By Vernon Daley, Staff Reporter EDWARD SEAGA says he would have no hesitation in recommending his former protege, Bruce Golding, as an Independent Senator under a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government.
The JLP Leader made the comment while addressing a forum of Gleaner editors, senior reporters and columnists at the company's North Street offices, downtown Kingston, yesterday.
Mr. Seaga said that a JLP government would put in place an 'independent' Governor-General who would be responsible for making appointments to the Senate.
"I do not select the Independent Senators. A Prime Minister doesn't. I proposed that idea in constitutional reform. It has been adopted and used by the present government," Mr. Seaga said.
"The independent Governor-General would make those appointments. But I would hope that in such a case that the independent Governor-General would have some regard for any suggestion that we make. For instance, I would have no hesitation in recommending Bruce Golding as an Independent Senator," Mr. Seaga said.
Contacted for a comment, Mr. Golding, who was for many years regarded as Mr. Seaga's successor, said he would be prepared to consider the request if put to him by his former mentor.
Mr. Seaga told The Gleaner's Editors' Forum that he plans to use the Senate to expand the pool of persons the party could draw upon when it comes to select a new leader.
"I want to use the Senate to expand our options because I do believe that we can be enriched by options we have not explored," he said. He stressed that he was not suggesting that the person appointed to the Senate would be his successor.
"We have never had a Parliament in which we have had a Senate as good as the 1983 Senate which was appointed on the basis of finding those persons who could make a very useful contribution to debate and thinking. And that Senate as a model is something I want to reproduce," he said.
Yesterday's comments by Mr. Seaga and Mr. Golding suggest a further softening of relations between them after their bitter public quarrel in the mid-1990s which preceded Mr. Golding's resignation as party chairman.
Mr. Golding, who complained about Mr. Seaga's leadership style and his treatment of those opposed to him, subsequently left the JLP and founded his own party, the National Democratic Movement (NDM) in 1996.
Last year, Mr. Golding stepped down as president of the struggling party after it failed to make a strong showing in the March 2001 St. Ann North East by-election, which the JLP won.
The former NDM president, who now hosts a talk show on a local radio station, has advocated fundamental reform of the Jamaican Constitution as the first step in sparking public trust in the country's political affairs.
Mr. Golding, who has in recent times shared several political platforms with JLP members, including Mr. Seaga, said yesterday that he is "happy to serve his country in any capacity, consistent with the principles he espouses".
Meanwhile, Mr. Seaga refused to indicate when he would step down from leadership of the JLP saying he does not "travel with a timetable in his pocket". He said he has a mission to fulfil and he wanted to get beyond the blueprint and start the groundwork.
Asked who in the party could be seen as his likely replacement, the Opposition Leader argued that that was not for him to determine. This, he said, was a question for the Jamaican people.
