Dear Editor,

I wish to comment on the speech given by the prime minister at the recent conference of the People's National Party. I must say that I was sorely disappointed that it did not have the substance which 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 seemed more interested in blaming the JLP than to 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 the prime minister's long silence, the people of Jamaica were anxiously waiting to hear how she planned to tackle the sliding dollar, unemployment, rising crime and other social ills, and give them hope and inspiration by telling them what she had in the pipeline to relieve their suffering.

It seems Mrs Simpson Miller dedicated her 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 in Parliament over the last nine months. Quite frankly, I see very little to be jubilant about, and as it is said, "self-praise is no recommendation".

Ever since this administration has taken office, the dollar has dropped in value, our Net International Reserves have decreased significantly, unemployment has increased, while both taxes and commodity prices have taken a turn for the worse. Yet Mrs Simpson Miller, instead of saying what she planned to do, spent her time blaming others. No wonder she was given a failing grade by many of the island's leading political analysts, 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.

Jason Green

Sirj_green@hotmail.com