Who will take Ronald Robinson’s place?

ON September 25, 2007, the Government and the parliamentary opposition proudly named their full slate of members for the Senate — the Upper House of Parliament.

The 13 Government senators were Dr Oswald Harding (president), Ian Murray, Thomas (Tom) Tavares-Finson, Desmond McKenzie, Dennis Meadows, Hyacinth Bennett, Warren Newby, Aundre Franklyn, Dr Ronald Robinson, Arthur Williams, Dorothy Lightbourne (Attorney General and Leader of Government Business), Dwight Nelson and Don Wehby.

The eight Opposition senators were Leader of Opposition Business Arnold J Nicholson, QC, Leader of Opposition Business, Keith Desmond Knight, QC, Navel Clarke, Norman Grant, Noel Sloley, Basil Waite, Sandrea Falconer and Mark Golding.

But since then, the Government side of the 21-member Senate has begun to resemble a revolving door, an issue thrown into sharp relief following Dr Ronald Robinson’s resignation last Thursday.

Murray, Wehby and Robinson were among the new faces to join the more experienced members on the Government benches just over two years ago.

First out was Murray.

Murray, who had also served as an executive of the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP’s) young professional arm, Generation 2000, was in May of 2008 asked to resign from the Senate to make place for Colonel Trevor MacMillan, who replaced then National Security Minister Derrick Smith who was ailing. The vacancy had to be created in the Senate to allow for MacMillan’s appointment since a Cabinet minister must be a legislator.

Then it was MacMillan.

The army colonel resigned as minister of national security in April of 2009 after just under a year on the job after Prime Minister Golding asked for his resignation. His portfolio was handed to current national security minister Senator Dwight Nelson and his senate seat to former resident magistrate Marlene Malahoo Forte in July that year. Malahoo Forte was also appointed junior minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade with responsibility for the Jamaica Trade Policy Consultation and Co-ordination Mechanism of that agency.

Then it was Don Wehby.

In September 2007, Don Wehby resigned from his positions at GraceKennedy and its board of directors, to serve for two years as government senator and minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service. In July of 2009, he resigned to return from whence he came, and was replaced by attorney-at-law and business executive Kamina Johnson — daughter of former Jamaica Labour Party Senator Anthony Johnson.

And now it is Robinson.

Robinson, who was also junior minister in the Foreign Affairs Ministry alongside Malahoo Forte and had portfolio responsibility for Diaspora Affairs, last Thursday resigned from both posts with immediate effect, citing family concerns and apologising for his part in the Manatt, Phelps and Phillips saga which has upended the Government.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Robinson admitted that his contact with the firm “could have been inappropriate”.

Robinson, in April this year, was fingered as the mystery government official who met with officials of Manatt, Phelps and Phillips, the firm reportedly engaged by the Jamaican Government to lobby the US to drop its extradition request for Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke to face drug-and-gun running charges there.

This, after American news outfit the Washington Post earlier that month reported that a Jamaican government minister had sat in on at least one of several meetings that the law firm had with Obama administration officials weeks after a New York grand jury indictment against Coke.

Up to that point, Jamaican government officials had denied that an arrangement was reached between itself and the firm.

It remains to be seen who will replace Robinson in the Senate and in his duties as junior minister.

Robinson was also a member of the Joint Select Committee on the Access to Information Act (which is expected to meet this Thursday) and chairman of the Joint Select Committee on Diaspora Affairs, which was in the process of submitting a number of recommendations to the House. In fact, among the issues considered by that committee was the granting of voting rights to Jamaicans in the Diaspora.

He was also a member of the Joint Select Committee of Parliament which is considering the Special Report of the Investigation Conducted by the Office of the Contractor General into the Sale of Air Jamaica’s London Heathrow slots to Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited.

The Senate is a nominated House made up of 21 senators. Thirteen senators are appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister. The other eight are appointed on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition.