RSS Feed
Follow us on Twitter
Star YouTube Channel
with Leighton Levy
As the nation awaits the date for the general election to be announced, there is much debate about what format the debates between the parties must take. The People's National Party (PNP) is trying to get the Jamaica Debates Commission (JDC) to move away from the original format in which individuals from the most critical areas of government from opposing sides face each other in one-on-one debates. The Government wants to maintain the status quo.
Personally, I don't see why the there needs to be any negotiation to get both parties to agree on the terms. That, to me, is the purview of the JDC who, by their nature, should be setting the rules for the debates, and the parties comply or not. There is no need to debate the debates.
The common belief is that the PNP is not eager to expose its leader, the Most Honourable Portia Simpson Miller, as she was was buried by the more eloquent Bruce Golding in the 2007 national debate. I happened to watch it online while living overseas and all I can say about that is that it was not pretty.
But here is my question: If in the thinking of the PNP their leader is incapable of holding her own in a debate concerning issues of national importance, why, then, is she the leader? Isn't the leader supposed to be the very best among them, which is why she is leader? But clearly, if there is any truth to what is being bandied about, then the PNP clearly does not respect the voting public by putting forward someone who would be prime minister who is incapable of articulating the party's position on issues that are critical to the nation's development in this, a very critical juncture in our history.
There are those who will argue that being a good speaker doesn't necessarily make a good leader, and I could not disagree with that point at all. Jamaica has always been blessed with some smooth talkers who were incapable of doing what was necessary to help this country, so I am not saying that we need a smooth talker to be prime minister. However, I do believe that people must demonstrate the ability to grow, and if after getting a shellacking from Bruce Golding in 2007 has taught the leader of the opposition nothing over the last four years, then maybe the PNP should face reality and step aside. After all, four years is the duration of most university programmes. It is a period of time that most experts believe is sufficient for mature individuals to learn and develop new skills, so why is it that Simpson Miller was unable to demonstrate that level of development? Is this the kind of leader the PNP wants to foist upon the people of this nation?
If Simpson Miller is indeed ready to debate the issues, and not utter foolishness like rolling back GCT on electricity and all that, then what is the hold-up? We need to have these debates up and running now.
Also, why is it that some of the politicians want to have only one debate? This is not some game, some one-love chip football game being played in a backyard somewhere. This is a serious issue, and those seeking to run for public office need to start respecting the people of this country and do the things necessary to inform people about their positions on issues that will help shape Jamaica's future. We need to have meaningful debates where key individuals from both parties articulate their positions on what they believe to be the best way forward. Yes, many of the masses don't care one way or the other, but if they want to wallow in their ignorance, that is their problem. I, and others like me, of which there are many, also need to know. Somebody has got to do the thinking for those who have demonstrated that they are either incapable, or unwilling to employ rational thought.
We want to hear from the party leaders, the people in finance, the people handling social programmes, and the people handling issues of national security. The country is on the edge of a cliff and we are busy wasting time arguing over deciding who will be the ones to prevent it from going over. That has always been our problem. We always end up arguing over the wrong thing while everyone else has done figuring out what they want to do. This is why we have fallen so far behind.
Send comments to shearer39@gmail.com
