A cabinet, breakfront or watnot? ... An analysis of the new cabinet

Less than twenty-four hours after taking the oath of office as Prime Minister of Jamaica for the second time, Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller and her team of forty-two incoming members of parliament once again gathered at King's House, albeit on the inside this time for the naming and swearing-in of Jamaica's next cabinet which she will lead.

Although in much smaller numbers than the over ten thousand strong that littered the state lawns on Thursday, there was more than a buzz of excitement as prominent citizens, members of civil society, high ranking party supporters, the media and general well-wishers streamed into the ballroom way in advance of the slated 11:00a.m. commencement. At a quarter to the hour, journalists were already reporting that the ballroom, built to accommodate two hundred guests was full and overflowing and several people could be seen standing against the walls and even more on the outside leading into the foyer and onto the portico.

Then came 11:00a.m...then came 11:30a.m...then came 12 noon! And even though by then, Simpson-Miller and all those expected to be sworn-in were in their respective places for the greater part of an hour - there was no sign of the Governor General or any public announcement or apology from the powers that be as reasons for to hold up. Needless to say, restless guests were now evidently impatient as this delay was bound to cut deeper into their lunchtime than had been predicted.

Apparently operating from a different time zone, His Excellency Sir Patrick accompanied by Lady Allen sauntered in at what would now be a whopping 80-plus minutes late. After a brief a capella rendition of the national anthem, pitched most unceremoniously by...you guessed it - the GG himself, the programme got under way. Clearly something was wrong in the state of Denmark. But of course, nothing would put a damper on the swearing-in of Sista P's cabinet and for the next hour we would labouriously watch twenty-seven people come and go repeating as though a nursery rhyme, the oath of office as ministers and state ministers; before crossing the floor one by one to receive their obligatory trademark hug and kiss from a glowing comrade leader.

And.......Yes! You heard me right - Simpson-Miller included, there are twenty ministers and seven state ministers in the new cabinet. Only the second largest in our nation's history since Michael Manley's twenty-three ministers in 1976. Then, as if to add insult to injury, having been put through the painful ordeal of hearing the two part oath a record twenty-six times in one day, the specific portfolio responsibilities were not disclosed then and there and we would have to wait another lifetime for an official announcement much later in the evening.

So as to not hold you any more in suspense, here are the portfolios:

• Prime Minister and Minister of Defence  • Peter Phillips - Finance, Planning & the Public Service• AJ Nicholson - Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade• Peter Bunting - National Security• Ronald Thwaites - Education• Lisa Hanna - Youth and Culture• Robert Pickersgill - Water, Land, Environment & Climate Change• Fenton Ferguson - Health• Anthony Hylton - Industry, Investment & Commerce• Mark Golding - Justice• Derrick Kellier - Labour and Social Security• Noel Arscott - Local Government & Community Development• Omar Davies - Transport, Works & Housing• Wykeham McNeil - Tourism & Entertainment• Phillip Paulwell - Mining, Energy & ICT• Roger Clarke - Agriculture & Fisheries Portia Simpson Miller, 

Ministers Without Portfolio

• Morais Guy - Transport, Works & Housing (Housing)• Sandrea Falconer - Office of the Prime Minister (Information)• Horace Dalley - Finance, Planning & Public Service (Public Service)• Natalie Neita-Headley - Office of the Prime Minister (Sports)

Ministers of State
• Arnaldo Brown - Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade• Sharon Ffolkes Abrahams - Industry, Investment & Commerce• Ian Hayles - Agriculture & Fisheries• Colin Fagan - Local Government & Community Development• Richard Azan - Transport, Works & Housing• Damion Crawford - Tourism & Entertainment• Julian Robinson - Mining, Energy & ICT• Luther Buchanan - Office of the Prime Minister 

Now, let me be very clear, I do not have a problem with the size of the cabinet, but I do find it a bit ironic, amusing even, that this comes on the heels of the very same Simpson-Miller being highly critical of and almost scolding the former Bruce Golding led 18-member cabinet...  Styling it in dramatic fashion as - "a watnot". Well, Knock Knock Mrs. Simpson-Miller, just in case you haven't realized...what you have here is a pretty large break front! To be fair, one must call a spade a spade; and this spade could easily be considered a shovel!

There has been extensive research and reports done on cabinet size worldwide and I agree firmly with the school of thought that there should be no fixed numbers to a cabinet and Prime Ministers should be free to adjust, add, minus, multiply and divide as he or she so sees fit in keeping with the needs, the projections, the expectations and the budget of the day. However, what I cannot ever agree with is tokenism, and this cabinet seems to be heavily ladened with quite a few rewards to old faithfuls and young cousins of the comrade leader.


