Labour Party Conference 2012

I had originally planned to write on a completely different topic today, a recent event has captured my attention which I feel I must share today, yesterday the Jamaica Labour Party celebrated its 69^th anniversary with the hosting of its annual National Conference at the Jamaica Conference Centre. This 69^th anniversary was seen more as being more reflective than celebratory, this is quite understandable given their two recent defeats at the general elections last December and again at the local government polls last March, The JLP wanted a chance to reexamine itself and see what went wrong, how could it have lost two elections in a row?, they needed a chance to be revived and come back fresh and be ready to take on the ruling People’s National Party the next time that elections roll around, it was more or less a delegates conference so therefore I felt rather privileged that I was still invited and was glad I got a chance to attend.

The conference took on a much different format this year than before, this is of course it was mainly hosted for the delegates of the Jamaica Labour Party (although a small number of visitors showed up as well), this reduction in crowds meant several things, first of all less crowds meant a smaller and less impressive venue, conferences for both major parties are normally held at the National Arena which is a grand and electrifying venue filled with Jamaicans from all over coming to hear their leaders address them over a massive sound system, this year that was scaled down, also different this year was reduced level of excitement, everyone in Jamaica knows perfectly well that political rallies (Conference being the largest and most popular rally of all) are filled not only with orange clad comrades or green clad labourites  but with all sorts of tradesmen and vendors on the outskirts plying their wares, different persons  particular those from inner city garrison communities wearing the weirdest and funniest styles, amateur comedians and  drunkards making  fools of themselves giving the crowd a good laugh and of course who could forget the music that is designed to get the masses railed up and work them into a frenzy, none of that was seen at the JLP Conference this year instead it was more of a sombre mood where the delegates were gathered into caucus groups to discuss major issues affecting both the party and the country ranging from agriculture, the economy, youth affairs, local government and internal housekeeping matters to name a few.

If there was one thing that did not change however it was the speeches given by the senior officers of the Party inclusive of the Chairman, the Treasurer, the General Secretary and the Deputy Leaders for the four island area councils. As is traditional in both political parties, the highlight of the conference was the main address by the Party Leader and in this case The Right Honourable Andrew Holness did not disappoint in fact he surpassed even my expectation, he certainly caught my attention with his exhilarating speech and showed that Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition is alive and well in this country. His speech touched on some of the most important issues affecting Jamaica today, and showed everyone the government’s true colours and how they mismanaged the country and particularly the economy and why his party would have done a better job had they been given the chance, his speech was one that reached out and touched persons of all classes while connecting the working class and the most vulnerable in society, he was careful not to ostracize the middle class or the professional groups, this balancing act was in my view a stroke of genius.

The speech by the Opposition Leader sounded more like a statesman than a politician and I must say I admire his patriotism, appealing to the concept of “Jamaica First” and full independence for Jamaica not like the ridiculous anti-monarchist propaganda put out by the Prime Minister and her cronies but rather something that was more concrete and spoke to the spirit of the Jamaican people and the values we hold so dear in this country. Although he did not say so explicitly he implied his abhorrence for the idea of a Jamaican republic similar to his budget debate speech  last May, this is what really grabbed me however (I paraphrase) “ Republic and CCJ will not make us more independent, the only way Jamaica can truly achieve true political independence and stand with the other nations of the world is when we achieve economic independence” , a brilliant speech from a brilliant man, I think it was his best one yet.

 All in all the conference was had its ups and downs with a few hiccups at the start which caused some of the JLP delegates to become angry (and I mean very angry) probably that was the Gen-Sec’s fault, but it ended on a very high note with exhilarating speeches  from the likes of Desmond Mackenzie, Audley “Man-a-Yard” Shaw and of course Party leader Andrew Holness among others, I’m glad I went and look forward to going back in 2013. 

I Vow To Thee My Country: Remembrance Day 2012

Yesterday, The World observed one of the most solemn days of the year, November 11 is a day known by many different names across many different countries, some call it Armistice Day, others say Poppy Day, some like the Americans know it at Veterans Day while here in Jamaica and in other parts of the British Commonwealth it is known as Remembrance Day. Regardless of the name given to it, they all basically mean the same thing, celebrating our brave servicemen and servicewomen who serve (or have served) in the Army, the Navy and the Air Force especially those who died to protect the liberties that we all prize today.  The Tradition of having this special day dedicated to our war heroes was  started early in the 20^th century and was originally meant for those who died during World Wars One and Two, November 11 was chosen because it was exactly on 11:00 that day that the Armistice was signed bringing an end to World War 1 in 1918.

