Dear Editor,

When I heard of the situation pertaining to Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, and our prime minister being embroiled and implicated in it, like the majority of Jamaicans, I, too, felt that he should have done the honourable thing and tendered his resignation. Now that I have had some time to think about this, I am no longer sure that that would be of much benefit to the Jamaican masses at this time.

Firstly, let it be stated that I have not had a change of heart in this matter because I now believe the prime minister handled the situation well. Indeed, the contrary is true! I think he handled it horribly, and his approach to the matter, undoubtedly, depicts a semblance of incompetence, at best, in our local ‘chief driver’ of this Jamaican mechanically worn transit.

Importantly though, the reality cannot be swept under the carpet, that the PM has now, because of his subsequent actions with respect to extradition matter, in fact set in motion the demise of his political future, if not indeed, his life, sad to say. Any chance of the PM prolonging at the political helm of his Jamaica Labour Party and country is quite bleak.

The PM is no fool, and he is cognisant of this fact too. Accordingly, and it is for this reason, that the PM remaining in power provides the best opportunity to eradicate the scourge of crime that has been so intertwined and deeply entrenched in the Jamaican political system.

As the prime minister is already aware that whatever he does this time pitches him in the ‘catch 22’ situation, he is more likely to ensure the total and complete eradication of the link between crime and politics in our country. As a consequence, effecting a massive dent in crime overall in Jamaica.

I have no doubt that Mrs Portia Simpson Miller and her PNP are for a crime-free or crime-reduced Jamaica. However, if they are honest and not being partisan, they are secretly wondering how would they bring about this complete change without damaging their political future in the short term. Not many politicians want to be the sacrificial lamb.

A Bruce Golding pressed by the masses, the Church, PSOJ, inter alia, and with the full knowledge that he has nothing more to lose than he has already lost in the recent events, is the most likely person with power to continue the task the Government started days ago. He is more likely to continue to press the assault of his army and the police not merely in his constituency but in other garrisons to destroy all the weapons there, hopefully catching the ring leaders of crime.

Therefore, in the interest of the nation, and at least with respect to the eradication of time, the PM being allowed to complete his term may in fact emanate in a tremendously reduced Jamaica crime rate.

Can you imagine the economic and other benefits such a change could bring for our country as it equally grants the PM enough rope to hang himself metaphorically speaking? Let the PM finish the change he has initiated, even though inadvertently.

Joshua Spencer,

Toronto, Canada