Putting Messrs Shaw, Baugh, Holness, Tufton in perspective

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

THE irony of Prime Minister Bruce Golding's statute is that despite his self-inflicted travails which lost him the confidence of many Jamaicans, he is highly regarded abroad.

He is seen as an intellectual with the ability to cut through the verbiage and focus on the essentials of issues, formulate the broad direction of policy and persuasively articulate his ideas. He is undoubtedly head and shoulders above his Caricom presidential and prime ministerial colleagues and capable of seeing beyond the traditional tenets of the theology of regionalism.

At the United Nations General Assembly and at the G-20, he was able to draw attention to the vulnerability of small, middle-income developing economies and the urgent need for the international community to create a development space in the global economy which could support sustainable economic growth.

The heads of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank were impressed with his conviction to implement a transformative economic reform programme in an economy mired in debt.

The departure of Mr Golding naturally poses a problem of confidence in Jamaica's economic and foreign policy. The disposition of international development finance institutions and the countries which are important to our foreign policy are critical to the security and economic survival of a small state like Jamaica. The prime minister of Jamaica, a small country, must be able to navigate international relations and profile the country in the international arena.

Among the candidates for leadership of the Jamaica Labour Party, the persons who are known abroad are Mr Audley Shaw and Dr Kenneth Baugh.

Mr Shaw is an engaging and voluble man who has successfully projected his determination and earnestness in managing the myriad economic problems of Jamaica. On his watch there has been a radical re-orientation of Jamaica's economic policy, and the debt exchange was executed without fallout. Respect for him has grown despite having to work with three financial secretaries, two Planning Institute of Jamaica directors and two governors of the Bank of Jamaica.

As a foreign minister, Dr Baugh's tenure has been uneventful and lacklustre except for the debacle of the 'Dudus' affair which, to be fair, was not of his making and was beyond his ministry's ambit to resolve. His international presence, while not exciting, exudes calm, maturity and competence.

He is not a batsman to win a 50-over match, but in a Test match he would not give up his wicket by a rash shot. He steered the ship at a time when his ministry was at an all-time low in ambassadorial representatives and with severe budget cuts.

Dr Christopher Tufton and Mr Andrew Holness are little known outside of Jamaica, and their views on economic policy and foreign policy are completely unknown internationally. Being an unknown is an asset in that there is nothing against them except being culpable for the policies of the Government and ministries they have served. This advantage could be outweighed by speculation about their position on policy continuity.

In the international arena, a weak debut condemns a head of government to dismissal as an inferior brand, and that profile can also carry over to a government and a country.

While we too are excited about the prospect of a post-Independent leadership, we are compelled to stress that success lies in the balance.

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Putting Messrs Shaw, Baugh, Holness, Tufton in perspective