                                                      

Preparations for Remembrance Day in Jamaica begin as early as mid September, with the launching of Annual Wings Appeal by the Royal Air Forces Association Jamaica Branch 580 following which is the Launch of the Annual Poppy Appeal by the Royal Jamaica Legion about two to three week later, both of which are done at Kings House under the Patronage of our Governor-General, the Legion and the RAFAJ are actually Jamaican Branches of Commonwealth-wide organisations, the Legion being part of the  British Commonwealth Ex-Servicemen’s League (of which His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh is President and Grand Patron) while the RAFAJ is part of the Royal Air Forces Associations so basically you could say both traditions are not unique to Jamaica but rather are part of a shared traditions practiced my many of our sister nations in other parts of the Commonwealth. The Appeals themselves are actually a means of raising money as a means to support our brave and dear veterans many of whom are now very old, some of which have very little for themselves regardless of that fact that they have given of themselves so selflessly in the service of their Queen and Country.

                                            

Remembrance Day itself is usually celebrated on the Second Sunday in November rather than on the actually November 11 (though thankfully this year the 11^th was a Sunday), the day begins with parades in parish capitals and the laying of wreaths at central locations, the main service itself is normally held at National Heroes Park where the Cenotaph and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are Located (most countries has thier own cenotaph and a tomb of the unknown soldier), this ceremony is normally attended by many dignitaries including the Governor-General, the Prime Minister, Ministers of Government, Diplomats and members of the Royal Family when present, this is where the grandest parades are held and the biggest wreaths are laid. The highlight of the service however is the two minute silence which happens at exactly 11:00AM without fail, this is most solemn moment of the entire day where everyone pauses to reflect on those servicemen and servicewomen who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Following the end of the service the honoured veterans usually get to meet and greet the dignitaries at the service and to catch up with each other most times to reminisce on the glory days of serving in the armed forces

                                   

To be frank, Remembrance Day in Jamaica is no longer as popular as it used to be, gone are the days when the Legion would enlist the help of Primary Schools and High Schools in Poppy Appeals, when every schoolchild would get involved in helping the cause and get as much poppies sold as possible, gone are the days when remembrance services and parades used to broadcasted live on National Television so those who could not attend could still get to see the proceedings, there are persons in our society who don’t even know what a poppy represents and mock those  of us who still wear them some people don’t even bother to pause for 2 minutes at 11:00 anymore and it all be blamed on one thing: creeping republicanism, even the very concept of honouring our heroes is now being trivialised, it’s heart-breaking.

Hope is not lost, there are many who still remember the sacrifice of those who served in all the branches of our armed forces whether in peacetime or wartime, the Royal Jamaica Legion and the RAFAJ are still very much committed to ensuring that no matter what, their sacrifices will never be forgotten. These men and women gave all in service to Queen and Country and this is why they can proudly sing:

I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above, Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;                                                                                                                                                                                    The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;                                                                                                                                                                                The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

                                      

“And We Will Remember them: Lest we forget”

The Big Race 2012: who will it be?

It has now come down to the wire, with only one day to go there’s only one Question on everybody’s lips, who will occupy the big seat for 2013-2017?, who will win the election up north, will incumbent Barack Obama be given a second chance? Or will he be upstaged by Mitt Romney?, having caught bits and pieces of the Campaign from  the Republican primaries all the way up the debates, I must say this is still anyone’s game according to the latest polls. Of course a recent experience here in Jamaica has taught me that the polls cannot always be trusted. Some may not know this but the people of the U.S. do not elect their president directly but rather indirectly and it may very well be possible however unlikely for a candidate to win the popular vote but still lose the election since votes are counted according to state not the individual and no state is more crucial than the swing states, since they are the ones that almost always determine the results.                       

