PNP’s Refusal To Participate In Debates A Massive Con-job…

The debates com­mis­sion in Jamaica has announced that debates between the lead­ers of the two major polit­i­cal par­ties sched­uled for Tuesday February 16^th has been called off.
The debates com­mis­sion took the action because the People’s National Party failed to respond con­firm­ing it’s par­tic­i­pa­tion in the debates.
In the mean­time the PNP has attached pre­con­di­tions to it’s par­tic­i­pa­tion in the debates, which has noth­ing to do with the debates.

♦In the first instance Prime Minister Simpson-Miller refus­es to par­tic­i­pate in the debates unless Opposition leader Andrew Holness apol­o­gize to her for refer­ring to her as the “biggest con artist Jamaica has ever seen”. Additionally she has threat­ened legal action against the Opposition leader claim­ing she has been dam­aged by his characterization.
♦ What the pub­lic may not know is that it was Miller who referred to the Opposition Leader’s 10-point plan as “con-job”,which pre­cip­i­tat­ed the Opposition Leader’s response.
♦ The Finance Minister Peter Phillips not to be out­done demand­ed that Opposition Leader Holness divulge the source/​s of fund­ing for his house which is under con­struc­tion in the Saint Andrew Community of Beverly Hills.
Both of these excus­es are ridicu­lous red-her­rings which has zero to with debat­ing the issues ger­mane to the future of the Island . Notwithstanding, this posi­tion tak­en by the PNP demon­strates a “don’t care, drunk with pow­er, atti­tude and the dis­dain with which it holds the Jamaican electorate”. 

If the PNP has ques­tions about the leader of the Opposition’s ethics, a debate stage is exact­ly the place to air those griev­ances and allow the Jamaican peo­ple to decide.
It rings hol­low that Prime Minister Simpson-Miller who refused to speak to the Press for the four years she has been in Jamaica House would now con­tend the reason/​s she is refus­ing to debate the leader of the oppo­si­tion is about things the oppo­si­tion leader should do, or has­n’t done.
The facts are clear , the Prime Minister has presided over a cor­rupt régime which has been plagued with graft, gross incom­pe­tence, neg­li­gence and ram­pant corruption.
It is insult­ing to the elec­torate that the incom­pe­tent and and clue­less Simpson-Miller would be allowed to hide behind PNP cre­at­ed smoke-screens and get away with it.
Much less be reward­ed with a sec­ond term.
Jamaica is not Simpson Miller’s pri­vate Property nei­ther is it the pri­vate domain of the PNP and it’s gang-land affiliates .
As such, Miller must forth­with attend the debates and answer ques­tions or resign.
What this cheeky and bla­tant dis­re­spect for the process reveals is that Jamaica is a Banana Republic which is ruled by third rate semi-lit­er­ates who have no respect for the rule of law.
Peel back the thin lay­er of veneer and the Sub-Saharan style fief­dom is exposed . Our Country is being run like a gang­land enclave ruled by threats, intim­i­da­tion and violence.

Debates are nei­ther about Holness nor Miller .They are about the peo­ple. Debates are job interviews , .
No can­di­date or par­ty seek­ing office should have the pow­er or indeed the free­dom to say I am not debat­ing with­out con­se­quence> No can­di­date for a job can say to his/​her prospec­tive employ­er I am not inter­view­ing for the job just trust me. It is the most bla­tant dis­dain that a rag-tag polit­i­cal cult can so dis­re­gard the intel­li­gence of the elec­torate by attach­ing pre­con­di­tions to answer­ing ques­tions the media would pose on the peo­ple’s behalf. This is an affront to the dig­ni­ty of the process which can­not stand.