LETTER OF THE DAY - Will Jamaica be better off with Golding gone?
Published:Monday | September 26, 2011 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
News just in that our prime minister, Bruce Golding, will not be seeking re-election as head of the Jamaica Labour Party at its annual general conference in November and will step down as prime minister of Jamaica as soon as the new leader is elected has taken many by surprise.
One writer clearly puts it: "If you want to lead the orchestra, you must be willing to turn your back on the crowd." So while there have been vociferous political calls for the resignation of Mr Golding from the prime ministership since the 'Dudus' saga, let us, for a minute, divorce ourselves from politics and think Jamaican: Will the country be better off with this decision?
Has Mr Golding brought anything to the office of prime minister that has had a positive impact to Jamaica or its image? In other words, has he been a good steward for the tenure of his leadership? Do we have persons who can assume the leadership of our country and hit the ground running? And, here I am deliberate in staying away from party politics, as my only interest, as a Jamaican, is what is good for Jamaica.
I know that many of his detractors have already declared the announcement as nothing more than sinister political gamesmanship. But, let us just throw in the 'what if' for a while and debate based on that possibility.
Many leaders stay away from politics
Jamaica has produced so many distinguished leaders - in all fields - but sadly, most shy away from representational politics because of the stigma attached to politics in Jamaica. And until we can change that perception, the quality of persons entering this arena will continue to be impacted. Therefore, the few that have put their whole lives - character included - into politics must be nurtured.
While we await the next move, we ask the leaders of Jamaica, land we love, to be responsible in their utterances.
PAT WILLIAMS BIGNALL