A minister with responsibility for nothing but sports? Sports could have easily been placed with Tourism or with Youth & Culture, as it has been in the past.

Then there is the return of the old titans - AJ Nicholson and Roger Clarke. One cannot help but think that certainly these two appointments must be a regression of sorts, as these men have served in cabinets from as far back as the eighties.


Mark Golding, while being a trained attorney has made a sterling career for himself as an investment banker and business leader, would he not have been better utilized in Industry and Commerce or better yet, in Finance?

Since Nicholson had to be rewarded for staying the course, why not give him Justice? A portfolio with which he is all too familiar.  Golding to Industry and Hylton, who has shadowed and acted as Foreign Affairs Minister for some time to that very ministry.

Youth, Sports and Culture was already a waste of public funds under the JLP administration, as Youth could have easily been paired with Education and Sports & Culture administered by Tourism. Now one must agree that Lisa Hanna is deserving of a ministry, but I cannot support the maintenance of this farce especially with the discipline of sports taken away.

Then, there are all of three ministers in Transport, Works and Housing - Dr. Omar Davies and Dr. Morais Guy as full ministers, the latter with specific responsibility for Housing and Richard Azan as state minister. By all indications, this is not a "super-ministry" in its true sense, so the question here is - couldn't a minister and a state minister alone have done the trick?

Finance, Planning and the Public Service whiles staffed with two fairly competent men - Dr. Peter Phillips (seen by many as the de facto Deputy Prime Minister) and former Health Minister Horace Dalley, seems to lack the real technical competence that would be needed at a crucial time in our nation like this. Maybe this is where an extra minister without portfolio should have been wasted.

Now to Simpson-Miller's Office...with just Sports under Natalie Neita Headley's belt and Information with Falconer, I am at a genuine loss as to why the Prime Minister's Office would have to be staffed with a state minister, in the person of Luther Buchanan.. Certainly, Neita-Headley will have so much time on her hands when Sports is "out-of-season", that whatever Buchanan is being brought there to do, she and Falconer could more than straddle between the two of them.

That aside, many of those expected to take particular portfolios were so appointed and there were not any major surprises with probably the exception of the total absence of former general secretary and Simpson-Miller loyalist - Collin Campbell.

While we may have our differences on this new cabinet it is important that these members perform and stand firm by the mandate they have been given.  The needs of this country are great and the people have placed a significant amount of trust in this administration.  While it is evident that some of the members of this cabinet were rewarded because of loyalty and long service we expect that they will prove the naysayers wrong.  I can only hope that they will perform above expectation, because in the end...PNP and JLP aside, the country will be the ultimate victor.

Jamaica- not just the Government's Business...the People's Business

It was the IMF head Christine Lagarde who said that "There is no economy in the world, whether low-income countries, emerging markets, middle-income countries or super-advanced economies that will be immune to the crisis that we see not only unfolding but escalating."  It is against the background of such a frightening statement that the Portia Simpson-Miller led People’s National Party will take the rein of governance in Jamaica.  The People’s National Party will face significant challenges with a debt running at approximately 130per cent of GDP and unemployment at 12per cent.  Despite this phenomenon the people of this country are expecting opportunities.  As such this government must be decisive; there will be no honeymoon period and the ministers must be skillful in managing their portfolio with little or no room for error.  The electorates are expecting maximum performance and will vote against a government if they believe that they are not doing enough to serve the interest of the people.  As such there are some key areas that this government must give serious attention.

Priority areas

 Attention must be given to the increasing oil bill, the cost continues to escalate and the ripple effects are felt all over the country.   This government must ensure that they find a cheaper alternative to oil whether it is Liquefied Natural Gas, coal or some other choice.  This alternative source must help to reduce production cost and thereby reduce the cost for several items in the country.  The PNP in its manifesto promises to re-engineer Petrojam through a joint venture partnership and they promise to re-formulate the Liquefied Natural Gas Project within the context of a competitive exercise where the market makes a determination as to the fuel sources.  For too long this issue of alternative source of energy is on the table and the longer the government takes to deal with this issue is the longer the country suffers.  It is imperative that this government seek comprehensive advice and make a decision (after consultation with industry players) in selecting an alternative source of energy.  Leaving it to the market to decide will take years as people will always present pros and cons to any energy alternate that is placed on the table. 

