Dear Editor,

Even though Prime Minister Andrew Holness said he has identified a successor for Dr Nigel Clarke as finance minister, I hope he thinks outside the box and surprises the nation, similar to how he replaced Audley Shaw as finance minister with Dr Nigel Clarke.

The front-runner, according to media reports, is Fayval Williams, but I believe that move would be a backward one. As state minister of finance and later minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Finance, Williams wasn’t impressive. As education minister, Williams still isn’t impressive; therefore, to reward her with the most powerful position in the Cabinet is questionable.

She is also not a great motivator. So imagine just how boring her budget speeches will be. Budget 2025 is a very crucial election budget and having Williams deliver that speech is a risk the Government should avoid taking if they want to secure victory.

Dr Christopher Tufton has been deemed to be the best-performing minister for the past eight years and is arguably the most qualified Member of Parliament to be finance minister due to his experience in business, marketing, and politics. But it is clear he won’t get the position due to him doing so well at the health ministry and his, in my view, political ambition to be prime minister.

Therefore, it is likely that Prime Minister Holness will go to the Senate for Dr Clarke’s replacement. The likes of Dr Dana Dixon Morris is being mentioned a lot, but it wouldn’t be a wise move to put her in that position. Plus she’s doing an excellent job as information minister.

I believe the right man for the job is Senator Aubyn Hill.

Hill has over 35 years’ experience in business. And he’s known to be the fixer when the Government needs something done. In October 2017 he was tasked with the role of CEO of the Economic Growth Council. Before the Jamaica Labour Party 2016 General Election victory, he was the key spokesman for marketing of the $1.5-million tax threshold plan.

He has shown no signs of having ambitions to become prime minister, and he is also a great motivator and speaker.

Hill is from St Elizabeth, hence he could be JC Hutchinson’s replacement or Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert’s in Trelawny Southern.

Calling a by-election now would show that the Government is confident that it will win the next general election. Ann-Marie Vaz winning Portland Eastern was what started the downfall of Dr Peter Phillips as party leader and the People’s National Party (PNP) in the last election.

Teddylee Gray

Ocho Rios, St Ann

teddylee.gray@gmail.com