Hartley Neita

Take a pick. Any day will suffice. O.K. Let us take Monday. Agreed?

The alarm in the clock beside the bed of the Prime Minister rings. Six a.m. It is not a jangling sound. The Prime Minister would love to stay in bed, but cannot. Another full day, full of work lies ahead.

The Prime Minister yawns. Stretches. Yawns again. Rubs the sleep from eyes which could sleep much longer. Rolls out of bed and goes to the bathroom. Showers, shaves or combs and brushes hair.

Returns to the bedroom. It is now 6.30 a.m.

Walks to the dining room. The helper has heard the Prime Minister walking down the passage, enters the dining room from the kitchen with a small jug of chilled orange juice she has taken from the refrigerator. Greets good morning.

The Prime Minister's House Secretary enters the dining room with a folder full of papers. Once again, good morning greetings are exchanged. The Prime Minister is told that the telephone has been ringing since 5.30. From constituents, Cabinet Ministers, the Party's General Secretary, the Opposition Leader, your mother and some Members of Parliament. There is also a pile of email which have been sent to his office for secretaries there to handle.

The secretary reads out the names of the callers. When she is finished, the Prime Minister tells her the order in which she will return the telephone calls after breakfast is eaten.

Work begins

The day's work begins. One by one the most important of the morning's callers are telephoned. Until 8.15 a.m. The secretary refers the uncalled numbers to the Prime Minister's office where during the day those calls will be returned. Hopefully. A quick visit to the bathroom to toothpaste teeth, wash hands and face, and then leave for the office driving through the heavy morning traffic. Oh, if only we had followed Washington, Ottawa, London, Moscow and capitals where the Presidents and Prime Ministers live and work in the same building.

It is 9.00 a.m. Three Ministers and the General Secretary are waiting at the office. The Senior Secretary has more messages and email. The Ministers and the GS enter the office. The discussion lasts 20 minutes. As they leave, the Cabinet Secretary enters with two folders containing Cabinet Submissions to be taken at the Cabinet meeting later. The Prime Minister went through these submissions before going to bed last night, but there are some aspects the Cabinet Secretary feels a briefing is needed on.

It is now 9.45 a.m. The Press Secretary enters with a summary of news items broadcast since last night and this morning and published in today's newspapers. They discuss them, and the Prime Minister comments on what response should be made, if any.

Everybody calls

It is 10.00 a.m. The British Prime Minister calls. The Trinidad Prime Minister calls. The Mayor of Montego Bay calls. So, too, does the Commissioner of Police. The Custos of Kingston. The Chief Justice. The Constituency Secretary. The Opposition Leader. Everybody calls. One by one.

Time to dictate letters.

The day has just begun. To come is the meeting of the Cabinet, followed by a meeting with the Permanent Secretary, a visit to the Kingston Public Hospital, more telephone calls, dictation, the Party's Executive Meeting which will end near midnight.

Tomorrow is another day with more of the same - and maybe more!