The naming of what Mrs Portia Simpson Miller is calling a new shadow cabinet is somewhat reminiscent of the make up of the Soviet Union’s Politburo in the pre-Gorbachev era.

We say somewhat simply because Miss Lisa Hanna, as our report on the selection pointed out, is the only person in the group who, by any stretch, can be described as young.

In fact, that very point was made by Mr Junior Rose, the president-elect of the People’s National Party Youth Organisation, after he gave the obligatory support for the choices.

“What jumped out at me was the absence of additional young persons in the shadow Cabinet,” he was reported as saying. “I think two or so of the Senate positions could have gone to the several young, bright persons who are full of energy, who we would have loved to see reflected in the shadow Cabinet. One person who could have added value to this cabinet is our outgoing president, Damion Crawford.”

Mr Rose quite rightly pointed to the inclusion of Messrs AJ Nicholson and Roger Clarke who, he said, could have made way for younger people, given the seniority of both men.

The demotion of Dr Omar Davies from the high-profile and powerful finance portfolio is really rooted in political expediency. For it was obvious that the PNP could not have gone into the next general election campaign offering him again as finance minister, given his failure in that portfolio when the party formed the Government.

Naming Mr Anthony Hylton to speak on industry, investment and commerce, however, is commendable, and the party will benefit from the experience he gathered and the adroitness he displayed in trade negotiations while he served as foreign affairs and foreign trade minister in the previous Government.

We are puzzled by the absence from this shadow cabinet of Mr Fitz Jackson who, over the years, has demonstrated intellect and a capacity to manage affairs of state. It is our hope that he is not being overlooked because of his independence of thought and the fact that he supported Dr Peter Phillips’s leadership challenge to Mrs Simpson Miller in 2008.

We hold the view that the PNP president has missed a golden opportunity to inject the opposition party’s council of spokespersons with fresh ideas and signal to the country that the PNP, if it is returned to office in the next general election, will introduce new thinking in its policies and programmes.

As it now stands, outside of a few individuals of substance, Mrs Simpson Miller’s shadow cabinet is simply that — a shadow. She should not, therefore, be surprised at the flak she and the party are receiving on this issue.

For it is clear that what the electorate wants to see is the inclusion of bright, young people in the policy-framing levels of our political system; young people who care more about the country than their political allegiance.

But that won’t happen in any meaningful way anytime soon if the old guard continue to cling to their positions without recognising the need for succession planning.

We accept and appreciate the value of blending youth with experience in groups such as this. However, the problem we have with Mrs Simpson Miller’s selection is that the blend is uneven, and too many of those in the category of experience were rejected by the electorate a mere four years ago.