PORTIA SIMPSON Miller, our new Prime Minister, has a personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty and enthusiasm from a wide range of Jamaicans. There is a mood of euphoria and expectation alive in the country, not experienced since the heady days of Michael Manley in the early 1970s.
While Manley did much to encourage equity and strengthening of the social fabric, he showed little ability or interest in the management of the country's affairs and the promotion of economic growth. Among his greatest mistakes was his disregard for the middle class and at times, his active encouragement for the professional and managerial classes to migrate.
Manley did not understand that political loyalists are unlikely to have sole or majority ownership of management capability. Indeed many 'loyalists' are political activists because they want to share in political spoils or bask in high office. Prime Minister Simpson Miller must realise that these personal ambitions of activists do not encourage their support for the state's affairs to be run in an efficient and impartial manner. Under a competent administration pork barrel benefits are reduced.
The Prime Minister is simultaneously in a number of difficult situations.
How does she acquire the guidance - divine or not - to determine which of her political supporters and financiers have, and are, supporting her in hopes of personal and illicit gain?
When she receives this guidance, how does she separate herself from association with the unclean?
How does she implement the checks and balances in government that are required to limit public corruption?
Can she attract into her administration and government persons with developed management ability to run the complicated business which the Jamaican Public Sector has become? If she does, will she back them when good management decisions run contrary to activist demands?
There is a perception that Prime Minister Simpson Miller is more interested in winning the next and early general election, rather than giving priority to resolving key national issues. This has become almost par for the course for political leaders but it may be premature to make such a judgement and we do not make it, at this time.
It is not premature, however, to urge Prime Minister Simpson Miller to inject top management personnel into key positions. These persons are not now visible in her administration.
It is not premature to urge Prime Minister Simpson to distance herself overtly from unsavoury activists and financiers.
It is by these decisions that we will judge what our new charismatic leader will seek to do with our country. We wish her well in making these tough determinations.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
