Timeline for a PM

Week 1

Prime minister and leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Bruce Golding, drops the 'bombshell' at a meeting of the Central Executive of the party on Sunday, September 25, that he would not be seeking re-election as party leader and would demit office as prime minister after the election of a new party leader who would be expected to assume the office.

The announcement throws the party into a quandary and the media into a frenzy. A field of media-picked 'candidates' emerges. But nobody actually steps forward. Nominations have been declared open until October 19. At least one "private meeting" was held to seek consensus for Finance Minister Audley Shaw to replace Golding and to dissuade the much more popular Andrew Holness from challenging. Meanwhile, constitutional government smoothly continues in our stable democracy which has never had a crisis of leadership transition.

Week 2

At the start of the week, Mr Golding delivers a belated and mostly bland national address "explaining" his decision to demit both offices. Those who wanted and were clamouring for the gritty details of who or what 'pushed' Golding are deeply disappointed with his don't-tell protocol-satisfying exit address.

The second Golding 'bombshell' in the unfolding saga of his departure, and the only surprise in the eight-minute speech, was his open and completely inappropriate endorsement of young leadership to replace him and people like him, reading from a script written by G2K, the party affiliate of young professionals.

Batting for youth, Golding advised the nation from the leadership of which he was departing, "It is time for my generation to make way for younger people whose time has come, who are more in sync with 21st-century realities, whose vision can have a longer scope and who can bring new energy to the enormous tasks that confront us ... . There are young people in my party, indeed in both parties, who are capable of providing the leadership that the country requires at this time. We must not, for the sake of personal ambition, block their emergence."

This uncalled-for declaration effectively wiped out the aspirations of 'old' leaders even before there was a single nomination of anybody, old or young. The 70-year-old deputy prime minister, Dr Kenneth Baugh, publicly objects.

Meanwhile, 39-year-old Andrew Holness runs way ahead of the field in popularity both inside the party and across the country, with the other potential youth candidate, Dr Christopher Tufton, in the running but trailing well behind.

By midweek, the parliamentary group of the JLP, having gathered its senses and its courage, although it has its sequence and authority badly wrong, called a press conference to publicly crown Andrew Holness as Golding's successor as party leader, subject to ratification by delegates of the party, and, subsequently, to be prime minister. A magnificent - and dangerous - coup of G2K and media, which collaborated wittingly, or unwittingly, to puff Holness.

Nearly all other potential contenders sing Holness' praises and pledge their support for his leadership. Holness delivers his coronation address. The Gleaner reports the following day that 'Holness' rise closes JLP-PNP gap'. The parliamentary group gave heed to the famous advice delivered by Benjamin Franklin to his fellow American revolutionaries at the signing of the Declaration of Independence: "We must all hang together or, assuredly, we shall all hang separately!"

Meanwhile, minister with responsibility for information, Daryl Vaz, operating out of the Office of the Prime Minister, issues a media release saying, "... Although the JLP's parliamentary council has given its endorsement for Education Minister Andrew Holness to take over the leadership of the JLP and, ultimately, as prime minister, Prime Minister Bruce Golding will continue to serve in this position until an official transition and swearing-in take place at a time and date yet to be determined."

Week 3

Andrew Holness is to have a word with the incumbent prime minister, since Golding apparently has not digested the fact as yet that he (Holness) has secured the unanimous support of the majority side of the House of Representatives, is ready to assume the office of prime minister, and Golding should drag his stepping-down timetable forward to now. No hard feelings, nuff respect, strictly business - the business of the country.

Should the incumbent prime minister refuse to comply, the same parliamentary group which so effusively and unanimously endorsed Holness should invoke Section 70(2) of the Constitution and ask the House to vote for the revocation of Mr Golding's appointment as prime minister. Ironically, Holness is leader of government business in the House. The PNP Opposition would be happy to vote for Golding to go; but now that is the same as voting for Andrew, the equaliser, to come. Quite a dilemma for an Opposition that has been clamouring for Golding to pack his bags and go!

Week 4:

Swearing in of Prime Minister Holness and of his Cabinet should take place, in accordance with Section 70 of the Constitution, on National Heroes Day, with many thanks to Bruce Golding for his game-changing leadership of the country for the past four years.