I believe that the person or persons who were dispatched by The Gleaner to cover the presentation by the president of the People's National Party to the National Executive Council may have done your great institution and you a disservice. It appears that he, she or they were less than thorough in reporting the content and the context of Mrs Simpson Miller's presentation to you.

Indeed, Mrs Simpson Miller acknow-ledged, as we all have, that there were developments in the global economy that have created a 'perfect storm' for national economies across the globe.

Transformational leadership

She located her critique of the local situation in a "failure to provide the inspirational and transformational leadership that the country requires at this time". Her criticisms of the management acumen of the Jamaica Labour Party-led administration are congruous with your own conclusion that "unfortunately, the Government has only belatedly acknowledged (the global crisis and its real impact on Jamaica) with candour".

Perhaps you are correct, and perhaps you too could have used your space as you suggest that Mrs. Simpson Miller could have used her address, to calculate the opportunity cost of the Government's snail-paced recognition of the real impact that the global crisis would have had locally.

Acknowledged dissatisfaction

Interestingly, it is your acknowledged dissatisfaction with the administration that is implicit in your latter paragraphs of the editorial that underscores the dilemma that Mrs Simpson Miller outlined - that if the patient (the Government) does not believe himself to be ill (the global crisis) then perhaps it is wasteful to offer him solutions or advice.

For what good purpose would it have suited the Government to have received with sincere participation, the suggestions of the Opposition which have come liberally through the State of the Nation and sectoral debates in the Parliament and severally in other closed door meetings, if in fact the government has not (or has only just) recognised the trouble we are in and the great need for help that we all possess?

On the need for a new politics, I cannot agree with you more. Of course, I want more than that; I also want a progressive media, willing to shock us and do more than the easy, because in this crisis superficiality and especially biases (including my own) of whatever bent do us no good.

I am, etc.,

RAYMOND PRYCE

Chairman

People's National Party Patriots