Andrew Holness is the ‘man of the year’
Dear Editor,
Prime Minister Andrew Holness is the man of 2020, in my humble opinion.
His leadership in terms of the novel coronavirus pandemic is world-class and should be studied whenever Jamaica faces an incident like this again.
He’s one of the few leaders worldwide who have managed to balance lives and livelihoods. He never mismanaged this pandemic.
His appointment of Dr Christopher Tufton as health minister in 2016 has paid off.
His appointment of Dr Nigel Clarke as the minister of finance in 2018 is vision and foresight. In March 2020, Dr Clarke produced the country’s greatest opening budget presentation since independent Jamaica.
Electorally, it was also a great year for Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his Jamaica Labour Party. His sending Pearnel Charles Jr to Clarendon South Eastern ended up being a master stroke. Placing Kerensia Morrison in St Catherine North Eastern, and placing Leslie Campbell in the Senate were great moves. He ended his party’s 53-year drought of not winning contested consecutive general elections. He’s the first Jamaica Labour Party leader to have been sworn-in three times as prime minister of Jamaica. If he’s victorious in the next general election he will be tied with Alexander Bustamante and Michael Manley, who both won three elections. He could also become the first Jamaica Labour Party leader to win three consecutive general elections and be the only person behind P J Patterson’s four-consecutive election victories and sworn-in as prime minister of Jamaica five times.
When all is said and done, Prime Minister Andrew Holness made the right move by having the election on September 3, resulting in a wipeout of the People’s National Party. Yes, the pollsters had Peter Phillips trailing Andrew Holness by a double-digit margin, but most pundits never predicted Andrew Holness winning over 42 seats, much less winning 49.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s Administration’s priorities next year should be the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines for the vulnerable, rebuilding the economy, getting the murder figures under 1,000, and ensuring corruption doesn’t resurface. If it does resurface he now has the room to act more decisively, by not only taking them out of his Cabinet but expelling them from his party.
Teddylee Gray
Ocho Rios, St Ann
teddylee.gray@gmail.com
