Mark Wignall | Moving the cards around
Published:Wednesday | March 28, 2018 | 12:00 AM
Two years into a political administration is usually time enough to detract from the sameness, staleness and failures by introducing something fairly dramatic. The Cabinet reshuffle is good political strategy.
In the eyes of Prime Minister Holness, a number of items are dealt with all at once. Politically, it satisfies a significant percentage of our people who find themselves buried in fear because of murders that something positive is happening.
It was always a pressing political option that Holness, like his mentor, Eddie Seaga, would be guided by opinion polls and remove Montague from national security. Politically, that was low-hanging fruit. Men like Montague were assigned to lead the security ministry as a way of introducing them to their own political deaths.
Plus, as Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) chairman, any ambitions he had for leadership had to be tempered.
"At first many of us saw him in hostile terms. Over time as he attended the Federation conference and visited numerous police stations and attended various police functions, he became more tolerable to us, likeable in fact," said a young constable to me two days ago.
"Montague, as you know, never wanted it. He said it out loud. I heard it from someplace - can't tell you where - that he wanted out from late last year. With him going to transport and mining, I believe he can satisfy himself that he gave it his best shot," said a senior political insider.
The young constable was not that supportive of Dr Horace Chang's shift to national security.
"I don't think he is seen as a friend of the police in the western end of the island where he operates."
"So, what is it that you know and have seen that makes you feel that way?" I asked.
"Boy, a just can't fully explain it. Just a question sign," he said.
In support of his 'young and different' image, the main objective of Holness' reshuffle was to make a grand introduction of Dr Nigel Clarke, the poster boy for youth, brightness and demonstrated competence, into the top tier of the Cabinet.
All else were but chords accompanying the main melody. Removing the old veterans like Karl Samuda (agriculture) and Mike Henry (transport and mining) and placing them as ministers without portfolio in Economic Growth and Job Creation sends them to a respectable part of the parking lot close to the exit at the back of the building.
Moving Flayval Williams to full minister without portfolio in Finance and the Public Service elevates a bright, competent and economically successful woman. Who dares complain?
The more cynical among us see many things. During the verbally hostile fight for JLP leadership between Shaw and Holness, Horace Chang as general secretary broke with political decency and accepted protocol and endorsed Holness. Montague, the chairman, made the choice to stick to the rules and endorse no one.
In party politics there is always the day of the payback or the day when one's passage to the exit is well lit and made inviting.
The opposition People's National Party (PNP) now finds itself in a situation that whenever something favourable is going its way, like say a stirring speech from its leader, it always so happens that the air is sucked out of the PNP by some slick move of the prime minister.
The very first set of negatives that brings focus on the PNP is its seeming retention of archaic thinkers and slow, frail bodies in its shadow cabinet, while Andrew Holness is seen as elevating the young and in tune with newer directions. Much of it may be, for now, smoke-and-mirrors until and if the script catches up with the reshuffling of the cards.
The positive take that JLP supporters will add to the mix is that Audley Shaw took Finance and the Public Service to as far as it could be taken within IMF rules.
In practical terms, this cabinet reshuffling will mean little if its structure and the overall leadership do not find the unique sociocultural and economic fixes for this country. At the very heart of it must be bringing up more of those from the muck at the bottom. Those at the top are swimming just fine.