A few words with the 'PM-designate'

Martin Henry, Contibutor

At his coronation at the New Earth (Terra Nova) Hotel, King Andrew delivered a fine address which sounded mostly all the right notes. But some elements of the coronation, and one aspect of the speech in particular, have me worried.

There is no constitutional 'prime minister-designate', never mind the disappointed but team-playing Robert Montague's declaration to the effect.

And except for the clear supremacy of party over Government, there is absolutely no lawful reason to wait for Golding to amble away at his sole discretion on his timetable.

But we have our knickers knotted in this country. It is, for instance, amazing, and even more amazing that no one is amazed, that the JLP parliamentary group thinks it can anoint one of its own to become party leader and only from that platform to become prime minister.

The JLP members of parliament have no such authority and no such responsibility. They, in the majority, can decide (for the governor general's discretion) who they are prepared to support as prime minister. Full stop. Any recommendation for party leader, outside the vote of delegates at the annual conference, can only properly come from the officer corps of the party, which is not coterminous with the parliamentary group. The general secretary and at least one area leader (Senator Desmond McKenzie), for instance, are not in the House of Representatives.

As I recommended in last week's column, the proper and lawful way to proceed was for the parliamentary group, in line with the Constitution, to select one of their own for immediate appointment to the office of prime minister and so advise the governor general, and then the officer corps of the party would ask delegates to accept the PM as party leader by acclamation. With the PM strategically chosen to keep the party in power, there would be no 'no'.

Holness, in his coronation speech, said he knows the party. Accepting its leadership from a group not authorised to confer it may suggest otherwise. I urge the 'prime minister-designate' to learn the Constitution and to govern strictly by the supreme law of the land, both in letter and in spirit.

Holness' anecdote of being at his computer at 2 a.m. responding to the prime minister (who at 63 can send email!) lightened the coronation and went down well with the audience. "The man working, man!"

Golding, in his exit address, said he has been working 16-18 hours most days over the last four years as PM. Jesus Christ didn't work that hard in the world's biggest job, that of saving a planet of doomed sinners. Instead, he told His disciples to "come apart and rest awhile". And He spent a lot more time praying than Golding did.

My firm word of advice to Andrew Holness is, stop it! Your job is to get your ministers to work, and to get the public service to work with smartness, efficiency and integrity. The leader of Government has absolutely no need to be Atlas. You need time to think, to dream, to renew - and to keep your wife and young children happy. Your mentor Edward Seaga is on public record that politics and leadership cost him his first family. You must learn.

Holness has placed unity and continuity as high-priority guiding principles for his administration. I want to recommend adding 'restraint'. Almost everybody is touting an early election. The pressure to "run wid it", both in reckless promises and fiscal slackness, will be enormous. The Opposition will be jacking up the stakes and the same popular acclaim which brought you to power means that "the people" have high expectations.

The jubilation of popular acclaim, in contrast to your own sombre coronation address, worries me deeply. There are going to be deep tensions between expectations and possibilities. As minister, you have been the 'beneficiary' of the reckless politically driven action of removing cost-sharing from secondary education. The temptation - and demand - to deliver similar sweeties will be great. Resist with all your might the siren call to be magician or messiah. Youth is not a qualification for either.

Martin Henry is a communication specialist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and medhen@gmail.com.