THE EDITOR, Sir:

Mr Hugh Small argues that the first three People's National Party presidents, Norman Manley, Michael Manley and P.J. Patterson, possessed intellectual leadership skills. But these leaders, including Hugh Small, have been instrumental in our rapidly declining structural economy.

The serious manifestations are now surfacing. Which is why, I suspect, the International Monetary Fund is ignoring us, and Mr Small is predicting doomsday.

Despite Mr Small's brilliance, he is equally to blame.

Why didn't these intellectual heavyweights even attempt to build a solid structural economic foundation, like, say, Eric Williams of Trinidad or Erskine Sandiford of Barbados. I would not trust our heavyweights to run a patty shop in Half-Way Tree.

Robert Lightbourne was one of the rare intellectual heavyweights who produced positive, tangible economic results. Intellectual capacity, of itself, does not work. Unfortunately, I don't see on the horizon any leader with 'mental testosterone', some degree of honesty, and a commitment to all the people, not just a few select groups.

WAYNE COKE

Kingston 20