patterson, after a decisive victory over Portia Simpson which saw him succeeding Mr. Manley as party leader and Prime Minister, would then go on to lead the PNP to victory in the 1993 Election.
I am totally convinced that despite his critics, Mr. Patterson will be remembered as a leader who did everything to preserve the spirit of democracy in Jamaica and throughout the wider Caribbean.
REDUCED POLITICAL TENSION
Notwithstanding the fact that he has served longer than any leader in the nation's history, Mr. Patterson has done more than enough to also be remembered as the prime minister whose approach to governance was more about accommodation rather than confrontation. If anything, this kind of approach may have done more to reduce the level of political tension in the country under his stewardship than at any other time in our history. This in itself is a legacy worth preserving.
And so, if I were Mr. Patterson, I would abandon plans of wanting to lead the party in next year's local government polls and simply take the opportunity at hand - for whatever it's worth. What better way to bow out - just like his penchant for announcing election dates - than in front of the screaming party faithfuls?
Why not give the country a September to remember?
