Last week’s confirmation that Pearnel Charles Sr will be retiring as Speaker of the House and Member of Parliament for Clarendon North Central should come as little surprise, as he has been hinting at it for the past year.

However, Charles Sr had refused since then to give any indication when he planned to move on. That is until last week, when it became creepingly obvious that he will be leaving on Tuesday.

But, the issue is no longer when he will be leaving, but why is he leaving only a week and a day after his son, Pearnel Charles Jr, was elected as MP for Clarendon South Eastern?

Well, first of all, it would not be easy for a Speaker and his offspring to share the same chamber. The timing would suggest that the elder Charles has shown a willingness to put family before politics. Of course, in almost everything family comes first, but when it comes to politics, there is an umbilical link that suggests that whatever actions are taken at such a crucial stage, the final year of a five-year term, political parties hope to avoid anything that could create a backlash.

It is obvious that the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) pre-election strategy was to make the best use of two of its most promising young recruits — Charles Jr and Robert Nesta Morgan. To have them both warring over the Clarendon North Central constituency, which Charles Sr has represented for the past four terms, certainly would not look good in a period when the party wants unity and focus.

To most onlookers it seemed like a brilliant idea when they decided to offer Clarendon South East MP Rudyard Spencer an overseas diplomatic assignment, and replaced him with Charles Jr. But, things don’t normally work so perfectly in politics, as Charles Sr himself can attest.

The Speaker says he wants to go down in history as the first in the Jamaican House of Representatives to actually swear in his own son as an MP. That would certainly outdo Dr Peter Phillips, the Opposition leader, watching his son, Mikael, being sworn in as MP at the same time. Worse it could cost Finance and Public Service Minister Dr Nigel Clarke, a front page picture.

The Speaker has confirmed with us that he will be making a statement after the swearing — in, and that he is retiring immediately from both the Chair and the House. That sounds even more threatening to Dr Clarke’s public relations, and could cost him the entire front page.

But, there is a serious issue here which is bound to take precedence in the long run, and that is the fact that if the JLP is to persist in holding the second of two by-elections, the party could easily come under attack for spending $50 million on these events in a short space of time. That certainly is baggage the prime minister could do without, especially with the coronavirus almost at our doorstep.

It is not the best idea the Speaker could come up with to make an exit after approximately 50 years in politics but it his choice, as selfish as it looks, and the response from the members could keep the congratulations going right into the finance minister’s prime time.

However, it is interesting that up to late Friday the JLP’s general secretary, Dr Horace Chang, could not confirm Charles Sr’s departure, as he had not received a resignation letter from him up to then.

Charles is one of the most popular politicians who has emerged in Jamaican politics. From his colourful days as the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union’s (BITU) answer to Michael Manley; the volatile 1970s when he and Errol Anderson were the only two JLP councillors in the 40-man Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC); his two-year imprisonment at Up Park Camp during the 1976 state of emergency, following in the footsteps of his hero, Sir Alexander Bustamante; and his performance in transport, local government, and labour and social security between then and 2011.

Budget Debate opens Tuesday

The budget debate opens on Tuesday, March 10, with Minister of Finance and the Public Service Dr Nigel Clarke explaining the spending of the $853.5-billion budget, as well as revenue projections which are very unlikely to include any sizeable increase in taxation, if any at all.

Dr Clarke explained that the estimates, as tabled on February 11, were for a budget totalling $852.7 billion, which eventually increased to approximately $853.5 billion with the addition of the operational expenses of Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ). This addition became necessary because the PCJ has been reintegrated into the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology.

The finance minister also announced contingency provisions of $3.4 billion for the Public Investment Management System (PIMS), to provide budgetary support for projects which are approved for implementation during the course of the financial year.

He also assured the (SFC) that there were contingency provisions in place which could take care of the more urgent developments from the spread of the coronavirus at this time. However, he pointed out that it must be recalled that the budget was tabled prior to more up to date information emerging about it.

He said he has been in close contact with the Ministry of Tourism and its overseas agents, who have kept him informed on issues like the effect on bookings for the next two months, and he reports the Net International Reserves (NIR) are at US$3.1 billion.

“All I can say is that the information which we have had up to yesterday, in terms of looking at the booking calendar up to the end of March and April, remains robust. But this could change quickly,” he admitted.

“But, we do have a sort of contingency that if the situation looks as if it might escalate in Jamaica, there are measures that we can take — and we are monitoring it very closely,” Dr Clarke said.

In terms of the new Speaker it is likely that current Deputy Speaker, Franklin Witter (St Elizabeth South Eastern) would be promoted to that position, and a new deputy selected when Charles Sr walks.

The Deputy Speaker’s post has increased in importance over the past decade, as persons who hold that position have had to chair several select committees and spend more time in the chair in order to give the Speaker a break from the often noisy proceedings.

McKenzie will be absent

Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie will be absent from his ministry and Parliament for the next two weeks, as he continues to heal from a shoulder injury which warranted an operation last week Wednesday at the Tony Thwaites Wing of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), Mona..

The minister had been complaining of continuous shoulder pains, and finally decided to go through with the operation last week.

This week’s schedule

Tuesday, March 10, 10:00 am — House of Representatives, opening of budget debate by Minister of Finance and the Public Service Dr Nigel Clarke;

Wednesday, March 11, 10:00 am — Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) to review the Ministry of National Security’s Status Report, as well as meet with the representatives of the Ministry of Tourism on current issues; 2:00 pm — Human Resources and Social Development Committee at the long-standing issue of the right to abortion;

Thursday, March 12, 10:00 am — Joint Select Committee (JDSC) on the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2017 meets.