Mr Usain Bolt won so we indulged in banter and bombast. We saw modest achievers, the disappointed between sprint events — the true Olympics?

Some said, “We need Bolt for prime minister!” — A unifying man, good at his job, more popular than Bob Marley or Christ in His day, and we began to compare. Who is best?

Then the fight started; friends with different views, but friends forever. All but three narcissistic; vengeful; wise, mouthing clichés of experts and self-absorbed — only their opinion mattered. They make rules they would not live under “a so di ting set”! Others are gone, but in Andrew Holness we have hope. Will he plant and nurture projects so we reap prosperity ere 2021? He may rankle at tough love, but those who got unconditional love — as “I will follow my leader till I die” — did not deliver. Let’s give critical support and he may. So what does a prime minister do?

The job is to protect and prosper his people, and creating jobs is key — no jobs, no hope! A finance ministry is not entrepreneurial. Audley Shaw may set context, but growth is the prime minister’s job.

In 1969 N W Manley opined, “I say that the mission of my generation was to win self-government for Jamaica; to win political power, which is the final power for the black masses of my country from which I spring.” And then, “And what is the mission of this generation? It is reconstructing the social and economic life of Jamaica.” This means economic power for the black masses. Andrew Holness must focus. If in 2020 we have good health care, but are not prosperous, he has failed us. His mission is to protect and ‘prosperity’ us.

So who is best? Exclude Manley (premier) and Bustamante as jointly sealing political independence on August 6, 1962. On what date do we mark economic independence? After eight prime ministers and 54 years — black, brown, white; heterosexual, man, woman, tall, short we suck salt in 2016. Hugh Shearer — a lovely man promoted above his competence. Bruce Golding — one of our brightest, fell into bad company, the rest is history but forgiven! Edward Seaga, P J Patterson had tenure, but peace or prosperity eluded them. Even with P J’s negritude, black pride did not beget black production. Seaga was clinical, meticulous; but trust issues meant control, granular to the point of micro management. Did a hard squeeze asphyxiate ministers? Fast-forward to 2016; Andrew consolidates all key functions too — trust issues again?

Manley dazzled, but more was required. His gravitas, eg new economic order, was magnetic and the good and great abroad paid to hear him. With LSE, Fabian socialist panache he tackled the mission with a cold war economic philosophy — capital balked. He unleashed “smaddiness”, blurred the boundary between freedom and licence — let loose the dogs of war.

Simpson Miller’s tenure was an anomaly. The only term in 54 years when growth was not top of the agenda; instead we reset foundations. We borrowed for decades, bought things which yield no income. World Bank funds built dozens of schools in the 50s; but corruption, waste, schools missing, so ministers migrated — no extradition treaty. Schools are great, but they add to debt; people did not have a mind to work to pay it off, and no PM had the balls to insist.

Economic well-being is the mission and remit of every prime minister. How do we compare? Our per capita GDP (World Bank) tells a story. In 1962= 463, 72 = 972, 82 = 1,480, 92 = 1,804, 02 = 3,700, 2012 = 5,325 sluggish growth but West Indian islands thrived; Barbados in 1962 = 416, by 1982 = 4,682, massive growth! Bahamas spiked as 1962 = 1,782 by 1982 = 10,803, wow! From 1972 to 82 Antigua, Grenada grew by 200 per cent; St Kitts, Bahamas 300 per cent; St Vincent, Barbados 400 per cent, and Trinidad more. A second surge pushed St Kitts, St Vincent, Barbados, Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, so now most are five digits ours is four. We had erudite PMs, assertive in the UN, well regarded abroad, but they did not deliver at home. With this history do you want to leave Prime Minister Andrew Holness on his own, as your fathers did for 54 years?

But per capita GDP is not all. Cuba has terrible figures but is tops in human capital index. India is at 1,477; China just above us at 6,249 — they are superpowers, and we are? The RSA is low but have arms, aircraft and nuclear industries — thanks to white South Africans. Show me a great black nation built by black brains and labour. India and China are “partition economies” — one a democracy like us the other communist. Entrepreneurs are favoured and the masses sacrifice to build nuclear, military, space, manufacturing industries. In their view national pride takes precedence over individualism. We seem to believe differently and every wind of opinion causes us to change tack. We are moved by the last opinion expressed no matter how illiterate. Ancient culture and ethnic homogeneity helps them too. They don’t have divisive colour, class, ethnic issues; their navel string if of one stock and that is productive, proud and innovative — singleminded they rise!

Here everyone is a star. We indulge negative individualism to the detriment of all our people — toxic politics! To please all, we all underachieve. Primacy of individuals is not primacy of the masses. JLP and PNP bend to individuals and Jah kingdom goes to waste. We build prosperity by creating jobs, so Prime Minister Holness must give monthly updates — our Economic Programme Oversight for growth. Some if our group were moved by a prime minister, they knew or had a good memory of and some lazily (Alzheimers?) could not get beyond recent ones. All agreed no prime minister was “world class” and none fulfilled the basic duty of the job — citizen security and prosperity. Andrew Holness is in pole position to be “best prime minister!” We will work with him, as with Portia, and if he leads us to prosperity unconditional love will be his reward. Stay conscious!

Franklin Johnston is a strategist and project manager. Send comments to the Observer or franklinjohnstontoo@gmail.com