Two things I must make special note of are the nature of campaigning and the cost, preparations for an election campaign begin as soon is the previous one is over, in other words it is a never ending cycle that in itself seems quite ridiculous candidates launch propaganda campaigns trying to make their opponents look bad oftentimes spinning the truth  in order to accomplish this goal, this leaves the nation heavily divided and may cause persons to become bitter if the candidate of their choice loses. Unlike a constitutional monarchy or even but to a lesser extent a parliamentary republic, in the United States and presidential systems, there is no separation between Head of State and Head of Government what this means that there is no living symbol of loyalty for the entire nation to rally around. “What about the post campaign healing process?”  “What about having the elected president trying to galvanize the whole nation to support him after he has been elected?”, some might ask, here’s my answer, this is unlikely seeing that is I said before Campaigning gets off the ground as soon as the last one ends that is precisely why Americans pledge allegiance to their flag, unlike us in the Commonwealth Realms who pledge our loyalty to a living being, our monarch, former Canadian Prime Minister Sir John MacDonald best sums it up this way “By adhering to the monarchical principle we avoid one defect inherent in the  American Constitution. By the election of the president by a majority and for a short period, he never is the sovereign and chief of the nation. He is never looked up to by the whole people as the head and front of the nation. He is at best but the successful leader of a party. This defect is all the greater on account of the practice of reelection.”

As everyone knows campaigning cost are massive, and many of the times donation to a candidate or a party are funded by private enterprises with billions of dollars being spent every election for endorsements and campaign ads which often times end with the words “I’m (name of candidate) and I approve this message", an election which should have been about the people is taken over by corporate mongols, U.S. based multinational corporations and  the wealthy business upper-class who have the most to gain from their candidate being declared as victor. 

In terms of who has the better policies I had originally been in full support of Mitt Romney obviously because he was more conservative , but after listening to the three debates I have come to different conclusion, Romney in fact has only excellent domestic policies but as far as foreign affairs is concerned the President still has the edge. Romney is a total disaster when it comes to foreign policy I mean seriously, "Russia is America’s number one geopolitical foe"? Where the hell did he get that from?, the last straw for me was insulting the British at the Olympics, in my book that is almost unforgivable as I consider myself a true anglophile. On the other hand I like the stance that he takes on domestic issues such as civil rights, health care, education taxation and how to get the American economy growing at a faster rate. The President is completely the opposite his domestic policies have been the downfall for the U.S. over the 4 years of his presidency leading to the reduction their once proud AAA credit rating, and the fact that the U.S. is now the largest debtor in the world, especially to China, one could not talk about Obama’s domestic policy without mentioning Obama-Care, the highlight of the President’s policy bitterly opposed by republicans, the very first thing that Romney plans on repealing if elected. His foreign policy however includes more inclusion and more idealism rather than typical Romney Style realism, whose only aim is for the U.S. domination of all other nations, that kind of politics is impractical in this day and age given the nature of the international system which Romney has continuously demonstrated that he doesn’t fully  understand.

Like I said before this election is still anybody’s game, the United States and the world watches with bated breath to see what the outcome will be on Tuesday night and who will get the chance to lead America for the next four years until 2016 when the process is done all over again

Jamaica's Double Jubilee 2012

Double Jubilee

2012 is indeed a special year marked with many different festivities all around the world.  This year some countries such as Trinidad/Tobago and Uganda are celebrating their Golden Jubilees as independent nations having gained full sovereignty in 1962 while at the same time Commonwealth Realms are celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II who ascended the throne 60 years ago in 1952. Jamaica however has the unique distinction of being the only country in the world to be celebrating both occasions at the same time, so in other words you could say that this is a year of double jubilee for us. This year has been marked by many different events and festive occasions all throughout the year some of them included, the Jubilee year kick-off on the water front of Kingston Harbour on New Year’s Day,  The visit By His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales in March, a host of activities taking place island wide  both during  Central weekend (which is the anniversary of the Queen’s coronation) in June and  “Emancipendence “week (celebrating both Emancipation and Independence)  from August 1 to August 6,  The Jamaica Defence Force Military Tattoo, held roughly around the same time as the Jubilee weekend armed forces parade in London, National Heroes Day ceremonies in mid-October as well as special presentations of Jubilee medals held throughout the year.

                                              

 The Fact that we are celebrating both occasions at the same time only goes to underscore the special relationship that we as Jamaicans have with our monarchy and with our Queen, highlighting the cultural values heritage and achievements of this great nation coupled with a celebration of the Queen’s unbroken 60 years of service to her people is about as patriotic as one can get  as this truly highlights the best of both worlds of all that is truly Jamaican in us. I  find it disheartening that republicans particularly those in government who swore to uphold the constitution are taking issue with the double celebration, their excuse is that 50 years is too long to remain a monarchy and so “time come” for a republic, what kind of logic is that? I did not know that our constitution had a 50 year warranty on it, I would very much like for someone to show me that clause. I cannot for the life of me see why these people so keen to push the issue and their only justification for it is “time come” time for what? I must ask .

