Vernon Daley

My good friend Kingsley Sangster, who is a former Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) MP, has maintained that the Jamaican people have never made an error in the election of their government. I'm inclined to believe him.

The people have a way of sensing which of the major political parties is the more capable of managing their affairs at any particular point in time. The losing side will always think the people were gullible to vote for the other party but the average Jamaican elector is much smarter than is sometimes thought.

Monday's success at the polls for the JLP was well deserved. They gave the Jamaican people a reason to vote for them, notwithstanding the slim margin of victory. The party seemed energised and motivated and it delivered a clear message to the electorate that changing government meant an improvement in their lives. It was a near flawless campaign.

The People's National Party (PNP) under the leadership of Portia Simpson Miller had major challenges which it never quite overcame. There was a feeling many people had that it was a disunited party, hobbling along with no clear idea of what it wanted to do with the fifth termif it got it.

We were being invited to vote for Portia but the trouble is that the Portia train derailed somewhere along the way. As the tenure of the Prime Minister wore on, it became clear that she wasn't coping as well with the job as we might have hoped.

Middle-class bias

Some will see that comment as a representation of middle-class bias against Mrs. Simpson Miller who hails from the "bowels of the working class". Of course, those who make that argument are merely finding excuses. If the middle class had an in-built bias against the outgoing Prime Minister, why did she enjoy such high approval ratings when she took over the government from P.J. Patterson?

The middle class pulled away from Portia not because of bias, but because of a realisation that she wasn't all that Jamaica thought she would have been. It seems to me that the intellectuals who have served us the class bias argument have applied some very crooked reasoning to the issue to satisfy their own political preferences.

By the way, I was surprised to learn that up to last Friday Mrs. Simpson Miller had not sent a congratulatory message to Prime Minister-designate Bruce Golding. In fact, she had not up to Friday spoken with him since the election. I find this troubling and sincerely hope that my information is incorrect.

Bad grace

This would reflect badly on Mrs. Simpson Miller, especially in a context where several leaders have sent their best wishes to Mr. Golding. It would also indicate a continuation of the bad grace the Prime Minister displayed when she addressed party supporters on Monday night after the PNP's defeat.

Hopefully, there is no bad blood between the leaders because this could poison the working relationship between the Government and the Opposition during the life of the next Parliament.

Today, Mr. Golding will be sworn in as Prime Minister. I think most reasonable Jamaicans wish him and his team the best in their new roles. They should be advised, though, that people have grown impatient with non-performance and want to see the fruits that were promised for changing the course.