Dear Editor,

No, it wasn’t a dream. It was a nightmare that couldn’t end soon enough.

The prime minister had stacked the Court of Appeal with judges who openly espoused his political views. He ordered the release from prison of all those who had been convicted of carrying out an attack on Gordon House, injuring policemen and vandalising the place. He ordered that charges against others awaiting trial for the same offences be discontinued.

He appointed a new director of public prosecutions (DPP), who vowed to go after police officers who had investigated alleged wrongdoings by the prime minister and demanded that a list of those police officers be placed on his desk. Those in the DPP’s office who had led the prosecutions against the prime minister were summarily dismissed and replaced. Anyone who had been critical of the prime minister was to be investigated and prosecuted. He threatened to revoke the licences of TV and radio stations who entertain his critics.

He replaced the commissioner of police and his deputies with persons he felt aligned with his views on law enforcement and would be obedient to his directives.

He appointed a minister of health who insisted that immunisation was bad for our children and that administering vaccines for polio, measles, rubella, mumps, and whooping cough is to be reviewed. He appointed the wealthiest man in Jamaica who wasn’t born here and who benefits heavily from government contracts to review and make changes to the operations and expenditures of Government, including those from which he benefits.

The prime minister was in a raucous mood. He issued termination letters to thousands of public sector workers, including those performing critical functions and ordered the shutdown of several Government agencies without any concern for the impact it would have on the vulnerable population. He sent letters to others giving them three days to justify why they should not be fired. He signalled his intention to take over the Cayman and Turks and Caicos islands which he said rightly belonged to Jamaica.

He told the Accompong Maroons that he was revoking the treaty under which they acquired their land, that they should relocate to other parishes because he was going to convert Accompong into a beautiful ecotourism destination.

He imposed a tax on imports from countries that he didn’t like, unconcerned that it is the Jamaican consumer who would have to bear the tax. He inveighed against countries with whom we have enjoyed good relations, interfering in their domestic politics by telling their people which party they should vote for.

I tossed and turned until I woke up and realised that it wasn’t real. I don’t think that Andrew Holness or Mark Golding would ever behave like that. Our constitution would not allow them and I doubt that they would be inclined to do that. And if ever they tried, I believe the streets of Jamaica would become impassable.

Despite all its shortcomings, I believe God continues to bless Jamaica. I prefer to live here. The United States can keep its citizenship and green cards.

Bruce Golding

Former prime minister of Jamaica