Anxious eyes turn to Jamaica, St. Lucia

07.SEPT.07

By the time this Editorial reaches most of our readers, our sister state of Jamaica will be in the process of swearing in a new Prime Minister, following last Monday’s General Elections. In neighbouring St. Lucia, the mood will be far more sombre, for it is likely that by Friday another Prime Minister will have demitted office, albeit in completely different circumstances, for from all official reports there, the country expects to hear the worst about ailing Prime Minister Sir John Compton.{{more}}

For Jamaica, the change in leadership is a momentous one, following nearly two decades of the leadership of the People’s National Party (PNP). Like most other Caribbean nations, Jamaica has been locked in a two-party rivalry since the forties, with leadership of the country rotating between the PNP and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). This two-party rivalry has reached bloody tribal proportions in Jamaica, at times virtually splitting the country into warring camps. Ironically, the Prime Minister to be, Bruce Golding, some years ago, attempted to break the two-party mould, leaving the JLP camp, only to be forced back by the brutal realities of the traditional Westminster system.

The defeat for the PNP comes a year and half after it handed over the leadership to its first female head Mrs. Portia Simpson-Miller. She became the Caribbean’s third female Prime Minister, after Dominica’s late Dame Eugenia Charles and Guyana’s veteran anti-colonialist Mrs. Janet Jagan. Unfortunately, Mrs. Simpson-Miller, plagued by internal challenges from the outset, was not able to hold on, and in spite of her popularity, succumbed to the more technocratic-minded Golding.

The blurring of the once sharp ideological and programmatic distinctions between the JLP and PNP would no doubt spare Jamaica the harshness of radial change and mollify the post-election bitterness, but given Jamaica’s prominence in the region, all eyes would turn anxiously in that direction to see what impact the leadership change would have on policy vis a vis the rest of the region and the world.

Even more anxious eyes are focussed on St. Lucia, for the expected passing of revered “Father of the Nation” would be taking place in the context of a party in office which has not consolidated its position, has experienced internal wrangling in its short life, and in which some leading figures face serious allegations of corruption and misdemeanour. It is not even clear whether Mr. Stephenson King, who has been acting as Prime Minister, will get the support of his colleagues to succeed Sir John.

The Caribbean can ill afford further uncertainty and instability at this juncture.