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Patterson and Seaga A SUMMIT meeting with JLP Leader Edward Seaga will be among the first order of business for newly sworn-in Prime Minister P.J. Patterson.
The Prime Minister yesterday agreed to meet with Mr. Seaga next Friday, November 1, at 10 a.m., to discuss urgent matters of national importance. The meeting will be at Mr. Patterson's official residence at Vale Royal residence.
But while Mr. Patterson has agreed to meet with Mr. Seaga, he has proposed that the Jamaica Labour Party boss appoint a senior member of his party to meet with Dr. Peter Phillips "immediately to finalise all the necessary preparations for this first meeting". Dr. Phillips was the National Security Minister in the last People's National Party administration.
While Mr. Seaga made his demand for a meeting two days ago, Mr. Patterson sought to take credit for being first to propose such meetings. He pointed out that he had made a proposal as far back as October 17, 2001, for the "establishment of a mechanism to ensure on-going political dialogue between the leadership of the Government and the Opposition".
"The invitation was repeated publicly since the holding of the general election (on October 16)," a news release from Jamaica House said yesterday. "Your letter of October 22, 2002 serves to confirm the validity of my earlier suggestion and I hope you will now concur with the view that the time will never be more appropriate," Mr. Patterson said.
The Prime Minister, in his acceptance speech on October 16, extended the hand of friendship to all those in the political life of the country.
Nonetheless, Mr. Seaga, in his demand for what he called a "summit conference" had set out four positions which he said the JLP was proposing to stabilise political relations required for the healing process.
The four points proposed by the JLP are: The appointment of an independent Governor-General; an independent Police Services Commission; monthly meetings of Parliament's Appropri-ations and Internal Affairs Committees, each chaired by an Opposition member; and the Contractor-General to approve all contracts over a certain sum to prevent corruption.
He will not be getting the meeting on his terms, however, as Mr. Patterson said "the proposed meeting would be most fruitful if it did not proceed on the basis of a set agenda from one side and a counter agenda from the other".
Mr. Seaga's demand for a meeting came less than a week after the JLP was defeated by the PNP in a general election, the JLP's fourth straight loss stretching back to 1989.
In his letter, Mr. Seaga pointed to the current margin of seats in the House of Representatives which he noted was the "closest in decades". The PNP won 34 seats, eight more than the 26 won by the Opposition.
Mr. Seaga also pointed to the need for the country to pursue a path allowing for contrasting political positions without the excesses of tribalist political divisions. The time is now most opportune to pursue such a path," Mr. Seaga said.