Attention must also be placed on job creation; many persons are desperate for employment opportunities to advance themselves. Jamaica Emergency Employment Program (JEEP), a major Job creation proposal of the PNP is not far reaching and the government must find innovative ways to get Jamaicans employed.  JEEP may provide a temporary solution for the people within the inner city but there are a large number of graduates that leave university who are jobless and as such a widespread solution must be provided.   Careful attention must be given to the micro and small business enterprise as they may be a key source in stimulating the economy.  The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is an area that this government plans to examine and it may reap some level of success. We have seen a steady increase of call centres and there is potential for an expansion. 

The deal with the International Monetary Fund is also important and the PNP must close the deal in the shortest possible time.  Renegotiation is not an option as clearly outlined by the Fund but what could be suggested is that we have an Extended Fund Facility which will give us enough breathing room to deal with the issues of tax reform, public sector rationalization and pension reform. 

Good governance is one of the most important features of any governing body and the PNP cannot lose its connection with the people.  Mrs. Simpson- Miller in her victory speech said, "We will tell you as it is, we will hide nothing from you, when it is tough and rough we will let you know, when it is easy we will let you know." The government must always respect the people but must ensure that they explain the realities to them.  Honesty is always important and there is no room for corruption. Where there are incidences of corruption the leadership must ensure that they are decisive and just in its actions.

Areas of Interest in the PNP's Manifesto

 The PNP promises constitutional reform and this is important, we have seen significant development in this area under the JLP government and it must be continued by the PNP. The transformation of the police force to a civilian law enforcement organization is also under the microscope.  The government must position itself in such a way to change the way people view the police force and have the human rights as high priority. 

The PNP also proposes to develop a special unit that will deal with extreme violence, this is a key factor in developing as a nation and being that the crime rate is on a low it should be the government’s intention to keep this inversely proportional to the level of production.  There are plans to implement the Individual and Corporate Insolvency Act; this will replace the bankruptcy act and will give protection to businesses that have the potential to survive if given enough breathing room.   I am particularly interested with the proposed idea to establish Local Public Accounts Committees within the parish councils.  The government needs to ensure that its officials on all level are accountable to the people who elected them.  The renegotiation of the Jamaica Public Service contract if successful will reap significant benefits to the country.  This will create competition and give people the opportunity to make choices hence breaking the monopoly of the Jamaica Public Service.

The next three to five years will be challenging for both the government and the people who are about to encounter a different transition. The government must ensure that the ministers are effective and that the country is well aware of its every move. The opposition must ensure that they keep the government on its feet and the people of this country must be the ultimate watchman as the government moves forward on the mandate given to them by the people. The party leader needs to be assertive and responsive, cognizant of sensitive issues and she must also prove herself ready to lead a nation that is destined for greatness.

JLP and the way forward

The 2011 General Election in Jamaica will be viewed as historic for a few reasons.  It is the first that a government served one term in office; it is also the first in the history of politics that a woman is leading a party to victory and it is the first in our history that we are having an election after Christmas but before the New Year.  Andrew’s defeat at the polls caused him to be one of the shortest serving Prime Ministers of Jamaica, (with the exception of Donald Sangster who died while in office) he served for 2 months and a week to be exact.  Now that the dust has settled and the reality has hit it is now time for the party to examine what went wrong and begin to position themselves for the future.

What went wrong?

