EDITORIAL - The ECJ and Mr Holness' soapbox

In the circumstances Andrew Holness is engaging in a bit of attention-seeking to demonstrate that he is a leader on the ball.

But an internal challenge, however, does not absolve the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader from the need to maintain a sense of proportion or to provide compelling arguments to sustain a case.

In this respect, Mr Holness was wanting in his weekend mounting of the soapbox to address current issues: the Richard Azan scandal and the attendance by Dr Herbert Thompson, the chairman of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) at the 75th anniversary function of the People's National Party (PNP) to accept an award.

The second, and more important, issue first.

Mr Holness has demanded the resignation of Dr Thompson, lest the JLP boycott meetings and activities of the ECJ. The implication of the Opposition leader's position is that Dr Thompson engaged his partisan behaviour that brought the ECJ into disrepute.

This newspaper would, on the face of it, have backed Mr Holness but for the JLP leader's failure to make the case. What it appears Dr Thompson, in this case, is guilty of, is poor communication with fellow commissioners.

It seems, too, that the PNP's secretariat needs help in formulating letters and invitations that state, with clarity, what they mean.

As part of its anniversary celebrations, the PNP apparently gave awards to people who played crucial roles in the party's development, as well as to others who have contributed to national development.

Among the latter group, the PNP decided to recognise the ECJ, an institution, starting as the Electoral Committee of Jamaica that, over the last 34 years, transformed Jamaica's electoral process from among the world's most violent and corrupt to one that is nearly representative of global best practice.

The PNP's Burchell Whiteman, the chairman of the awards committee, conceded that the invitation to Dr Thompson to accept the award on behalf of the ECJ had "infelicities in a section".

The citation, however, was unambiguous about to whom the award was made: the institution ECJ, not Dr Thompson the individual. Dr Thompson, for his part, failed to inform the other commissioners of the award and to have them attend the function.

This instance of bad judgement, unless Mr Holness offers more, does not meet the threshold for Dr Thompson's resignation.

That Mr Holness may have been playing to a JLP audience, rather than attending to real concern, is suggested by his failure recently to address a potentially more egregious matter of judgement involving Dr Thompson - in his role as chancellor of the University College of the Caribbean (UCC), from which he subsequently resigned.

A foundation associated with former Cayman Islands premier McKeeva Bush apparently made a politically flammable US$1-million contribution to a scholarship scheme operated by UCC, from which Mr Bush was to receive an honorary doctorate.

On Mr Azan, a half-year after the matter arose and much dithering by Prime Minister Simpson Miller, Mr Holness threatened a boycott of Parliament if Mr Azan did not resign for facilitating a private developer's building and renting shops at the Spaldings Market.

But this was after the pressure on Mr Azan had become irresistible and news that the director of public prosecutions is to decide whether he is to face criminal charges.

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