Have AJ, Roger overstayed their welcome?

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I mean no disrespect, but have Roger Clarke and A.J. Nicholson passed their 'best used before' dates? The question, with respect to Clarke, arises as I watched his contemptuous behaviour in Gordon House on Tuesday. He seemed rattled by the mere fact that he had to respond to pertinent questions posed by opposition members.

I use this medium to remind Mr Clarke that when, as a minister, he is responding to such questions, it is an opportunity to provide information to the wider public that allows us to make sensible decisions or, at the very least, to understand the direction the Government is taking.

In this regard, Mr Clarke failed miserably, as he added a lot of heat and shed rather little light. This citizen is even more confused, a condition the minister apparently shares, as to what the intention at Plantain Garden Agro Park was and why it failed.

As it pertains to A.J. Nicholson, he seems to be on the wrong side of every contemporary discussion. Or if that is not the case, he seems to inhabit a world with a separate reality than ours.

EXPIRED TATICS

His position regarding the decriminalisation of marijuana use and possession is dated, at best. His approach to our position in CARICOM is unclear. His reprimand at a recent function with diplomats was undiplomatic. His demeanour at a press conference with a colleague minister from Trinidad was off-putting.

Nicholson's mannerism in the Senate when providing information is impolite. In fact, he appears always to be out of sorts and bristles without warning. Is he masking his discomfiture or ignorance, in the portfolio to which he has been assigned, with crassness?

It is against this background that I don't mind our prime minister's foreign travel. It is obvious that she is doing double duty, covering up the gap that is A.J. Nicholson.

PAULINEANDERSON

Hope Pastures, St Andrew

paulineranderson@gmail.com