50 years of independence means 50 years of constitutional monarchy as was enshrined in our 1962 constitution, 50 years of democratic stability which remains uninterrupted by a major coup or revolution all of which happened during the reign of our present Queen who as reigned well for the last 60 years over the people of Jamaica and other countries within the British Commonwealth of Nations. Why in the world would anyone want to throw that down the toilet now? It’s not broke, so why “fix” it? 

                                    

This year of jubilee should be about celebrating the past and looking to the future, it should be about reconnecting ourselves with our heritage and everything that makes us Jamaican and while I’m on that point let me state categorically that there is nothing authentically Jamaican or patriotic about a republic there is no historical or cultural basis for establishing that system here for ‘We Jamaicans are not natural republicans’ as Sir Howard Cooke rightly puts it. Monarchy on the other hand according to former Tourism minister Anthony Abrahams “has been etched in the Jamaican Psyche”.  And such it is quite fitting the Golden Jubilee of our independence should be celebrated in the same year as Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen calls it the irony of history.

  The connection between the Jubilees is too hard not to notice, this coincidence is not to seen as  one of conflict but to be taken as a sign of how much the monarchy means to us on this our 50^th year of independence and why we should do everything we can to preserve it. God Bless Jamaica Land we Love and God Save the Queen. 

The Honours System: Then and Now

Last Weekend Jamaica celebrated another important patriotic holiday, this time it was National Heroes day which usually celebrated on the third Monday in October, the week leading up to that day is normally called National Heritage week is a time of celebration where we showcase the best of both historical and contemporary Jamaican culture, this period is the second most patriotic holiday period on the Jamaican calendar overshadowed only by the Emancipation-Independence ("Emancipendence") festival in the summer . National Heroes Day is famous for two things in particular the first of course as the name suggest has to do with our National Heroes, the big seven who among the most famous Jamaicans immortalised for all time, the second thing that Heroes Day is known for is the spectacular Kings House Parade followed by the handing out of National Awards by the Governor-General and this is where I want to zoom in on. These Honours and Awards handed out are part of the Jamaican honours system which was created in 1969 via the National Honours and Awards Act which was created to copy and replace the British Honours system, in order to better understand it let’s do a quick overview of the British System before moving on. The British are famous for their award of knighthoods and other titles of nobility, these awards and knighthoods fall into varying degrees. At the very top of this system is the Order of the Garter, founded in 1348 by King Edward III, this Order consist of the Monarch, the Prince of Wales and no more than 24 knights, other members of both the British Royal Family and foreign royal families are included as extra knights not counted among the 26, the Garter has the distinction of the being the oldest existing and most prestigious order of Chivalry in the World. Next comes the Order of the Thistle, the actual date of its founding is rather ambiguous as some sources claimed that it was founded in 1687, other sources trace it’s foundations back as early as 1540, it’s level precedence is also in doubt, Many Scots are of the view that the Thistle is the equivalent of the Garter however many outside Scotland place the Thistle lower in precedence, the Order of the Thistle is normally awarded to Scots or Scottish descended persons. The Order of the Bath falls next on the list, Originally founded as a military order in 1725 by King George I, it now consist of two distinct divisions, civil and military, both branches consist of three grades, Knights Grand Cross (GCB), Knights Commander (KCB) and Companions (CB). .

The Order of Merit was created in 1902 by King Edward VII was designed to award extraordinary achievements in science, the arts or even the military, this Order though it comes with no title is still highly coveted and consist of a limit of 24 members from all over the Commonwealth. The Order of St Michael and St George is one many Jamaicans should be familiar with since every Governor-General since independence has been a member , this Order was founded in 1818 and is used to honour persons who have served with distinction in the British Foreign service or in service to the Commonwealth. The next order on the list is the Royal Victorian Order, this award was founded by Queen Victoria and is the Queen’s personal gift to reward those who have served the Queen in a personal capacity, three of Jamaica’s six governors-general are members of this Order. And finally we have the Order of the British Empire, this order created in 1917 by King George V should be familiar to older generations of Jamaicans as many distinguished Jamaicans were inducted into it prior to the Honours and Awards Act, it consist of 5 classes, Knights Grand Cross (GBE), Knights Commander (KBE), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE) and Member (MBE), this Order consist of hundreds of members and is given to folks from all walks of life.

