The political landscape in Jamaica is sight to behold – a disaster. The two party system in Jamaica has not benefitted us in no shape or form. I am no political loyalist, but I am concerned about my island Jamaica. Politics have destroyed our beautiful island. It is predominantly filled with corruption, poor performance and incompetent leaders. We have persons heading organisations that are critical to the growth of the country who are not qualified for the position. Easton Douglas has not experience with respect to running financial institution, neither is Rev Garnett Rooper, he has no qualification in terms of running a transportation company. Yet they are chairmen of boards. According to my reading, it seems to be that they have the position because they are party loyalist – which seems to be a substitution for competent people.
The Peoples National Party has been the longing serving
party in Jamaica. “Our country is rapidly being destroyed by the governance of
too many who have the least ability…The wanton waste of public resources is the
hallmark of the PNP now in power for 22 of the last 26 years” (Garfield
Higgins, Jamaica Observer Columnist, April 26,2015). Since the PNP has been in
office, there has been a rampant waste of public funds. The NHT/Outameni
brouhaha is typical examine. And to go further, we remember the exuberant phone
bill by Junior Minister Arnaldo Brown - exceeding one million dollars. There are a plethora of examples that can be referred to.
The debt to domestic gross product (GDP) ratio has seen
little or no improvement under the PNP administration. A recent report says
that there was an increase in the unemployment rate – a whopping 7.5 per cent. “The
Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) is reporting a 7.5 per cent increase
in the number of unemployed persons in January 2015 compared to January 2014. It
says in January, the number of unemployed persons was 188,100 - an increase of
13,000 when compared with 175,000 last year January. The unemployment rate for
January 2015 was 14.2 per cent compared to 13.4 per cent in January 2014. In
particular, the unemployment rate among youths aged 14 to 24 years was 34.5 per
cent for January 2015. This was an increase of 1.2 percentage points when
compared with 33.3 per cent in January 2014.” (The Gleaner, April 30, 2015)
That is not good, the Minister Thwaites claim to be passing
the people test. “Thwaites says persons may say the government is busy passing
IMF tests but not the people's test. However, according to him, a good
education which is available to all, is the ultimate people's test.” (The
Gleaner, May 1, 2015). No minister Thwaites that is not the ultimate people
test. The ultimate people test is when people have jobs, when they are earning
and able to put bread on the table. When people can boast about that, then you
can say you pass the peoples test. Your administration have failed miserably
clocking an excellent ‘F’!
Let us look at political history and see who the performing
party is, or to put it better, who we think is the better performing party. “The
case can be made that, in terms of economic indices and the lessening of overt
political tension, the Seaga Government of the 1980s did better than the Manley
Government in the period before. Some will even say that the P J Patterson run
from 1993 to 2006 featured an understanding that the geopolitical space had changed
and Patterson made a good attempt to fit in, while others like me will say that
his administrations failed miserably in latching on to the global growth and
development and taking our country much further than actually happened.” (Mark Wignall, Jamaica Observer Columnist, April 30, 2015).
That is quite surprising, one man is of the opinion that the JLP (Lead by Seaga) did better than the ruling party (PNP) before it. What say you? Let us forward to 2015, what do we have to say? “With that understanding, can we sincerely say that the Portia Simpson Miller Administration, in the over three years from early 2012 to the present, has been better than any three-year period of the Patterson run from 1993 to 2006? No, we cannot. Not if we are honest with ourselves.” (Mark Wignall, Jamaica Observer Columnist, April 30, 2015).
PNP has been in power more than any other party in Jamaica
and as was established 22 of last 26 years. Can we say that we are better now
than then? Can we say that there have been any improvements in the last 26
years? Aren’t we still at the same place if not worst? Since the PNP has been
in power more than any other party is it safe to say that it’s the PNP that
destroyed Jamaica? Maybe, maybe not, what say you?
