Dear Editor,
According to senior JLP member Mike Henry, "There are questions that party leader Andrew Holness must answer in relation to his decision to appeal the Constitutional Court ruling". I agree. Any decision to appeal a ruling should have solid legal and moral bases.
In this particular case, the basis is difficult to find, much less understand. Undated pre-signed resignation letters were used to force out two prominent members of the Senate. Although these letters should never have been drafted in the first place, they were intended to be used, by consensus of the party, for a specific purpose, ie, if a member departed from the party's position on the Caribbean Court of Justice. Holness chose to use the letters for something else, to push his own agenda.
His recent appeal filing, therefore, suggests he disagrees with the court ruling which contradicts his public apology. Holness is still bitter and angry, and we can assume he is still holding a grudge against senators Williams and Tufton.
Perhaps this appeal might turn out to be a good thing after all. A rejection of the appeal would mean only one thing, further embarassment to the Opposition leader who, after all these years, has failed to unite the party, failed to lead it effectively, and failed to excite the electoral base. If the appeal is rejected, Holness should do the right thing and spare us the ordeal. He should resign immediately thereafter and allow the party to move forward under new leadership, and heal.
The JLP needs new vision; they will need to get rid of the old guard. Holness's inner court is falling apart, crumbling. Jamaica, by virtue of its Constitution and being a parliamentary democracy, deserves a fully functional and effective Opposition, one that is reliable and trustworthy. Jamaicans deserve an Opposition that could actually be a viable alternative to the sitting Government. The JLP leader Andrew Holness is digging a hole for himself, one that is so deep that, if he falls in, there is no climbing out.
P Chin
chin_p@yahoo.com
Andrew's hole-digging exercise
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According to senior JLP member Mike Henry, "There are questions that party leader Andrew Holness must answer in relation to his decision to appeal the Constitutional Court ruling". I agree. Any decision to appeal a ruling should have solid legal and moral bases.
In this particular case, the basis is difficult to find, much less understand. Undated pre-signed resignation letters were used to force out two prominent members of the Senate. Although these letters should never have been drafted in the first place, they were intended to be used, by consensus of the party, for a specific purpose, ie, if a member departed from the party's position on the Caribbean Court of Justice. Holness chose to use the letters for something else, to push his own agenda.
His recent appeal filing, therefore, suggests he disagrees with the court ruling which contradicts his public apology. Holness is still bitter and angry, and we can assume he is still holding a grudge against senators Williams and Tufton.
Perhaps this appeal might turn out to be a good thing after all. A rejection of the appeal would mean only one thing, further embarassment to the Opposition leader who, after all these years, has failed to unite the party, failed to lead it effectively, and failed to excite the electoral base. If the appeal is rejected, Holness should do the right thing and spare us the ordeal. He should resign immediately thereafter and allow the party to move forward under new leadership, and heal.
The JLP needs new vision; they will need to get rid of the old guard. Holness's inner court is falling apart, crumbling. Jamaica, by virtue of its Constitution and being a parliamentary democracy, deserves a fully functional and effective Opposition, one that is reliable and trustworthy. Jamaicans deserve an Opposition that could actually be a viable alternative to the sitting Government. The JLP leader Andrew Holness is digging a hole for himself, one that is so deep that, if he falls in, there is no climbing out.
P Chin
chin_p@yahoo.com
Andrew's hole-digging exercise
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