The Jamaican Honours System was created in 1969 as was said above in order to replace the “Colonial system”, the National Honours and Awards act originally created 4 Orders. The Order of National Hero is the Oldest and Highest honour, created for those who have served the people of Jamaica in a most distinguished fashion, many persons do not know that the concept of National Hero actually predates the creation of the Order, the first person so named was civil rights activist Marcus Garvey in 1964, later Morant Bay rebellion leaders Paul Bogle and George William Gordon were also given this designation, after the Order of National Heroes was formalised in 1969 four other persons, Sir Alexander Bustamante, Norman Manley, Samuel Sharpe and the legendary Maroon leader Nanny were added to the list. There have been proposals from time to time that more persons should be added to the list including cultural icons such as Bob Marley and Louise Bennett, the topic is still a controversial one to this very day. The Order of Merit was the second order created; this is more or less a "Jamaicanised" version of the British Order of Merit, it consists of no more than 15 living members and all members are styled as Right Honourable. The Order of Jamaica is possibly the most well-known Order in the honours system, it was created to be an equivalent to the Knighthood classes of the Orders of the Bath, St Michael and St George and the British Empire, although unlike those orders, members of the Order of Jamaica are awarded the style of Honourable (Hon) rather than Sir or Dame, this is mainly the fault of pro-republican elements in Jamaica’s political elite who claim that the use of such titles is too “colonial” even if the initials OJ fall behind it, this is stark contrast to other Caribbean countries such as Barbados, St Lucia and Antigua who have incorporated titles of knighthoods as part of their indigenous honours system with little fuss. The Final Order as was created in the Original Act is the Order of Distinction, this order of chivalry is divided into two classes, Commander (CD) and Officer (OD), this Order was created to equate with the lower non-knighthoods ranks of the Orders of the Bath, St Michael and St George and the British Empire. The National Honours and Awards act officially banned Jamaicans except the Governor-General from taking knighthoods from the British Government even though in truth it was the Jamaican Government and not the British who had recommended Jamaicans to receive such honours prior to that time, This ban does not apply to the Royal Victorian Order since it is the Queen’s personal gift with no political interference involved.

After 1969 two new awards were added, these are the Order of the Nation and the Order of Excellence. The Order of the Nation was created in 1973 when Florizel Glasspole was made Jamaica’s third Governor-General; the Prime Minister at the time Michael Manley was very pro-republican in his orientation and decided to create this new Order so as to compensate the Governor-General for not being knighted, he hoped that that a head of State who was not knighted by the Queen would make the transition to a republic easier, fortunately this never came to pass and after losing the 1980 elections the new Prime Minister Edward Seaga immediately recommended a knighthood for Glasspole. Regardless it was still a recognized part of the Jamaican honours system but limited only to Governors-General, that changed in 2002 when then Prime Minister P.J. Patterson decided to award himself the honour along with the style “Most Honourable” he also did the same for all former Prime Ministers and Governors-General, his excuse for doing so was that the title “Right Honourable” sounded too British and he wanted different title that sounded more Jamaican and so he created that style, this was of course a blatant lie, in truth the title “Most Honourable” is just as British in origin as “Right Honourable” , however it is used only by Marquises in British peerage and as such is very rare but not none existent. The order of Excellence was created in 2003 and is equivalent to the Order of the Nation but is awarded only to foreign heads of State and government; it currently has only three members Thabo Mbeki, former South African President, Jayaka Kikwete,President of Tanzania and His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain

Why I Support the Jamaican Monarchy

I note with interest the Comments made by British Lord Chancellor Kenneth Clarke concerning the proposed constitutional reforms the government is determined to have pushed through without the consent of a public referendum concerning the Final Court of Appeal and what type of state we should have. Regarding the CCJ Lord Clarke was adamantly clear that the United Kingdom will not try to influence the government to act in one way or another, that the choice was totally up to the Jamaican people and that the UK will abide whatever the decision we choose to make while concerning the monarchy he uttered similar sentiments of non-interference by the British while at the same time alluding to the fact that if the Government chooses to become a republic then it will not alter our relations with the Cameron-led government in the United Kingdom. Personally I share the sentiments of the Lord Chancellor for it demonstrates that the choice is completely in our hands and that we are truly independent which is precisely what I have been saying all along, contrary to the erroneous propaganda being put out by activist in favour of a republic

My rationale for supporting the Retention of the Queen is not so much about retaining colonial links but rather more about the fact that it has been proven over and over again that constitutional monarchy is a better form of government compared to republican styled system, even the Prime Minister herself was quoted as saying that within the monarchical system of government there are many areas for emulation as Jamaica pursues the path towards sustainable development. It is quite clear from this sentiment that Mrs. Simpson Miller knows perfectly well that the state being a monarchy is in no way a barrier to our independence and development that begs the question, why then is the government pursuing this agenda of ripping apart our sacred independence constitution bequeathed to us by our founding fathers?, why divert time and resources into this crusade when it will have no real impact on the life of the average Jamaican in their daily lives?.

