Opposition Leader Mark Golding recently squandered a golden opportunity to demonstrate readiness to manage Jamaica’s affairs. In his 2026/27 Budget Debate presentation in the House of Representatives he failed to win over a critical mass of Jamaicans who did not vote for the People’s National Party (PNP) in the last general election.

Golding devoted much of the first 25 minutes of his speech to congratulating himself for leading the PNP to its second-place finish in the most recent national plebiscite. He seems not to understand that, like his predecessor Dr Peter Phillips, and Phillips’s predecessor, former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, he led Norman Manley’s party to defeat. It was the PNP’s third-straight general election defeat since February 2016.

Golding waxed lyrical about the PNP increasing its seat count in Gordon House and spoke glibly — for the umpteenth time since losing on September 3, 2025 — about the PNP gaining an additional 100,000 votes compared to its performance in the 2020 General Election. Golding seems not to understand that there were 63 constituencies contested last September: The PNP won 28, while the Dr Andrew Holness-led Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) won 35. That simple arithmetic explains why Dr Holness holds the keys to Jamaica House. Any contortion that tries to discount, diminish, delegitimise, or minimise the 28-to-35 outcome of the last general election is fuzzy maths.

Golding’s now-formulaic claim that the PNP “almost won” the last general election is of no moment in our first-past-the-post electoral system. For those who don’t understand our system, let me illustrate: In our general and parish council elections, the candidate with the most votes in each constituency/division becomes the Member of Parliament (MP) for that constituency or councillor for that parish council/division. Candidates from other parties get nothing. This is how the first-past-the-post system, which we inherited from the United Kingdom, works. Incidentally, parish councils were recently rebranded as municipal corporations. Three-straight general election defeats mean the PNP is yesterday’s party trying to be relevant today. And Golding is yesterday’s man trying to be relevant.

UNDER PRESSURE!

I get it; Golding sits on a very shaky political limb.

His biblical reference to the ‘writing on the wall’ may well be a presentiment of his fate. It is an open secret that a leadership contest in the PNP is on the near horizon. I believe it will be déjà vu all over again at 89 Old Hope Road, given the PNP’s defeats in the two most recent local government elections and the three most recent general elections. The political daggers are out. Horse-trading has started already. Recriminations and frequent visits to the bathroom have continued unabated since September 3, 2025. There will be much bloodletting, I forecast. Golding will not break the winners’ tape first, I forecast. Maybe then he will understand that only first place matters in our first-past-the-post electoral system.

Apart from several glimmers, his presentation was a concentrate of glitzy reflections, grumbles, and empty populist rhetoric devoid of necessary mathematics. Those are the very same ingredients that make up the bland and watery brew that a critical mass of Jamaicans refused in the last general election.

Strategic drift is high in the PNP. It did not escape my notice that support from Golding’s side during his budget speech seemed procedural rather than naturally enthusiastic. As I see it, the sporadic energising of his own bench speaks to dwindling confidence in his leadership.

I believe Golding’s 2026/7 budget speech was his penultimate opportunity to demonstrate that he had learned the lessons specific to why a critical mass of Jamaicans did not vote for him and the PNP in the last general election. It was his second-to-last chance to show well-thinking Jamaicans that the PNP had abandoned grievance entrepreneurship. Golding failed miserably. He also spent a good chunk of his speech trying to convince Jamaicans that he is the tribune of the poor. He also failed.

Incidentally, recall that in my The Agenda piece of October 12, 2025, I said: “Golding will be 65 when the next general election is due in 2030. Holness will be 58. Those who hanker to replace Golding, doubtless, are mulling that reality constantly in their active minds as they prepare to challenge him. That challenge will happen in 2026/7, I believe.”

EMPTY HAWKISH RHETORIC

A major Achilles heel of Golding and the PNP is their continued embrace of hawkish rhetoric. Golding needs to understand that, that kind of approach, especially in relation to foreign affairs, ‘nah keep again’, as we say locally. It’s totally outdated.

Ponder this: “ ‘For the record, we [the Opposition] thank the Government and people of Cuba for their 50 years of valuable and selfless service to the Jamaican people. And we join with other Jamaicans who regard this so-called ‘principled realism’ an act of spineless capitulation to external pressure at the expense of the Jamaican people,’ said Golding.” (
Jamaica Observer, March 18, 2025)

Those who still sup from the rusty mug of the 1970s socialist era would have been delighted with Golding’s reprimand of the Holness Administration. Those of us who have taken the time to understand the tightrope on which the present geopolitical landscape balances know that, in real terms, his mentioned utterance is absolute poppycock. Geopolitics today is far less about ideological rhetoric and far more about cold/hard arithmetic.

Those who applauded Golding’s mentioned utterance as bold realism need to understand that serious statecraft is based on clarity and proportionality. The Cold War ended in 1990. Golding and the PNP evidently have not received that important memo. Well-thinking Jamaicans did.

Here is how hawkish rhetoric actually works. First, there is political heat/noise, and then consequences are calculated and considered. This is idiocy. What is wrong with that scenario? It treats — or relegates — economic and related consequences to side issues.

