Juliet Holness made her media debut as a model wife, mother and professional – excellent! Andrew prepared for politics but not the job of PM. Juliet did not prepare for politics but has better credentials for the PM’s job. She brought up children, made dinner and has a creditable work record in the real world. She knows value, ethics and no doubt has ideas born of experience. By God, we got the wrong Holness! Why do our parties not select the brightest and best? Women and men with a track record who bring value and honour to the MPs’ job? Our parties do not readily accept new people or ideas. Why would a party poach a failure or accept a nondescript MP when there is fresh talent out there? PM Holness is in a good position to repudiate the failed policies and chart a new path. Will he? We have no record of prosperity so no one can say what he proposes cannot work. Mr PM, you have a short time to set out your stall, so do it now! Friend, watch and vote wisely!

Tivoli Gardens

Tivoli is the scene of major crime against democracy and all the signs are it will continue an alien space. Mayor McKenzie can do much for Kingston; why leave now? Why desert 1 million of us to serve 25,000 people? Your legacy as mayor is more blessed. You have gumption when many are mealy-mouthed, indecisive. I am flabbergasted that Andrew who spoke against garrisons allows this. Sir, don’t you see the big picture? Tivoli is an undemocratic space for 40 years and this cements it. Oh innocent wickedness! Both of you have a mentor but if you can’t be bold now, when? Mr Seaga endorses this. Why am I not shocked? Old politicians have little to teach us. Tivoli is hostage and needs a taste of candidate competition, not a new “110 per cent” MP. Rivalry is the hallmark of freedom. And the local level is where we learn and see democracy at work. What is there to learn in “110 per cent?” It makes me vomit! We rejoiced at the affirmation of non-violence by candidates Buchanan, Campbell, Freeman and Wallace. Desmond is the protégé. Was he groomed for high office? I had mentees in August Town. I pressed them to get qualified in plumbing, management, cosmetology, IT, law, secretarial; to get wisdom, knowledge, study things our nation needs; work abroad, see how others made it, get new ideas! Did his mentor do this? An MP for 40 years who can’t show us a team of men and women in their 30s with degrees, work experience, groomed to be top-class MPs for an area? Where are Tivoli’s achievers? Turn again, Desmond McKenzie, give a new ghetto youth a chance and keep Kingston your legacy! Tivoli is a major test for Holness. Were the 73 killed in vain? Is he for Jamaica or for party only? Friends, if this stands, there will be no “dismantling” in Tivoli on his watch! After 40 years “One Don” only created one more don! I cried at the graphic emails from garrison residents about my article on garrisons. Respect! My heart is with you; I try with my pen, you must vote or revolt!

A Cabinet for prosperity

An MP who excels in politics is a relic of no use to us. We need skills in management, engineering, logistics to run ministries and build prosperity, as politics cannot rescue us. A young man doing a degree in politics sought my advice about entering politics. His plan? To graduate and go home to a well-connected relative. He will get any job and bide his time until the relative arranges “the politics thing”. Disgusting! I told him, study engineering, science, finance, management; get a job with a big firm, civil service, manage something for a few years and any party will want him on merit. He was not happy with my route. Politics did not move Berlusconi, the economy did. Italy will soon have a technocratic Cabinet to get it out of trouble. The first law of survival is “when in a hole, stop digging”, and 30-plus years on we still dig, often the same people. Not one year of prosperity, yet we have men who can get us out of this mess but politicians won’t use them; just “me, my friends, my family!” To quote Alice in Wonderland, “Off with their heads!” Watch and vote!

Women MPs

Recent talk about more women MPs is a diversion. Male politicians have ill served us so we welcome more women in every field. We expect them, as they do better at school and university; only fear, machismo and prejudice keep them away. We need less testosterone and more practical, caring MPs. Gender or age rivalry is not the issue. The battle is between candidates with skills to build prosperity, versus men who did not deliver for 35 years. But the solution is not women. It is MPs – men and women – with qualification, experience, honesty and will to build prosperity. The parties must draft people! If Carolyn Gomes is minister of justice our rights are safe; if Audrey Marks is minister of industry we expect growth. I applaud the JLP for the drive to get talent into its MP pool and Danville Walker adds value. The PNP must speed up its own talent draft as we don’t want any party with “110 per cent” support like Tivoli – that’s Hitler! Doctors heal, lawyers practise law and managers run large entities of any type. School needs teachers and food, education, jobs, health; the security ministry needs a manager. Yet we have never had a Cabinet of managers. Why? What are the JLP and PNP afraid of? If the executives of NCB or GraceKennedy were trade unionists, would they prosper? Politicians concede they can’t save Italy and welcome technocrat Mario Monti as prime minister. They do not want him but they need him. I argued for JLP and PNP to appoint managers to lead us out of this mess they created. Now others have done it. I said Japan would emerge from disaster before us; last quarter their growth was 1.5 per cent. PM Berlusconi stepped aside for Monti. Will we copy Italy? Worst case? Let’s choose some MPs with good credentials and draft some top-notch managers to the Senate as minister-designate. Friend, examine the JLP and PNP plans and teams before you vote!

Gifts and corruption

Recent issues of gifts to the police and ex-public officers moving immediately into connected work in politics are serious. State-to-state aid is different. But it is not in the remit of a public officer as Commissioner Ellington to decide on a gift to his agency or himself. The process should include recording, review, risk analysis, security, taxes, GCT, corruption, conditions, decision and recording on a database for public access. That’s my view! Every person and agency of the state, a statutory body or company and an NGO which gets money from our taxes must be under this protocol. Giving and receiving gifts, post-separation cooling-off period for ministers, officers who have insider information and state secrets must be under law. The OCG must issue a process manual immediately! Stay conscious!

Dr Franklin Johnston is an international project manager with Teape-Johnston Consultants currently on assignment in the UK.

franklinjohnstontoo@gmail.com.