Generation 2000, the young professional arm of the Jamaica Labour Party launched a series of attacks.  Firstly they began to attack the president of the People’s National Party, Mrs. Portia Simpson-Miller.  One would have thought that after watching the leadership race within the PNP the group would have learnt that when you attack this woman it causes people to become sympathetic and cause her to receive votes.  The organisation also launched an attack on the media; any well thinking individual would know that you cannot fight the media.  I will be the first to admit that certain elements in the media were evidently biased.  However, when one can control the thoughts of the public whether via a microphone or a camera one must be careful of the attacks; the organisation created enemies within the media and the attack worked against them.  The party along with Generation 2000 also took a swipe on gays and while we all may have our views on this sensitive matter we must be realistic.  It is important that we respect one’s choice, the issue of morality will surface but frankly whatever a man chooses it is for him and his God to make amends on judgement day.  This gay issue got personal and G2K along with certain elements within the party began to attack individuals who they suspected were gay.  As such the campaign was no longer about the issues within the constituency of which these perceived gay persons are representing but more about their sexual orientation.  This broadside attack backfired and in fact the persons who are said to be gay all won their seat.  There was also a level of arrogance that existed among the top brass of the party.  The common rhetoric of ‘it is not what you say but how you say it’ was at play and the Jamaica Labour Party failed to grasp this clever rhetoric.  The party was not smart in how it sold the message, it is known that there is no money to pay public sector workers, yes we had to cut capital expenditure projects but the issue was how it was sold to the people.  The party did not realise that the people you disrespect and shrug are the same ones you will ‘beg’ to vote for you when it is time to face the polls.  The Jamaica Labour Party suffered significantly in the area of communications and public relations; the people will not know what you are doing unless you tell them.  Not many of us will read a manifesto; frankly the people are not concerned about this document.  They are more concerned with the ‘bread and butter’ issues.  They want to know that they have money to go to the supermarket, money to send their children to school and some want to know that they have a job.  The JLP should have broken down this issue and sold it to the people. While it is good that Mr. Shaw can point out that during the 18.5 years that the People’s National Party was in power Jamaica's growth averaged 1.2 per cent while the world economy grew at 5.0 per cent per year; growth in the Caribbean and Latin American exceeded 6.0 per cent, the truth is Jamaicans are really not concerned with these issues. Yes we have a stable exchange rate, BOJ/GOJ interest rates are at an all time low, there is record net and gross foreign exchange reserves, improvement in our balance of payments, a successful debt exchange program, growth in our economy despite the recession and a comprehensive tax reform is underway. Are Jamaicans really interested in hearing this?  Jamaicans want this message to be broken down in the simplest common denominator and the Jamaica Labour Party failed in this aspect.

The PNP’s Strategy

The PNP after their loss at the 2007 general election went back to the drawing board.  They stayed far from using their leader as the main person in the campaign, something they did in 2007 and this is what the JLP used in 2011. They reconnected with their base and while the JLP was busy in government the PNP was busy getting their people on the voters list.  They focused on critical seats and ensured that they were in constant contact with the people.  The PNP also used technology to their advantage; they outdid the JLP which was seen as the tech savvy party.  The PNP had paid ads on Face book; they had carefully crafted links on the Gleaner website that would take us to a site to inform us of their plans.  The advertisements were well focused; they informed the people of what they will do if they formed government. They played on the arrogance of the labour party and they focused on the people hence the tagline ‘People Power’.  The PNP went for its finest, they had PJ Patterson a chief architect who led the PNP to four consecutive victories, and they also had Vin Lawrence who led the Urban Developed Corporation.  Under his leadership we saw the evasion of the spanish hotels and investors who developed the Sangsters International Airport and highway 2000.  They also had Alston Stewart and this was bolstered with the team that was already in place.  The campaign was well focused and the mission was accomplished, even though Andrew was new he played right into the hands of PNP.  The mistakes he made at the mass rally in Manchester led them to call him ‘baby bruce’ and the issue of trust resonated among the people.  The PNP led the way with the campaign and the JLP was always on the back end.  As it reached closer to the election the JLP campaign seemed desperate and was completely lost, this was coupled with the JDIP issues and the unfortunate handling of the ‘spy plane’ issue.

The Way forward

The Jamaica Labour party must now quickly lick its wounds and position itself for the future.  First order of business is to reposition Generation 2000.  This group must return to its mandate and become a ‘think tank’ for the party. G2K must now return to the days of David Panton and Christopher Tufton, we must see policies coming to the fore, they must guide the party on its course to success.  The opposition although small in number must be effective in parliament.  While the PNP can pass any bill without the need of the opposition the JLP must use the media to its advantage while showing the nation that they are holding the government to task.  The opposition spokespersons must be informed and must challenge the ministers at all times.  They should never be quick to oppose but must be strident and show the Jamaican people that they are keeping the government in check.  The party faces a serious challenge, most of the parliamentarians are from the old guard and hence an old style of politics.  Andrew must be skilful as he moves the party forward; I believe that the party must ensure that they retain some of their candidates.  It is going to be hard but we must have people like Marlene Malahoo, Danville Walker, Sapphire Longmore, Robert Montaque, Dr. Christopher Tufton, Paula Kerr-Jarret et al to continue working in their constituencies.  I also suggest that all these people are appointed to the senate so that the opposition can be strong and effective.  The party must also reconnect with its base, they are not energized and they must find innovative ways to get them to stay true to the party.  If I may take a line from popular entertainer Buju Banton ‘It is not an easy road, many see the glamour and the glitter and think it’s a bed of rose’.  Uneasy is the head that wears the crown and the road ahead for Prince Andrew will not be smooth.