Don’t wine and dine away your mandate
Dear Editor,
Not many countries on earth get to start the New Year with a new Government. The People’s National Party (PNP), under the leadership of veteran politician Portia Simpson Miller, unleashed one of the biggest political upsets in Jamaican election history.
This defeat is exceptional because no pollster, analyst, commentator, or psychic was able to predict a 42-21 seat victory for the PNP. As fast as the election was concluded the commentaries and opinions started to flow as to what the new PNP Government should do or will do. What the New Government should do is to fulfil its manifesto promises. The new Government cannot afford to wine and dine away its mandate.
This defeat is exceptional because no pollster, analyst, commentator, or psychic was able to predict a 42-21 seat victory for the PNP. As fast as the election was concluded the commentaries and opinions started to flow as to what the new PNP Government should do or will do. What the New Government should do is to fulfil its manifesto promises. The new Government cannot afford to wine and dine away its mandate.
It will not have the luxury of patience from the Jamaican people and will have to remember that it was the poor and middle class people who vote them in, not the greedy few who are just waiting to rob the country blind and ignore the plight of the people.
The PNP should learn that the landscape of politics has changed in Jamaica. The people will not tolerate MPs who are not working in their constituencies, they will not tolerate corruption from government ministers, and they will not tolerate bad roads, joblessness and crime. The Jamaican people are not stupid, they are not looking for handouts in envelops.
They are looking to Government to open the roads of opportunity for them to do their thing. One of the things I heard the new government talking about is to recognise the entrepreneurial spirit of Jamaicans. Government should provide the means by which the small business people can access loans so that they can establish their own businesses. This will alleviate the employment problem tremendously.
With a new Government, 50th anniversary celebration, Usain Bolt and company hopefully dominating the London Olympics, I can only say Happy New Year Jamaica.
Alvin Buchanan
PO Box 103
Sebring, Florida
