EDITORIAL - Uninspiring shuffle

IF THIS was a real Cabinet, it would be of 19 members, plus two junior ministers, with substantive portfolios, operating from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Not only would the Cabinet be larger than the one presided over by Prime Minister Bruce Golding, but based on the current configuration of Parliament, the backbench would be a particularly lonely place for Opposition members of parliament. So much for lecturing others about the bloated executives and leading by example.

These, however, are not the 'bad' features of the reshuffled shadow Cabinet unveiled on Tuesday by Mrs Portia Simpson Miller, the president of the People's National Party (PNP). Worse was the Opposition leader's lack of imagination and her failure to send a serious signal of renewal in her party.

There were, of course, a few practical political moves by Mrs Simpson Miller, such as shifting Dr Omar Davies, the former finance minister, from a portfolio he has occupied for nearly two decades. Recently, Dr Davies has been especially singled out and targeted by the Government for the presumed mishandling of the economy during his long stint in government, and personally blamed for the financial-sector crisis of the mid-1990s.

prudent move

Mr Peter Bunting or Mr Mark Golding, the former investment banking partners, either of whom might been marked for Dr Davies' job, have themselves been targeted by the finance minister, Mr Audley Shaw, for alleged receiving 'sweetheart deals' for their organisation when the PNP was in office. Keeping them away from the finance portfolio may have been prudent.

Against this backdrop, bringing back Dr Peter Phillips, Mrs Simpson Miller's former leadership rival, to the shadow Cabinet and leveraging his credibility in the finance portfolio makes sense.

Dr Morais Guy's performances in committees suggest that he has ministerial potential, so his entry to the shadow Cabinet is welcome.

Thereafter, Mrs Simpson Miller's efforts are largely ho-hum.

A case in point is Mr Robert Pickersgill, the party's chairman, who will shadow land, water and climate change — very crucial portfolio in today's global environment. It demands energy and ideas.

Time to rest pickersgill

But Mr Pickersgill served in government for a long time. He now deserves a rest from his rest. He should have been sent into retirement, followed by the hapless Mr Derrick Kellier, the spokesman on labour, and Mr Roger Clarke, the spokesman on agriculture, who has long seen his best. At least Mr Kellier won't be leader of opposition business in the House.

Most people are still trying to determine who is Mr Colin Fagan and whether, after three years, he worked out the parameters of the local government portfolio.

Ronald Thwaites does well on the backbenches, raising an articulate voice for decency and for broader involvement in the legislature for those who do not have portfolio responsibilities. But Mrs Simpson Miller would have done better by giving the education slot to Dr Davies and offering the transport and works portfolio to a younger, energetic and bright MP like Mr Fitz Jackson.

The larger metaphor for Mrs Simpson Miller's uninspiring efforts is Lisa Hanna, the only person under 40 in the shadow Cabinet, who lost a third of her portfolio - information - which was appropriated by the party leader. She was left with the soft stuff, youth and culture.

We would have expected that Ms Hanna would have been promoted, perhaps to shadow foreign affairs. Mr A.J. Nicholson might be designated adviser on the Caribbean Court of Justice and constitutional reform.

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