Dear Editor,
I believe Andrew Holness has, unsurprisingly, blundered immediately after winning the leadership challenge of the JLP. There has been sufficient talk of unity after the election, but a good leader doesn't just speak, he is tactical and purposeful.
The purpose of a political party is to seek governance, plain and simple, and after gaining State power that party is able to implement policies and to move the country forward.
The first meeting Mr Holness needed to have was with the Shaw camp. Gain an understanding of their differences and try to negotiate a way to fuse their strengths. Understand that every decision made will be Holness's, as he is the leader.
Shaw, Bartlett, Tufton, and others in Shaw's camp are powerhouses in the JLP. In fact, many people see Tufton as one of our best prospects as a leader. It is with this that Holness needed to use his best weapons to build a united front.
Persons are saying he has the mandate and should get a clean slate. That may be true, however the issue of the Senate should never have been used as a mechanism to clean house. An internal election should never have caused senators to resign.
Furthermore, in Jamaican terms, Holness is cutting off his nose to spite his face. If your goal is to win the next election -- and some feel that you are intimidated by a Tufton -- then a savvy leader would ensure that Tufton is close at all times. Give Tufton a role that he can be impressive, that will in the end make the leader look good. Instead, Holness is alienating some of the brains of the party to appoint persons who have very little to contribute and/or have zero experience, and thus are considered featherweights, if considered at all.
In requesting Senators to resign, Holness has immediately put himself in a weak position. It's like putting oneself in a checkmate position in chess, which is not allowed. How does he proceed if some senators ignore his request and hold their positions. He immediately is weakened as a leader. Why put yourself in that position? Mr. Holness needs to learn how to play the game instead of listening to his supporters who themselves are clueless to the game of 'Power'.
There is a difference between winning the government and winning your party leadership. You can clean house when you win the government, but,within your own party, it is foolhardy because you would be alienating some of your strongest assets. You need your 'big guns' to win an election -- period. Remember, there are no differences in ideology between the Shaw camp and Holness camp. When Obama won the Democratic vote against Hilary -- we forget that the primary was very nasty -- he immediately pulled his greatest rivals closest to him: Hilary as secretary of state and Biden as VP. If these persons could garner significant votes during the primaries, then certainly they can only make him stronger if they are on his side. Holness needs to learn a thing or two. He is currently looking like an amateur at best. The play book is already written - read it Mr. Holness.
Jason Robinson
robinsonjasona@yahoo.com
Wrong moves, Mr Holness
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I believe Andrew Holness has, unsurprisingly, blundered immediately after winning the leadership challenge of the JLP. There has been sufficient talk of unity after the election, but a good leader doesn't just speak, he is tactical and purposeful.
The purpose of a political party is to seek governance, plain and simple, and after gaining State power that party is able to implement policies and to move the country forward.
The first meeting Mr Holness needed to have was with the Shaw camp. Gain an understanding of their differences and try to negotiate a way to fuse their strengths. Understand that every decision made will be Holness's, as he is the leader.
Shaw, Bartlett, Tufton, and others in Shaw's camp are powerhouses in the JLP. In fact, many people see Tufton as one of our best prospects as a leader. It is with this that Holness needed to use his best weapons to build a united front.
Persons are saying he has the mandate and should get a clean slate. That may be true, however the issue of the Senate should never have been used as a mechanism to clean house. An internal election should never have caused senators to resign.
Furthermore, in Jamaican terms, Holness is cutting off his nose to spite his face. If your goal is to win the next election -- and some feel that you are intimidated by a Tufton -- then a savvy leader would ensure that Tufton is close at all times. Give Tufton a role that he can be impressive, that will in the end make the leader look good. Instead, Holness is alienating some of the brains of the party to appoint persons who have very little to contribute and/or have zero experience, and thus are considered featherweights, if considered at all.
In requesting Senators to resign, Holness has immediately put himself in a weak position. It's like putting oneself in a checkmate position in chess, which is not allowed. How does he proceed if some senators ignore his request and hold their positions. He immediately is weakened as a leader. Why put yourself in that position? Mr. Holness needs to learn how to play the game instead of listening to his supporters who themselves are clueless to the game of 'Power'.
There is a difference between winning the government and winning your party leadership. You can clean house when you win the government, but,within your own party, it is foolhardy because you would be alienating some of your strongest assets. You need your 'big guns' to win an election -- period. Remember, there are no differences in ideology between the Shaw camp and Holness camp. When Obama won the Democratic vote against Hilary -- we forget that the primary was very nasty -- he immediately pulled his greatest rivals closest to him: Hilary as secretary of state and Biden as VP. If these persons could garner significant votes during the primaries, then certainly they can only make him stronger if they are on his side. Holness needs to learn a thing or two. He is currently looking like an amateur at best. The play book is already written - read it Mr. Holness.
Jason Robinson
robinsonjasona@yahoo.com
Wrong moves, Mr Holness
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