Dennie Quilll, Contributor
I WALKED INTO a post office in Kingston this week and was a little taken aback to see that the photograph of former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson was still glued to the wall.
One would have thought with all the excitement surrounding the ascension of 'Sista P' to the post of Prime Minister that such protocol matters would have been dealt with swiftly. After all she has been in office for more than a month.
It is possible to put many interpretations on this. For one, it is not a priority for the Government. Then one may conclude that the agency with responsibility for such protocol matters is still celebrating and has no time for minority considerations.
It may be that Sista P is far from being vain and is really not troubled that her predecessor and mentor is still being portrayed as the leader of Government. For accuracy sake, someone needs to do something about this soonest.
NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL
It does say something about Mr. Patterson for obviously people were not as anxious to see the back of him as many suggested. The post office workers and customers do not appear perturbed and may not have even noticed it. So what is one tired journalist bleating about!
The worrying thing though is that this seeming aura of casualness may be an indication that it is business as usual, and the new administration will continue in the same vein - embracing a cumbersome bureaucracy, offering sloppy service, exhibiting down-care attitude, being fiscally irresponsible and unable to tame run-away crime.
But since this matter is of minimal public interest I shall not make it the focus of my article.
I want to believe that Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago tried to cash in on the popularity of Prime Minister Simpson Miller when he invited her for a state visit on Monday.
MANY FIRSTS
She touched down at Piarco airport just as the nation was digesting the news that former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday, 72, had been found guilty and jailed for uttering false declarations to the Integrity Commission.
It was a day of many firsts. The first official visit for Jamaica's first woman Prime Minister and the first time a former leader of a CARICOM state was being jailed.
Sista P must have thought to herself:- 'But wait a minute, many of my colleagues back in Jamaica don't even bother to file their returns with the Integrity Commission. One recalls the intervention of the Director of Public Prosecutions a few years back to force compliance.
The visit was hastily put together as evidenced by the fact that many school children were kept away from a public rally at the Jean Pierre complex.
One newspaper report said the teachers refused to have their charges pile into the government buses that turned up at their gates because parents had not given permission. Teachers claimed they only learnt of the rally via media reports the night before. For those who attended, they reportedly heard a rousing speech from Mrs. Simpson Miller.
Our Prime Minister's visit was a nice diversion for Trinidad. Customarily when we have visitors, we treat them well and do everything to make them comfortable. Mr. Manning did no less, military honours, 21-gun salute and key to the city.
At such times, unsavoury subjects are not usually mentioned, and all the grime is swept under the welcome mat. There was no indication that the Panday situation was ever raised at a press conference in Port-of-Spain.
But Panday's sentence has serious implications for politics in the region and for his party. And Mr. Manning is reportedly massaging the election date in his back pocket so there is much at stake for the twin-island republic.
SECURING A DEAL
Be that as it may, Portia seemed to have scored a victory, for not only has she signed the LNG deal (even though it won't kick in until 2009) which guarantees a long-term supply of natural gas for the bauxite industry; she also influenced the oil-rich twin-island republic's attitude towards the Venezuela's generous PetroCaribe deal. Trinidad now says to facilitate the agreement it will remove the Common External Tariff protection which it enjoys.
Mrs. Simpson Miller has also indicated Jamaica's intention to invest in Trinidad's controversial smelter plant. So all's well that ends well. It would be interesting to hear about what price Jamaica will be asked to pay for the natural gas purchases - never look a gift horse in the mouth they say.
Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist who may be reached at denniequill@hotmail.com.
