Bruce Golding has done it again. He has once more left egg on the faces of those who trusted him. His private sector power base must be apoplectic by now in disbelief or rage after his most recent disclosure regarding the embarrassingly mangled Manatt business and the whole sorry Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke extradition affair.
Bruce is finished, his political career effectively kaput. After a significant proportion of the voting public had decided to trust him again, even after he jilted the National Democratic Movement (NDM) political party he founded, Golding has been proven the leopard in the jungle of Jamaican politics. And this time there will be no forgiveness, for even JLP diehard supporters are calling for his resignation, and the loyal opposition, hot in pursuit of the scent of blood ever since he assumed office, have menacingly encircled the wounded PM who seems to be limping alone, with only feeble barks from his team members.
The bombshell was Golding’s admission that not only was he aware of the arrangement with US law firm Manatt Phelps and Phillips to lobby the US administration to drop the extradition request of Dudus, but that he had, as Party Leader, given the nod to having party officials meet with the attorneys.
This abomination, coming from the same fount that promised constitutional reform, term limits, elimination of garrison-type politics and an end to political tribalism when it wooed the electorate. Incidentally none of Golding’s promises to change the system was ever addressed.
But this admission is the last straw. Not since Omar Davies’ famous “run wid it” speech, has there ever been such contempt for the intelligence of the Jamaican citizen. At least Omar only omitted to advise the electorate of his shenanigans until later when he admitted, barefaced as he did, that he misused public funds. But Golding’s deception has eclipsed Omar’s fiscal sleight of hand. It is also believed that he had no choice but to go public, as other parties involved were closing in to bring him down.
If the Prime Minister is allowed to pretend as if this abuse of power is business as usual, and there are no expressions of public outrage nor calls for his resignation from civic groups, then the dysfunctionality and criminality of Jamaica’s entire political class, and the nation’s withered status in the international community should be more than evident to the rest of the world: Jamaica’s leadership endorses criminal activity, aided and abetted by a population quite comfortable with it.
There is more shocking news to come. Will Golding step down voluntarily, and if not, what is the public prepared to do to remove him from his position of leadership? And is there anyone free of contamination to lead the nation?
Kadene Porter
[email protected]
In the Westminster tradition, Golding’s resignation would be the normal course of action as the PM should take responsibility for the Cabinet’s “collective” actions. However, there may be a devastating leadership struggle between Shaw and Charles, unless they can rally around Baugh, if Samuda can broker that deal.
Thus, their best course of action is to serve out their term and hope for positive changes. Unfortunately, they have made too many blunders and the eco-political environment is just about ripe for early elections. This can occur with increased labor protests and social uproar, even without the PNP enjoining the protests.
A one-term government if now inevitable and this may be hastened should a member of parliament be tied to the Dudus affair. Right about now, the PNP needs to get its election machine ready and sort out its leadership. One reason the PNP lost was that its leader did not have the support of a majority of the delegates (i.e., 50% + 1).
So, how can a leopard change its spots? After years of public introspection which led to getting a mandate for “constitutional reform, term limits, elimination of garrison-type politics, and an end to political tribalism,” Golding’s best bet is to act quickly on this mandate so as to leave a positive legacy.
As you post this, a meeting of the entire top leadership of the JLP is in progress at Vale Royal, in what has been described by Youth, Sport and Culture Minister Grange as “a show of support” for the prime minister, and not a session to choose a successor.
There’s a strong rumour that the Prime Minister is on the verge of stepping down; if it is true, it will be an unprecendented move. Mr Golding has taken a lot of flack over these past months. His resignation, for which many a man has called, has been keenly anticipated particularly by corporate Jamaica. Now who will have the moral authority to fill the breach?
I have been been clamoring (in The Gleaner) for this dimwit of a PM to resign following his admission of his involvement in this whole MPP imbroglio and with the extradition saga. Bruce has no moral authority to lead – not the JLP and certainly not Jamaica. He is an embarrassment to Jamaica and exile to one of those uninhabited atolls in the South Pacific would not even be good enough for him. The problem Jamaica has now is that neither of the two major political parties should be allowed to govern but then who is. Perhaps having Jamaica declared a UN protectorate and having that body appoint temporary leaders to clean up the mess created and left by both the JLP and PNP would be a start. This saga could prove to be a seminal moment in the political life of Jamaica if it results in better leadership but only if a new generation not contaminated/stained by the stench of corruption can lead. The problem is that these folks are hard to find.
