Orville Taylor | Time for Golding to walk the talk

A sensible and cohesive opposition is a linchpin in any democracy, and living up to his first name, newly minted Leader of the Opposition, Mark Golding, has put his stamp on the People’s National Party (PNP), appointing a slate of senators and spokespersons in his shadow Cabinet. Golding is a financial wizard, but even if he counts the seats in Jamaican currency at the current exchange rate, he has only 10 to work with. Unless he is a minibus or taxi driver plying the Kingston 11 and 13 routes, he simply cannot place everyone.

Let me make it clear ,though. In the event that he becomes prime minister, a 19-person Cabinet is too large, and in a COVID-19 environment, it must be lean and fit like a Lisa Hanna. What must be guaranteed is that those persons who are given portfolios, have the ability, experience, or creativity to perform the role.

It was personally disappointing not to see Fitz Jackson on the list, though, because he has been a staple in the diet of the party over the past two decades and has held his parliamentary seat against all odds. An independent thinker who has taken on large banks in the interest of the public, even Labourites and independents like him. Yet, he has been replaced as shadow security minister by former minister with that portfolio Peter Bunting.

Some detractors, including a few extremists who have been better opponents to their own party than the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), have been complaining that Bunting has killed their white fowl and should not be brought into the fold. Indeed, he is seen as the reason that the party lost the last election. Well, two answers to that. One, the very competent and knowledgeable party leader at the time just could not strike up popular support and sustain a campaign for his successful election. Second, the seeds of division had been sown in earlier challenges, and the Comrade leader simply got a touch of Macbethian karma.

A storm in a ‘P’ cup is brewing because one Senate appointee by Golding’s predecessor, Peter Phillips, has reportedly not yet followed through with his promise to resign and give the new president a clean slate. Interestingly, in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean, the word ‘horn’, has a meaning, which is the most painful burn a person can get.

Bunting would have been an obvious choice for a Senate seat, and not just because he and the new Comrade leader are ‘bench and bench’ and seemed to have led him into the party. Rather, having been security minister, there are some things that he holds under Chatham House Rules. Furthermore, under his watch, we saw the decade’s lowest homicide figures of 1,005 in 2014 and 1,200 in 2015. Nevertheless, it is a simple choice for continuity.

CONTINUITY AND COMPETENCE

Such also is the selection of Angela Brown Burke, who, with a PhD in education and having been appointed by former PNP President Peter Phillips, epitomises both continuity and competence. Even when using minced oaths without mincing her words, she is always a force to reckon with.

More interesting is that Hanna has been given responsibility for the prestigious foreign affairs and trade portfolio. This is the highest profile she has ever held. Obvious selections are Lambert Brown, a walking repository of labour trade union history and activism with very few peers in the field; Morais Guy for Health and Wellness; Floyd Morris for Labour, Social Security and Special Abilities; Phillip Paulwell for Mining and Energy and Leader of Opposition Business in the House; and Anthony Hylton, Industry, Investment and Global Logistics. All of these have experience in the field.

Add to that list Damion Crawford, who, having worked in Culture and Entertainment before, has even added to that in providing sources of ‘entertainment’ for the public in recent months.

Other neophytes include Lothan Cousins, the lone Clarendonian Comrade, who, if he can get through the roads from his constituency, might be a good foil for the JLP in water an agriculture. After all, he saw much of the former and lost much of the latter in the recent rains.

With Mikael Phillips having his father’s counsel and the ‘youngster’ Gabriela Morris defying the stereotype of exuberant youth, the PNP has the potential to be a solid opposition.

Of course, I have the same kind of space restriction as Golding, so I cannot single out everyone.

True, it is too early to make a pronouncement, but this is a good start, and hopefully, the PNP will now focus on the national issues and keeping the government on its toes rather than sticking the knives in the dorsal areas of their fellows and using ‘panya machetes.’

The nation deserves a sensible opposition. Let’s see if Golding can walk the talk.

- Dr Orville Taylor is head of the Department of Sociology at The University of the West Indies, a radio talk-show host, and author of ‘Broken Promises, Hearts and Pockets’. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and tayloronblackline@hotmail.com.