Where's Seaga's recognition?

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I FIND it shocking and disgraceful that former prime minister and leader of the opposition Most Honourable Edward Phillip George Seaga was not honoured in the recently held Independence session of Parliament, taking into consideration that he served this country's Parliament for 40 years as a member of parliament of Western Kingston and was one of the founding members who assisted in drafting the Jamaican Constitution. I heard Seaga also stating on radio that he, in fact, received an official invitation for that special sitting of Parliament the very morning before the session was to be held, and I say shame on the organisers of that session of the legislature. Seaga, who has been involved in politics for more than 50 years, should have been prominently honoured within that special session of Parliament for his distinguished, long-standing and noted political and governmental service to this country, and its people.

A shame

The Government should be ashamed of itself for not honouring Seaga during that special Independence session of Parliament and this demonstrates how partisan and corrupt our politics has evolved over the years. Prime Minister Simpson Miller should correct this serious error of not honouring the country's longest-serving member of parliament and eminent politician of our blessed country Jamaica. A great deal of the blame has to be attributed to the minister of culture, Lisa Hanna, and for this grave error she should be dismissed from her ministerial post immediately. By the way, why should the country's Independence celebrations cost over $1 billion when the country is in a serious and declining economic crisis and so many poverty-stricken persons are in this country. This demonstrates the fact that certain government ministers have their priorities all mixed up and are not serving the direct interests of the people of this country. Look at the deplorable condition of the infirmaries that are in the country and the disgraceful state that they are in. They require urgent government attention.

Seaga has built the most government institutions in the country and has done the most for this country in some major areas, and yet he was not honoured during the period that the country is celebrating its 50 years of Independence. Shame on the Government and Minister Hanna. I am also deeply disappinted in PM Simpson Miller who should very well know and do better than that. Where credit is due, it is due, and Eddie Seaga has served this country exceptionally well over a five-decade period, and the most fitting honour should be bestowed on him, and I am now proposing that a new special sitting of Parliament be convened and held in honour of this outstanding political son of Jamaica.

Frank L. R. Manborde

Little London

Westmoreland