Samuda (left), Lopez (centre) and Ammar (right)
IT'S NOT very hard to like Danville Walker. And that's certainly an advantage for the gregarious Director of Elections as he prepares to lead a mammoth task to head the newly-created Office of National Reconstruction (ONR).
As chief executive officer (CEO), Mr. Walker will be spearheading efforts to get Jamaica back on the recovery path as quickly as possible, following the ravages of Hurricane Ivan a week ago.
Work has already begun and, in the meantime, the ONR's CEO already has the goodwill of many sectors in the society.
"I think he's a good man," said Karl Samuda, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) general secretary, yesterday. "He's capable and he has a proven track record."
According to Mr. Samuda, he thinks the ONR boss should not have difficulty executing his terms of reference.
TOUGH DECISIONS
"He's not afraid to take tough decisions and in a time like now, we need someone who can make unbiased decisions," the JLP general secretary said.
Michael Ammar Jr., president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), also spoke highly of Mr. Walker's appointment as "very favourable".
"I think you couldn't have chosen a better person," he told The Sunday Gleaner yesterday. "He's fair and he gets along with everybody and gets people to get along."
The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) has also thrown its support behind Mr. Walker and his team.
During a press conference at Jamaica House on Friday, PSOJ President Beverley Lopez said the association had met with Mr. Walker following his appointment last Monday, to determine the kind of support he would need.
"As a private sector grouping, we have pledged not only personnel who will be seconded to Mr. Walker, but we were able to get the various associations to pledge staff that Mr. Walker determined he needed," she said.