What would have been the course of action had Golding dropped dead? What happened when Donald Sangster died so soon after his inauguration as Prime Minister? There must be capable ministers within the Cabinet to take the nation through to the next general election. Right now that’s all we need, and we need to make our voices heard. This is the first time I have seen the nation united about anything; the expressions of outrage have crossed party lines. What about Baugh or Chuck?
Think about this for a bit: the two countries whose ideas of democracy are followed the most in other democratic nations, the UK and the US, will now be and are being led by men who are in their 40s (Cameron in the UK is only 43 and Obama is 48). What Jamaica needs is not recycled dimwits leading it but a new and younger generation of leaders. With all the shenanigans and stupidity that has masqueraded as leadership in Jamaica it is no wonder that folks are getting dismayed, disgusted, disappointed, disenchanted and disillusioned with politics and its main practitioners there.
Richard, Bruce Golding can’t act on anything except his resignation speech. He has no moral authority to lead and all his political capital has been expended. He does not even have a plugged nickel’s worth left. History will not, never absolve Bruce Golding. Bruce is a fraud, plain and simple. What’s just as bad is that his Opposition counterpart and her party are no better.
Bruce Golding’s loyalty to Christopher “Dudus” Coke, one of Jamaica’s most dangerous narcotic Kingpins on the united states department of Justice wanted list, is what will lead to the prime minister’s demise. The ruling Jamaica Labour party ties to Coke runs far. After admitting he played a role in the hiring of the US law firm to lobby the US government on Coke’s behalf, Golding by late last evening was seeking full support from the 13 government senators and cabinet.
The emergency meeting of the JLP, tomorrow Sunday May 16 in Ocho Rios, will lead to a political outcome that labourites have not seen since Golding was elected in 2007. The calls for Golding to resign comes from the opposition PNP, civic groups and hundreds of Jamaican citizens.
Trevor, let’s stick to the issues. The fact is that the Cabinet is “collectively” complicit with this ethical dilemma. It is unlikely that they will give up Golding to the slaughter knowing quite well that they were all first implicated – this is confirmed by the unanimous support of Golding by the appointed government senators. Let’s suppose he becomes the sacrificial lamb and steps down; does that mean that any real change will occur? At this compulsory moment, we need to focus on attaining real change and not sweep the underlying problems under the rug.
Let’s step back and examine the facts; it was the JA government that approved and executed the wiretaps in the Dudus affair; not the US. The US did not break any law or treaty when someone ‘physically’ gave them the results. In fact, the US had already gathered evidence via Echelon and undercover agents. The US could have extracted him and/or provided different evidence for extradition. But, most likely they confirmed a political connection to the garrisons. This should be no surprise as there are documentaries on the internet indicating such connections.
So let’s examine their strategy; if the US had used unchallengeable evidence, would the JLP have the ability to arrest Dudus without putting the lives of many innocent persons at risk? Only a PNP government could attempt that, but at great loss of life as you may remember with other now deceased area dons and activists. When recent attempts were made to enter the strongholds, they were found to be fortified with tunnels and stockpiles of weapons and ammunition. Thus, the pragmatic approach is to expose the “root” of the criminal-political connection.
Golding is at a critical juncture where stepping down will not solve anything and could make things worse for the JLP and JA. His best move will be to clean up the mess that he got JA into and pursue the mandate the electorate gave him to “change course”. I suggest to Lion Bruce, that he courageously execute the mandate he was given to: conduct constitutional reform, establish term limits, eliminate garrison-type politics, and end political tribalism. We cannot accept anything else less but real change otherwise JA will be destroyed.
The US’s offer of an all-expense paid vacation with the potential of 10 to 20 years of free: meals, clothing, gym, education, medical treatment, protection, and HD TV, should be re-considered.