Be not tricked: Economic and related issues are the main course, not the side orders, as some would have us believe. In the 1970s many were tricked into this cul-de-sac. We are still paying the price of that great folly. Many of those who dragged this country down into deep and costly dungeons are now living in cooler climes with their families. Believe it! The glamour of toughness not grounded in economic strength and related factors carry a high price for countries like Jamaica. We found that out in the 70s.

Long ago I said in this space that: “There are no strong countries with weak economies, and there are no weak countries with strong economies. A country’s macroeconomic state has to be in good health before it can redistribute resources in a sustained manner.”

By the same logic, countries like Jamaica have to tread carefully when it comes to unilateral involvement in geopolitical matters which are beyond our present pay grade. This is common sense. I gave details in this space two Sundays ago. Populist rhetoric thrives on bright lights, charisma, and ideological romanticisms. The reality is many of those who spit bravado of whichever kind have alternatives which the majority of Jamaicans do not have and may never have.

Otto von Bismarck, who is most famous for his role in German unification, said: “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others and tries not to repeat them.” Whoever has ears, let them hear! Unilateral and penurious swagger are dangerous. Gung-ho symbolisms are not solutions for Jamaica. In the 70s, when the supermarket shelves went empty, gas became scarce, medical supplies got scanty, electricity supply turned unreliable, and foreign exchange fled, the architects disavowed their role.

OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCES

Golding’s continual parading of political out-of-body experiences (OBE) in public shows he doesn’t understand today’s political zeitgeist. He does not seem to get it that well-thinking Jamaicans judge their leaders more on what they do and less on what they say. He needs to let go of his several political OBEs.

Golding wants well-thinking Jamaicans to buy into the notion that he is comfortably stuffed to bursting with the political nourishment of accountability, transparency, and integrity. If that were so, why has Golding not asked the individual in his party — whom he says he has had talks with — to step aside until investigations at the University Hospital of the West Indies are complete?

Another individual and his driver were charged in connection with an assault that occurred at the New Market Oval in Savanna-la-Mar in the parish last month. Golding has not asked that individual to step aside either.

Recall, too, that some of Golding’s utterances on the political stump have triggered broad condemnation and raised serious questions about his suitability for the constitutional office which he occupies. Nevertheless, Golding continues to maintain that he and the PNP are exemplars of accountability, transparency, and integrity in this land.

He may be familiar with this African proverb: “No matter how sharp your teeth are you can’t bite water.” Among other things, it means you cannot force discerning people to accept the glaring cock-ups and contradictions related especially to your behaviour and that of the people nearest to you.

Golding chided the prime minister for accepting his full salary. I have said here long ago that the prime minister should have accepted his salary from the get-go. As I see it, Golding has bought into the belief that ‘some Jamaicans muss drop buff, and others must drop pim’. We who have the knowledge must repudiate this burden.

Attempts to rewrite our history must also be rejected. The Bruce Golding Administration launched the Jamaica Debt Exchange (JDX) on January 14, 2010 as a critical initiative to reduce high interest rates and restructure domestic debt. Then Minister of Finance Audley Shaw aimed to save $40 billion in interest payments for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. This fact “cyaan rub out”.

BRIGHT SPARKS

As I see it, there were two saving graces in Golding’s otherwise grievance-centred budget presentation.

Ponder this: “In his contribution to the 2026/2027 Budget Debate in Gordon House this afternoon, Golding said laws of strategic importance that require urgent amendment remain on the books for years without the problems being addressed.

“Urging the Government to move from a low-growth to a pro-growth philosophy, Golding said the public sector procurement system urgently needs reformation to avoid undue delays in the execution of projects and programmes.

“He said the current arrangements are a big impediment to national development owing to the lack of optimum spending on capital investments.

“According to the Opposition Leader, year after year, the Government’s capital budget is pared back because of an inability to execute capital expenditures on a timely basis.” (
The Gleaner, March 17, 2026)

It is not the first or second time that Golding has alerted the nation about this deficit.

Consider this too: ‘Plug the leaks! Golding insists billions can be raised by fixing tax compliance gaps’

The Jamaica Observer item of March 18, 2026 gave these and related information, “Opposition Leader Mark Golding is urging the Government to focus on collecting existing taxes more effectively, arguing that there is no need for new taxes as widespread leakage continues to leave billions uncollected.

“Making his contribution to the 2026/27 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Golding said Jamaica is losing significant revenue because the system is not properly designed to ensure tax compliance. He contended that the country’s fiscal strategy should now shift away from imposing new burdens on taxpayers and, instead, concentrate on capturing revenue that is already legally due.”

Golding was on the money here. He has insight in these matters, given his training. Greater sharing of his expertise may rescue his failing political legacy.

Garfield Higgins is an educator and journalist. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or higgins160@yahoo.com.

HIGGINS….

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness (foreground), Opposition Leader Mark Golding (second left), and other Members of Parliament enter the chamber at Gordon House for the recent ceremonial opening of the legislature. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)