PM says Golding is ‘a good friend’

Regional political colleagues of Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves have not been experiencing much political success recently.{{more}}

Three times in the last 10 months, Dr Gonsalves has witnessed three political parties with which he and his Unity Labour Party (ULP) have fraternal relationships lose elections.

The latest is Jamaica’s Portia Simpson Miller, as her People’s National Party (PNP) was beaten by Bruce Golding’s Jamaican Labour Party (JLP) in last Monday’s general elections.

Just a couple weeks prior to the Jamaica polls, Chief Minister of the British Virgin islands, Dr Orlando Smith, who Dr Gonsalves also supported, and his National Democratic Party, lost to the Ralph O’Neal led Virgin Islands Party in August 20 elections.

The mother of all the defeats, though, came last December 11, when Dr Kenny Anthony’s St Lucia Labour Party (SLP) was crushed by the 83-year-old Sir John Compton and his United Workers Party (UWP), 11 seats to 6.

Dr Gonsalves had openly campaigned for Anthony, and drew sharp criticism from the veteran Sir John, and polls leading up to the elections had called a SLP victory.

As he offered congratulations to Prime Minister elect Bruce Golding in Parliament last Tuesday, September 5, Dr. Gonsalves called for an end to the violence which has followed the general elections. He also pleaded for good sense to prevail in Jamaica.

“I am hoping that everything will go well, and good sense will prevail,” Dr Gonsalves said, following word that violence had erupted after the JLP secured a narrow 32 to 28 victory.

The first announcement of a JLP 31 to PNP 29 margin was on Tuesday changed by the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ), with the JLP picking up an additional seat.

Referring to Bruce Golding as “a good friend”, with whom he goes back a long way, since their days at university, Dr Gonsalves said that he was looking forward to working with Golding on CARICOM matters.

“It is important that we keep the regional integration movement going,” Dr Gonsalves said.

He said that while the PNP is the fraternal party of his ULP government, that Golding, knowing this, had never made that a problem.

Offering his opinion on the elections, Dr Gonsalves said that he believes Simpson-Miller’s PNP had nothing to be ashamed off.

“They have had a long run, 18 years, and after 18 years, for a party to still come so close to remaining in power, shows that there is a strong base for the PNP,” Dr Gonsalves said.

He said that he believes that the defeated Miller’s personal popularity, above that of Golding, contributed to her party’s strong showing, reducing the margin of defeat.

“In the run up to the elections, the polls were indicating that despite Portia’s personal popularity that the PNP would lose…some people were predicting that they would lose heavily,” Dr Gonsalves said.

Dr Gonsalves also offered congratulations to Brtish Virgin Island’s Premier, Ralph O Neil, and his Virgin Islands Party. (KJ)