The breach of trust is too overwhelming, the deceit too bold. Golding should head to the pasture or be led to the cliff.
@Richard: Stepping down is never meant to “solve” anything. It is what leaders should do when they are found to be dishonorable. Vaz summed it up in his telling statement, that for the PM, “the Party is first and foremost”. Amazing. Not the country. Not the citizens of Jamaica, but the Party. It’s the same for all of them. They have all encircled him as if he has done nothing wrong. I wonder if it was the same for US President Richard Nixon when Watergate broke? Why did he have to step down, and why didn’t his colleagues stand behind him 100%? Because they had to act for the good of the nation and not just the Party. We in Jamaica have just grown accustomed to having corrupt politicians managing our affairs, and accountability and trust are not on our priority list..
What Bruce could do to redeem himself is to bring the rest of the corrupt politicians down with him and give the nation a fresh, clean start. He could explode all the secrets, shake the pillars supporting garrison politics and bring the house crashing down. It is not time to just clean house; it is time to demolish it. Haven’t we been tossing around the idea of “dismantling the garrisons”? Well, there is no better time than the present. We can build again.
The ruling Jamaica Labour Party has decided against prime minister Bruce Golding talk of resignation. Chairman of the JLP Ken Baugh says the labourites will not accept Mr Golding’s offer to resign. After special meetings at Vale Royal on Friday and Ocho Rios today Sunday May 16, According to Gleaner- Power 106 FM news service out of Kingston. The Prime Minister has stated that resignation is the appropiate thing to do at this time. However, the JLP leadership says they will not accept Golding’s offer to resign because he has done no wrong.
Now that there will be no stepping down up in here, unless WE field a slate of 60 or so candidates, WE are stuck with the people WE elected. Even if some ah WE have our way and remove the current generation of politicians, no real change will occur unless WE change the structure of JA’s governance. WE need to control our emotions, truly respect our people, and find effective solutions for fi WE problems.
Lion Bruce and the JLP got stuck in a major ethical dilemma. A dilemma forces us to choose between to divergent options. A dilemma cannot be ignored as it will resolve itself one way or another. Even if the curse upon the father extends to the son, WE still have to seek a positive resolution of JA’s criminal-political problem; otherwise, chaos and barbarism will destroy our nation as we now see escalating.
Nixon stepped down, not for the GOP’s sake, but to not have his legacy tarnished by impeachment for alleged ethical and legal misconduct. Upon his resignation, he was pardoned by Ford even though there was no Senate trial or conviction. To his death, Nixon firmly believed that his actions, inactions, and war to halt Soviet expansion, saved his nation and the world; the GOP still supports his views.
Dudus-gate is the complete opposite of Watergate in that the JA government was duly investigating a major criminal gun and drug running enterprise. The AG’s call for the extradition of the person that leaked the results of the investigation, to another investigating body that is duty bound to act on RICO and terrorism cases, was expected, as extraction of the alleged is now improbable without mayhem.
You may recall what happened to the infamous dons and activists on both sides of the political fence who signed the Marley inspired “Peace Treaties” when the JLP last governed. You may also remember the attack on the Black Mariah and bomb threats to the JA Supreme Court. You may also remember the fate of Jim Brown as he was about to go on trial. Right about now, the only option is REAL CHANGE.
To kill a bad plant, you have to expose its roots. If you cannot uproot it; you have to separate the main root for the rest of the plant. So, vacation or bickering?
On the dismantling of garrisons, think of the persons who presently represent them. Bruce Golding, Olivia Grange,Portia Simpson-Miller, Omar Davies, Ronald Thwaites, Peter Phillips, Maxine Henry-Wilson and Phillip Paulwell among others. Does any of those listed or any other that I forgot suggest people who want to change the political culture and simultaneously take away their power base? I strongly suspect not.
This has to be curtailed by making it illegal to hold any other job or position while being M.P and also mandate that the M.P. has to reside in the constituency. If you did this Golding couldn’t represent West Kingston and be Prime Minister at the same time. And it would reduce the influence of garrison politics on the cabinet.