PRIME MINISTER P.J. Patterson took a break from what he said was his last political campaign as he graced The Gleaner's monthly Editors Forum yesterday.
He climaxed the session with a spirited defence of Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, whom we have taken to task for what we deem as an unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of this country.
Mr. Patterson defended what he said was the right of Dr. Gonsalves to speak from the political platform of the People's National Party he having attended virtually all other PNP conferences.
The Prime Minister was echoing the sentiments that have been expressed by Robert Pickersgill as chairman enunciating the official party line. Both have cited similar exchanges between sister parties not only regionally but globally as long-standing practice.
Both rebuttals, from Mr. Pickersgill and the Prime Minister, have failed to cite what we see as the critical ingredient.
We do not deny that over the years political leaders from the United Kingdom, from Africa, and from the region have attended party conferences here. Some have made headlines as did Samora Machel of Mozambique who talked about "killing the crocodile in the egg" and raised conservative eyebrows.
Closer home Owen Arthur of Barbados criticised FINSAC in 1999 as he participated in a conference on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies an occasion Mr. Patterson cited yesterday as not evoking a howl of criticism.
But that, Mr. Prime Minister, was not party political.
It was more in line of the academic concern about economics the regional scope of which is seen as vital.
The missing ingredient in both the Machel intervention and that of the Barbadian leader was that neither was partaking in a political campaign leading up to a general election.
Such action, we continue to maintain, is meddling in the affairs of a sovereign state and the right of its people to elect the government of their choice. It is especially inappropriate for the Head of Government of another state to do so and with the blessing of the Prime Minister!
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