Constitutional Monarchy has absolutely nothing to do with colonialism, it is about the authority of state being vested in hereditary ruler and exercised by elected officials and state agencies for the good of the people it was designed to serve. Monarchy has been known to be a source of political stability in many countries around the world in fact according to the Economist Intelligence Unit Democracy Index Top Ten Most Democratic countries 7 out of 10 were Parliamentary Monarchies so obviously that says something, even the Head of the World’s Most popular presidential system seems to agree when he made this famous quote last year “ We could lose our AAA credit rating because we don’t have a AAA political system to match” this implies that President Obama seems to think that the Presidential System which he heads and by extension Presidential Republics in general are far from being AAA class.


'                         
My position is that becoming a republic simply for the sake of it is pointless. Many of my critics will no doubt point out to me that majority of the countries in the world are republics, but anyone who has bothered to research the histories of even half of them will find that these countries became republics either by popular revolts against an unjust absolute monarch or by an illegal coup d’état against their constitutional sovereign or in some cases they were established as a republic from the very beginning and were never a realm in the first place, Jamaica falls into none of the above categories and as such a republic totally unnecessary at this time. Other advocates of republicanism claim that their system provides for greater democracy of course the statistics quoted above from the Democracy Index already disproved that argument but still I really must contest that line of reasoning as it is a known fact that many republics such especially in Europe and Latin America have laws designed to protect the republic and make it a treasonable offence to advocate for the establishment or restoration of monarchy generally republicans have no problem but should the shoe be on the other foot, then all the republicans and liberals will come complaining about how despotic and tyrannical Kings and Queens are why they should be gotten rid of, clearly the playing field is not level here.

Again to reiterate I am not promoting the return to colonialism nor am I advocating for the establishment of absolute monarchism which could only bring arbitrary government, I only wish to see our Constitutional Monarchy and Westminster Style Democracy preserved in a Sovereign, Independent Jamaica and I am simply calling for all my fellow patriots to help to Protect, Preserve and Defend the Constitution of Jamaica written by the people, of the people and for the people.

PM's Empty Conference Speech

I really must comment on the speech given by the Prime Minister at the recent conference of the Peoples National Party and I must truly say that I was sorely disappointed that it did not have the substance that would normally be required of a speech of this nature to put it bluntly the speech was totally devoid of any real substance and sounded more like a campaign speech. Has Comrade Simpson Miller forgotten that she is now Prime Minister? Why is she behaving as though she is still in opposition? The nation looks to its leaders to take the helm and steer it to safety especially in times of difficulty, but the prime minister was more interested in blaming the JLP than accept responsibility for the failures and shortcomings of her own administration. It has been nine months now since they have taken office how long will they continue to blame the other side instead of doing what the people of Jamaica elected them to do.

What makes matters even more disturbing is the fact that after having been silent for so long the people of Jamaica were anxiously waiting to hear the Prime Minister unravel her plans to tackle the sliding dollar, unemployment, rising crime and other social ills but instead of giving the people hope and inspiring the people by telling them what she has in pipelines for relieving their suffering Mrs. Simpson Miller dedicated to speech to vilifying the opposition and lauding herself and her party even though many of the promises they made have not been fulfilled and no bills have been passed parliament over the last nine months, quite frankly I see very little to  be jubilant about  and self-praise is no recommendation.

Ever since this administration has taken office, The Dollar has dropped in value, our Net International Reserves (NIR) have decreased significantly, unemployment have increased, while both taxes and commodity prices have taken a turn for the worse, yet instead of saying what she plans to do all she was doing was blaming others, no wonder she was given a failing grade by many of the islands’ leading political analyst and quite frankly I agree with them wholeheartedly, Her speech was filled with clichés and lacking any real substance leaving me no choice but to concur with them that the speech was little more than empty political rhetoric