NOTE-WORTHY
Published:Monday | March 8, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Deserved leadership
I can't recall who said a country gets the type of leadership it deserves, but we certainly have.
Thanks to Gary Spaulding and Arthur Hall for the excellent articles in
The Sunday Gleaner
reminding us, poignantly, of how we got to the point as a country where dons have a stranglehold on all of us.
I will never forget that day in Parliament in 1995 when Heather Robinson made that impassioned plea saying that if politics meant hugging up dons, she was getting out. I had expected that she would have received the overwhelming support of her party under P.J. Patterson, the churches, civic organisations and certainly women's groups. Instead, almost the entire country voted with their silence to hug up Bulbie and let Heather walk.
Then, when Golding formed the National Democratic Movement and said he rejected garrison politics, the country met his declaration with a big yawn. When he returned to the mire (traditional politics) they embraced him!
What does this tell us about us Jamaicans?
Joan Williams
Kingston 10
Bruce is the man
Having recently listened to the prime minister outline Jamaica's fiscal problems to an audience at a townhall meeting in Clarendon, I was left feeling that he is the best man to lead Jamaica, at this time.
He reeled off facts and figures and explained the situation in a nutshell without looking down at a piece of paper or having the aid of a teleprompter. I am impressed with his understanding and breadth of knowledge on matters of critical national importance. Because of this, his bold actions, thus far, in putting Jamaica on a path of sustained stability and growth and his vision for Jamaica, I feel confident that he is capable of leading Jamaica effectively.
Whatever else his critics may say about him, they cannot call him an intellectual lightweight or someone who can't think on his feet. I am not campaigning for Golding but merely stating from an objective standpoint, my assessment of the man.
Patrick A. Gallimore
What of the contracts?
With regard to the extradition of Christopher Coke, not being a lawyer I won't comment on the admissibility of the reported illegally obtained evidence against him or on whether or not he should, in fact, be extradited to the United States.
I would like to ask, however, if he has incriminated himself in telephone conversations, will he still continue to receive lucrative government contracts?
Trevor Blair